cheap 12v cordless drill (for parts)

[S Roby]

Hi ther
The local Kmart is selling 12v cordless drills for less than NZ$10 , about $7
in real money.
I was think of buying on just for the battery pack. Its less than the cost of
2 good (Eveready) AA rechargeable batts.

I know every drill will be different but generally....
Will the battery pack just be nasty old nicads, or something better??
What could I expect to see in the battery pack??. Just a bunch of AA batts
joined together or something else ??

 

[dmm]

Hi ther
The local Kmart is selling 12v cordless drills for less than NZ$10 , about $7
in real money.
I was think of buying on just for the battery pack. Its less than the cost of
2 good (Eveready) AA rechargeable batts.

I know every drill will be different but generally....
Will the battery pack just be nasty old nicads, or something better??
What could I expect to see in the battery pack??. Just a bunch of AA batts
joined together or something else ??

Buy one and let everyone know.

 

[T.J.& L.K. Dunster]

Yes they were selling them in Tas. about six months ago, battery packs are
nicads, chargers are dumb, the drills are o.k. and will take standard 14
volt packs.
A mate of mine bought two for the motors, uses them for model yacht winches.
I bought one because it was only $10 and apart from having to recharge the
batteries fairly often, it is quite good ,useful to have lying around. Why
not buy four of them and just use them up.
Pius what more can you expect from a $10 drill. They were selling them for
twenty last month.

 

[David L. Jones]

Hi ther
The local Kmart is selling 12v cordless drills for less than NZ$10 , about $7
in real money.
I was think of buying on just for the battery pack. Its less than the cost of
2 good (Eveready) AA rechargeable batts.

I know every drill will be different but generally....
Will the battery pack just be nasty old nicads, or something better??
What could I expect to see in the battery pack??. Just a bunch of AA batts
joined together or something else ??

Almost certainly the poorest quality nicads available, and spot welded
together. They won't be AA size.

Dave

 

[The Real Andy]

Almost certainly the poorest quality nicads available, and spot welded
together. They won't be AA size.

I bought one of these cheap drills less than a year ago. 3 weeks ago i
replaced it with a $300 dewalt unit.

If you are chasing just the batteries, your best of going and spending
the money to buy some decent batteries from KMart

 

[David L. Jones]

I bought one of these cheap drills less than a year ago. 3 weeks ago i
replaced it with a $300 dewalt unit.

So your dewalt one should last 30 years then huh? ;->

Our $15 Bunnings drill is still going strong at work after several
years.
We got a cordless drill, half a dozen power boards, and a whole bunch
of hand tools for under the $50 petty cash limit. Not the best quality
for sure, but they work just fine, and the prices are amazing.

Dave

 

[Russ_Verdon]

I bought a Kmart 12v Arlec drill; it was ok for a year or two but the cheap
charger stuffed the batteries because I left it on more than the 3 hours. I
was able to fit a 12V transformer and rectifier in the battery compartment
and now have a once cordless drill now with a cord. It beats chucking out
the old unit. I now have a 14.4V Mactek from Bunnings....dearer but a much
better chuck, proper charger with sensing and I expect better quality
batteries from the outset.

Russell

 

[The Real Andy]

So your dewalt one should last 30 years then huh? ;->

Time will tell, but at least i dont have to charge it every time i use
it, and when it is charged i get more than 20 minutes use from it. And
it only takes one hour to charge when i do need to charge it.

Our $15 Bunnings drill is still going strong at work after several
years.

How often does it get used?

We got a cordless drill, half a dozen power boards, and a whole bunch
of hand tools for under the $50 petty cash limit. Not the best quality
for sure, but they work just fine, and the prices are amazing.

Power boards are another thing i refuse to buy cheap. A decent one
will last, after a couple of dozen uses most cheap ones seem to refuse
to hold onto a plug. I suppose thats OK if it sits behind your
computer and never gets touched though.


One thing i learned when i was a tradesmen is not to buy cheap tools.
Whenever you need them they always fail on you.

 

[GB]

One thing i learned when i was a tradesmen is not to buy cheap tools.
Whenever you need them they always fail on you.

I think that's an entirely valid point, for a tradie. For Joe
punter who stuffs around in the garage on weekends, A $300-$500
makita just isn't justifiable (even though it is a fantastic
bit of kit).

I have a whole shed full of assorted $25-$50 el-cheapo power
tools. I recognise that they're crap, and I understand that
they'll die on me soon enough, but I only want them once or
twice a year, and *need* them much less than that. I'd love
to have all DeWalt and Makita kit (and I would have in a
business situation), but the cheapies have their place.


GB, I take issue with the "laser guided" circular saws from
NRG ("Not Real Good"?) though. They're a lod of bollocks!

 

[Poxy]

Time will tell, but at least i dont have to charge it every time i use
it, and when it is charged i get more than 20 minutes use from it. And
it only takes one hour to charge when i do need to charge it.

In cordless drills, the best one I've had is an Aldi 18v job that was $50 -
2 speed gearbox, mistreated thoroughly (including a few drops off a ladder
onto concrete) and still performs. In the $300 range I hope you got one of
the lithium-powered units.

 

[The Real Andy]

I think that's an entirely valid point, for a tradie. For Joe
punter who stuffs around in the garage on weekends, A $300-$500
makita just isn't justifiable (even though it is a fantastic
bit of kit).

I have a whole shed full of assorted $25-$50 el-cheapo power
tools. I recognise that they're crap, and I understand that
they'll die on me soon enough, but I only want them once or
twice a year, and *need* them much less than that. I'd love
to have all DeWalt and Makita kit (and I would have in a
business situation), but the cheapies have their place.

Well I am in that situation now. Let me give you another example:

I bought a cheap $15 dollar sander to do a few parts on my boat. I had
to keep placing the sandpaper back into the sander every couple of
minutes. After 4-5 times, i went of and bought a (dewalt again) sander
which has since done lots more. And this sander feels balanced and
does not vibrate as much.

My cheap drill that I bough, motor died when drilling through a 6mm
piece of steel. My Bosch drill went through this with no problem and
several times more, and is still going 5 years on.

My 5 dollar cheap car battery charger overheated and died. I bought a
$90 unit (made here in Aus) that does not even get warm when charging
a dead flat battery.

(i have more stories)


Point is, if you are only planning on using it once, and only for a
few minutes, then yes, the cheap tools are for you. If you intend to
reuse it several times, you will get better value for money buying the
low end tools from the big names.

 

[The Real Andy]

In cordless drills, the best one I've had is an Aldi 18v job that was $50 -
2 speed gearbox, mistreated thoroughly (including a few drops off a ladder
onto concrete) and still performs. In the $300 range I hope you got one of
the lithium-powered units.

Not sure if its lithium. It came with 2 batteries, both last for a
long time, in fact it has only been charged once since i bought it.

 

[David L. Jones]

Time will tell, but at least i dont have to charge it every time i use
it, and when it is charged i get more than 20 minutes use from it. And
it only takes one hour to charge when i do need to charge it.


How often does it get used?

Quite often, once a week on average I'd say.

For home I bought a Ryobi cordless for about $50, this was the lowest
cost one available before the $15 ones flooded the market a year or two
back.
It came with two NiCds and a crappy charger but it has been the most
reliable drill I have ever owned. It has been dropped a few times from
the top of a 7ft ladder onto concrete and has been filled with gyprock
dust many times over.
The stamina of the battery is quite good. I've used it to undrill and
redo hundreds of screws in a day with one charge. Torque wise it's
great, I've broken a few bits and locked up the drill many times, but
it handles it without issue.

Yes, the battery chargers are crap, if you leave them on you'll ruin
the battery. Something to watch.

Power boards are another thing i refuse to buy cheap. A decent one
will last, after a couple of dozen uses most cheap ones seem to refuse
to hold onto a plug. I suppose thats OK if it sits behind your
computer and never gets touched though.

We've had no problems with the $2.50 bunnings power boards. They get
treated attrociously in both production and lab environments without
issue.

One thing i learned when i was a tradesmen is not to buy cheap tools.
Whenever you need them they always fail on you.

Interesting, all the professional contractors I see at work have the
best tools money can buy, presumably because work was paying for them.
But with the individual contractors (who work for themslves) I get for
my home jobs, they all have the cheapest Ozito Bunnings tools. I asked
why once, and one guy said they are much better value, he could buy ten
Ozito's for the price of one top brand, and the top brands simply don't
last ten times as long. That means more $$$ in his pocket.

Dave

 

[Kevin Martin]

Interesting, all the professional contractors I see at work have the
best tools money can buy, presumably because work was paying for them.
But with the individual contractors (who work for themslves) I get for
my home jobs, they all have the cheapest Ozito Bunnings tools. I asked
why once, and one guy said they are much better value, he could buy ten
Ozito's for the price of one top brand, and the top brands simply don't
last ten times as long. That means more $$$ in his pocket.

Not only that, but who is going to steal crap drills when many expensive
European/Japanese brands are available on the same building site?

Kevin Martin

 

[The Real Andy]

In my experience the good tools outlast ten Ozito's.

Take my fluke meter for example. The LCD cost $50 to replace. 1 out of
10 drops will result in a cracked LCD. DSE $70 meter, 1 in 2 drops
result in a fucked meter.

The drill. Spending 8 hours waiting for a charge because your battery
is fucked = 8 * $120 = $960. Driving to a site to find out your drill
is fucked = Throw away call out charge, wasted driving time, ect ect..
Pissing off the next customer because you are a day late...

For me, every minute lost = money lost. For a small time contractor, i
guess he places no value on lost time.

You work it out.

Not only that, but who is going to steal crap drills when many expensive
European/Japanese brands are available on the same building site?

Irrelevant. If you are stupid enough to let your tools get stolen, and
not have insurance if they are stolen, then bad luck 'ey.

 

[GB]

You work it out.

I have, thanks. You're getting very upset about this whole
thing. Looks like your 'truth' is the only possible 'truth'.
Very well, I'll stop "annoying the pig" now, I see no point
in attempting to discuss your issue further.

GB

 

[The Real Andy]

I have, thanks. You're getting very upset about this whole
thing. Looks like your 'truth' is the only possible 'truth'.
Very well, I'll stop "annoying the pig" now, I see no point
in attempting to discuss your issue further.

I am putting forward a practical viewpoint. Like i said, if you are
only going to use the tool once or twice, or you dont mind waiting for
a battery to charge etc. then go for it.

 

[Tom Smyth]

In my experience the good tools outlast ten Ozito's.

Maybe but what about other factors? Theft, loss, etc. Everyone has different
considerations for their particular need.