Cordless Tools Reviews

To say I am displeased with the performance of this tool would be an understatement. The only way I would be pleased, is if I wanted to commit arson. This tool's AC adapter welded itself together, melted it's insulation (Plastic) and started a fire on the wall going up to the floor joists (it was on the wall in the basement) and proceeded to burn the house to the ground. I got out alive (barely), and I am grateful for that. After recovering from the fire I vowed only to purchase tools approved for sale in Japan or Europe. Underwriters Laboratories is just too cozy with Black & Decker/DeWalt, so I will never buy another thing from them!

This screwdriver is too weak for doing anything serious. It's good for a couple of screws here and there, but try to do anything like putting a piece of Ikea furniture together and it runs out of batteries before getting done and it's not powerful enough to drive some of the screws. I've had it in its charging cradle hung up on the wall and the battery degarded quite quickly as well.

This would be forgivable if this tool was one of the kind that bends so it can get into small spaces, but it doesn't even do that.

Was not very happy with this tool. The best feature was the overtorque protection.

I like tools only because I like to do improvements in my house and because as a mom I have to be very familiar with the battery compartiments of my baby's toys and ready to follow complicated instructions for any kind of baby's stuff (from security gates to strollers and to all Fisher Price gamma of toys!)... and almost anything has lots of srews. This tool also allows me to care more my hands: I do not need to be pushing a manual screwdriver until I cannot give anymore.
I particularly love this tool more than any other. It allows me such a versatility! It is very easy to use so you do not need to read the instruction booklet. The rechargeable battery lasts a lot and is very fast to recharge. The weight and lenght are just perfect. Moreover: is silent (at least not too noisy) and fast.
If you do not find useful this tool is because the kind of work you want to do demands to use something else. You cannot use this tool if you need, i.e., a drill or precision instruments. You neither can expect to use this to change the battery of a watch! I mean if you use it for what is designed it will work great.
I recently bought new doors for my house. The guys that came to install them used my screwdriver because theirs was too heavy to use. They fell in love with this tool just like me.

After being a loyal Milwaukee customer for many years, things at this company have changed. Approximatley 15 months ago I purchased the 14.4 drill. It came with a nice case and two batteries, along with a charger. The first 6 months everything was fine, however I started to notice that the batteries would wear down after 40 minutes of intermittment use. I only used the drill a couple of times per month. Now, after 15 months, the batteries are completley dead and will not accept a charge. Milwaukee told me batteries are out of warranty and offered no help, even after I explained that the drill is only 15 months old. I paid 179.00 for the whole kit and the new batteries are 65.00 per battery. The drill is now useless. Milwaukee has no idea as to the loyal and steady customer they have lost, all over some batteries. I would have accepted only one battery from them, but they didnt even offer that. I am done with Milwaukee. No wonder the Japense companies are doing so well. We Americans who try and buy American products are tired of companies who dont appreciate our business or loyalty. Next time I will try Panosonic.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Milwaukee 14.4V 1/2" drill/driver. The construction is very sturdy. I accidentally dropped mine from an 8-foot ladder last year onto my concrete garage floor. At the time, I had a magnetic screw bit in the chuck which served to increase the bending force on the tool when it hit the concrete. The battery pack popped off. I re-inserted the battery and the tool has continued to operate normally.

The handle is comfortable and well balanced. I've had good luck with the battery packs. I use a pack until the drill begins to slow down and then pop it into the standard charger. No battery problems whatsoever over the two years that I have owned the tool.

On torque - I have had mixed results. I've used the tool to put hundreds of screws through Hardibacker down to subfloor with excellent results. However, I recently experienced what feels like a slipping clutch when trying to put 2-1/2" coarse-thread drywall screws into studs in a difficult position where I could not bear down on the drill with my full weight.

I like the tool, though when I eventually buy a new drill, it will be a beefier 18/19V or 28V tool.

drill works great with a lot of torque. i like that it has 1/2"
chuck and power to go with it. had the drill less then a year and one of the batteries wouldn't take a charge. i thought it was dead. what i did was take an old phone charger the kind where it plugs directly into wall. i cut off the end jack and split and stripped the double wire. after using a meter to determine which one was (+) and (-), the single contact on battery is (+). i hooked it up to battery for a few minutes. battery is now taking charge in milwaukee charger. they do say don't let the batteries completely discharge so it seems it just needed a little charge for the milwaukee charger to accept it. hope this helps.

Buy a Dewalt charger like the DW9116. You can find them for $21 on Amazon.com, and they charge the B&D 12v and 14.4 v batteries just fine!

Got my new battery pack and successfully charged it. It retained the charge for several weeks before I actually used the battery pack with my cordless drill. Good deal for the cost!

Needed new batteries for my old firestorm drill. Amazon had the best price for hard to find older batteries! Bought two, they work great!

This was a real disappointment to a loyal DeWalt user. This is nowhere near what you are looking for if you are going to be drilling into masonry, especially concrete. And if you are not, why are you buying this instead of the drill/driver model (which I own and love)? The good: a great redesign of the keyless chuck. The bad: does not have the power for even the most basic work you'll do (drilling a 3/16" hole a couple inches into a tough concrete slab). I cut my teeth on a real heavy-duty hammer drill (worth at least twice the price, I admit), which I had to always borrow. Bought this DeWalt model, and went through several bits, cursing the bits. Worried, I went back and borrowed the real tool, stuck in one of the bits I'd been cursing, and...zip zip zip, right through the material. If you buy this thinking you're getting a heavy-duty hammerdrill, you will be disappointed. Unfortunately, a true heavy-duty hammerdrill is going to run you twice what this does. No free rides. I had to learn the hard way what the extra money buys you; hopefully I've saved you a lesson.

Well, I'm a hobbiest, in fact, my neighbor, a real mountain man who calls me a sissyman since unlike him, who was actually born with a hammer and chisel in hand, I am in the process of learning the craft of wood work. I would like to at least imagine with great success (I was a metal worker before). I've never been able to cut a straight line or drill a hole without travel.

This drill has been wonderful for me. In fact, I've purchased the 18v 5.XX inche circular as well as the 18V Jig and a mitre saw. When I was younger, I often purchased and used Black & Decker. I found that for a newcomer to wood working these other tools were quite clumsy. The Dewalt tools on the other hand, I would imagine are definately the top of the line for people like me. This drill is heavy enough to help hold the bit still without travel and has enough power to cut the most stubborn surfaces.

Recently while using a rather large hole saw to cut an openning in the back of a set of shelves for cabling, I was using my 12V Dewalt and the hole saw regularly got caught and the drill nearly busted my wrist. When I broke out this drill, although the jam could still occur, the torque let the bit keep moving without missing a beat.

Also, I no longer use a stone cutter to break bricks. Recently, I drilled approximately 500 holes in 4 inche thick bricks and using the back side of my axe snapped them in peices. Later I moved on to drilling holes into the concrete foundation of my house for mounting my new deck. The hammer drill really shined. I can't wait until someone else lets me drill into their house as well :)

I highly recommend this tool for people like myself that have spent so much time in front of computers that we can no longer use a pen and drawing a straight line without an orthagonal feature is unheard of. Don't hesitate to buy this monster (Unless the 12v is preferable since it's easier to hide from your wife).

I've owned this drill for 3 years. The drill and batteries have worked flawlessly. The clutch on this drill does work a little differently than on most drills. This drill is for heavy duty work and not for finesse work. If you are going to install cabinets then buy a 2 speed DeWALT model. Because of the 3 speeds the clutch is very tight on the first gear and gradually the scale of retention lessens as you go up in gears. For example: 1st gear on clutch setting 1 will drive a screw into a 2X4. In 2nd gear it would take setting 5 and in 3rd you would be at about 10. DeWALT recommends that if you need a light touch, just increase to 2nd gear. You might ask, why would I want this drill? Lots of torque, speed and the hammerdrill function. Think of the gears and clutch like a 21 speed bike. Not only do you change the gears on the rear wheel but you change your torque with the large gears on the front set of gears too. More options for better overall performance.

First lets talk about the speed. At 2000 RPM this drill is faster than most electric drills. I find that I use this high speed setting a great deal when drilling. Torque. Lots of torque for driving big bits through wood or other materials. 2nd gear is great for driving wood screws fast. I built a 12x12 deck with 2x4s, driving all 300 screws in second gear and 2 batteries. What I really like is the hammerdrill function. This is used for drilling in cement or stucco. I have recently used this to drill 4, 1/2 inch wide holes in our sidewalk to mount a mail box. It did a great job and the cement was 30 years old. Hard nasty stuff and this thing cut right through it. Or as fast as you can drill through cement. Use windex to keep the bit cool. The suds will pull the loose material out. I have also used it numerous times to drill into the walls around my house and into the cement in my garage. This is a tough drill and really takes a beating. Make sure when you are doing high torque jobs you attach the included extra handle or you will be spinning around like Wiley Coyote.

If you own this drill you will almost remove any reason to own an electric drill. I only use my corded drill for mixing cement and drywall mud. This is a tough drill for tough jobs. Have fun.

This has got to be the worst invention by TORO ever made. I bought this to replace another battery powered weedeater a RYOBI, I should have just bought another one of them, which is What I will do after this one is returned. EVERYTHING that you read BAD about this in all the reviews is TRUE and then some. In the first 10 second of using this I realized I made a very very bad purchase. too HEAVY string BREAKS........... trigger is a hassle I could go on and on but won't Take my word for it DON'T BUY IT!!!!!!!!!

I'm in agreement with the others who are unhappy with this unit. It's heavy, the strap is inadequate, and the amount of hand power required to depress the trigger and safety is ridiculous. After 15 minutes of use, I can barely manage 30 seconds of on time (male, 36 years old, no degenerative skeletal or muscular problems.) The line does break frequently. It won't take down weeds with stems bigger than pencils. Since I own it already and my yard is small I'll probably disable the trigger safety and rewind the core with heavier line, warrantee be damned. Would not buy again, would not recommend.

Don't understand the reviews below. The "trigger" reqires very little force. It's a little heavy, but it's battery powered. My 5'0" tall 95lbs wife uses it and has no problems. I would highly recommend product.

I do not recommend this tool. charge the battery for a whole day will only can last for 20 minutes. The battery or the charger even died after approx 15 times usage. I can't figure out whether it's the battery or the charger's problem anyway the battery doesn't charge any way. Avoid this product. It's just waste of money.

I like the convenience of this trimmer, and the charge lasts long enough for my yard. But, after little use, the battery started falling out of the handle from the vibration! Now I have to tape it in place to hold it.

We bought this product some time ago - and we are still happy with it. It's durable and convenient, and It holds a charge for quite a long time fully charged. We found it quite helpful around our yard - It's nice not to fuss with electrical cords. My husband is very pleased with it, and commented it "Works Very Good".

It sure does the work when it is fully charged, but the battery gets discharged in less than 10 min of use and takes a long time to charge fully.

PROS: Light,simple to use, and has good suction
CONS: Emptying reservoir is messy, must recharge daily

I bought this product because I had a $20 gift cert from Amazon, so I payed just a few dollars for it. It does work, does the job on tile and thick carpet,overall happy with this purchase. It is pretty noisy though for a hand vac.

I Love my Metabo. I've had my 15.6 BST for about a year and only minor difficulties. On the good, 1st gear has great torque, more than I've found in any 18v Milwaulkee or DeWalt that I've used. The batteries last forever on a charge...after using 14.4s and 18v DeWalts that always seem to loose their charge at the most inconvenient times, I've never had that problem with my Metabos two batteries.

About the comment you might read about the charger prongs failing, its bogus! One of my batteries dropped from 2 stories and nothing happend to the prongs, let alone troubles with the charger.

The impulse feature is great and I might have had it stick once, so I flipped back over and the back again and it was fine.

Lastly, the chuck provides more than ample grip on all bits and configurations that I have had in it.

Only thing to take note of, which may just be with my drill, is that the gear changer doesn't slide into 2nd firmly, or "clip" in. I have had times when I hold the drill with my left hand pushing on top where the changer is and it slip out of 2nd because of where my hand was. So now I don't push on it from there. Simple enough.
Also, it is hard to find Metabo drills or equipment...luckily the local hardware store started carrying Metabo after I purchased mine, But you won't find them at Home Depot.

If you have any other questions, i would be more than happy to answer them. Great drill for a great buy. 4 out of 5 only because of the gear slippage.

this is an outstanding all-purpose drill...

The seamless construction, solid feel, great balance, and power-to-weight ratio make this a top choice; the chuck is one of the strongest I have ever seen and the impulse function (especially in low gear!) is extremely nice when starting, driving, and backing out stubborn screws, nuts and bolts. Probably the best batteries I have ever used with a cordless drill--they seem to last much longer than the specified 2.0amp/hr--and after 2 yr still don't show much loss of charge, and they seem to charge in less than the hour the charger is supposed to need.

A few cons would be:
A.the terrible blow molded plastic case which came dented out of the box and never really closed or opened properly. Metabo seems to be trying to compete with every other tool co. by offering the poorest quality case they can get away with--it is totally disposable. They should go the route of Bosch and offer a utlitarian canvas or nylon tool bag. I keep this drill in a tool bag so the issue with the case is mute for me.
B. the grip is probably wider than any other cordless drill I can remember using, it takes some larger than average hands, as does the extended reach up to the reversing switch above the trigger. You'll need to accustom yourself to the feel of it, but once you have, it feels luxuriously stable compared to other drills--you might say it feels "german", your hand rarely has to really grab the tool as opposed to merely handling it. The balance of this drill is just about perfect (some Milwaukees give it a good run here though) and the batteries' weighted footprint give it an extremely bouyant yet "ballasted" feel while working--you'll notice this when picking it up and putting it down all day long (it doesn't wanna capsize). The driving angle is about perfect as well, between the rigidly perpendicular Milwaukee/DeWalt and the awkwardly sloped upward Makitas.
C. replacement parts/accessories and service accessibility: I've never needed either but if you did, I can see this being more than a little problematic.
D. price--this isn't a cheap drill and I am referring both to its cost as well as the quality construction and attentive design--if you want quality you have to be willing invest in it--if you want a disposable drill there are 12v Ryobis at Home Depot for $35 which will perform fine for a couple of months.

If I haven't already noted the weight-to-power ratio--the jump in power from a 14.4 to this 15.6 seems a lot greater than the jump from this 15.6 to your average 18v. This drill isn't necessarily light by any means, but for the torque it delivers, the Metabo feels like a good substitute for an unweildy 18v--especially the low gear. I have a 18v Bosch hammmerdrill/driver, which I love but nonetheless I regret the rare occasions when I have to leave the Metabo for the Bosch. Needless to say I depend on the Metabo 90% of the time.

If you're looking for a durable-light duty drill you might be lugging around on a tool belt all day the 14.4 Makitas and Milwaukees are awesome choices. If you need a heavy-duty tool for big tasks go with the Porter-Cable 19.2v or the Hilti 18v and 24v series. For an impressive drill that might be asked to do both occasionally while being using constantly in a shop setting this is a top choice, while it may be obsure and somewhat less "baroque" in its very minimal design, and I would happily make the same choice again if the oppurtunity arises.

I have had this drill for over a year, and have been very pleased with it. The impulse feature works well for starting screws, and the reverse direction switch is in a good spot for left handed users. Plenty of power - never any trouble with the keyless chuck - the two batteries have held up well.
Only drawbacks are - no Metabo cordless trim saw to share the battery/charger, and taking some grief from my buddies for buying a German drill.

I/ve fixed our problem with the DustBuster not holding a charge and not re-charging as follows: 1) Push release button and remove motor housing from vacuum 2) Gently remove the motor housing cover plate with a small flat bladed screwdriver 3) Remove four screws (two on outside and two on inside) with a long, small bladed phillips screwdriver (note how on/off switch and release button fits before separating housing 4) Turn switch on and let rotor run completely down...rotor will stop 5) Clean all copper with a Q tip and rubbing alcohol (move the switch back and forth to clean under it) Alclhol will self dry 6) Using a regular finger nail file, gently file contact points on motor and then on charging unit (you'll have to depress and hold charging unit contacts with your small screwdriver to make good contact)7) re-assemble the unit and charge overnight. You'll be amazed!!! After doing this, don't store the vac in the charger full time (it decreases battery power just like on any rechargeable appliance; and, let the battery completely run down about once a month then put it in the charger overnight. GGOD LUCK!

I/ve fixed our problem with the DustBuster not holding a charge and not re-charging as follows: 1) Push release button and remove motor housing from vacuum 2) Gently remove the motor housing cover plate with a small flat bladed screwdriver 3) Remove four screws (two on outside and two on inside) with a long, small bladed phillips screwdriver (note how on/off switch and release button fits before separating housing 4) Turn switch on and let rotor run completely down...rotor will stop 5) Clean all copper with a Q tip and rubbing alcohol (move the switch back and forth to clean under it) Alclhol will self dry 6) Using a regular finger nail file, gently file contact points on motor and then on charging unit (you'll have to depress and hold charging unit contacts with your small screwdriver to make good contact)7) re-assemble the unit and charge overnight. You'll be amazed!!! After doing this, don't store the vac in the charger full time (it decreases battery power just like on any rechargeable appliance; and, let the battery completely run down about once a month then put it in the charger overnight. GGOD LUCK!

Home Depot price: 39.97
Shipping: 4.91
Total: 44.88

You might be able to get free shipping, I didn't look into it...

RTC Construction, Inc. bought this tool for the purpose of finding level while hanging dropped ceilings, footer digs,leveling for kitchen installs, and establishing other benchmarks.
We found that DeWalt is on the cutting edge with this tool. We were pleased at how it worked in general. It was easy to use and I would not hesitate to recommend this tool. The dual diode was very bright and that was a nice treat.
The only thing I believe that needs to be improved is the bump warning system. It is very sensitive to any movement, and I wonder how the laser will react to a windy day outside. Often we found that the level was still level even while the bump warning light was blinking due to minor movement of a wall or the floor.
One other thing that needs improvement is the green vile to find level. The viles were hard to see in low light. Mounting to the ceiling, we had to use a flashlight to read the vile. Part of the problem was due to low lighting, but the other part was due to the green vile.
I was happy not to have to buy alot of accessories with this tool. It had all the essential accessories to get the job done.

I am not a professional home builder, so when posed with a few chores that would be a lot easier with this type of tool, I was unsure if the cost would be justified. However, I grabbed the checkbook and bit-the-bullet after researching the pros and cons, and playing with one for a while in our local tool store. After recently installing a suspended ceiling, and looking forward to installing vinyl siding and a shower room install, I feel that the cost was totally justified. Even though I am a do-it-yourselfer, my time is valuable to me, and this rotary laser saved me enough time and headaches that it is almost justified already. After the siding is done, I will probably pat myself on the back for the purchase and send DeWalt a thank-you note. The only downside is that this model, while versatile and accurate, is not a self-leveling device--that would have been nice, but with the DeWalt self-leveling laser at more than double the price, it is simply something for the professionals. Leveling it is easy enough, but does take some time to get it perfect. I like the fact that the mounting plate is integrated into the unit--seems like a good design, but time will tell on that one.

I am an advanced amateur carpenter/builder living on a small horse ranch in Southern California. I bought my DW073KD at Lowe's on an impulse and am in love with the darn thing. I do recognize the notion that self-leveling units are easier to operate. But I have been working with bubble levels all my life and feel very comfortable doing the manual setup. I am doing a remodel in my guest house and have used the unit for everything from laying out recessed lighting to plumbing out a new door in a new wall. The battery power works great and it mates up well with my 12-volt Dewalt drill and trim saw. Went to Lowes last night to buy the tripod and grade rod, then surveyed my property in the dark. Awesome.
P.S. If you are an automation freak, by all means get the latest automatic unit. But if you have craftsman genes, this is a great device.