12v Ryobi Drill

[dvenardos]

Okay, this goes in the dude, "Go buy a new drill category". :crying:
So, I have had this 12v Ryobi Drill for a long time. I love the drill, but hate the batteries. They have never held a charge for very long and the charger sucks. I bought a corded Ryobi, the only corded I could find with a variable (what the hell do you call it, it is like a torque wrench) clutch. I was very happy with it, but it fell off a ladder last year and bit the big one. I have a 14v sears right angle cordless that I bought for something I was working on and the batteries are great and it has a nice one hour charger, but no variable clutch and you really don't want to use a right angle all the time. So, being the cheap ass that I am, I hate to throw away a perfectly good drill, but haven't seen any better charging solutions for my 12v Ryobi. Anyone have any suggestion.:no clue:

[Lanceb1b]

Buy a Rigid, I believe they warranty the battery for life.

[dvenardos]

Yeah, I like Rigid tools.

[Lanceb1b]

I used to buy Dewalt, great for contractors, but for home use the batteries are costly. I did find out that if the battery pack can be disassembled (screws) Batteries Plus will mount new batteries, (they use a mini spot welder.) They can also build a bunch of different batteries.

[dvenardos]

Hmm, now you got me thinking. I sense yet another project. :D

[JamesK]

I just bought a Milwaukee 18v drill at home depot. It's the v18 cordless. It's discontinued since they moved to the m18 model. it was $144 with 2 Lithium Ion batteries. It's drill, torque wrench and hammer drill in one. It's a bit heavy at 6.5 pounds but it's pretty awesome and a great price. Prior to the change in model they were $299.

[django1]

Buy a Rigid, I believe they warranty the battery for life.

I second the Ridgid for DIYers. Lifetime guarantee on batteries is great. Mind you in three years they might say "sorry sir we don't make that battery anymore"...

[dvenardos]

Been working on my "shop" building workbench and shelving and so broke down this weekend and bought a rigid 12v lithium ion combo drill / light with two batteries and 30 minute charger for $129. All late afternoon / evening on one charge and plenty of torque. :thumbsup: With the nicad right angle drill I was swapping batteries every hour.

I did take apart one of the battery packs on the Ryobi and was going to build a new battery pack, but I have many more fruitful projects on my plate.

[spl_nut]

Happy you're happy :)

Would have put my money on DeWalt or Panasonic.

[Kevin_Wadsworth]

I'm a big fan of the Hitachi impact driver. It's tough to go back to using a "regular" cordless drill after using an impact driver. They're lighter, but with so much more power.

[Stereodude]

Buy a Rigid, I believe they warranty the battery for life.

Keep in mind the lifetime warranty on Rigid tools is only against manufacturers defects, not against the product breaking or wearing out from use.

[quadman]

You bought another 12V? One of the problems with the lower rated drills (12V, 14.4V) versus something heaftier like an 18V is not only the instant power available, but the reserve power at hand. Meaning they will last longer on a single charge. Kind of like the amps in a receiver versus a beefy stand alone amp. More current, more instant power and more reserve power.

Sure, the 12V's are a lot cheaper and are much lighter (and more comfortable during prolonged use), but for any kind of heavy use, an 18V is so much nicer.

IMHO, YMMV, FWIW, just my $0.02 and all that.

[dvenardos]

I'm a big fan of the Hitachi impact driver. It's tough to go back to using a "regular" cordless drill after using an impact driver. They're lighter, but with so much more power.

Yeah, I was looking at the impact drivers but they were more than what I wanted to spend and I wasn't really sure how they worked.

Keep in mind the lifetime warranty on Rigid tools is only against manufacturers defects, not against the product breaking or wearing out from use.

Yeah, I have noticed that. I just really like all the other rigid tools that I have bought, big step up from the Ryobi that I often buy when I don't want to spend a lot.

You bought another 12V? One of the problems with the lower rated drills (12V, 14.4V) versus something heaftier like an 18V is not only the instant power available, but the reserve power at hand. Meaning they will last longer on a single charge. Kind of like the amps in a receiver versus a beefy stand alone amp. More current, more instant power and more reserve power.

Sure, the 12V's are a lot cheaper and are much lighter (and more comfortable during prolonged use), but for any kind of heavy use, an 18V is so much nicer.

IMHO, YMMV, FWIW, just my $0.02 and all that.

The main thing I needed was the torque feature for driving wood screws and a better battery. My old ryobi cordless with the torque adjustment had Ni-cads so I wanted to get NIMH or lithium ion. I was really going to buy another corded ryobi since it is the only one with the torque adjustment but the new model is a lot bulkier and I didn't like it. I will get a corded drill for the heavy stuff. I actually don't mind using a corded drill and you never have to worry about batteries. :)