Comments on: Hot or Not Roundup http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:21:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Paul http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24928 Paul Thu, 22 Feb 2007 04:14:04 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24928 Dang! And I so want a magic paint sprayer too. None of them electric things work? With cordless drills it seems like the tools aren't too expensive, but the batteries are! Pushing a car isn't easy no matter what sort of wheels it is on. As fascinated as I am with magnets I still don't want them near steel I care about. The least of my bandsaw's blades concerns is the tension it is under. Dang! And I so want a magic paint sprayer too. None of them electric things work? With cordless drills it seems like the tools aren’t too expensive, but the batteries are! Pushing a car isn’t easy no matter what sort of wheels it is on. As fascinated as I am with magnets I still don’t want them near steel I care about. The least of my bandsaw’s blades concerns is the tension it is under.

]]> By: James http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24841 James Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:05:10 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24841 mrChris: I have a Mastercraft (Canadian Tire brand) 10.8V Li-ion 3/8" drill. It's light, feels good in the hand, and can handle tasks that my cheap 18V can't without producing a burning smell (I guess from the cheap plastic parts inside). It comes with a 5-year warranty and sells for CAN$130, but I got it on sale for $90. As for screwdrivers, my Mom got me a 2.4V Ni-cd Skil screwdriver (the original long one) 2 years ago. I thought I would never use it, but I found myself using it one day while assembling and disassembling a computer and I loved it. The newer 3.6V ones look even better and I'll probably get one at some point. Of course, if you're happy with what you've got, stick with it until it breaks down. By then there should be plenty of lower-priced Li-ion options. mrChris: I have a Mastercraft (Canadian Tire brand) 10.8V Li-ion 3/8″ drill. It’s light, feels good in the hand, and can handle tasks that my cheap 18V can’t without producing a burning smell (I guess from the cheap plastic parts inside). It comes with a 5-year warranty and sells for CAN$130, but I got it on sale for $90.

As for screwdrivers, my Mom got me a 2.4V Ni-cd Skil screwdriver (the original long one) 2 years ago. I thought I would never use it, but I found myself using it one day while assembling and disassembling a computer and I loved it. The newer 3.6V ones look even better and I’ll probably get one at some point.

Of course, if you’re happy with what you’ve got, stick with it until it breaks down. By then there should be plenty of lower-priced Li-ion options.

]]> By: Chuck Cage http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24830 Chuck Cage Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:34:39 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24830 Chris: That's a question that's really more answered by purpose than by desire. If you're talking about the Black & Decker SmartDriver and the Skil iXO2, we've done hands-on posts on each. At $40, they're not really that expensive, and their main advantage over older cordless screwdrivers is the fact that they remain charged while sitting in the drawer for months on end. They also offer some pretty decent runtimes. If you're talking about Bosch's PS10/PS20, they're so much more powerful than any other drivers of similar size that they're essentially a different kind of tool. While I'm not really much of a cordless screwdriver user -- even the good ones like the ones mentioned above -- I use the hell out of the PS10 and PS20. They're powerful enough to drive 3" screws fully into wood, and they can drive a ton of 'em on a single charge. They also stay charged for what seems like forever on the shelf, and they come with two batteries so you can swap 'em out while you work. At $125+, they're pro tools in a pro price range. If you make use of 'em in your profession, they'd be worth every penny. The PS20 is especially practical around the house, too, though. So I suppose the question as to "whether they're worth the coin" is really a completely personal one. Are they good values for their price? Yep. But whether that translates into value for you... Chris: That’s a question that’s really more answered by purpose than by desire. If you’re talking about the Black & Decker SmartDriver and the Skil iXO2, we’ve done hands-on posts on each. At $40, they’re not really that expensive, and their main advantage over older cordless screwdrivers is the fact that they remain charged while sitting in the drawer for months on end. They also offer some pretty decent runtimes.

If you’re talking about Bosch’s PS10/PS20, they’re so much more powerful than any other drivers of similar size that they’re essentially a different kind of tool. While I’m not really much of a cordless screwdriver user — even the good ones like the ones mentioned above — I use the hell out of the PS10 and PS20. They’re powerful enough to drive 3″ screws fully into wood, and they can drive a ton of ‘em on a single charge. They also stay charged for what seems like forever on the shelf, and they come with two batteries so you can swap ‘em out while you work. At $125+, they’re pro tools in a pro price range. If you make use of ‘em in your profession, they’d be worth every penny. The PS20 is especially practical around the house, too, though.

So I suppose the question as to “whether they’re worth the coin” is really a completely personal one. Are they good values for their price? Yep. But whether that translates into value for you…

]]> By: nrChris http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24765 nrChris Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:29:03 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/21/hot-or-not-roundup-4/#comment-24765 Seems like there are a whole lot of high-end (read: expensive) screwdrivers with fancy batteries. I get by with a cheap B&D as well as a low end cordless drill. So my question for the hot or not crew is in a generic sense---are these high money high torque li-ion screwdrivers worth the coin? Hot or not? Seems like there are a whole lot of high-end (read: expensive) screwdrivers with fancy batteries. I get by with a cheap B&D as well as a low end cordless drill. So my question for the hot or not crew is in a generic sense—are these high money high torque li-ion screwdrivers worth the coin? Hot or not?

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