Cordless Powertools-advice wanted.

[Wabbit]

I need some cordless tools for doing my build out. I don't really know what I need. Here's what I am thinking.

Reg drill
Impact drill\hammer drill?
Circular saw vs skill saw? Both?
Sawzall
Orbital sander? Something to make it easy to sand large areas. Is there a drill attachment that works instead?
2x batteries
18 or 20 volt
Carrying case
Will be able to charge from an inverter.

Any combo kits out there that are decent but not quite professional priced?

I'm looking at the following, but only because it seems good. $300
https://www.lowes.com/pd/PORTER-CAB..._clickID=5b860c7a-a88c-447f-a14b-2ab28528df3f

Any suggestions? Might be able to go a lil higher in price. Thanks

 

[Trebor English]

I used hand tools and 120 volt power tools including a jig saw to cut the roof for the Maxx air fan and a 3/8 inch drill. I used a Harbor Freight 400/800 modified square wave inverter with a 20 foot #14 2 prong extension cord all powered from the vehicle battery. I did not build a large carpentry project. I used no 2x4s and no full sheets of plywood. The last thing I installed was the solar panel and controller so I didn't have a socket to plug in cordless tools to recharge until I got to the end.

During my first 60 years I collected many tools. Now I am reversing that process.

Hammer drill is the right tool to drill through concrete. You might not need one. There are two ways to do this. One: go buy all the tools you have budget for then fix up your van. Two: buy tools and materials as you need them. If you do construction in, for example, the Ace Hardware parking lot you can just walk back into the store to use their immense assortment of nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc with no parts left over

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'd go with a Ryobi set from Home Depot for a good decent entry priced kit. I've known a few people that have bought the Porter Cable kit and they both junked out pretty quick, ive never really heard anyone complain about the Ryobi tools though.

A circular saw and skil saw are the same thing. Skil is a brand name like Kleenex or Qtips, and a circular saw is what the tool technically is but it's become known as a skil saw by most people now a days.

You shouldn't need a hammer drill. A regular drill and an impact driver/screw gun will get you through your build.

I'd go with a jigsaw/saber saw over the sawzall, but most kits come with a sawzall so you'll probably end up with one and they do have their uses. For woodworking and building an interior, a jigsaw would be more useful but not required. You'll use the circular saw for 95% of the wood cutting.

Orbital sander is a huge plus, better than any attachment for a drill. A sanding attachment for a drill won't work well for what you want to accomplish. Might even make it worse than not sanding at all.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'd buy this kit from Home Depot

It's only $179
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Combo-Kit-5-Tool-P1897N/300146408

Then add a jigsaw for $59
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Orbital-Jig-Saw-Tool-Only-P523/204824014

Then add a cordless sander for $39
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ON...-Random-Orbit-Sander-Tool-Only-P411/205975756

For just under $280 you'll have a great selection of tools

 

[Wabbit]

Thank you very much. That combo with those optionals is exactly what I was looking for. Gonna prob order all that Tomm. If any dissenting opinions are around, would be interested in the information. However, Ryobi, under $300, with jigsaw and orbital...hard to beat...

 

[Wabbit]

Theres another combo kit has one more tool, a JobPlus base with multi-tool attachment. $250
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Ultimate-Combo-Kit-6-Tool-P884/203466936

Here's the tool and will that take the place of an orbital sander or am I misunderstanding.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ON...ulti-tool-Attachment-Tool-Only-P340/202868525

If that multitool would work as a sander for larger areas and have other uses I am thinking the 6 piece combo kit with the addition of the jigsaw would be worth the few extra bucks. Total of about $310 instead of $280. Will that multitool  sand almost as well as an orbital? Thanks.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'm a cabinet maker by trade, so my opinion is def going to be biased and to recommend going with the Orbital sander for better quality sanding. But, i've also never used a multi tool for sanding large areas so can't honestly say what the quality of the finished product will be. In the realm of things, I'd say the multi tool would give a better sanding job than a drill attachment, but not as good as an orbital sander. As far as life in the van goes, after the build I think the multi tool will come in more handy, than the orbital sander will, as after the build, you probably will never have a use for it again. Unless you like making things or do another build.

 

[BradKW]

Multitools are great...but not for sanding, especially at that price point. You need a orbital.

Agreed on avoiding Porter Cable cordless tools, go ryobi...

 

[Mobilesport]

Multitools are great...but not for sanding, especially at that price point. You need a orbital.

Agreed on avoiding Porter Cable cordless tools, go ryobi...

I agree about avoiding Porter Cable , the Ryobi jigsaws are really  easy to work with except the power cord sucks and I would  recommend  swapping  on a better cord  , I would  also advise not to work a 
Ryobi jigsaw too hard or it will snap in two , only use it with light wood like 1/2 inch thick , absolutely 
never try to cut metal with it or anything else that will work the tool hard.
Home Depot will argue with you about  the warranty  if you ever try that route.
@$29.99 the Ryobi jigsaw is great as long as you swap a better cord and use it lightly.
Note :  I've tried the Makita jigsaw @ $125 and it was hard to work  with  and the 
spring mechanism  fell apart , however it did have a nice powercord.
I have a Makita orbital sander @$65 , seems heavy and award like the Makita 
jigsaw but i don't  have nothing to compare it with. 
I think a orbital sander is a must have as without it I wouldn't  be able to pretty up 
my wood projects  so easily  , I would  try a lighter  tool and be careful of overworking it.

 

[closeanuf]

Ryobi also offers a 12v charger that would be really handy for times when you didn't have shorepower.

 

[Wabbit]

Went Ryobi, the 6 combo and added both the orbital sander and jigsaw. Got a basic drill set, jig saw blades, circular blades, and some sanding pads. The bits and blades have both metal\wood.

Will have to look into that 12v charger! Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Mobilesport]

Went Ryobi, the 6 combo and added both the orbital sander and jigsaw. Got a basic drill set, jig saw blades, circular blades, and some sanding pads. The bits and blades have both metal\wood.

Will have to look into that 12v charger! Thanks for all the help guys.

I wouldn't cut any metal using  Ryobi tools , I like Ryobi tools because
 ther cheap and light and easy to maneuver but there not tough , I've 
broken 3 Ryobi jigsaws completely in half.
I buy them again because there so pleasant to cut light wood with .

 

[BradKW]

I wouldn't cut any metal using  Ryobi tools , I like Ryobi tools because
 ther cheap and light and easy to maneuver but there not tough , I've 
broken 3 Ryobi jigsaws completely in half.

I smell user error...

 

[Wabbit]

@MobileSport - I am now the owner of power tools that with some of them I don't even know how to use. However, they are Ryobi tools...so...RYOBI for life!!!! Lol I hope they hold up better than yours did. The jigsaw ai bought was $60 bucks, so maybe its a different one than the $29.99 ones I heard about. Anyways, in conclusion. RYOBI for life and i'm gonna live forever!!!!!!

 

[MikeRuth]

I wouldn't cut any metal using  Ryobi tools , I like Ryobi tools because
 ther cheap and light and easy to maneuver but there not tough , I've 
broken 3 Ryobi jigsaws completely in half.
I buy them again because there so pleasant to cut light wood with .

I have cut a ton of metal with my Ryobi cordless tools from a kit I purchased easily 10 years ago. 
Not sure why you had a bad experience. 

I just converted my 18 Volt batteries to Lithium Ion. I know how so I did. Hard to find good fresh packs with Ni cads. 

MIke R

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

You're def doing something wrong if you're breaking saws in half trying to cut metal. Not sure what metal you're trying to cut or what blades you're using but there's no reason a "saw" should break in half. Also if you're not able to cut wood thicker than 1/2" i'm guessing you're pushing the saw to hard and fast, jig saws don't cut as fast as circular saws, different technique different tool.

 

[bullfrog]

I switched from Dewalt to Ryobi because of their one 18 volt big li battery fits all their tools and can be charged with in car charger. The new big batteries last longer than any of the other brands, but their tools tend to over heat easier and don't seem to take abuse as well as some of the Dewalt tools. I like that they offer lights and fans and with 4 batteries and car charger I am able to light circulate air and use the tools. I found an older combo kit with bad batteries for $75.00 on craiglist and bought batteries ( 2 for $99.00) during Home Depot's Christmas sale.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm a huge fan of Ryobi cordless tools also! Of course, they aren't the quality of Dewalt, but i don't need or want the to be. They are truly the #1 for the sweet spot of price versus performance.

 

[GotSmart]

When drilling or cutting, a little machine oil goes a long way.  Blades and tools last much longer.

 

[Wabbit]

They had 2x4a batteries for $89. The kit I got comes with 2x1.5a batteries and the fast charger(30 min charge). I just figured even though the price was right on the bigger batteries, I was already in overkill mode with the tools. Although I might bite the bullet and buy the 2 bigger battery pack also.