Battery screwdriver for doing outlets

I was going to use a title of “Cordless Screwdrivers for Installing Electrical Outlets”, but the allowed title space is a little short for that – not to mention that some wizeazz would point out that all manual screwdrivers are cordless…
So, which battery powered screwdrivers are best for taking the tedium out of installed a lot of electrical outlets and switches? The fine threads definitely can try ones patience when using a regular screwdriver. I have a couple of impact drivers and drill/drivers, but they seem significantly overkill for the task. One doesn’t need much power, but convenient ergonomics would be nice.
I was thinking of the swivel headed Bosch 10.8 v. lithium driver, but it seems a bit bulky for my intended purpose.
Suggestions?
Replies
the pistol grip Bosch 10.2V has it all over the swivel version....
that'd be the ticket...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
If you want a pro-quality tool, Hitachi 3.6v, Li-ion battery pack, on sale at Amazon and elsewhere.
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hitachi/DB3DL/
I use one every day and it's a good tool. The Bosch pistol-grip driver is OK, but the Hitachi is lighter and powerful enough for outlets.
There are a lot of inexpensive ($20-30), pistol-grip style drivers available, if you don't need one with a removable battery.
Cliff
p.s. There's also this option, a manual speed-driver:
http://www.kleintools.com/692-2,_691-6_Screwdrivers/pressreleases/691-6,_692-6_pressrelease.html
Which is very good for steel boxes, where there's a threaded hole for the strap screw. The dog-leg driver is available in slot, philips, or robertson tip, and from Ideal Industries as well as Klein. C.
Edited 12/10/2007 1:34 am ET by CAP
the 10.2 has the power to quickly make up wire connections using a wire nut adaptor...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Yep, true. The 3.6v drivers like the Hitachi or Panasonic struggle a bit to drive wire nuts.
Have you tried these puppies?
http://www.scru-it.com/index.html
A wire nut with a P2 recess in the head--no need for a special driver. They have a very wide wire combo range, and a high temp rating so they're good for HID fixtures.
I've had good luck with 'em. The higher cost relative to a no-name Chinese wire nut is offset by time savings (not to mention peace of mind about the quality, esp. long-term performance).
One more thing--I just got the Milwaukee 12V Li-ion "subcompact" driver. Been using it for about a week. It's good, takes the place of a 3/8" 12v or 14.4v cordless drill, and is lighter and more compact. Wish it had a higher RPM, though, a bit slow at 400 RPM for running spade bits. But a Milwaulkee 12v and a Makita 7.2v impact screwdriver is a good lightweight combo for service work. I'm always looking for a way to lighten the load--for instance, for phone/data MACs (moves/adds/changes) in office buildings, where the truck is a long way down, and I need to keep my work area footprint small.
Cliff
hadn't seen that style of wire nut... interestiing...
there's so many nitches of where one tool will shine and that the same tool doesn't work worth a tinker's in another application...
so the line up gets... well you know what I mean...
the 10.2 is on the slow side too... the impactor in 10.2 is impressive for it's size...
but... if you compare them to the 18V's ya been using forever... there just isn't any comparrison...
if ya take them for what they are and use them sensibly... we be good to go...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Roger that...
And a thought for the day:
“Man is a tool-using Animal.... Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.â€
View Image Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Historian and Essayist, leading figure in the Victorian era. 1795-1881
Cliff
I'll second the Hitachi LiIon battery screwdriver.Nice little sucker and has plenty of power for what it's designed to do.I was gonna buy the Bosch, but the Hitachi was only $79 and I like the design of it.Well, now Lowes near me have it down to $53 - so IMO it's a no brainer. Batteries last a long time, great for electrical work and cabinet stuff.JT
I second Mike's post....I hate having to haul another heavy tool, batteries and charger. I usually work out of my pouch, and the Klein swivels are pretty quick and light. Depends how you're setup, I guess
I agree Jess. The best electricians that I've worked with used the them. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Have a small 7.2 V non-replaceable battery Makita used for outlet screws, but often just use the ol' small 8" yankee driver.
Usually use crimp connectors w/rubber boots, pricier, but easier and better long term reliability.
BTW, bet I get chastised for this suggestion, but on plastic boxes where the screw is external to the box, 1-1/4" Piffin (drywall) screws go in very fast and fit the plastic boxes tightly.
Leave the heavy battery power in the toolbox & get an electrician's offset screwdriver into your tool pouch. Almost as fast and easy as a powered driver, no battery to keep charged, lots lighter and less chance of stripping out a screw.
The drivers I'm talking about are pictured on the left (if the photo works). The shaft swivels in the head, so you just crank the screws in. HD has them, I believe.
View Image
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I've got the off set driver for all my switch work and it is, in my opinion, a far better choice then any battery screwdriver. I agree totally with your post.
I got one of the bent screwdrivers and it works reasonably well for the long-winded fine threaded screws for the outlets. Pretty hard to over torque with that screwdriver. I found it easier to start a bunch of the outlets with a regular phillips and then come along with the offset screwdriver and send them home. I played around with one of the 10.8v Bosch pistol grip screw drivers at the local hardware store. It doesn't seem much smaller or lighter than my 12v Makita impactor. It does have a slip clutch, however, which might be a saving feature on a small screw. I'll pass on getting one for the present, however.
"I'll pass on getting one for the present, however."
Yeah. My name is Mike and I'm an addict -- a tool addict, that is.
I'll buy just about any tool -- just because. I look at those small drivers and am tempted, but I just can't for the life of me figure out what I'd use it for.
It would always be dead since I wouldn't use it enough to keep the batteries charged.
Good thing there are still plenty of other tools for me to buy! ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I have one of the Skil Li ones that was one of the first ones out, paid $49 for it. I do not use it often but it holds a charge for one heck of a long time. Have never gone to it after non-use and found it dead.
There are many versions of it out there, Lowes (Kobalt), B&d, even Craftsman has a similar one.
I have the B&D version and it's become a "go to" tool. I bought it (~$40) to install drawer glides in a very narrow section of a desk I was building and found that it's low speed, low torque, small size, and long battery life make it just about perfect for any job involving small screws, bolts, or whatever.
Sorry to be an enabler here... BUT...
The LiIon batteries in these new tools, like the Bosch, hold a charge for MONTHS. Not a day, not a week, not 1 month, more like 6 to 9 months! Maybe even longer.
It's not like the old days (way back in the first half of this decade) where you would have to charge the tools before you start to work. With these, you charge them before you put them away (they also charge from dead in less than 30 minutes, so that 2nd battery is full long before the first one has run down).Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
DOH! Now I have to break out into a sweat again every time I pass 'em in the tool isle! Just when I thought I had the monkey off my back. Sheesh.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
The problem with the Li-ion seems to be that although they will hold a charge for a long time and have good energy density, the maximum charge they will hold decreases by something over 10% per year. The original battery for my laptop after three years is down to about 20 minutes vs the two hours it had when new. I have been told to never let it get down below 10% and have set my laptop to cut off at that point, yet it still seems to be crapping out pretty rapidly. The battery is the original li-ion from HP. I have to wonder what the capacity of several of my li-ion tools is going to be after four or five years.
and they get very disrespectful if you let them gat cold....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Will it really matter? After 4-5 years, we will all be drooling over whatever new battery technology is available at that time, anyway. Let's face it, battery operated tools are pretty much disposable instead of something we'll use for a lifetime.
Don't take that three year old laptop anywhere near the Smithsonian - they may try to take it for their exhibit of ancient computers. - lol
I still use a 9.6 volt Milwaukee drill driver that is probably over 20 years old and am still using the original ni-cads. Granted, it doesn't see that much use as I just keep it as a backup. I do love that old lollypop red color though.
Bosch. I have both the pistol grip driver and the impact driver. I use the driver only for switches/recpt.
Works great.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
I have the metabo powermax pro. It has two speed with a variable trigger. You can spin on a chuck and it has a right angle adaptor. It really is pretty nice to have all those features.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16405
I too am a fan of the Bosch drill driver. I would also consider that I drive too though, for the hard to reach spots. I'm just waiting for a good excuse to get one myself.
Another set that looked interesting was the new Black and Decker... pause for laughter to die down... was their new VPX LiIon system. Not only do they have the drill, they also have a twin power pack drill for bigger tasks, plus they have an adapter to run a small 120 volt item, like a power brick for your cell phone or similar. It's the only micro set I've seen that also has a saw too.
http://www.vpxsystem.com/
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
Put me in the Bosch camp.
I've used the pistol grip pocket driver for the last year, mostly for electrical work. Light, powerful, adjustable, etc.
Used to use the DW cordless screwdriver for electrical work. Now it just sits in my attic tool library.
For the rest of the stuff, it's my Makita 18v LiOn kit.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
If your looking for a less expensive option, the 3.6v skill ixo driver is only about $40. However, its slow and not very powerfull so outlets are about the only thing it's good for. It does not have a clutch either. It is extremely small though.
I thought the mark of an experienced electrician was carpal tunnel syndrome.