Harbor Freight 18V drill. - Woodworking Talk

BHOFM · 01-09-2009, 05:10 PM

Well, everyone laugh,, I bought one.

$17, extra battery $11.

Charged the batteries, 5 hours each.

I have used it a couple of days, still on first battery.
It feels good, has lots of power. Low speed only,
so it has lots of torque. Adjustable torque BTW.

It looks good, not too big, not too heavy.

So far I am pleased with my cheapie purchase.

I will keep you posted as to the long term.

I am tired of the Skill, batteries last about six months
and cost $40. I can have them rebuilt for $42
and they use better cells, stronger as well.

I can buy a new Skill at Lowes on sale cheaper than
the batteries.

Any how. I will let you know, good or bad how it
works out.

djonesax · 01-09-2009, 05:43 PM

thanks for the review I have always wondered about them...

justin2009 · 01-16-2009, 12:34 PM

The only reason I've owned battery powered tools is because my fraternity brother built houses and "gifted" me an 18V drill when he got a 24V version. Batteries died a year later, never to be charged again. I just received a battery powered drill and flashlight for a Christmas gift. Otherwise, I've never been a fan of battery powered equipment. I'd rather hassle with the extension cords than have a tool quit in the middle of a project.

djonesax · 01-16-2009, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin2009

The only reason I've owned battery powered tools is because my fraternity brother built houses and "gifted" me an 18V drill when he got a 24V version. Batteries died a year later, never to be charged again. I just received a battery powered drill and flashlight for a Christmas gift. Otherwise, I've never been a fan of battery powered equipment. I'd rather hassle with the extension cords than have a tool quit in the middle of a project.

I have the dewalt 18v XRP hammer drill. After I used it for the first time, my electric has never come out of the box again. It has more power and the battery seems to live for ever. I don't us it every day but if the battery is fresh, I can use it all weekend and not change the battery. I have an old Ryobi 12v that battery always seemed to be dead, before that I had a B&D 8v that was good enough to drill one hole. A friend of mine has a Craftman 10v that is good for a few holes and thats it. So there have difinately been some crappy ones out there. But what the new models can do on a battery is pretty amayzing to me.

CVGCOM · 01-16-2009, 02:09 PM

if you arent going to get the top of the line in dewalt milwaukee makita etc etc then you may as well buy harbor freight....i used to only use craftsmen and snap on tools...the last year or two i have started buying HF stuff and its realyl not that bad...you snap a socket then go get another they are dirt cheap...i got a 3/8" drive reversable air drill on sale there of $5.99 !

BHOFM · 01-16-2009, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CVGCOM

if you arent going to get the top of the line in dewalt milwaukee makita etc etc then you may as well buy harbor freight....i used to only use craftsmen and snap on tools...the last year or two i have started buying HF stuff and its realyl not that bad...you snap a socket then go get another they are dirt cheap...i got a 3/8" drive reversable air drill on sale there of $5.99 !

I agree, the Skill has been a disappointment because
of the battery thing.

I have been using it off an on for a week, still
on the first battery and really like it, it has a
lot more power than the Skill.

HF has three different 18V drill, this is the cheapest
one they sell.

BHOFM · 02-10-2009, 07:08 AM

So far, I have used it what I would consider a lot and
it is doing very well.

The battery will out run the Skill by about three times.

I feel it was a good buy to this point.

The woodsman · 02-10-2009, 10:54 AM

Hope you have better luck than I did,bought one and the dang thing broke in a week.As for skill I have the 18 V and the bat will go dead just settin on the shelf in a few days.Like said its cheaper to buy a new drill than a bat,or a new charger,The best deal ( I think ) going now is Ridgid,they have a lifetime warranty on all there tools,INCLUDING the bat.Got me a set for Xmas.

sweensdv · 02-10-2009, 03:06 PM

Which one did you buy, the orange one or the blue one? I've heard the orange ones are not that bad but stay away from the blue ones.

BHOFM · 02-10-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweensdv

Which one did you buy, the orange one or the blue one? I've heard the orange ones are not that bad but stay away from the blue ones.

I got the blue one, I had reservations about it, but
thought I would give it a try, they said i could return
it and gave me a 90 day return in place of the normal
30 day because I told them I was going to do a review
on the web site.

It is half the price of the yellow one.
And as I stated, so far I am very pleased considering
the price.

MyMonkey · 02-10-2009, 10:09 PM

I love my Dewalt 14 v drill. I also have a Ryobi 18V. Both batteries, even though they are NiCd, seem to last and last. However, my next drill purchase will have to be Lithium Ion. More power from fewer cells means a smaller and lighter yet superior drill. Sounds tasty to me. :) No memory in the cells either. Excellent. Next, they will come out with Lipo cells for Drills. But they are not as stable as the LiIon

The woodsman · 02-10-2009, 10:49 PM

I got the orange set,basiclly because a friend has em an loves em,but the warranty sold me.I had a ryobi for abour three yrs and the charger went up and they wanted more for a charger than a new drill,so I got a new drill,in two yrs the charger went up on it,so I go the skill and it sucks,so now I have the Ridgid,may not last,but at least its covered by a 100% no questions ask warranty.

Marktrl · 02-10-2009, 11:56 PM

I have the Ryobi lithium, those batteries last for days. I have the blue Ryobi sawsall, trim saw, chop saw, they all run 5 times as long on the lithium.

sawduststeve · 02-11-2009, 12:29 AM

I started with a Dewalt 12V and it got dropped and had to have the planetaries rebuilt. So I got the 18V Makita, this is a powerful drill and you can get a lot of screws run on a charge my son who was installing garage doors told me that the impact drivers were way better. So I purchased the 18V impact driver tool only on Ebay for $69. All I can say is wow!! This impact driver will drive twice as many screws on the same battery as the drill. It also drills faster the only bad thing is it only has the hex drive so drill bits have to be hex shank to run. But I really like it and I don't hardly ever use my drill to drive screws any more.

Jordy3738 · 02-19-2009, 09:00 AM

Chordless drills have there place. I am a cabinet professional by trade. We use them for many applications. I like to try cheap tools sometimes but not for industrial work.

SawDustJack · 02-20-2009, 10:09 PM

I have the DeWalt 18v XRP NiCds , got when they first came out , years ago , I ran them in the ground , the batteries have finally died , I can get two rebuilt with 50% more power than original , for abt the price of one new battery .. Mine in the drills , which is the cordless tool I use most , just outstanding ..

A few years ago someone gave us a pair of 19.2v Craftsman drills and a sawzall , these babies are the only reason I havent rebuilt the DeWalts , they are awesome , and the sawzall works better and runs smoother than my corded Makita ..

rrbrown · 02-26-2009, 01:02 PM

My wife works at Sears so I get good deals when available (clearance/closeouts). I have Craftsman 18v,14.4 and 12v drills and the 18v has the flashlight. I purchased the replacement plans on all 3 of them. If it breaks I return it and get another one free. I also have the 18v Dewalt saw and drill and the 12v drill I have had no problem with any of them most are like 2 years old. I did read allot of the reviews on the craftsman drills because like I said my wife works at the sears tool dept. they do have certain models that have problems and I tried to stay away from those.

Something that allot of people don't know is that the craftsman water hoses and some of the shovel rakes ect or all lifetime warranty. They also have a new line of cheaper hand tools I think it's Evolve) that are lifetime warranty. I have a few HF tools mostly heavy duty but I always get the warranty their because they only have a 90 day warranty, pay 3.00 - 15.00 more for a extended warranty is well worth it. it goes by the cost of the item.

mpm1696 · 02-26-2009, 01:47 PM

The problem with battery powered tools; is in the charger. There's no way to tell if the batteries needs charging, unless you check yourself with a meter. Even then how long are you going to leave it charging and at how many amps is it charging at. - Even more questions, us "consumers" keep asking and cheap tool manufacturers keep their mouths shut... Why, you ask? Because they keep selling them at good price! And we keep buying them and putting them in the trash after less than a year, potentially ruining our planet within years (if this keeps up).

The best battery powered tools have a charging meter chip, that measures your battery voltage, resistance and amps, while charging. So even if the battery is in the charger it might not be charging, maybe it don't need to or the battery is too hot. Those types of battery power tools are "name brands" that we all know. Do I need to mention them?

My tips:
1- Don't charge hot batteries, or the battery could reverse polarity, rendering it useless.
2- Get a timer on your charger plug, set it for no more than 3 hours, otherwise it will keep on charging until you take it off the charger.
3- Ni-Cd batteries lose charge when not in use, even faster in cooler environments, we all know that! So we leave them in the charger all the time... referring you to #2
4- Lithium Ion batteries don't lose charge when not in use, and they don't charge when hot, and they're lighter in weight. But they do however stop abruptly when low in charge. The latter is probably the only down side...!
5- In my opinion; Lithium Ion tools are the better choice for the average WEDIY (week-end-do-it-yourselfer). Even after 30 days (a month) it keeps a full charge.

The point here is you get what you pay for man! The cheaper, the lesser...

“When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do” – John Ruskin 1819-1900

Any replies?

Pete

SawDustJack · 02-27-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpm1696

The problem with battery powered tools; is in the charger. Hit that nail on the head
There's no way to tell if the batteries needs charging, unless you check yourself with a meter. Even then how long are you going to leave it charging and at how many amps is it charging at. - Even more questions, us "consumers" keep asking and cheap tool manufacturers keep their mouths shut... Why, you ask? Because they keep selling them at good price! And we keep buying them and putting them in the trash after less than a year, potentially ruining our planet within years (if this keeps up).

The best battery powered tools have a charging meter chip, that measures your battery voltage, resistance and amps, while charging. So even if the battery is in the charger it might not be charging, maybe it don't need to or the battery is too hot. Those types of battery power tools are "name brands" that we all know. Do I need to mention them?

My Craftsman and DW chargers have a light that indicates charging and fully charged ..
My tips:
1- Don't charge hot batteries, or the battery could reverse polarity, rendering it useless. Agree 100%
2- Get a timer on your charger plug, set it for no more than 3 hours, otherwise it will keep on charging until you take it off the charger.

Never used a timer , but it is a good idea , my battery man , who rebuilds most all brands of cordless batteries says the problem is this ( my problem ) , never keep the battery on the charger after it is fully charged , as an example my DW is a one hour charge , keep an eye on it and when the light says it's charged remove from the charger , or get a timer to turn it off after a given amount of time

3- Ni-Cd batteries lose charge when not in use, even faster in cooler environments, we all know that! So we leave them in the charger all the time... referring you to #2
4- Lithium Ion batteries don't lose charge when not in use, and they don't charge when hot, and they're lighter in weight. But they do however stop abruptly when low in charge. The latter is probably the only down side...!
5- In my opinion; Lithium Ion tools are the better choice for the average WEDIY (week-end-do-it-yourselfer). Even after 30 days (a month) it keeps a full charge.

The point here is you get what you pay for man! The cheaper, the lesser...

“When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do” – John Ruskin 1819-1900

Any replies?

Pete

While I dont doubt some good results with less expensive tools , I prefer to spend the money up front and get the best I can afford .. I depend on them too much , and found out the hard way , that in many cases nothing is more expensive than cheep tools

Allthumbs27 · 02-28-2009, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SawDustJack

I have the DeWalt 18v XRP NiCds , got when they first came out , years ago , I ran them in the ground , the batteries have finally died , I can get two rebuilt with 50% more power than original , for abt the price of one new battery .. Mine in the drills , which is the cordless tool I use most , just outstanding ..

A few years ago someone gave us a pair of 19.2v Craftsman drills and a sawzall , these babies are the only reason I havent rebuilt the DeWalts , they are awesome , and the sawzall works better and runs smoother than my corded Makita ..

I love my 19.2 craftsman. I bought the kit that had that circ saw, sawzall, drill and worklight. Absolutely amazing how good they are. FIL died and they gave me his 19.2 drills (2 of them) and batteries (4 of them). Love em