Corded or Cordless Tools, Which is Best

[waterman46]

I don't ever buy cordless tools, either for home or boat. Just when you need to use it the battery is dead. Or will run down in middle of job. Buy another battery and leave it on charger all the time? Power draw from house bank, hassle of remembering to check tool batteries? No thanks.

I have no problem running an extension cable to the top of the mast when needed. Done it many times. Anyway, 90% of all uses are within tools cord length of a 120V outlet on my boat.

Weight and storage issues. With a corded tool you get more power for the same size and weight, and no need to carry the chargers or extra batteries on your boat.

All above makes it easy choice. But some may worry about safety. A 110 or 220V tool is always double insulated, just don't drop it in the water please.


Even if they were less expensive, I would not buy cordless tools.

[S/V Adeline]

I have used both corded and cordless personally and professionally over the years. I have several useless rechargeable batteries, some rarely used (if you seldom use it, batteries fail quickly)
I prefer corded and our internal 120v inverter supports it.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What about the environmental cost of battery powered tools?

All those toxic metals to mine, then dispose of. Most probably go in the land fill.

A corded tool has none of that. It’s just the tool and a cord, which you need anyway to charge battery powered tools.

So the environmental cost of battery powered tools can’t be denied.

Well, somebody is making that electricity and it isn't all renewable.

So far I have never thrown away a lithium tool battery, nor have any of mine stopped working. Nor have I ever thrown out any electric tool I ever had, they all are with me on the boat and all are working, even 50 year old corded tools and 45 year old battery tools (the nicads are gone, I must admit)

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Well, somebody is making that electricity and it isn't all renewable.

Yes, but that's a concern with either type of tool. They both need power, just a question of when.

[JasonS]

I have the Ridgid JobMax Multitool and the various tool heads that go along with it. I bought the cordless handset first and then the corded version. Have 2 Octane batteries. Almost always use the cordless handset.

The tools are awesome and have a Lifetime Warranty, including the batteries. Owned by Home Depot. Tools are very high quality. Definitely recommend. Watch for sales and prices aren’t too bad.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Yes, but that's a concern with either type of tool. They both need power, just a question of when.

Not only that, the battery tool loses more of the power through conversion and battery losses

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Well, somebody is making that electricity and it isn't all renewable.

So far I have never thrown away a lithium tool battery, nor have any of mine stopped working. Nor have I ever thrown out any electric tool I ever had, they all are with me on the boat and all are working, even 50 year old corded tools and 45 year old battery tools (the nicads are gone, I must admit)

I guess you aren’t much of an anchorer. The sun makes my power for tools.

[billgewater]

Clearly both systems sound OK if you have the power back up required.
In Aus. it is common on building sites to see no corded tools at all. The tradies can wander all over the site with the tool (particularly up roof and scaffolding/ladder structures) they use on a belt clip (in many cases).

Because my boat is so old I have a collection of very good 240 VAC corded tools but I ventured into cheap Ozito 18V lithium tools. The one battery runs a drill, a sander a small angle grinder a jig saw and a small vacuum cleaner. The small vacuum cleaner is used everywhere I work and is a godsend compared to a noisy domestic vacuum cleaner with its large hose etc. The Ozito stuff has a 5 yr warranty which I have had to use more than once.
The batteries are expensive but I get by with only one of their smallest batteries.
The battery tools offer more options for use and certainly are more convenient plus they store better.
You can hardly miss the ubiquitous use of battery powered gardening tools around gardens and farms. So it is really an issue of convenience and as an early OP observed a battery tool is a much better option when up at the mast top.
Plus, deaths from accidents with 240 VAC tools/cords do happen and more likely around a water environment. Never heard of anyway one being killed by 18 VDC

[waterman46]

Many posts here seem to come from land based guys, even contractors. You use your tools almost every day, so you have a habit of feeding all those batteries daily. Go home at night where your 120/240VAC power for the charger is negligible and available 24/7. These are different conditions than using them on a boat, where power tools are usually used occasionally and where it would be difficult to find an unused space to set up a permanent charging station. Where AC power may only be available for minutes a day when the inverter is on for other uses (how fast do tool batteries charge?)

If I was starting all over I might go cordless. But it seems like a lot of trouble and expense, given the limited range of cordless tools that would be used on a boat normally.

There is one exception where a cordless tool can be of great use on a boat. If you need to crank your winches with a cordless drill attachment, there's a valid and necessary use of a cordless drill.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I guess you aren’t much of an anchorer. The sun makes my power for tools.

The point is, Chotu, if you are anchored and recharging your house bank with solar, or if you are at a dock and recharging with shore power, (or even if you re motoring and recharging that way) you are obtaining electricity and putting it into a power tool. Either you run the inverter and make AC for your corded tool or you run the inverter and make AC to charge the battery to run your cordless tool.

I think it is an exaggeration to focus on the environmental cost of a lithium battery. The environmental cost of making a solar panel is not insignificant either. I am not sure who can prove that one either one way or the other.

[roverhi]

Maybe I work on my boat too much but I've got a full range of Milwaukee 12v and a few 18v tools. Don't use them daily but would be lost without them. The 12v screw driver gets used the most. Built most of our Westsail without an electric srew driver and developed permanent damage to my wrist screwing in the 1,000's screws. Love that tool. The 12v impact wrench has proved invaluable getting out corroded fasteners almost everywhere on the boat. 12v hack saw was included as a 'deal package' when I bought the screw driver and never thought I'd use it but it's made cutting all sorts of material in awkward places where there was no room to use a handsaw. With a wood sawzall blade it's great for pruning trees around the house. The 12v imitation Dremel is great for all sorts of stuff, just used it to enlarge open area around fasteners for the instrument install and handy for buffing and polishing.

If you stick with one brand of tools, one tool package, charger and two batteries, with work with all the other tools in the line. That way you can just buy any of the other bare tools that you need way cheaper than buying the full kit.

I've got corded tools that I use in the shop but the cordless are creeping in there. Stumbling over the cords and pulling the tools off the bench to slam into the floor gets old. Router and sanders are my primary use corded tools. There were no battery ones available to replace them but see that now there is a battery tool for almost everything now. Unfortunately high amperage drain tools like sanders are 18v so would need to keep two different sets of batteries around. Fortunately the charger is dual voltage so only need one of those.

I've had two of the small Milwaukee 12v batteries go belly up and one of the chargers. They were well over 5 years old and had been used intermittently which may account for their premature death. Replaced those batteries with larger capacity, cheaper after market batteries which have worked out. Check the fit of the battery in the tool. Had one battery that was a very sloppy fit in the tools and would shake loose if there was much vibration like with the impact driver. It's been relegated to the vacuum where vibration doesn't affect it.

Have gotten rid of the old NiCad drills and impact wrench. Batteries all died and replacement cost of the batteries and their questionable life span made switching to LiIon a no brainer.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Many posts here seem to come from land based guys, even contractors. You use your tools almost every day, so you have a habit of feeding all those batteries daily. Go home at night where your 120/240VAC power for the charger is negligible and available 24/7. These are different conditions than using them on a boat, where power tools are usually used occasionally and where it would be difficult to find an unused space to set up a permanent charging station. Where AC power may only be available for minutes a day when the inverter is on for other uses (how fast do tool batteries charge?)

If I was starting all over I might go cordless. But it seems like a lot of trouble and expense, given the limited range of cordless tools that would be used on a boat normally.

There is one exception where a cordless tool can be of great use on a boat. If you need to crank your winches with a cordless drill attachment, there's a valid and necessary use of a cordless drill.

Waterman46, Its not that tough to deal with cordless batteries which need recharging. My 20v cordless batteries (I have two) last a long time. I have no permanent charging station, just a small 110v charger (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) which is tossed in the bin where the power tools live.

When one battery runs down I switch batteries and pull out the charger, plug it in to the AC outlet, and begin recharging the low battery. Meanwhile I have resumed my tool usage with the spare battery.

On my boat there is always AC power to my outlets. I have an large inverter /charger which keeps the outlets energized. If I am concerned about power I turn that unit off and turn on my small one (300 watt). Either way I have the power to recharge my batteries. (I also have the power to run my corded tools, of which I have several.)

I do not have a cordless drill to turn my winches. I have large three-speed winches which are quite easy to use (for every purpose on the boat) so I don't need electrical power there. They won't however, drill a hole, sand a board, or cut a piece of metal. in all those cases I use either cordless or corded without much regard for which is which.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What about the environmental cost of battery powered tools?

All those toxic metals to mine, then dispose of. Most probably go in the land fill.

Where do fiberglass boats go when they are no longer fit to sail? How does the environmental impact of hundreds of pounds of resin compare to, oh, half a pound of lithium. I understand that resin is toxic.

A corded tool has none of that. It’s just the tool and a cord, which you need anyway to charge battery powered tools.

So the environmental cost of battery powered tools can’t be denied.

Not sure I agree that batteries are worse. Power tools, corded or cordless, are made of copper, and magnets, and bearings, and plastic cases, and rubber cords and things. Everything has an impact.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Many posts here seem to come from land based guys, even contractors. You use your tools almost every day, so you have a habit of feeding all those batteries daily. Go home at night where your 120/240VAC power for the charger is negligible and available 24/7. These are different conditions than using them on a boat, where power tools are usually used occasionally and where it would be difficult to find an unused space to set up a permanent charging station. Where AC power may only be available for minutes a day when the inverter is on for other uses (how fast do tool batteries charge?)

All the major battery tool systems have DC chargers available.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by ForeverDes

I'm a professional home builder and aspiring cruiser, and with the variety and efficacy of today's modern cordless tool, I can not imagine a scenario where I would ever buy a corded tool again.
At work I have a nearly full array of Milwaukee M18 tools. They can eat batteries, but with the large capacity (up to 12.0 AH iirc) options, even ripping pressure treated lumber is not a problem. The variety of tools they have is quite robust, including table saws, compound miter saws, even magnetic drill presses.
I no longer even set a temporary electric meter when building a home. I use cordless tools exclusively until the rough-in electric is done, and then I only use grid power for house loads, such as light or HVAC.

However, on my boat I have recently switched to the Milwaukee M12 line.

I have their M12 circular saw, with the smaller diameter blade. Works great on 2x stock and much more compact. The small 3ah batteries are enough unless you're cutting for an extended period of time, then they overheat and shut off.


I agree that the M12 tools are an excellent compromise as they are compact, well designed, and powerful enough for most purposes.

My next purchase will likely be the M12 soldering iron. I won't get into the argument about whether soldered or crimped terminals are better on a boat, but I will say having the option to solder is something I look forward to.

Read the reviews carefully. Milwaukee has had a problem with the plastic portion of these tools melting. I am hoping they will redesign it.