Electric Screwdrivers?

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
Anyone know of an outfit that sells an electric screw driver that is corded?
Also, would it hurt the batteries in a cordless one to leave it plugged up all the time?
Reason I'm asking both these questions is I've had crappy luck with the things. Just trashed the third one of em. The things don't last long before they won't hold a charge for some reason. I let em run way down before I recharge em so the batteries don't get memory but evidently it doesn't help. Tried straight wiring the last one but it doesn't work.
I sure would like to just buy one that plugs up.
Thanks!!
 
The problem with most of these things is the charger not turning off, and the batteries being left in too long. I just spent $99 for a top-line Dewalt 7.2V cordless. Supposedly the charger turns off the juice and you can leave the battery in the charger. It is a very nice screwdriver, as it should be at that pricepoint.

One thing of note is that if you dig deep enough, the manufacturers don't expect more than a 2-3 year life for the batteries. That's why the drivers are reasonably priced: the replacement batteries cost nearly half of what the driver+battery cost originally. That's where they make their biggest profit.

Planned obsolesence in a plastic, throw-away world.
 
Ahhh! The sublime joy of having a cordless drill that fits your hand like an extension of your arm! I'm a huge Makita fan. I get my batteries to last a long time by never leaving them too long in the charger after they are done. I always run the battery down when its too low to drive or drill by taping the trigger down with electricians tape. This gives it a nice full charge, and never gives it a chance to get a memory.

Side note about brands: I love Makita. Always have. But I got a friend who owns a sheetmetal business. He pretty much specializes in ductwork for HVAC, taking the huge jobs associated with commercial construction. Goes without saying he's been through all teh brands, and his favorite was DeWalt. Then he bought a Panasonic. He can;t be more impressed. He handed his drill off to a worker on the roof last week, and it slipped and fell 40 feet to the pavement below. When he got down on the ground again, expecting a smashed drill, he picked it up and other than the scratches from the fall, it worked perfectly. He's still using it to my knowledge.
 
Rigid Tools has begun marketing a line of power tools. My neighbor works at Home Depot and they did a literal "drop test" on several manufacturers' power drills. Ryobi and Black&Deckers' cases didn't survive one toss up in the air and impact with the floor. DeWalt and Bosch apparently lasted 2-3 drops. The Rigid made the trip 20 times and still the case was intact and it functioned fine. Doesn't speak for the longevity of the motor and such, but the cases sure are tough....
 
Thanks guys!
Mike, I tried the drill idea but it's just too easy to snap a little 2-56 tap with a regular size hand drill.
Guess I'll just have to keep buying the cordless buggers till I find something better.
 
Ha, they do make corded electric screw drivers!
Good ole Ebay!
I did a search there and a couple popped up. Naturally they're higher than you know what but anything worth a poop is gonna be.
 
Michael,

We had a Millwauke(sp) brand cordless driver at a previous job, that we abused for years.It had the variable torque setting. It was made for standard size hex shank bits. I'm sure you could rig something.Not sure if the quality is what it was 10 years ago but it might be worth checking.

Mark
 
I walked through sears a couple days ago and saw near 100 different cordless tools
I consider most of them landfill. Since all of them have different batteries and the cost of replacement batteries is near the sale price of the tools. The only exception I see is top of the line industrial tools like makita, porter cable etc.
One question I'd like to ask it why does anybody need an electric screwdriver? If you use it for what it's intended it seems of very limited usefulness.
In the trades I've seen them used mostly in electrical work and then mostly for switches, plugs and plates. Since most of them severely lack torque that's about all they're good for, they say. A mini drill is far better most of the time.
If you use the tool at work and actually find it the superior tool for the job please tell me what you do with it. Since I'm a tool addict i'm interested in knowing what I've missed.
 
Ken Onion turned me on to the PROXON screwdrivers....they aren cheap, but they have 6 torque settings and are the best thing I have ever found for putting in screws and tapping holes....


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