I’m planning to buy a Panasonic 14.4 V li-ion drill driver, does somebody had any experience with this toy? I bought a Milwaukee 18 V lithium 1.5 amp. 6 months ago in Home depot and I returned , is good for home bud not for business, one week ago I was trying to make a 3/8″ hole on a 3/16″ metal plate, just 3 holes, but the drill it was using one battery for each hole, not good, any comments???
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>>I was trying to make a 3/8" hole on a 3/16" metal plate, just 3 holes, but the drill it was using one battery for each hole
I would normally make that size hole with two bits when using a hand held drill, corded or cordless. What type of metal plate? that can make as much difference as the drill.
that's big hole in steel and something I'd use a corded or pneu drill for and as already mentioned use more than 1 bit to cut te hole. IMHO it's really not fair to judge any battery drill by that test.
The marketing divisons of the battery drills mfg want us to think that they're good for every job but that's just not the case. They're good for a lot of jobs and perfect for only a few.
HI Jhon7, you could be right about the battery but the thing was that I used a 18 V drill (Bosch) for finish the job and not a problem,and this drill probably is 2 years old that make think that the problem was the milwaukee tool, but thanks any way
Panasonic aren't readily available around here. I've heard good reviews about them, though. I have a Makita 1.5A lithium. It's a good drill with plenty of torque, but a little light on rpms. A guy I worked with had the Milwaukee 1.5. I really couldn't tell much of a difference between the two. My Makita has served me well for almost two years, just about every day. I've been learning a little about DC motors in school lately. I couldn't understand why Panasonic was so pricey before, but after reading the specs for them, I kind of understand now. Better brushes, better magnets, etc. Sounds good to me seeing as those are the weak links for DC motors. I believe the Panasonic is a different type of motor than what is normally used for battery drills. Anyways, if you want to save some money on that Panasonic, try tylertool.com. Factory reconditioned, but my shop has been ordering tools off of them for years so they are highly recommended by me. Now if I can just talk my shop into ordering that Panasonic Impact driver on a payroll deduct, life would be great! Please keep us posted and tell us if the drill lives up to expectations.
Hi Paul, I was wondering if you answered your own question. Seems you were pretty happy with the 18 volt Bosch that finished the job with no problem. I have had Makita drills and impact tools and have nothing but problems with the batteries. I tried a Skil and it was garbage, I pretty much gave it away at a garage sale. Now I have a Dewalt 18 V and am happy with it, but I also have a lot of Bosch tools and the newer ones are very good.
Sedna1
I had that 1.5 Milwaukee too.
Stripped the gear box out on mine.
I'd say you will do better with just about any thing else.
Panasonic gets good reviews as does the Makita.
Which Milwaukee did you have. I recently bought the M18 with the 3ah batteries and it works great. I had to drill a bunch of 5/8" holes through 8x8's treated SYP and double LVL's and LSL's for post caps and it exceeded my expectations.
My dad is convinced that the tools @ Home Depot are not the same as those bought at tool stores. Just a thought.
Hi framer, I am totally agree with your dad !! and my drill driver was 18 v lithium 1.5 amp.
I had a panasonic 14.4 NiMh. Loved it. Took me about 6 years to kill it. But I really abused it. I'm using the 3.0 amp-hour Makita Lithium ion now. It's a very good drill too.
If Panasonic had a lithium ion unit out when I bought the makita, I probably would have bought the panasonic based on my previous experience with it, but I'm very happy with the makita. 3-speed gearbox is nice, as is the light, which stays on for a little while after you release the trigger. The lights on those that only light when the drill is turning (can you hear me, milwaukee?) are pretty useless.
Steve
Edited 2/3/2009 11:35 pm by mmoogie
It's my opinion, maybe because of marketing, that too many people are trying to use a cordless tool in instances where they should have a corded one instead. Corded tools typically have more torque and can tolerate stall that a cordless tool cannot. I wouldn't have thought to use my cordless drill to drill through heavy steel. I use it for wood and other such soft materials, as I believe it's intended. The portability suggests that it's for lighter work only. I've not even considered a cordless reciprocating saw, for instance, though they're out there I see. The battery type isn't a factor, except for reduced size and weight. Volts is volts.