Cordless Tools Reviews

Received the battery in a timely manner. Am very satisfied with it. Will definetly order this item again

The Wahl 7700 Iso-Tip soldering iron works perfectly Almost instant heat, and it holds its charge for a long time.

I've been using this product for only 3 weeks so I haven't done the test of time to see if this lasts, but I'm quite impressed with this so I thought I'd write a review. So far I've found this to be a great multipurpose tool suitable for a whole range of things that may suite you.
INTERNAL BATTERY & JUMPSTARTING:
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I've used the internal (12Ah) battery to drive 12V tools, even a 600W car amp and subwoofers (for an hour). When you plug it back in it charges the internal battery very quickly. Has correct polarity detection, very useful LED indicators, remaining internal charge display etc. I've only used it to jumpstart a car once and it worked great, you can use it probably 5-8 times to jump start before you deplete the battery. This is a very smart charge, so you can leave it plugged in indefinitely to the AC outlet. The only downside is the charging fan is really noisy, so it's best to leave in the garage, indoors might irritate you.

RECHARGER
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This is the primary function of this product, and it does a superb job. It quickly and smartly charges car batteries (mine which I think is 65Ah) in about 4 hours. It also automatically uses 3 phases for charging which keeps the battery healthy and means you can keep this thing plugged in the AC outlet forever without worrying about the battery condition. This is what the manual says:

Bulk: Replaces 70-80% of the battery's state of charge at the fastest possible rate.
Absorption: Replenishes the remaining 20-30% of charge, bringing the battery to a full charge at a slow, safe rate
Float: Voltage is reduced and held constant in order to prevent damage and keep batteries at a full charge.

The downside is the noise again from the internal fan. I've used the charger to supply DC power to a car amp and subs and it works fine, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

The overall build is good and solid, doesn't look like a cheap product. It's difficult to fit all the wires inside the housing. Not sure how well it's going to last, but so far doesn't seem like it'd break on me.

Have worked as a carpenter/framer for 6 years. Have used Bosch, Dewalt, Makita cordless drills. Have used this Panasonic drill for 1 year now. VERY IMPRESSED.

Battery charge lasts longer BY FAR than any other drill I've ever used. Strong motor, light, compact, well-balanced, comfortable. Wide battery makes good base when the drill is set down. Chucking a bit is a little more fussy than with other drills, but is a very minor drawback. May not be quite as strong as some other drills but, if you need more power, you should be using a corded drill anyway.

Everything about this drill is very good or excellent. Battery life is the best!!!

The nickel metal hydride battery packs on the Panasonic are the reason I bought this drill. It holds a charge for much longer, perhaps almost twice as long. It delivers much more power than the 18 volt Bosch or DeWalt through the cycle, and the power does not wane. When the charge finally does run down, it goes from full power to completely flat all at once. The drill is a little lighter and better balanced than the competition. The chuck makes an annoying buzz when you adjust it, but no big deal. Overall, this is clearly the best cordless drill in our remodeling business.

Had it for about 2 years. Finished a 1000 square foot basement on two charges of the battery including all metal studs and drywall screws. No kidding. This is the benchmark for cordless drill design. Bought it to replace my Ryobi. The Ryobi was good for the time but they discontinued the batteries for it and their new cordless tools suck. I read the reviews on Amazon and bought one. I don't use my corded any more. Chuck is loud and no external bit storage. Everything else is perfect. Get it.

I have been an electrical contractor for over 35 years. I have experimented with many powered screw drivers as they became available. This DeWalt 920K is quality built like their other cordless tools. What I don't like is that the bit holding mechanism most often spits out the bit when you try to push it into a ladder top tool holder hole or into your pouch with other tools. Very poor holder as compared to the Panasonic cordless impact driver that I always use just as frequently on installations. Also, the forward/reverse should be more accessible and easier to operate for one handed operation. A forward/reverse all in one rocker switch would be ideal, like the Black & Decker cheaper version with the LED light on it. The switch locking feature is nice for when tool is bunched in with other tools for transport. Of course the power of this DeWalt makes me want to use it instead of the B&D.

I have had this tool for over a year. I bought it because the inline screwdriver had some advantages due to its weight, size, and flexibility over my 18-volt DeWalt RAD and 18-volt DeWalt drill/driver, both of which I had previously used exclusively for a year and a half on small and large projects alike. I would never have guessed how many times I found myself grabbing this instead of my trusted 18-volt tools. The build quality is top-notch (less a few crooked labels and loosely clamping case clasps) and the torque and lasting power of the batteries were both excellent. The quick-change keyless chuck is a pleasure to use.

It was the perfect tool for installing an over-the-range microwave. At times I needed to swivel the head to secure screws in hard-to-reach areas, and at other times I required a good amount of torque and delicate speed control. The tool provided both effortlessly.

During recent projects, however, I found myself requiring a more compact bend radius than this tool would allow. I actually had to use hand tools to finish the job! All joking aside, this added another 10 minutes to each task and several trips back and forth from my basement. I realized that I needed a more compact in-line screwdriver that could swivel 90 degrees and could operate in very tight spaces. I had to wait some time because what I wanted didn't exist. Then I came across the new Bosch PS10-2 Litheon 10.8 Volt Lithium-Ion I-Driver Kit.

The Bosch I-Driver can articulate 90 degrees, has only a 3.5 inch head length, is rated at 80 in-lbs of torque, and is powered by lithium ion batteries. The only down-sides are that it is pricey at $150 (a little better at $135 with Amazon's current 10% sale on power tools), comes with a soft case as opposed to a hard plastic case, and has not been rigorously field tested and reviewed by honest Amazon.com customers.

I do not regret purchasing the DeWalt in-line screwdriver. It was the best of its kind on the market at the time, and until recently, it had been my tool of choice for small to moderate-scale and close-quarter tasks. The DeWalt in-line screwdriver is still the best value at $100, but if you are looking for an ultra-compact in-line and right angle drill/driver that is powered with more advanced lithium ion batteries, you may want to look at the Bosch I-Driver. I'll let you know how it performs when I get one.

This is a great product to have around the house. It has amazing power. It keeps my 18 Volt in its case. Great for small projects. My father-in-law loved it so much that he had to buy one.

This would probably work fine if you owned a condo or apartment and just a sidewalk and very small yard. The hedge trimmers worked the best out of the group, but I did have to make several passes before it got everything. The blower worked ok also, but again several passes had to be made. The weed eater was fine for grass, but it couldn't do anything with over grown ivy.

I have used cordless grass/hedge trimmers in the past but have been only moderately happy with them as they are not very powerful and don't have long run times on a charge. I prefer them over gas or corded units though and so I have stuck with them.

Recently my old cordless grass trimmer died on me and I did some searching on the internet for a new unit. I came across the Black & Decker CCC3000 18-Volt Cordless Lawncare Center with Charging & Storage Station during my searching and it seemed to offer significant improvements with the 3 interchangeable batteries and a 3 battery charger station.

We have about a 1 acre yard which is largely grass with some trees/shrubs around the house. With the 3 interchangeable batteries and the 3 battery charging station included with the CCC3000, I can get all the grass trimming done on one set of charges. The grass trimmer is powerful enough when running on a well charged battery. Same with the hedge trimmer which does a nice job on trimming yews, junipers, cedars, cottoneasters. The blower is a nice extra to get the grass/debris off the driveway and sidewalk. The package is reasonably priced and replacement batteries can be purchased. The batteries are recycable and the cost of recycling is prepaid.

I don't recommend items that I have purchased unless I have been very pleased them. This Black & Decker CCC3000 18-Volt Cordless Lawncare Center with Charging & Storage Station is one that I recommend.

For what this product is, it has exceeded my expectations. I wanted a lightweight, quick and easy cordless string trimmer and blower (with the CCC3000 you also get a light hedge trimmer as well).

Yes, it pulls the 18 volt batteries down quickly, but I have found on my "almost" 3/4 acre lot, that the three included batteries with this kit can trim my entire fence and curb line, and also blow my driverway and patio off without re-charging. Sometimes, I admit, I really need that fouth battery (am thinking about springing for another stand-alone 18 volt blower which has a charger and two batteries), but these tools are so convenient and lightweight, the quick run-down has really been a small price to pay.

I have heavy duty gas versions of each, but have used the trimmer once since buying this kit. I love these tools, and my wife thinks they are GREAT - she loves the switch on and go, along with the super light weight.

I would buy again. I am not easy to impress, but this kit has my vote.

First, let me say that I am elated to have my rl800. I bought it in 2003 and it has worked great for me, since I am not able to mow my own lawn.

Second, my reason for writing this note: The last couple of days I kept getting the you-need-to-recharge-your-mower message, even though it had been hooked up to the recharger.

After doing what it said, with no success, I bought some size C batteries for turning on the hook-up. That still didn't help. I looked inside where the battery contact is made. It was off line.

The message: "Please Remove battery before lifting!" had inadvertantly led to the damage of the interior connectivity. The battery is very heavy. The point of connectivity is very fragile, at least in comparison to the battery. My point, the constant removal of the battery will damage your connectivity. Rather than removing the battery and having to reinsert it, (risking damaging your product) shove the mower with your foot when it gets stuck, if not strong enough to lift the mower, battery and all. This will prevent damaging your mower's interior and save you repair bills or replacement cost.

I've now used my RL800 for two full seasons, and I'm still pleased with it. It does a decent job, and it has advantages, but it isn't perfect.

Some of this has been said in other reviews, but I'll add my two cents. The pros:
- it mows while you relax, out of the heat
- it only takes a couple of minutes of your time to start it mowing, and another couple to put it away afterward
- it mows in multiple directions, a tip recommended by many lawn care advocates
- it doesn't get tired; you can mow your entire lawn two or three times a week if you want
- it is very quiet compared to a gas mower; about as loud as a cordless string trimmer

The cons:
- pricey
- expensive for consumables (battery pack every 3-5 years, a $25-$40 expense per year, not including the cost of electricity to recharge, and new blades periodically, maybe every 2 or 3 years, another $20-$30 per year)
- very slow compared to a gas mower - expect 2 hours to mow what you could easily do in half an hour yourself
- misses spots on a single session (but more frequent mowing makes up for this)
- recharge with included trickle charger can take more than 24 hours (about 13 hours per hour of use in my experience)
- won't mow yards over 5,000 sq ft on a single charge
- yards over 5,000 sq ft must be split up into zones
- can take multiple days to mow your entire yard
- perimeter wire layout is time consuming and tedious, especially if you have to wire around many obstacles
- the supplied wire and stakes aren't enough for any but there very smallest yards
- it can't handle especially small sections (narrower than 5')
- it doesn't mow close to obstacles or walls
- you'll still want a standard push mower (much as you would if you had a riding mower)
- it sometimes gets stuck or stops spontaneously (in my experience this happens one time in 15, so not too frequent)
- it's not suitable for rough or especially steep lawns
- blades need frequent cleaning for maximum performance (they gut gummed up), I'd recommend once every three-to-five session

I've rated this a four because I expected most of the above, and within it's limitations the Robomower performs as expected. But bottom line, unless you have some special reason you'll probably be better served spending your money on an inexpensive lawn tractor.

First of all, you need to understand the limitations of the Robomower and determine if your yard is right for it or not. I've had my RL800 for 3 seasons now and while I still fuss at it every time it cuts the grass, I don't know what I'd do without it...Except get another smelly gas mower and grind it out like before Robomower.

It doesn't do hills well. Think about how you divide up your yard into zones before installation. Keep the battery continuously charging. And "supervise" it while it's cutting the grass. If you're yard is relatively flat and you send Robomower out every week during the summer, you should be pleased with the results, mechanical/warranty problems aside.

Our entire front, sides and back yards are all 1 zone. As such, after completing the perimeter cut, Robomower usually leaves the front yard before it's completely cut and sneaks into the back yard. While this can be frustrating, it's how it's supposed to work if everything is 1 zone...I simply walk it back up into the front yard and let it start zig-zagging back and forth again. If it looks like rain or I'm in a hurry, I'll manually touch up any missed patches before walking it to another part of the yard...Otherwise I just let it run and run and run and it usually gets just about every spot (eventually). I got an extra new battery that I switch out mid-week so both stay charged.

I have it set to take off about 1/3 of the grass with each weekly cut and our Bermuda has never looked better. It truly is a "sea of green" once Robomower is finished and the blades have been clipped from every direction. It looks as good or better than the $150/visit professional landscaping crew does across the street. We have four 20" x 20" recessed drainage holes throughout the yard that can be a problem. Most of the time Robomower goes down and comes back out OK...Sometimes it just sits and spins the wheels trying to climb out. Hence, the supervision part of the job. Keeping an eye on Robomower and intervening when needed is still much better than the old blood and sweat that I see falling off the neighbors when they go out and cut their grass the old-fashioned way.

Next to the PC and HDTV, Robomower gets my vote for best "life made easier" invention of the past 20 years. It's not perfect, but neither are you when you cut the grass. It's just much more convenient watching the grass be cut by Robomower. Understand it's limitations, plan your yard zones like you want it to operate and you should be equally pleased with the results, provided you don't get the inevitable lemon. I have extra tires and extra blades, but haven't needed to replace them after 3 seasons of weekly mowings. Great product!!

I purchased 2 of these units approx 10 mos ago and really enjoyed using them for the 1st 4 mos. It is a neat idea and saves alot of effort not having to haul a compressor and hose with you on small jobs. However, I began having problems with these units. Both units stopped building air pressure from the built in compressor and then one of them would not fire even when coneccted to external air (a neat option). Both units have now been back to Porter Cable twice to be repaired and one of them keeps coming back from Porter Cable cleaned up and said to be repaired but is non functional. I really like these units and wish Porter Cable could fix the problem but perhaps it's a poor mechanical design.
Note: I primarily use these units to install shoe molding on small jobs.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PURCHASES I HAVE MADE FOR TOOLS. IT IS SO EASY TO JUST GRAB AND GO WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT NAILS AND EXTRA BATTERY ( A MUST ). WORKS AS WELL AS A PNEUMATIC , JUST A LITTLE HEAVIER.

This tool is made in Taiwan, as the other Porter cordless tools are, not in USA which is stated in the Amazon info.

This nailer fired right up & worked flawlessly, and feels lighter than it looks. It is balanced quite nicely, and if you are looking to not have to set up the ole compressor or drag a hose around this tool is great. I also bought the Porter 12V cordless drill instead of another battery, since the drill comes with 2 batteries (that's $110 in batteries included with the $139 drill!) so I now have an extra battery for either tool.

Nice product. Is a shame Porter can't make these in USA too. If Makita can do it why can't Porter & DeWalt?

We absolutely love our robomower. If you are one of those people who ONLY get exercise by doing yard work, this isn't for you.

Before you can use it, there is plenty of set up that needs to be done. I recommend you start charging your battery before doing anything else. If you are as impatient as we are, you will want to use it as soon as you can. Even in an enclosed yard, you must use the perimeter wire so the mower knows where to go. Our mower came with 500 feet of perimeter wire and a package of pegs to hold it down. If you have ever used one of those underground dog fences, this works the same way. You run the wire around your yard, holding it down with pegs. The grass quickly overgrows the wires, so don't worry about it being unsightly.

The ends of the wire plug into a (battery powered) perimeter switch, which you turn on when you are ready to mow. Our yard is grass, surrounded by a brick border, and rocks. We had to move the wire once after running it originally - the wire was too close in one area and the mower bumped into the border, and too far away in another area, leaving several inches of unmowed grass. I would assume this setup would actually be less of a hassle in a yard that is all grass surrounded by a fence. Obstacles are pretty straightforward. Either they are large enough that the mower will bump into them and move on, small enough to move, or if small and stationary, you encircle them with the perimeter wire.

Running the mower is a breeze. First, pick up your yard. You don't want to find that a dog toy has been mulched up, or that a doggy land mine is now stuck to your mower tires. Push the button on the perimeter switch, use the attached remote controller to drive the mower into the yard, turn it in the right direction, and follow the prompts on the screen. When you first see it running, you are sure it's going to miss most of your yard. But when it's job is complete, and that job takes about twice as long as a human would, it's surprisingly thorough.

You will have to edge the yard yourself. The mower can't get close enough to borders and fences to bump them, or it will back off.

It mulches the grass, which saves time on raking and bagging. This doesn't work so well in the summer, when the grass is super thick and grows very tall, but that is easy to remedy by running the mower more often.

If you have a "bumpy" yard (as we do - one of our dogs is a digger), you won't be able to set the mower to it's lowest setting, or the wheels will get stuck. We are happy with the height of our grass, but it took a bit of getting used to, as we used to mow it very short. I recommend you get the knobby tires, which don't come standard on this older model, for bumpy yards as well. It really improved the traction greatly.

Only buy from a dealer Friendly Robotics recommends (AND check out their customer service ratings), or the warranty is useless, as we found out the hard way when our battery died. When attempting to contact Friendly Robotics, they referred us to local dealers, and that's about as far as we got with the company itself. The local dealers were uninterested in assisting us, and seemed to know very little about the mower. We ended up shipping it (at our cost) to a dealer several states away, who told us he would repair under warranty. After several weeks, he told us the warranty was invalid, and insisted the issue was very severe and wanted to charge us several hundred dollars to fix it.

We declined, had it shipped back to us (again at our cost), and learned through trial and error, that the battery was not charging. After replacing it, the mower was back in tip-top shape. We have had to replace the batteries (there are two in the battery pack) about every year and a half. The experts have told us that these batteries should last at least two years, but we assume it's related to the fact that we live in an area where we a) grow grass year round and b) have VERY hot summers. Needless to say, this mower is parked outside when charging. The batteries are not cheap, but when considering the cost and hassle of buying gasoline for a standard mower, it isn't so bad.

Even with our not-so-great service we would buy another robomower in an instant. The time it saves us makes the mower invaluable. It is quiet enough to run at night, so no fun outside time has to be missed while the mower is running. The other benefit is that allergy sufferers can have a beautiful lawn without suffering through the weekly mowing that it requires.

I read through a lot of reviews prior to purchasing a Robomower and I already owned a Roomba robotic vaccuum cleaner, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. That's probably the single most important piece of advice I can give any prospective purchaser of a Robomower - get a good idea of how it works before you decide whether or not to take the plunge.

A Robomower is not a fully automated lawn mower any more than a dishwasher is a fully automated dish cleaner. Just as there is a certain amount of preparatory work to be done in using a dishwasher, so there is in using a Robomower. Unlike the dishwasher, though, most of the Robomowers prep work is done once.

The Robomower and the Roomba are two automated devices with one purpose: to crawl over every open square inch of a two dimensional surface. Both meet that purpose in similar ways, by tracing around the perimeter of the area to be covered and by executing a varying pattern over the interior with a randomizing element thrown in to help insure overlaps between the various patterns. Roomba has an advantage because it can combine its bump-and-go obstacle sensors with a wall-hugging system to trace along walls. The Robomower must use a perimeter-defining wire that works on the same principle as an invisible dog fense.

And that's where the prep work comes in.

Before a Robomower can be used, the perimeter of the yard must be defined by laying a continuous circuit of wire over the ground.

The good news is that Friendly Robotics' method for laying this wire is vastly superior to the 'dig a slit in the sod' method most invisible dog fence products use. The Robomower's wire is laid over the grass and then held down using a peg/staple that gets driven over the wire, pressing the wire down into the grass. Done correctly, the wire is held down for the few weeks it takes for the grass to integrate the wire into the thatch.

The bad news is that laying the wire is time-consuming and requires a lot of bending and stooping as well as a good understanding of the operation of the Robomower. The video that comes with the Robomower does a good job of getting the idea across, but even so, some people will find the procedure a challenge.

Once I had the perimeter wire laid, the only drawback to the Robomower that I have found so far has been that I was misled by the guidelines for laying the perimeter wire. First, a long, narrow (but within the guidelines) strip of lawn on one side of my house is hard to find for the Robomower. This is relatively minor since I can direct the mower into the area and then let it work. Second, the description of laying a wire 'island' around permanent obstacles not on the perimeter implies that the spacing around the edge of the obstacle should be the same as the distance the wire is to be laid along the perimeter of the lawn. This isn't the case. Interior wire should be laid much closer to the edge since the Robomower gives wire-marked edges much more clearance once it gets past the edge-following part of its programming.

The only other caveat I would give to a prospective buyer would be a warning about the implication that the Robomower can be left to work alone, unattended. A fenced backyard with no pets or children might allow this but cutting an open front yard with a Robomower invites attention from passersby, including wandering children. It would be unconscionable to leave a 100 lb self-moving power tool with three whirring cutter blades underneath unattended if there is even the possibility of a curious child coming near.

After reading a lot of reviews for this product, I decided to adquire it. It has been 8 months after I got it, and it has worked perfectly. The only problem I have notieced is that if you have a new lawn, and the lawn is bumpy, the final cut won't look smooth.
I know if I level my yard, it will look better.
After wiring the perimeter, and you test the robot the first time, modify everything to cut as much you can from the border near the walls and obstacles. If you can buy the RL800 will be better, because it has a build in password, as I understood. So no body will be able to use it if it is stolen.