[Shop-talk] homeowner/ shop guy cordless drill

[David Scheidt]

> On Aug 2, 2023, at 16:57, Pat Horne <patintexas at icloud.com> wrote:
> 
> One thing I forgot to mention is that 20v drills are not that light & I’ve see it stated that most homeowners can get by with 12v units. But what’s the fun in “getting by”!

I own an inordinate number of Milwaukee cordless tools, across m18 and m12.  I rarely  use the m18 drills or impact drivers, using the m12 Fuel stuff instead. It’s lighter, smaller, and gets the job done.  If you are buying, it’s cheaper, too.  M18 makes sense for saws and grinders, though the mini portaband is awesome, even with nly a 3” cut.  Remember, good modern 12v stuff is better than any cordless tool was 20 years ago, any brand any voltage. 

 I would use the m18 drills and drivers if I were building a deck or something where there are lots of long screws.  It’s not that the m12 impact won’t sink 3” deck screws, it totally will, but the m18 is faster.  For most things, this doesn’t matter.  Consider a job like hanging a door. You might be sinking 20 screws. If it takes 10 seconds longer per screw, it’s three minutes extra for the whole job. Big deal, light weight wins.  For a deck, where there are hundreds of screws, it matters more, but if I only had my m12 stuff, I would not rush out and buy the m18. 

I see lots of plumbers and electricians who only use m18 for the special tools that need it, routine use stuff is all m12.