Drills. Cordless or cordlessless?

[TiggyD]

Manly talk in Dadsnet time!

I prefer the manoeuvrability a cordless drill gives you. You've just got to make sure you recharge when you have a job going on.

I think you just answered your own question.

Tiggy please don't be so simplistic. Unless you have some sort of mansion where you can't run an extension cable, a 240v ac drill will deliver in a way that a cordless can never.....

Come on man, get with it - apples and oranges - you're embarrassing us here.

Sorry, but I love the dewalt cordless we have. We have 2 batteries so never run out of power and much less faff than trailing around cords. Also great for working outside (and yes I do live in a great big mansion with an acre of land, but that's normal here)

Are only dads allowed to talk power tools?!? They're womanly devices in my house

Surely it's all an issue of budget? Crappy basic cordless drill is never going to be as good as a basic mains. But my dad has the Dewalt cordless and it is EXCELLENT. Can't justify the price to buy one myself though - he only managed to justify it by building an entire verandah! Got it at a very good price from Costco - about 30% off the rrp IIRC. He always brings it with him when he visits me so I save up my jobs now and use his.

Second Grumpala. I am keeper of the powertools in this house. I have been known to attempt the 'what? This old thing? Had it ages' trick when DP spots a new addition to my armoury.

I would second what others have said- unless you go for a top of the range cordless you are not going to get something with a hammer action drill, so it will be next to useless for drilling into concrete or render. Even a fairly basic corded drill will have a hammer action.

I like to use a cordless for drilling wood, because they are generally easier to control the speed, but don't think it is really worth shelling out hundreds for a top of the range cordless unless you are going to be using it very frequently. I had a fairly mid range black and decker cordless that I kept in a rather damp shed after I finished my last major DIY project. Came to use it a couple of years later for the latest project and it was completely dead. I would have been gutted if I had spent £££ on it.

nah...it's testosterone thingy, mate. The levels rise just as you look at one.

2nd GMSS - no fancy-pancy cordless gets the same bang as a live mains. It's like power is being drawn up directly from the very bowels of the earth.

One decent posh cordless drill

One cheap crappy cordless drill

Interchangeable batteries therefore one on the drill and one on charge

I'm a girl, taught this by my dad - definitely not a "Dads only" issue!

yes, appreciation of power tools does not require a penis. Some of us love the throbbing power below our fingertips, even though we're women!

Still say, I love the Dewalt more than any other tools we've had - with or without cords. We have a whole set of them, and a special shelf to store them in. We do keep the charger & batteries inside the house though. (-20C not good for storing them in the garage).

OK, I will admit, the circular saw is a bit scary, and I have left that to dh so far.

I have

Stanley corded drill = fine for most tasks ££
Makita cordless drill = perfect for everything £££

Some things the Stanley simply doesn't handle, like drilling into concrete for rawl bolts. Hence the Makita purchase, which incidentally went through the concrete like butter on a high hammer setting.

I have used an electric diamond tile cutting saw, which requires a water resevoir. Blood scary when sparks fly out and you get to the end of the tile, when the tile usefully slips out from the saw as you're applying pressure - where do your hands go....you can imagine where they gravitate to!

My power tool arsenal at the moment includes the following:

Black and Decker corded drill with hammer action
Bosh 18v cordless drill
(neither top of the range but they get the job done)
DeWalt biscuit jointer
Black and Decker plunge router
Black and Decker jigsaw - which is pretty crappy and I generally fail to cut a straight line with.

I also have a mitre cutter (Black and Decker I think)
And a tile cutter (can't rennet the brand).

I let DP help with the DIY on occasion, bit only under strict supervision, or if I need more bruit force than I can apply.

Yes, sometimes a little brute force can come in handy, although I'd love to see the look on DPs face when you say that :-)

Oops. Yes, I meant brute force. Too many glasses of last night.

DP knows his strengths- although I do sometime get a 'look' when I ask him to hold some really heavy thing whilst I screw it to the wall!