Cordless Tools Brushless Or Brushed?

[rjweb]

I was looking at the harbor freight Bauer cordless tools, they look good, the only thing that concerns me is that the warranty is 90 days, has anyone had a problem. And i am like Ray, I buy cheap  because i will probably go before the tools, RJ

[BadBob]

You can buy up to 2 years of Extended Service Protection.

I'm not sure if they still do this, but they used to do in-store exchanges for broken tools if you had a service plan. Ask at your local store.

[kmmcrafts]

I'm sure every store is different but my local store has exceptional customer service.. I have never had any hint of trouble doing returns etc.. In fact, a few years back my son bought me a electric power washer for either my birthday or Christmas.. I never opened up the box until late spring / early summer.. and when I did there was a part missing. Being winter I didn't open it, I took the whole box in.. no receipt and explained that I never opened it up because it was winter and they exchanged it.. I was sure they'd say oh well no receipt..

Their tools have improved greatly in recent years.. I've had not really ever had but one problem and that was 15 years ago on the cheapest sawzall they had.. which was like $9.88, LOL.. It and several more after it broke.. I finally just tossed them and bought a better one,

The way I see those extended warranties is.. most items you pay close to half the price of the tool for the warranty.. I usually chance it because in both cases it's costing you.. and why pay up front and not need to use it, LOL.. 

[BadBob]

I have exchanged tools at my local store with no issues. No receipt was required, but no power tools. My policy is buy cheap if you only need it once if it breaks by a better one.

[OCtoolguy]

Regarding the issue of battery types, yesterday I had something interesting happen. I was using one of our 5 cordless phones that we purchased in 2010. They all have nickel metal hydride batteries in them. A pair of AAA in each phone. They've never been replaced. Not once. Yesterday, for the first time, one of the phones gave me a warning that it was out of juice and it went dead. As of this morning, it appears to be back to fully charged. It makes me wonder why/how these batteries have lasted for 13 years and never needed replacing. All the same type batteries on my Makita drill went bad within 2 years of purchase. I'd love to hear why. Anybody?

 

[Gene Howe]

Geeze  Ray. I've had a Makita drill and two batteries for probably 15+ years. Its used almost every day. Never had a problem. 

I thought the battery in my Samsung phone was giving out as it didn't want to take a charge. Took it to Batteries Plus. Turns out it was a faulty charging port. Took them 30 minutes to diagnose and repair it. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Gene Howe

[Bill WIlson]

I've had good luck with my Makita drills as well.  I am otherwise reluctant to dive into the deep end of cordless tool ownership.  While the convenience is nice, it isn't a necessity for me.  Battery life, obsolescence and cost are the primary obstacles.

I bought my first Makita probably 10-12 years ago.  I liked it enough to splurge on a drill & impact driver combo a couple years later.  All still going strong.  I don't use them constantly, but they hold a charge for a very long time, without use.  My old NiCad Ryobi batteries would drain significantly after sitting idle for a few weeks, even when starting out fully charged. Unfortunately Makita no longer offers my model and the batteries aren't interchangeable with the current version.

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

I've had good luck with my Makita drills as well.  I am otherwise reluctant to dive into the deep end of cordless tool ownership.  While the convenience is nice, it isn't a necessity for me.  Battery life, obsolescence and cost are the primary obstacles.

I bought my first Makita probably 10-12 years ago.  I liked it enough to splurge on a drill & impact driver combo a couple years later.  All still going strong.  I don't use them constantly, but they hold a charge for a very long time, without use.  My old NiCad Ryobi batteries would drain significantly after sitting idle for a few weeks, even when starting out fully charged. Unfortunately Makita no longer offers my model and the batteries aren't interchangeable with the current version.

If you only purchased your Makita that recently it's probably got lithium batteries. Those work great. I'm referring to the old Makitas. I was selling tools when Makita first appeared on the scene. They were orange and used a 7.2 volt NiCad battery. I bought one of the first ones. It served me well. I had to buy a couple of batteries over the years. About mid to late 80's I bought a new model 12 volt Makita that had the "newer, better" NiMh batteries. The first 2 lasted about 2 years. I took them to the main Makita service center and had them tested. They failed so I bought 2 new ones. After another 2 years they were dead. So I bought a Panasonic 12 drill that came with 2 batteries. It did well but finally those batteries gave up. Ok, I've had it with high dollar drills. By this time lithium batteries had been out for a while and I ran across a deal on B & D 20 drill kit. $29.95. I bought it. It is still serving me well after 12 years. I bought a second one to use as a screwdriver. I've got 4 batteries and 2 chargers. All tolled, under $100. I also bought a Harbor Freight 20-volt Bauer drill kit because it came with 2 attachments for trimming shrubbery. Very well-made and very powerful. $59.95. I recently picked up the matching 1/4" driver unit so now I have 2 batteries & chargers.