Cordless tool combination kit recommendations

[mtnbkr]

Please to be explaining. You just did a straight swap to Lithium and everything worked fine? Is it a newer set? I've been wanting to move my DeWalt 18V stuff to Lithium but am heavily invested in the NiCad set and didn't want to buy an entire new set while these tools still rock. I'd be totally down for just buying Lithium batts.

Yup.  I did have to buy a new charger (works for NiCad and Lithium batteries), but on the tool side, the batteries are interchangeable.  I got the tools on sale 6-7 years ago and paid about $50 for the set.  Lithium was an optional upgrade at the time, but I used the NiCad until it wore out.

Chris

[Ben]

Yup.  I did have to buy a new charger (works for NiCad and Lithium batteries), but on the tool side, the batteries are interchangeable.  I got the tools on sale 6-7 years ago and paid about $50 for the set.  Lithium was an optional upgrade at the time, but I used the NiCad until it wore out.

Chris

Awesome- thanks! I'm off to Amazon to get one right off the bat. Then I can start swapping as the NiCads wear out. Sweet.

[zxcvbob]

My 30-yo Makita 9.6V cordless drill still works great.  I did have to replace the original battery 5 or 6 years ago.  I also have a more modern variable-speed Makita 9.6V that uses a different style NiCad battery but the same charger.  If I ever need to buy batteries again, I hope to change-over to NiMH.

[MillCreek]

Based on the input here, chatting with other knowledgeable people, reading reviews and making lunch-time runs to Lowe's and Home Depot, I ended up with this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-ULTIMATE-Combo-Kit-6-Tool-P884/203466936 at $ 325 out the door.

For the price point I was looking for, this kit gave me the largest number of acceptable-quality tools, two of the latest-generation batteries, an intelligent charger, and at a savings compared to buying the tools piecemeal.  A bonus was the large number of other power and lawn tools that take the same battery pack.  The Rigid did not have the tools I was looking for and the Ryobi seemed better quality than the Kobalt and Porter-Cable sets.  I lusted after the DeWalt large combo set, but could not justify my needs as needing a $ 600 tool kit.

I have much better hopes for the lithium battery packs as opposed to the NiCad packs that go bad just sitting there, even with periodic charging.

PS: The HD associate told me that Ryobi is a sister company of Rigid and makes the cordless power tools under that name as well.  I was surprised that Rigid had so little in the way of combo kits, then.

[bedlamite]

FYI, two things that kills lithium batteries are heat and running them completely dead:
Above body temp is too warm, let it cool down and use a different pack.
Drain them below a certain threshold and they will never be the same again.

Long term storage is best with about half to 2/3 charge on them. They also don't need to be fully charged every time, they have no memory.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

[MillCreek]

Man, I cannot believe that I made to my mid 50's before I discovered impact drivers and what they can do.  Amazing.

[KD5NRH]

Man, I cannot believe that I made to my mid 50's before I discovered impact drivers and what they can do.

Do you really need that many bolts snapped off?

[roo_ster]

Do you really need that many bolts snapped off?

Millcreek is referring to the (I presume) 1/4" drive battery-power impact driver, not a monster air tool.

[MillCreek]

^^^ Exactly.  It works so much better than a driver/drill.

[p12]

1/4 inch impacts rule. Get the mega bit set and you will be looking for a project just so you can use the impact.

[KD5NRH]

1/4 inch impacts rule. Get the mega bit set and you will be looking for a project just so you can use the impact.

Oh, so I'm not supposed to use the 110V impact and a stack of adapters to tighten scope mounts?