I am thinking of buying a dewalt 20 volt drill/impact driver kit from cpo.I am just a diy'er.Should I buy a new or reconditioned set.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cjt,

I'd be tempted to get reconditioned. Depending on the price difference and warranty. The batteries are the first things to go anyway.

That was my thought.The recon. is $40 cheaper

here in cincinnati we have a store called "Battery Giant" that rebuild your battery for 1/2 the price of a new one. i think it is a nation wide franchise. i had one rebuild a year ago and it still works better than a new one

many battery firms will replace the nicad or NiMH cells in battery packs.

with a lithium power pack, I'd be way leery. there is a hellish high energy density in lithium batteries, and safety detectors are salted among the cells in most battery packs, linked to the charger, to insure they don't blow up real good. for lithiums, I'd stick with the factory battery packs.

I guess it's all a personal thing but I've had 0 luck with Dewalt tools.
I got rid of all mine years ago.
All my employees I used to have also used to have them and changed brands.
Here's just a few of the reason we stopped using them.
Batterys would not last a year and cost way to much.
Bought a brand new hammer drill and the switch to get it to hammer took two hands to get it to in gauge and burned up the same day I bought it just drilling 3/8 holes in morter.
We had to keep brushes and triggers in stock just to keep everyone running.
Not one of my Porta Cable, Milwaulkee, Ridgid, or even some less expencive Ryobi tools has needed any repairs except a battery about every couple years and this is with daily use.
I've bought many reco tools from CPO and never had any any issues, in fact so far everyone of them looked brand new and worked perfect and even came with all the asseserys and directions.

I bought a model similar or the exact same type you are talking about. Best Dewalt I have ever purchased.
Joe is correct as battery life of past Dewalts was a joke. As in no life at all. You had to be diligent and always charge back ups. The selling point was Dewalt is always discounted somewhere and drills last me less than a year. And who does not like a new drill....

By a Ridgid and the whole thing is warrentyed including the batterys for life.

I only have one DeWalt tool, it's a half inch drill. It had a mechanical breakdown, without a lot of useage on it, and it took 4 weeks to get the part. My other tools haven't broken down. Sure batteries go out now and then, and then it's cheaper just to buy a whole new drill. But I stay away from Dewalt

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Re-mdlr,

I have had really good luck with both my 14 and 18 v Dewalt Drills. But obviously don't use them all day everyday. I like them because once charged the batteries seem to keep their charge for many months. (at least for me)
I can grab one of the drills and use it to drill pilots or drive some screws whenever needed, without having to charge up the battery. But like I said, I am probably a lighter user than you guys.

That's pretty much what I have found: The DeWalt tools are great for homeowner use but with the heavier use that some of us do they can't hold up. I've had times where I've charged all my batteries 2 to 3 times in a day just to keep one impact driver going.

I've had Rigid for the past several years and they are holding up pretty well.

Hello to all, it has been awhile.

Two questions:

1) Why do the Dewalt tools [batteries] crater sooner?

2) If the batteries do crater sooner, can't you get them rebuild with the better type batteries and be good to go?

Finally, how much differnt is the pricing for the exact same type Dewalt and Rigid tool? If they are significant, then could you not buy dewalt and immediately get the batteries rebuilt with the better batteries? I have never heard of a power tool that warranties both the tool and battery for life...Rigid has to charge extra for that, yes?

Best to all,
tstex

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tstex,

It's not a price thing. I just compared a DeWalt drill & impact driver set with 2 batteries and charger for $250 and a Rigid set of the same for $199.

Rigid does give a lifetime warranty for both tools and batteries that is included in the original purchase price. It is a bit of a hassle to register everything. In fact, I'd say that of my ten or so rigid drills and impact drivers and 7 batteries that I have only registered 3 or 4 tools and 3 or 4 batteries. All too often I'm guilty of buying them because I need them right away and then I never get around to sending in all the documentation within the 90 day period required.

Also, I have never had to make a warranty claim. I have read some on-line reports that it takes a long time but do no t know how accurate that may be.

All that aside, the Rigid tools are a lot sturdier than the DeWalt and since the price is not a factor, I'd go Rigid. My only complaint is that I do 99% of my shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot is the only one carrying Rigid.

Thanks Jaybee - just one clarification.

If you use a Rigid tool to the point where you wear-out the life of the battery and it is no longer functioning, they will give you a new battery free of charge based on the life-time warranty? If so, and they also warranty the tool too, that tool is good for life...That makes Rigid a no-brainer to buy.

Nope, Ridgid is less expencive.

batteries... in nicads, there are multiple levels of performance, check the selection of raw cells at digi-key's Panasonics some time. in most common sizes, there are 5 or more levels of charge speed, reserve power, and discharge level.

the most expensive cells are the rapid charge high-demand cells. plebian nicads are easily half the price.

the technologies are old hat, so if brand X has ho-hum performance and brand Z can run all day, figure it out.

this is independent of the motor technology. not all brush motors are the same, either. the more wire you put on the motor (copper = cost) the more magnetic field you will generate. field roughly equals power, but it transfers power, meaning it whacks the battery harder. you can fake it by using a faster motor and more gear-down for the same torque, but that drill will stall easier because there is less energy between the bearings. ultimately, there is no free lunch.

so it's all the choices made in engineering the product. price may not mean as much, because we don't see how much goes into the tool and how much goes into the advertising.

I have been using Dewalt tools now for more then 15 yrs. and have never had any of the problems that were mentioned above. I have even used the 18 volt batteries for the grandsons power wheels jeep, talk about juicing it up that thing would fly.
A while ago I compared my Dewalt drill with a Rigid ( side by side screwing a deck), there was no comparison so I kept my trusty dewalt. The first drill I had for about 9 years and you can say it got beat up very bad. Everything from dropping off of roofs to constantly being used, kicked around, stomped on, and even ran over. The helper I had replaced the clutch and is still using it to this day.

To clarify - yes, the warranty for Rigid is a lifetime thing - batteries and tools. Again, I have not ever gone through the process of claiming a warranty replacement - I did read a posting on-line a while ago that someone complained that it took 9 months to get a replacement through the warranty channels. I just don't know how accurate that report is.

I think the main thing with a warranty like what the Rigid has is the reality that many would not fill out all the paperwork and the sever follow-up steps required. Like I said, I neglected to send in all the info for many of my tools even though one reason for buying them was the warranty.

Rigids tools use Li-o batteries. The newer ones that came out about 1-1/2 years ago come with a pushbutton meter on the front to show battery life. This style also holds a charge longer compared to the older non-meter equipped batteries.

Back in the late 90's I and several of my guys had DeWalt cordless tools. At that time they were one of the few with 18v versions. They worked well but had a chronic problem of the batteries getting stuck inside the tool - pretty sure that DeWalt solved that problem. Battery life was crappy, but back then everything was Ni-cads.

I went to Porter-Cable (not the Porter-Cable that are on sale today, the older, heavier duty ones) And they did very well for several years. But batteries eventually died and then were not easily available.

Had a Hitachi hammer drill that was an absolute beast that served me well for several years but it dies a horrible death after plunging off a ladder and landing on concrete (toolicide? I'll never know). I replace it with the exact same model but it never worked as well as the original.

I've had Rigid cordless for about 4 years now and except for me not turning in all the warranty forms, have no real complaints. The batteries are eventually going to die - of the two sizes, the smaller seem to be good for 200 to 300 charges or so.

Keep in mind that I will easily put more use on my cordless in any month than most homeowners will do in a year. When we use impact drivers, we always keep one more on hand then guys using them just so we can trade out after they get too hot to hold on to. We run a bank of chargers and frequently have several recharges per battery per day. So the stuff that may not work for us could still do a great job in typical homeowner usage.

Thanks Jaybee, that was quite a summary.

And yes, you guys that do this for a living tax your tools 10 to 20 X's what the reg DIY homeowner will in a yr plus...my only problem with any of my p-tools are the batteries, but that is only applicable to drills...everything else I own has a cord.

Finally, I have a P-Cable 135 PSI Compressor/4.5HP/15gal...it is the "oil-free" model. Two problems:

The red-plastic on-off switch will sometimes not work and let me turn it off..it just freezes and I feel like if I try to turn it off, it would break...anyone seen this>

Next, the wing-nut valve on the bottom leaks very, very slowly. I beleive I need to replace the whole valve...any thoughts on this? I usually open the valve when I am done to release the air and drain out any condensation/water...I also try to avoid putting the compressor in the sun to avoid any condensaton...do you guys drain after every job?

Thanks,
tstex

Can't comment on the switch. Just change out the butterfly valve - they can go bad since even the tiniest burr or wear can lead to an air leak.

We drain compressors every day, but that's because in TN we have very high humidity.