What to Look For In a 18v Cordless Drill?
If you’re in the market for an 18v cordless drill that can pack enough power to help you stay on top of your workload, you’re in luck. There are hundreds of different drill models on the market and all of them offer something different to each individual. However, the main things you need to keep in mind are your power needs. Many people make the mistake of choosing a tool that doesn’t have the right power output levels to properly suit their needs.
But how do you know what power output is necessary for your particular needs? If you have too much power to work with you’ll end up wasting countless dollars on a tool that seemed nice, but was too flashy. However, if you invest in a tool that isn’t powerful enough for the applications you need, you could end up out of a lot of money when you burn through the device in a matter of days. It’s a precarious situation, but it’s easier figure out how much power you need early on than to make an inacurate judgement and waste money because of it.
To know what type of power output you need in a drill (especially a cordless drill), you’re going to need to consider the type of work you’ll be doing. There are a variety of different voltages available on the market ranging anywhere from 6 volts to 20 volts. There are an impressive number of applications that these voltages can be applied to, but there are a few general rules that you can use to determine what type of voltage you need for your work.
The voltage of drills ranges as follows:
- 6 volt drills
- 7.2 volt drills
- 9.6 volt drills
- 12 volt drills
- 14.4 volt drills
- 18 volt drills
- 20 volt drills
These different voltages make different drills appropriate for certain applications and unuseable in others. They can weigh anywhere from 3 pounds to well over 10 pounds depending on how much power the drill can put out. If you’re doing work that requires you to focus on small tasks like drilling pilot holes, building storage racks, hanging pictures, or hanging drywall, the most power you’re likely to need is a 9.6 volt power output.
However, if you’re doing higher powered work like drilling holes for bolts and spikes, drilling holes in masonry walls, building decks, or drilling into steel, you’ll need to invest in something a bit more sturdy and powerful like an 18 volt drill. When it comes to picking the perfect drill, you’ll want to take a few things into consideration. The first is that you’ll need to consider the weight of the tool. 18 volt drills are great for contracting work, but you’re going to need to make sure that you’re getting a reasonable weight to work with.
18 volt drills can weigh up to 10 pounds, so it is important to make sure that you’re able to find a device that will give you optimal power output while still being a reasonable weight to work with. You don’t want a machine that is too heavy to work with for prolonged periods of time – that will only serve to work against your best interests. You’ll also need to look at the design of the clutch. The clutch helps to ensure that you’re able to drive holes into the material you’re working on without overdrilling.
This mechanism serves as a cutting off point so you’ll never have to worry about damaging your materials if you keep your finger on the trigger for too long. If you have small screws, you’ll use the smaller numbers to make sure you don’t drill too far. If you have larger screws, you can use larger numbers on your clutch settings. Pay close attention to how many settings your clutch has. There will be a fairly wide variety of clutch adjustments, but the better drills on the market should have a minimum of 24 settings to choose from.
This will allow you to fine tune your settings and make sure that you’re able to get the optimum results from your work. Last but not least, you’ll want to look into the speeds that the drill can reach. You’ll want to find something that can work quickly and efficiently. Speed isn’t everything – in fact having good torque is better than having good speed. However, speed is important when it comes to getting your work done quickly. You’ll especially want to make sure that you find good speed in a drill if you tend to do more drilling than screw driving. The higher the speed is for these tasks, the better.
Do All 18v Cordless Drills Come With 2 Batteries?
Before investing in different drills, you’ll also need to take their battery specifications into consideration. This means that you’ll need to have a fairly good idea of the different types of batteries and chargers available on the market. To start with, there are three different types of batteries on the market. They are nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, and lithium ion batteries. These batteries all work in fairly different manners.
If possible, you’ll want to avoid investing in devices that run on nickel cadmium batteries. Cadmium is a very toxic material that is considered to be hazardous. You’ll have to be careful with these batteries as they are very sensitive. Instead, look for drills that operate with nickel metal hydride or lithium ion cores. These models will be much more reliable and easier to work with. In addition to knowing what type of battery the drill comes with, you’ll want to see how many batteries the drill comes with.
Though having two drill batteries is helpful, not all drill kits come with two models. This means you’ll have to have some flexibility when it comes to working on site. If you were to run out of charge in one battery, you could simply work with another battery until the first battery were recharged. However, if you only have one battery, you’ll want to make sure that you’re able to recharge the battery quickly, work with a long charge, or invest in a backup battery.
While investing in a fast charging battery system, you’ll need to determine how to ensure that you’re investing in a safe system. There are a few companies on the market that are able to make fast charging battery cells properly. You’ll be able to identify these companies by the way they advertise their products. If they mention having overheating protection technology or circuit protection this is a safe investment.
However, if they don’t mention these features, you should stay away from these types of chargers. Companies that don’t have overheating protection technology or circuit protection technology leave your batteries vulnerable while charging. If they overheat while on the charger, their cells could become corrupted and your battery will be ruined. It is better to invest in a charger that will take an hour or two to charge if you can’t be certain that your battery will be protected during this quick charging period.
Different Types of 18V Drills
When investing in the ultimate 18 volt drill, you’re going to need to determine which type of drill works best for you. There are several types of drills you can invest in and all of them have a significant purpose and impact. The first drill that you’ll see on the market is the standard model drill. These drills are mostly good for simple work around the house. You can get by with using them for other tasks if you have enough voltage backing you, but you’ll want to make sure that you don’t overuse them.
The second drill that you’ll see is the hammer drill. These drills also use regular drill bits and parts, but they are able to handle heavier workloads. Hammer drills are great for drilling into stone, masonry, wood, and metal materials. You’ll be able to accomplish a wide variety of tasks with this drill, but the one thing you shouldn’t attempt with this drill is boring into concrete. This will prove to be damaging to your machine. If you need to drill in concrete you’ll want to upgrade to a more powerful drill.
The last drill that you’ll see commonly in the workplace is the SDS drill. This drill is extremely powerful and can be used to drill into stone, masonry, and concrete. It has a chiseling function that allows it to dig into these sturdier materials without damaging itself. There are also attachments for SDS drills that allow them to use regular bits and drill into other standard materials. If you work in an industry that requires you to do a lot of drilling on a wide variety of materials, this is one of the best drill types you can invest in.
Which is Better NiMH or NiCd Batteries?
There are a wide variety of drill options on the market and all of them come with their own perks and benefits. However, when it comes down to it, investing in a drill with a powerful battery should be one of your top priorities. There are three types of batteries that you’re likely to find in today’s society and they are nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, and lithium ion batteries. Of these three, nickel metal hydride batteries and nickel cadmium batteries tend to be the most popular.
The question is, which of the two main battery types are the better buy – nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride? The answer, for many reasons, is nickel metal hydride. There are a number of reasons that nickel metal hydride batteries operate better than their nickel cadmium counterparts. The first of these reasons is that nickel metal hydride batteries aren’t toxic like nickel cadmium batteries. Cadmium is a very dangerous substance and can prove to be hazardous in some cases.
Because of this, many manufacturers are trying to move away from making products that require nickel cadmium batteries. Another reason people prefer nickel metal hydride batteries is that they work more efficiently than nickel cadmium batteries. Nickel cadmium batteries aren’t able to retain their charge off of a charger. Within the first two days they can lose up to 30 percent of the existing charge.
Every day after that, they will continue to lose 1 percent of their charge until there isn’t any charge left. If a nickel cadmium battery is fully drained and left uncharged for too long, the battery will go into hibernation mode. Once it reaches hibernation mode, it will never be able to be used again. If you aren’t careful with nickel cadmium batteries, you could very easily lose a lot of money by ruining your batteries. Nickel metal hydride batteries do not operate in this manner, making them a more reliable choice.