Flexible power - the Bosch I-Driver

Every once in a while, a new tool comes along that just says, "Why hasn't anyone done this before?" Well, in 2006 that tool is the Bosch I-Driver.

Being flexible in the past has meant bending behind the motor, such as some of the Milwaukee cordless screwdrivers. They would bend at about the middle of the tool, making for something more usable in tight spaces. But the I-Driver goes well beyond that. By using some fancy gearing, they made it only move the actual bit end of the tool. This makes for a great many uses where a traditional cordless screwdriver just wouldn't do.

But Bosch didn't stop there. Instead, they added in a few features that power tools aren't used to seeing. For example, they added an electronic clutch. The traditional mechanical clutch clicks when the screw is tight. This one simply stops the motor. It was a bit weird feeling the first few times it engaged, but I got used to it after a few times.

Also new to me is the soft start mechanism. My first reaction when pulling the trigger was the feeling that the battery was dead. It's not normal with most cordless tools to pull the trigger and have it go slow unless the battery needs charging, so that's what I thought was happening. However, it was not only fully charged, but the soft start mechanism can actually allow it to drive more screws per charge than the pocket driver. The reason is that you're able to pull the trigger full and let it drive the screw without having any struggle starting the screw without the bit slipping. Slipping when trying to start a screw really shortens useful battery life, so this minor improvement is actually a very big deal.

Finally, since it is a Li-Ion tool and has Bosch engineering behind it, you've got enough life to drive 100 screws and the quality to last a long time. This is one tool that's very high up on my list of toys to purchase, especially since the pricetag is pretty attractive. Any time a professional tool is under $150, it's got to end up on my wishlist somewhere.

Questions to ask to choose the correct voltage of cordless tool

9.6V, 10.8V, 12V, 14.4V, 15.6V, 18V, 19.2V, 24V, 28V, 32V, 36V - So many options. How do you go about selecting the correct voltage when buying a cordless drill (or other cordless tool for that matter)? Well, there are a few simple questions to ask yourself to get to the correct answer and not break the bank (or your wrist) at the same time.


How much power do you really need?
Higher voltages give more power. But how much power is really necessary? If you're only drilling some pilot holes or driving screws into drywall, then power makes no difference. If you want to drill into concrete, you'll need more power. Our EVP still swears by his Makita 9.6V cordless drill for pretty much any job he does, and he's remodeled quite a bit of his house now. More voltage isn't always needed.

Do you already have other cordless tools?
If you already have some cordless tools, getting something that matches up will be useful. By doing that, you'll end up with more batteries for each of those tools. That can be a big plus and certainly something to consider. You may also think about what other people you know have, in case you borrow a tool or loan one to them.

How often will you be using this tool?
If you're using the tool infrequently, the weight may not matter much. Larger voltages are achieved by using more cells, so the batteries get much heavier as the voltage goes up. The exception is that Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are slightly lighter than Nickel Cadmium, and Lithium Ion is lighter yet. There is also the Amp Hour rating to look at. More Amp Hours means the battery will be heavier as well.

How long will you be using this tool at one time?
If you need a long runtime, the Lithium Ion tools are going to be more attractive. Also, by having more power, higher voltage tools don't need as much of the potential energy for each task, making them last a little longer. Amp Hours will again play an important role here. Higher is good for runtime, but for Ni-Cad and Ni-MH batteries that reduces the number of charges in the battery's lifetime.

What types of jobs will you be doing with this tool?
Are you going to be doing jobs over your head? If so, light weight is going to be important. Material will be important as well. Drilling through pine and drywall doesn't take much. Oak and concrete takes a whole lot more. Carefully considering all of the jobs you'll be doing will help decide what exactly you'll be needing.

What other cordless tools would you like to have?
If you want a cordless impact or some other specialty tools at some point down the line, take a look at what voltages those are available in. Some will only be available in 12 or 14.4 versions. Others will require Li-Ion to get the full line of tools available, such as a cordless porta-band. With so many cool tools to choose from, plan carefully for future purchases before you commit to a battery voltage and technology.

How much do you want to spend on this tool?
Lower voltages are still incredibly useful, yet the cost will be significantly lower. If you want to save on cost, 12 or 14.4 may be your best option. 9.6 may even be the best option in some cases. Just remember that buying too little could mean problems down the road with too little power. Buying too much may be too heavy and make the tool less usable in that way. Pay attention to the tool weight, battery weight and torque, then balance them so you can get what's important to you in a tool. Keep in mind that bigger isn't always better, so buying for the biggest numbers is pretty silly.

Milwaukee V28 Impact selling point?

When the V28 line of Milwaukee cordless tools first came out, we had a customer come in and wanted to see if the impact had enough power for the lugnuts on his brand new dually. It's listed as 325 ft-lbs of torque, but what does that mean when you're using it? We had a battery charged up, so we took it to the parking lot to see what it would do.

Removed the lug
It removed the lug nut just fine. No problems at all there. In fact, it didn't even seem to think twice about this simple task. The V28's have more than enough power for pulling off a lug nut.

Installed the lug
It didn't have any problems when installing the lug, either. It tightened it up in no time flat, and it gave a couple of clicks so we knew it was tight. That was the point he should have stopped.

One more time
The customer pulled the trigger once more - just to make sure it was tight enough. Well, that was one time too many. He managed to shear off the stud with that little pull of the trigger.

Bought the tool
He was impressed with that, and bought it immediately. He didn't need any more proof that it had some power. The funny part is that relating that story to people in the store, many immediately say "That's the one I need then".

How much is too much?
That brings up the question - how much is too much? I don't personally need to shear the studs off of the wheels of my father's Jeep to know if something has enough power to put a lug nut on or not. I don't need the most powerful tool on the market. The jobs I do never require the biggest, baddest, meanest tool in existence. I'm usually just driving a screw, setting an anchor, or changing a tire. Even some of the much lower voltage tools can handle those jobs without much effort. But, being Americans, we feel inclined to buy too much instead of what may only do what we need. I'm sure someone will come out with a 350, 400 or even 500 ft-lb impact at some point, but what's the use if it breaks everything you're trying to assemble?

Lower voltage batteries - a Makita secret

One of the most unusual little known facts about Makita cordless tools is that any of their pod style batteries can power a tool made to run on a higher voltage, just with a shorter runtime. This has some very interesting applications, especially buying new tools.

Keep using your old batteries
If you buy a newer Makita tool, you don't need to worry about your old batteries becoming obsolete. For example, if you had a 12V drill before and decide to buy a 14.4V impact, the 12V batteries will still work in the new tool. If you had a 14.4V drill that broke, you could buy an 18V no problem without losing the use of your old batteries.

Save money when buying additional batteries
If you want to save a few bucks on your next set of batteries, you can always buy a lower voltage. That's a unique ability. If I decide that 18V batteries cost too much, I can buy 12V or 14.4V replacements. I don't know of any other brand that is set up this way. Very useful for buying batteries for a flashlight, probably not so cool for buying batteries for my miter saw.

Borrow a battery
My neighbor has 12V Makita tools. If I'm in the middle of a job and run out of juice, I can borrow one of his for any of my 18V tools. That could be handy at times. Of course, having 4 batteries of my own means there are few instances where I'll have to borrow a battery, but it's still nice to have the option.

Reminds me of blood types
This reminds me of blood types. Having a 12V is a universal donor (Type O). Owning an 18V tool is a universal recipient (Type AB). Of course, with Lithium Ion coming out now this isn't going to be a universal technology much longer. Also, the MakStar tools don't fit in the same interchangeable line, either. It's still something cool that you can amaze your friends with. Tell them to try that with their "other brand" tools.

Getting a longer runtime for my cordless blower

There is an upcoming product announcement from one of our manufacturers which Matt has mentioned in his article "It's time to put your favorite tools on Lituium (ion)". No specifics yet, but you can probably guess who and what the announcement will be without all the details or specifics. At first, this seemed sort of like just a geeky thing to do to me. Changing battery technologies is cool and all, but for an IT guy how useful would that really be? Well, I'm having trouble deciding.

High Drain Applications
Obviously, longer runtime is a big deal for high current applications. If you only use a cordless flashlight there's not a real reason to switch, unless you're in Alaska and have those 24 hour nights and no charger. Ok, so you'll have to consider it twice there too with the charging problems with cold weather. But when you've got a geeky tool like the Makita UB181DZ which boasts a whopping 9 minute runtime, Lithium Ion may become a HUGE deal. Even if it only doubles the runtime, I could probably get all the grass clippings off of my driveway without swapping batteries.

Fewer Batteries
Right now, I have 4 batteries for my tools. I typically have to use 2 fully charged batteries for blowing off the driveway, sidewalk and patio. I have one always on my flashlight and one is usually in my drill. Being able to do the same amount of work with fewer batteries is cool on the geek meter, but is it truly practical?

Tough Choice
I'll probably get one for the blower and eventually have fewer batteries when some of my current ones start to die. By then, I should know what makes sense - longer runtime or more batteries. Once I have it figured out, I'll let you know what I decided.

The delimma is this: sometimes it's handy to have more batteries, but other times I'd love the longer runtime. I guess it comes down to how many tools do I want ready to go... and how much of an inconvenience it is to swap the batteries back and forth. That means it is subjective and it comes down to personal preference, so there is no right answer.