#303061 - 14/10/2007 14:25
Cordless Drill Opinions....
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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I am about to get a cordless drill for work -- tired of dragging mine in from time to time to do things.
My most recent drill is a a Bosch 14-volt model that I have been very happy with -- light, easy to handle -- but I have not had it that long nor have I abused it as much as some other I have owned. I bought the Bosch based on my extreme happiness with a Bosch jig saw, the predecessor to the Bosch 1581AVSK. It is the best tool I have ever purchased. I have asked that Bosch to marry me (waiting for answer).
I was sold on Makita for a while, but then destroyed a couple of their 9 and 14-volt cordless drills. Yes, I know I asked too much of them, but still....
Weight, power and expense-wise, I don't think I need an 18-volt specimen.
The list of manufacturers selling these in US is not endless, and some (Skil, B&D) don't even rate consideration. Before I buy another Bosch, though, I am just curious as to whether any more industrious cordless tool-using BBSisitas have any opinions as to others I should consider over the Bosch.... Milwaukee?
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#303062 - 14/10/2007 14:31
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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I've had a lot of use out of my DeWalt XRP (18v) hammer drill. But it's not "light" by any stretch of the imagination. My brother who does contracting for a living now has two of them and managed to burn one out, something the service guys said they'd never seen before on that model. Replaced without question.
I'd buy a suitably-weighted Bosch or DeWalt any day of the week, but wouldn't use another Makita drill again (broke two of them, admittedly only one was a cordless).
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#303063 - 14/10/2007 14:54
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: hybrid8]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
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Quote:
I'd buy a suitably-weighted Bosch or DeWalt any day of the week
Here! Here!
I use a Bosch 24v at work, had it about 5 years now and it's still going strong. This thing takes some SERIOUS abuse too! The newer models supplied at work are DeWalt, also a good bit of kit, but harder to handle than the Bosch, but it does pack a bigger punch.
In my experience cheapest is dearest, I think my Bosch was in the £500 region when new but has easily paid for itself, it's never needed a service and is in regular use. Battery life is good (I have 3 just to make sure!) and charge times are pretty quick.
We did use 12v Makita's for a while but they didn't last. I think it was more the application than the drill, we drill 8mm eyebolts into brick all day long and the 12v models just don't cut it.
If you do go for a higher voltage model make sure it's got a clutch fitted (cheaper models often don't), if it gets caught on a wall tie for example it can near break your wrist. We have a guy at work who did that and it ripped the tendon off his little finger, he can't use it now!
Edit - When buying Bosch the general rule is if it's green it's s@!t, if it's blue it's worth the money, just an observation with buying Bosch gear.
Cheers
Cris.
Edited by Cris (14/10/2007 14:57)
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#303064 - 14/10/2007 15:47
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: Cris]
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member
Registered: 27/01/2006
Posts: 142
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I don't know much about drills, but I was turned on to Dewalt a few years ago by a contractor who swears by them. Now, I do, too.
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#303065 - 14/10/2007 16:48
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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You going to get a SDS Plus drill or a normal one?
DeWalt is actually Black & Decker's professional brand. It got bought out awhile back.
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#303066 - 14/10/2007 18:19
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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veteran
Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
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I have this Dewalt XRP drill and I like it a lot, it has lasted a long time and has enough power for most anything I need. It's not too lightweight, though. A friend of mine swears by his Festool cordless drill. They are a bit pricey, but it might be worth it if you are doing a lot of work with a drill. I haven't used one, but it looks lightweight and has good reviews. Festool Drill:  Edit: fixed link and added image
Edited by cushman (15/10/2007 12:48)
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#303067 - 14/10/2007 18:51
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: cushman]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
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Your links point to the same location.
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#303068 - 14/10/2007 19:14
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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I don't know what your purpose is, but you might want to look into the new LiIon cordless tools that are just coming out. They are far less bulky than the NiMH tools that have been available over the last 10-15 years. From Bosch you can get 10.8V drills that weigh about 2lbs. and have no bulky external battery pack at all, or a more traditional-style 36V drill that weighs about 6lbs. I'm sure other manufacturers have similar ones.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#303069 - 14/10/2007 19:16
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: tman]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
DeWalt is actually Black & Decker's professional brand. It got bought out awhile back.
Yeah. In 1960.
Any DeWalt tool you can think of has always been B&D -- certainly any cordless tool.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#303070 - 14/10/2007 19:22
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
DeWalt is actually Black & Decker's professional brand. It got bought out awhile back.
Yeah. In 1960.
Any DeWalt tool you can think of has always been B&D -- certainly any cordless tool.
Tell that to the nice folks at ELU, who were swallowed by DeWalt a few years back.
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#303071 - 14/10/2007 19:47
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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My point being that any tool made in the last 47 years that had a DeWalt logo on it was made by B&D.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#303072 - 14/10/2007 20:10
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
My point being that any tool made in the last 47 years that had a DeWalt logo on it was made by B&D.
Except for those "made by" Elu, of course. Like the DW682K plate joiner (aka. Elu MBR100), and other tools from the Elu purchase.
Cheers
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#303073 - 14/10/2007 20:11
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
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Quote:
Quote:
DeWalt is actually Black & Decker's professional brand. It got bought out awhile back.
Yeah. In 1960.
Any DeWalt tool you can think of has always been B&D -- certainly any cordless tool.
Just adding to the DeWalt thoughts-
A couple of years ago I heard that they were moving some of their manufacturing to Mexico- and subsequently experienced a dramatic decrease in build quality.
I'm not sure if those issues were sorted out as 'teething pains', but I do have several pieces of DeWalt 18V gear and haven't had any trouble.
I like to read the Amazon user reviews for tools. Some of the comments have made a difference in my tool purchases throughout the years.
_________________________
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Stolen!)
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#303074 - 14/10/2007 20:54
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Cordless tools, such as drills, in the past 10 to 15 years have actually primarily been using NiCd and not NiMh battery chemistry. As much as I hated NiCd in the past for general-purpose rechargeables, they have worked amazingly well in high-drain, high-torque devices such as drills, nail guns and small saws.
The only positive experiences I've ever had with Li chemistries are from notebooks using Li-Ion. In my Nokia phones the batteries wore out quickly as they have in my Harmony 880 (same battery as the Nokias). In Sony Mini-DV cameras that did not get every day use batteries at over $100 each also didn't last long before they could not be charged at all. Same thing for my last HP iPaq pocket PC. Generally speaking, I think Li chemistries are shite and only suited to devices used daily, preferrably with some type of mains-connected backup mode, such as a notebook. I would not be in any rush to buy a power tool using Li-Ion or Li-Poly, that's for sure.
Also, it's not fair to say that any DeWalt tool "is B&D" - while owned by B&D, you can't compare the quality of products between the two brand lines. That would be like saying a Chrysler was the same as a Mercedes while being run by Daimler. In the end what's important is the quality of the brand itself. Take Apple for instance, it doesn't "manufacture" anything at all - everything is contracted out to one or more Chinese OEM/ODMs for production, assembly and packaging.
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#303075 - 14/10/2007 21:34
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
That would be like saying a Chrysler was the same as a Mercedes
A more accurate comparison would be to Mercury/Ford or Lexus/Toyota.
Note that I'm not saying that DeWalt is bad; just don't think it's some homespun manufacturer with more concern about the end user. It's just geared toward a different set of users.
Edited by wfaulk (14/10/2007 21:35)
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#303076 - 14/10/2007 23:17
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
Quote:
That would be like saying a Chrysler was the same as a Mercedes
A more accurate comparison would be to Mercury/Ford or Lexus/Toyota.
Note that I'm not saying that DeWalt is bad; just don't think it's some homespun manufacturer with more concern about the end user. It's just geared toward a different set of users.
I am very pleased that I asked about cordless drills here. I would exaggerate f I said that Godwin's Law had been invooked, but it is interesting to see people's opinions on cordless tool makes.
I had been looking at DeWalt. They have a .track record, B&D or not.
Milwaukee has some killer tools -- SawZalls and cordless band saws -- but I don't see the killer cordless drill.
Anyhow, the Bosch still leads my list for next drill.
Oh, and NiCad versus LiIon??? I don't know, but I am interested in Bruno's spin on this. Some NiCad tools are on close out. Should I buy 5 of them???
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#303077 - 15/10/2007 00:21
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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NiCd or Li-Ion is really about the battery pack rather than the tool. Or it would nearly be if manufacturers offered the choice of both battery options for single product models.  Al these NiCd cordless packs, including DeWalt's, just use various cylindrical cells wired in series. There are even instructions on the net of how to replace the cells in your own packs, which can be a lot cheaper than buying a new pack. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy a large supply of battery packs or products unless they'd see immediate use. If you don't need them now, don't buy them, because newer stuff will always be coming out at prices that will be more attractive. Everything on this subject that I've posted above is 100% empirical. Strictly based on personal experience, so there may be others out there with different findings.
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#303078 - 15/10/2007 05:27
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3583
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Hard to believe that this thread has gotten this far and noone has mentioned Porter Cable. They make excellent power tools if you can afford them.
_________________________
~ John
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#303079 - 15/10/2007 12:01
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: JBjorgen]
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addict
Registered: 02/04/2002
Posts: 691
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Porter Cable is where it's at.
_________________________
Oliver
mk1 30gb: 129 | mk2a 30gb: 040104126
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#303080 - 15/10/2007 12:47
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Quote:
Quote:
DeWalt is actually Black & Decker's professional brand. It got bought out awhile back.
Yeah. In 1960.
Oops. Didn't think it was that long ago! I looked it up recently and must have misread it.
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#303082 - 15/10/2007 13:15
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: JBjorgen]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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I have a Porter Cable random orbit palm sander which needs its disc pad replaced (also have a DeWalt which I like considerably more) as well as a Porter Cable router which I love (very simple, robust and reliable).
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#303083 - 15/10/2007 13:17
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: JBjorgen]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
Hard to believe that this thread has gotten this far and noone has mentioned Porter Cable. They make excellent power tools if you can afford them.
I have a Porter-Cable circular saw and one of their routers. Both are very solid. I particularly like the router. I saw one of their cordless drills a while back and I wasn't as excited. It didn't seem as ergonomic or something (the forward-reverse switch?). I should look again. One issue is that I don't see much of their stuff in the mass-market outlets (perhaps because they are spendy). I need to make time to go to a couple of the trade tool stores that are only open Monday-Friday. In this particular case, though, I need to keep the cost down; I can't justify spending too much for something that will only get occasional use
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#303084 - 15/10/2007 13:24
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: Robotic]
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enthusiast
Registered: 06/08/2002
Posts: 333
Loc: The Pilbara, Western Australia
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I recently bought a Metabo 18V Li-Ion cordless hammer drill with 2 batteries & fan-cooled charger all in a plastic carry case for about AU$500. It has an 'impulse' mode for starting holes without center-punching, or for torquing screws without stripping the heads.
I am unsure of the reputation of Metabo tools, but it seems to be solid and well made.
Incidentally, why do drills always have the ventilation holes right where you put your other hand for extra 'push', thereby depriving the drill of ventilation when it is working hardest?
_________________________
Peter.
"I spent 90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars. The rest I wasted." - George Best
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#303085 - 15/10/2007 16:22
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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FWIW, I've heard bad things about almost all of Porter-Cable's line except things like routers and circular saws. They seem to make rock-solid things-that-spin-fast-and-hard, but more trouble with things that are a little more delicate.
Also, FWIW, Porter-Cable (and Delta) are now owned by B&D, too. That only happened about a year ago, so they might not have sent all that factory work to the lowest bidder yet.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#303086 - 15/10/2007 16:51
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
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I have a Porter Cable router and biscuit jointer. No problem with either one, but I'm no fine woodworker.
SWMBO: "Do you have to wear a flannel shirt to be on the cover of Fine Woodworking?"
Me: "No, but it helps."
-Zeke
_________________________
WWFSMD?
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#303087 - 15/10/2007 17:03
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: Robotic]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Quote:
Meanwhile, another part of my head went in search of why Germans call 'cordless' tools 'Akku-something'... (Akkubohrer, Akkuschleifer, Akkusaege, etc).
Turns out that although they use the word 'Battery' (Batterie), the technical term for an electro-chemical energy storage device is an 'Akkumulator'.
huh!
Well, "Akkumulator" is a rechargeable battery, while "Batterie" is non-rechargeable. It's just that the English language uses the same word for both
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#303088 - 15/10/2007 18:08
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: Ezekiel]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5682
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
I have a Porter Cable router and biscuit jointer.
What's a biscuit jointer? Is that the machine that puts the cream filling in and pushes the two halves together?
_________________________
-- roger
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#303090 - 15/10/2007 23:36
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: Roger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
What's a biscuit jointer? Is that the machine that puts the cream filling in and pushes the two halves together?
Precisely.
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#303091 - 15/10/2007 23:42
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
FWIW, I've heard bad things about almost all of Porter-Cable's line except things like routers and circular saws. They seem to make rock-solid things-that-spin-fast-and-hard, but more trouble with things that are a little more delicate.
Also, FWIW, Porter-Cable (and Delta) are now owned by B&D, too. That only happened about a year ago, so they might not have sent all that factory work to the lowest bidder yet.
Interesting. Yeah, my sense was that Porter-Cable does a good job with the "durable and beefy" part, but maybe less well with the "light and well balanced" part. Too bad about the B&D acquisition. It's a drag to see smaller companies with a quality ethic get sucked into the unit-cost vortex.
_________________________
Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#303092 - 16/10/2007 06:35
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4174
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote:
It's a drag to see smaller companies with a quality ethic get sucked into the unit-cost vortex.
Ain't it just 
Peter
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#303093 - 17/10/2007 00:33
Re: Cordless Drill Opinions....
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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