More Power!

The battle cry of the modern tool user has been answered in a big way by tool manufacturers around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cordless drill market. When shopping for a new cordless drill the natural reaction of a power hungry tool user is to opt for the greatest power - and why not? The producers of "Home Improvement" may put a contract out on me for saying this, but power is only one of the considerations buyers should factor in to their decision. Most cordless drills have twice as much torque as the first cordless drills designed for the professional (remember those first red Makitas?). That is quite an accomplishment considering even the earliest offerings the "blue guys" gave us did exactly what they were supposed to do.

Something happened to cordless drills shortly after we quit doubting and put down our corded behomoths - they got better. Manufacturers began to address this growing market, producing numerous models with a variety of features. Cordless drills are now produced with variable speed, greatly increased torque output, and torque control by means of a limiting or slip device. Torque control was never addressed in this way by corded drills, although it should have been. Other features have been getting attention lately, too. Handles on cordless drills are looking less like a diagram in my old high school geometry text and more like something that fits the hand.

As cordless drill voltage has steadily risen tool companies have used it as a marketing ploy. Tool manufacturers could expect an increase in sales each time they upped the voltage ante. This brought us the advent of 12 volt, then the 13.2 volt, and now 14.4 volt. You may believe this sounds like I think this is a bad trend, but I don't. A greater field of choice is advantageous to the consumer. It promotes healthy competition in the tool manufacturing industry and tends to increase the production of higher quality drills.

The trick now is to narrow down the field to a few logical choices. When shopping for a new cordless drill, start by identifying what the intended uses of the drill will be. If it is to be used primarily for driving and removing very large screws, you may well need a drill with as much power as you can get. For most people, however, the #10 drywall/deck screw will be the largest they will need to drive on a regular basis. For this task almost any cordless drill is suited.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of needing tons of power in a virtually bullet-proof, yet heavy, drill, and a cut-rate special. The average user wants voltage in the range of 9.6 to 12 volts. This provides plenty of power for all but the hairiest of situations and does not add unwanted bulk and weight to the tool (thats the point of going cordless anyway, isn't it?)

Next we want a handle that feels right in our hand. Remember to try the new and increasingly popular center handle style of cordless drill. These are generally very well balanced, and a few well designed models will allow you to stand them on their side. After you get used to that you will realize how nice a feature this really is. Third and very important these days is an extra battery. This allows for one battery to be in use while the other is charging. Stick with a name brand you have heard of. I know this sounds like a cliche, but if your "freudenwunder" brand drill breaks down, good luck finding service. Most major cordless drill manufacturers offer a well established repair network and cordless drills break down like anything else.

Don't be discouraged if you find a drill to your liking and discover it has a bad odor! I'll bet there have been numerous sales lost to cordless drill B.O. - it smells like the thing is about to burn up in many cases. Having sold and repaired cordless drills for a number of years, I have never found a cordless drill I particularly liked the smell of, but the odor is of no concern unless you take your drill with you on dates. Suprisingly enough I know somebody who does - but that will have to be the subject of a future article.

Once you have nailed down all of these features and attributes in your choice of cordless drills I'm sure you'll be happy.