I want to give a cordless drill driver as a present. Before buying the new tool I will do a cordless drill comparison to make sure the recipient gets a drill driver that meets his needs. I have been looking at cordless power tool combo kits and saw that one of the major differences in cordless drill drivers is the battery. I decided that the first part of my cordless drill comparison would be to take as look at what makes a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery different than a Nicad battery.
For this cordless drill comparison I decided that the chemical properties weren't important to me. What mattered was why an Li-ion battery may be better than a nicad battery. My drill comparison came up with 2 major reasons. Li-ion batteries weight is about half that of a nicad battery. In other words when you hold a 18 volt lithium ion powered cordless drill driver over your head you will notice a major difference in the weight over that of a 18 volt nicad drill driver.
18 Volt Combo Kit
This cordless driver comparison showed that Lithium-ion batteries hold a charge a lot longer than a nicad battery. A fully charged Lithium-ion batteries can hold a charge for up to a year. My cordless driver comparison did clarify to me that when comparing drivers its important to compare cordless drivers with similar power. Power wise a 12 volt Nicad battery has the same power as a 12 volt Lithium ion battery and a 18 volt nicad battery has the same power as a 18 volt Li-ion battery. So don't expect the same torque found in a 18 volt nicad cordless drver from a new 12 volt li-ion cordless driver.
My drill comparison showed many drills are now listed as drill drivers instead of just a cordless drill. Cordless drivers have a clutch. The clutch controls the amount of torque applied. When the preset resistance has been reached It disengages the drill driver's drive shaft making a clicking sound. By setting the clutch correctly you won't strip a screw or overdrive it once it's snug. So its important to pay attention to the clutch settings so you are able to take advantage of clutch and not strip the screws. Also, part of my cordless driver comparison is also to check the number of clutch settings each drill driver has.
My cordless driver comparison also revealed that most cordless drill drivers have keyless chucks that are tightened by hand, no chuck key to loose. Keyless chucks are usually 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch. This drill comparison also revealed some consumer level cordless drill drivers have keyless chucks that only take quick connect bits. So since I'm buying the cordless driver as a gift I'm making sure what type of bits the recipient uses.
I concluded through this cordless drill comparison that the most important feature to consider is how the drill feels in your hand. Does the drill point straight ahead without tipping up or down? Is it too heavy working overhead? Since the drill I'm buying is a gift I'm checking return policies before I buy, especially if I'm buying online.
Besides helping me discover what cordless drill to buy as a gift, my cordless driver comparison helped me to better understand my tool. I now know how and why to use the clutch settings and am now taking the time to set it correctly.