Corded or Battery high end drill?

[PreferrablyWood]

I'm going to flesh out my sytem soon with a Festool drill.

In the running has mostly been the

DRC Quadrill 18 v 4.2 Ah batteries.

The C15 15v with 4.2 Ah

A Corded Festooll the DR 18/4 E FFP. I will get the plus version without the angle chuck and instead order the Depth stop chuck.

This thread is mostly about the plus and minus for the occasional and manly shopped based user getting a corded drill over the cordless.

My feeling that because you save the extra expense of having two 4.2 Ah batteries  hassle of having to charging them. The form factor of the DR 18/4 FP is the D handled grip, slightly lighter, and better balance it's a very attractive offering.

I'll use it for larger holes, forstner bits, drilling in granit, metal. and as a detail sander with a drill sanding kit. I'll have an additional cordless 10v drill impact drills for light carry around tools..

I'm just a little hesitant though at going corded as it's still a fair chunk of change to put down on something that I will likely have to supplement with other cordless drill..

STill I love the great sense of power in corded tools, always ready to go, and their long service life without the need of getting replacement batteries, that perhaps are difficult to find in 5 years time..

Any others have some ideas on the subject, I'd love to hear em!

Regards

Wade

 

[Birdhunter]

I have a corded drill somewhere in my shop, but I'd have to hunt for it. I am not a professional so I probably don't stress a tool as much as one who makes a living using tools, but I am a very serious hobby woodworker and work with some very tough exotic (very hard) wood. I've never encountered a need for more power than what my C12 or T18 provides and I've never run out of a charge. I always have a spare battery charging, but have never needed it on a Festool drill. I have run down my older deWalt drills, but they feature an older battery technology. My favorite Festool drill is the CSX. Wonderful tool! I do find the off-set chuck and the right angle chuck to be very useful.

 

[wow]

Cordless tools (not just drills) are great, BUT they have a finite life. If I look around my shop I can see numerous tools that are corded, still in use, and over 20 years old. The same 'corded' logic applies to air tools, btw - it's just a bigger cord.  [big grin]

The oldest cordless tool that I have (that still works) is maybe - MAYBE - eight years old. And it needs a new battery that I may or may not buy for it or even be able to find.

That said, I willingly accept the shorter life of cordless tools in exchange for the advantages for many purposes:
Assembly - no cords or hoses to catch on corners and cause mis-alignment
Fine work - no cords or hoses to leave marks
Quicker - grab it and use it without searching for a cord/hose/outlet
Remote - drilling fence posts in a pasture? Forget corded entirely!

Where I'd keep corded tools:
Mixers - for sheetrock mud and similar. The slower speed and power of the corded drill/mixer in that application can't currently be beat with any cordless model.
High Power - anything larger than about a 7" blade probably wants to be corded. The TSC55 is as large a blade as I think is practical on a cordless saw with current (get it?) technology.
Stationary Applications - if the tool typically doesn't move while you use it (mitre saw, drill press, etc.) I see no advantage to going cordless.

Now back to your specific question about drills:

I have two corded drills - one that I use as a mixer for sheetrock mud, and one that I got as a promo from Dewalt. Now that you reminded me that I still have the Dewalt, I need to put it up on CL since I never use it.

But what you need to know is that the tools I always - ALWAYS - reach for are my cordless drills & drivers.

Hope that helps?!

 

[mrboult]

I have the corded PD Festool Drill and the PDC 18v Cordless.

While the PD Corded drill is a lovely tool, I do not find it particularly pleasing to use one handed. To much weight/leverage in front of your hand.  It is totally usable like this, but not at all ideal.

Obviously both my drills are the version with the Percussion/Hammer function, so have the slightly larger/heavier housing at the business end. Exactly how much difference this makes I am not sure.

Just a warning. . . . I would happily use the PDC Cordless all day for one handed screwing, but not the PD Corded.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I have a corded drill somewhere in my shop, but I'd have to hunt for it. I am not a professional so I probably don't stress a tool as much as one who makes a living using tools, but I am a very serious hobby woodworker and work with some very tough exotic (very hard) wood. I've never encountered a need for more power than what my C12 or T18 provides and I've never run out of a charge. I always have a spare battery charging, but have never needed it on a Festool drill. I have run down my older deWalt drills, but they feature an older battery technology. My favorite Festool drill is the CSX. Wonderful tool! I do find the off-set chuck and the right angle chuck to be very useful.

Thats a helpfull, response. I was looking hard at the C15 4.2, but on the otherhand the Quadrill PDC seems pretty capable, but I must admit lokking at it does not look as cool or egronomically advanced as the C or T drills.. like a totally different beast..

The CSX is a sweet form factor maybe just go for that one first for now while I am in doubt about the bigger more expensive drills..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Cordless tools (not just drills) are great, BUT they have a finite life. If I look around my shop I can see numerous tools that are corded, still in use, and over 20 years old. The same 'corded' logic applies to air tools, btw - it's just a bigger cord.  [big grin]

The oldest cordless tool that I have (that still works) is maybe - MAYBE - eight years old. And it needs a new battery that I may or may not buy for it or even be able to find.

That said, I willingly accept the shorter life of cordless tools in exchange for the advantages for many purposes:
Assembly - no cords or hoses to catch on corners and cause mis-alignment
Fine work - no cords or hoses to leave marks
Quicker - grab it and use it without searching for a cord/hose/outlet
Remote - drilling fence posts in a pasture? Forget corded entirely!

Where I'd keep corded tools:
Mixers - for sheetrock mud and similar. The slower speed and power of the corded drill/mixer in that application can't currently be beat with any cordless model.
High Power - anything larger than about a 7" blade probably wants to be corded. The TSC55 is as large a blade as I think is practical on a cordless saw with current (get it?) technology.
Stationary Applications - if the tool typically doesn't move while you use it (mitre saw, drill press, etc.) I see no advantage to going cordless.

Now back to your specific question about drills:

I have two corded drills - one that I use as a mixer for sheetrock mud, and one that I got as a promo from Dewalt. Now that you reminded me that I still have the Dewalt, I need to put it up on CL since I never use it.

But what you need to know is that the tools I always - ALWAYS - reach for are my cordless drills & drivers.

Hope that helps?!

I like your lists of points about the issues with the corded drills, and the points about the two corded drills you do have..

If the power is there in the 18v 4.2 Ah drills and the weight is nearly the same  I can see there's little reason to go with the corded drills. An eight year lifetime for the cordless drills, is also plenty for even a relatively light user to get their monies worth out of the drill, even if it's a festool..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I have the corded PD Festool Drill and the PDC 18v Cordless.

While the PD Corded drill is a lovely tool, I do not find it particularly pleasing to use one handed. To much weight/leverage in front of your hand.  It is totally usable like this, but not at all ideal.

Obviously both my drills are the version with the Percussion/Hammer function, so have the slightly larger/heavier housing at the business end. Exactly how much difference this makes I am not sure.

Just a warning. . . . I would happily use the PDC Cordless all day for one handed screwing, but not the PD Corded.

I think I'll be going with a Drill without hammer function now, and if I later need that I'll get the BHC, for the few holes I drill in brickwork I don't even need a hammer funtion..

That's suprising about the PD corded drill being less comfortable to use than the PDC, never would have thought of that. Thanks for your experience based insights..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

On going thoughts, Now I'm looking at a C12 set for having a light cordless with the the angle, eccentric, jacobs, centrotec chuck, and a depth stop chuck..and for heavier duty work I'd go with a plus version of the corded DR 18/4. Later on perhaps in 2 years time, I'm might get the DRC and the BHC if I need heavier duty cordless tools perhaps by that time the prices will have fallen somewhat.. In the meanwhile I'll be getting a domino 700 and a beefier router..