Cordless drill (lithium)

[str8shooter48]

My wife bought me a new cordless drill for Christmas. Its a Craftsman 1/2" drill powered by a 19.2V C-3 Lithium Ion battery. How do the lithium batteries compare to standard drill batteries? The drill I used up until now was Dewalt 12v and the batteries must be just about shot they won't hold a decent charge they drain real fast. I'm hoping the lithium hold up better than the standard batteries.

[mirage1988]

From the guy that just got a new drill- how about puttin' it to work and then tellin' US how it works?

[Beers]

I've a number of cordless drills, the only one I have w/ lithium batteries is a DeWalt 36v. I think the lithiums are an improvement for sure. The two batteries that came w/ the drill are somewhere in the neighborhood of their 150th charge, as far as I can tell they run just like they did when I got them.

They also don't have a "memory" like some older cordless drill batteries did, it's not necessary to run them all the way down before you recharge 'em.

Like mirage said, let us know how it works for you... Real world product reviews are something I'd like to see more of here in the tools forum.

[gwindrider1]

I'm currently using a Bosch 12 volt that uses what they call "Blue Core" technology.  I believe that it's lithium.  I have to say that after two years of use, this drill keeps a charge as long as when it was new.  It has also proven itself to be durable, and drop resistant.  Falls from the top of a 6" ladder have been the death of most of my cordless drills over the years, with the most fragile being those from Hitachi.

If your looking for a goodie, try the Bosch!

[mirage1988]

I also use Bosch tools. I have two Bosch drills 12 and 14 volt. The 14 volt is the blue core battery but I don't think it is a lithium ion battery. The lithium batteries are about half the size of standard batteries, and mine both interchange in the drills and the chargers. I also have a Bosch jigsaw and 2 Bosch power planers, In my opinion they are the best tools out there. I also have the Bosch jobsite radio but am dissapointed with that because the battery charger quit working about 6 months after I got it. I just wish I could afford the Bosch miter box...(lol)

[alacharger]

Lithium batteries hold up much better than nickel cadmium batteries.  NC batteries tend to develope a "memory" of how low they are drained and how much they will charge.  Lithium batteries are also lighter than NC batteries. 

I have a Milwaukee 24 volt drill that I bought last year.  Other than it feeling "too light", it does a great job, and a battery pack holds up for about 2 hours of normal drilling, or about an hour and a half of driving 2 1/2" drywall screws into pine.   

[GRIMJIM]

I have the new makita lithium ion 18v. WAY lighter than my older dewalt. The batteries seem to take a full charge quicker, plenty of power and did I mention it was light?

[holahead]

I have the Makita 18V with the lithium batteries at work. It is a pretty good drill. We use Dewalt 14.4 and mine burned up. The company we get our drills from where out of the Dewalt and they gave us a good deal on the Makita. I like it it better but the only thing is mine has a setting for screws or a drill bit. If you set it on the screw it wines a little so I keep it on set on the drill bit. Oh yeah the light is nice.It seems to keep a good charge.

[GRIMJIM]

That setting is a clutch so you don't oversink the screws. I use it all the time when screwing into wood.