Best voltage for Cordless kit

[Hoovie]

after spending a lot of time today un-plugging one tool and plugging in another, I am looking very seriously at kitting myself out with some cordless tools, but need some guidence and explanation please.

1) Batteries - so in the pecking order, generally Li-on is best, followed by Ni-Mh and then Ni-Cad - same is true of Power tools, I presume?

2)Volts - seems to be a massive variety of voltages, with 12V, 18v and 24V seemingly the most common - what are the pros and cons of each? (please don't just say cost, as that is often very clear) - why advantage does a 12V hold over an 18V - and vice-versa

My current experience of cordless is with a B&D Quattro 12V cordless unit that provides Jigsaw, Drill/Driver and Sand (using the same 'motor' and change the mech., but the only one that I have had any success with is the Drill/Driver and then really as a Driver (any real hard driving or drilling in hard material, have to switch to corded drive), and the way people talk about their cordless kit, this looks like a poor cousin of a decent tool

3) Batteries (again) - how much interchangeability is there between batteries between tools from the same maker (assuming same voltage, of course) and is there any interchangablity between makes? - I guess if you get kit that uses the same batteries, then you would likely chose the same make for ny new requiremen, so would like to get it right to start with!

Cheers

Hoovie

[owen]

i like 14.4v, powerful enough to do most jobs but not too heavy to use all day. the more volts, the more power, but the more weight.

Li-ion are supposed to be very good, but are very expensive. unless you are going to put them to some serious use then ni-cd or ni-mh will be fine depending on your budget.

the batteries are the main expense of cordless tools, cheap cordless tools have cheap crap batteries and are a waste of time.

also the capacity of the battery is important as well as the voltage. e.g. a 2.6Ah battery will last twice as long as a 1.3Ah, but will be more expensive.

dewalt probably have the widest range of cordless tools available. also there is the ryobi system which has a wide range. whilst it may seem like a good idea to go completely cordless, remember you will need several spare batteries on the go as you will go through them quickly, especially if you are using cordless saws etc.

[big-all]

before i launch into a ryobi tirade i need to know what use you are putting the tools to

diy / light /medium /full trade

[Hoovie]

Thanks for replies, guys.

before i launch into a ryobi tirade i need to know what use you are putting the tools to

diy / light /medium /full trade

in my case DIY.... but ... I don't like working with crap kit, so want decent stuff, but doesn't need big-time duty cycle. Most of my corded power tools are green bosch and been perfectly happy with their quality/price combo.
I attempt to tackle all jobs in house.

'Ryobi tirade' - now not sure if that will be a "Ryobi is the DBs" tirade or "Ryobi is spawn of the devil" tirade (think the first ) but got my first Ryobi - SDS 710W Drill and it feels good

the batteries are the main expense of cordless tools, cheap cordless tools have cheap crap batteries and are a waste of time.

also the capacity of the battery is important as well as the voltage. e.g. a 2.6Ah battery will last twice as long as a 1.3Ah, but will be more expensive

Yup - In the past had lightweight cordless drill and a cordless screwdriver - did n't take long for either to start only being good for about 5 minutes

What I guess I am after is a range of tools that use the exact same batteries, from a decent make, but not 'over the top' for DIY type use - DeWalt springs to mind as a make that is beyond my needs - and beyond a sensible budget for intermittant DIY use.
The Ryobi range does look like it fits the bill, but as per the initial question - that kit would be 18V but is 24V a better idea?

As an aside - what exactly is an "impact driver"?

[ultimatehandyman]

24 volt tools are very heavy and are not normally required for DIY use.

24 and 36 volt tools are for really heavy duty use!

Some makes of batteries are interchangable and some aren't. Many of the blue bosch batteries were not interchangable in the old days, but now most of them are. The dewalts are very interchangable and you can even use one charger to charge 9.6-12-14.4 and 18 volt batteries. The 24 volt dewalts require a larger charger which is nothing like the other voltages.


I have the dewalt 18v combi drill, right angle drill, sds drill, jigsaw, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and cut off tool.

I am thinking that you may be best suited with the ryobi range 1+ system, I would go for 18 volt.

A impact wrench is like a cordless drill but a lot smaller and has a lot more torque and is great for driving really big screws. There is no chuck on them, you just insert a bit in the holder at the end, some have a square drive for sockets etc.

[Hoovie]

24 volt tools are very heavy and are not normally required for DIY use.

24 and 36 volt tools are for really heavy duty use!

Some makes of batteries are interchangable and some aren't. Many of the blue bosch batteries were not interchangable in the old days, but now most of them are. The dewalts are very interchangable and you can even use one charger to charge 9.6-12-14.4 and 18 volt batteries. The 24 volt dewalts require a larger charger which is nothing like the other voltages.


I have the dewalt 18v combi drill, right angle drill, sds drill, jigsaw, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and cut off tool.

I am thinking that you may be best suited with the ryobi range 1+ system, I would go for 18 volt.

A impact wrench is like a cordless drill but a lot smaller and has a lot more torque and is great for driving really big screws. There is no chuck on them, you just insert a bit in the holder at the end, some have a square drive for sockets etc.

What I am hearing is "Ryobi 1+" generally and that does look a good set - cheers all

Re Impact driver - thanks, UHM. I was driving a whole load of 4x50 goldscrews over the weekend (great screws!) and on quite a few occasions had to switch from 12V cordless drill to corded drill to get them fully home - Sounds like an impact driver would have done the biz for me.

Hoovie

[ultimatehandyman]

A 12 volt impact driver or an 18 volt drill driver will drive them home easily.

I have driven 6*100 turbogolds in with my Dewalt 18 volt driver with no problems at all and if you don't let go of the trigger it will drive the screw straight through the wood!

[ultimatehandyman]

I'd check out B&Q as these have had some great deals on Ryobi recently.

Make sure if you do buy Ryobi that you get the 1+ system as they also do an 18volt range that is not 1+ and the batteries are not interchangable

[big-all]

ryobi one plus is absolutly perfect for your requirements
i rate it as diy light to medium trade
i have loads off ryobi stuff as my secondery kit

i have bosch 24v and dewalt 18v as my main cordless gear

and would say the ryobi would easily do 80-90% of what the bosch and dewalt will do [pro-rata]

ryobi is well desighned feels good and at around half the price is great value

just look for the special offer around of 2 tools complete kit and a great carry bag for £100[or less] but as uhm says you need the yellow buttons on the side off the battery or the words one + so you know you have the right ones

[Fats]

B&Q are doing the Ryobi one+ 18V Hammer Drill & 18v impact driver with 2 batteries and a charger for £99.00.

I already have some ryobi one+ stuff cant fault it, im considering buying this deal from B&Q mainly because i could do with a couple more batteries which would probably cost £50+ so for that price of £99 ill get and impact driver which i aint got yet and another cordless drill which always come in handy for an extra £49.

[Hoovie]

B&Q are doing the Ryobi one+ 18V Hammer Drill & 18v impact driver with 2 batteries and a charger for £99.00.

I already have some ryobi one+ stuff cant fault it, im considering buying this deal from B&Q mainly because i could do with a couple more batteries which would probably cost £50+ so for that price of £99 ill get and impact driver which i aint got yet and another cordless drill which always come in handy for an extra £49.

Sounds good with the impact driver.
Went down to my local B&Qs and the first had no Ryobi One+ kit - BUT did still have the SDS 750 Drill for £45 in stock.
The second didn't have the kit you saw, but did have the Combi Drill + Jigsaw + batteries, charger and case for £99 - and as the two tools that I had to keep juggling leads with that drove me to definately wanting cordless was a Hammer drill and a jigsaw, I am well happy with that

First step on the road of Ryobi One+ ownership

I also ended up getting a One+ Hedge Trimmer kit on ebay for £60 including 2 batteries and charger, so will have batteries coming out me ears (My current hedge trimmer lead is getting shorter and shorter as I have cut through the lead once and the wife has once as well )

[Hoovie]

Oh, I also bought me some DeWalt kit - that yellow stuff the Pros like?

I really hope those gloves work - should do at £4



H.

[bathstyle]

I do feel it is my duty to mention that I burnt out two Ryobi drills within two hours trying to use them for trade use therefore I will not be purchasing Ryobi again. It was a twin pack, one combi and one drill driver, 18v I believe

[owen]

it's a bit Fuc$ing late to pipe up now b

[bathstyle]

I did find that the Ryobi stuff has got a nice magnet on the front and it's a ..er... nice shade of blue