jerryc41 wrote:
I'm bringing up cordless tools again. I can't help myself. I think manufactures missed an opportunity when they didn't agree on a universal battery style. I have Ryobi and DeWalt cordless tools, so I'm limited to buying only those brands. If I spend a couple of hundred dollars on a Milwaukee, I'd have to spend another couple of hundred on a charger and batteries.
I wanted to buy a cordless impact wrench so I wouldn't have to deal with the compressor and air hose. Since I'm not a professional mechanic, I didn't need the best, just something that worked. The Bauer, from Harbor Freight, was surprisingly good for just $90, compared with $170 for a DeWalt. Unfortunately, adding just one battery and charger would bring the total to $165, and I would have to make an hour and a half roundtrip drive to get it. So, I ordered a DeWalt from Amazon and used my credit to pay almost half the cost. It will be delivered for free on Friday.
I realize that manufacturers think that once you have their cordless system, you're stuck with them, but they should also realize that if you haven't started with their system, it will probably never be a choice. Yes, I know there are adapters to use a Brand A battery on a Brand B tool, but that's just an added complication - and more expense.
There. I'm done.
I'm bringing up cordless tools again. I can't hel... (
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Jerry, it gets way worse than that. Some time back I bought a nice little Skil 12-volt drill. I liked it a lot because it is small, light, a big deal when you are 20-feet up a ladder. So I bought another one. This was a few years ago. Now, as I understand it, Bosch was the actual designer of this tool....And now we know that Bosch also bought Skil tools--the name anyway. It gets worse. Some time after this, I purchased a 12-volt Bosch impact driver. It too, is small and light and the lithium bat. is small, but lasts and lasts. These two tools have essentially the same battery--12-volt. But they will not interchange between tools, due to some mechanical interference built in. However, they will work perfectly in each others' chargers. The battery for the "Skil" now if you can find one, costs about $98. The battery for the impact driver can be had for about $12. I actually wrote a letter to Bosch about this highway robbery, twice in fact--and never received a reply. I am pretty much through with any serious battery operated tools anyway--they happen to be an ecological disaster in the making--and I am not a tree-hugger! I enjoy your posts--keep it up. David---Kailua Kona, HI