Up until this past weekend, I owned a dewalt 12 XRP drill driver. It and the older dewalt drill driver, also 12v, got stolen so i am looking for a replacement. I liked the drills, they gave good service for the occasional intense use I gave them, but the XRP has the adjustable clutch on the motor side of the gearbox, not on the drive side like the less expensive model and basically would not work unless you were sinking a 3/8″ lag bolt or something bigger. It was useless for drywall since the clutch would not slip at that low a torque load.
It was, however, a great drill. I assume the clutch placement is so you can tighten the chuck with one hand, since it is next to impossible to get the clutch to slip by hand.
I have been looking at replacements and have read the reviews here on the 0616-20 and its newer version, the 0615-24 and it has the same kind of ratcheting chuck as the Dewalt. Does anyone know if the clutch actually works on this drill. or is it like the Dewalts and basically useless for small stuff.
-Michael
Replies
Michael, I can't testify to the 0616 size but I did pick up an 0822-20 at 18 volts after leaving both of my older PC 19.2 volt drills at the other house. DUH?
It's clutch works fine, it's a little heavy, very strong, 2+ amp hr batteries with a non-cooking smart charger, two speed ranges are variable and an all steel ratcheting chuck.
They are making many model changes so be careful. Try to eyeball at tool dealers /borgs etc. Buying the latest model is not always best as they seldom make them better --only cheaper. All the best, Paddy
Thanks for the knowledge, I have tried to stay away from lithium tech in tools since I think the technology is still evolving. There are new developments every month or so that when they hit the market, (silicon nanotube anodes, modified lithium iron phosphate plates for super fast charge times, etc) will require a new charger.2 thumbs up on the model changes advice. Is the battery easy to get on and off of the charger? it looks alike a 2 handed affair.
You stimulated My curiosity so I took a few min. to check it out.
-the V 18 battery requires you to squeeze the tabs in each side to slide it off the back of the drill. It removes real easy. It then slides down into the track of the charger but there are no notches (like the drill slides) to lock it in so it lifts out easy ....read one hand.
- The clutch I can stop with just thumb and fore finger from 0 to 10. 11 to a shaky 14 stops with a whole hand grab and any more than that up to 24 you can report on your self. Ha Ha!
-This big daddy charger, Mod.# 48-59-2818 according to its separate 11 page user's manual, will charge their 18V Nicd and V18 to V28 Li-ion packs. The Nicd must be removed after 24 hrs. but the Li-ion's can store there to maintain a max charge.
I just charged a dead pack and it took 15 min. to get to the 4th light(78 to 100% of the fuel gage on the pack) and another 20 min. to max out and get a green light. They say it takes up to 10 charge cycles to get the pack to optimum performance and these are at about 5 cycles. I remounted a 10" section of rain gutter with those 7" drive screws after the orig. spikes failed on last Sat. and the drill had been sitting in the back of my truck for about three months. I don't remember the last charge since I used it for a few days fixing a fence in the spring.
I don't expect you can avoid Li-ion much longer with the quality mfg's. It is a better source than the older nicd or nimh who had a trait of lower volts as they reached discharge. These maintain voltage almost in a flat line till they run out. The value (cost) here is how big a pack -read storage volume- in Amphrs do you want? By and large the Li-ion is a better working pack over time and may get better. I know that I love'em in my big RC aircraft. All the best, Paddy
Thanks for the detailed description of the drills features.I am well acquainted with the ins and outs of lithium batteries, I fly my 2 RC helicopters with Lipo batteries. Many others fly A123 packs, but they weigh more so are not as popular. Small world, isn't it. What do you fly?
One of the curious things I've noticed about lipos, is that if you discharge a pack halfway and let it sit for say ... 30 minutes, it actually looses performance (lower voltage held under a load), almost as if you had drained it further, unlike a nicad or dry cell that will "rebound" if you let it rest. You may not notice this with a drill, but a 3D heli can pull some amps and it shows. There may also be some subtle differences between the chemistry of these drill batteries and lithium polymer batteries. (there has to be, since running a lipo below 3v / cell will shorten its life)
My next drill will probably be a lithium, but I expect the prices to drop and the performance to increase as the technology evolves. It may be 5 years before I need another drill. My last 2 were stolen over the 4th.Many thanks for all the help.Michael
Edited 7/9/2009 8:57 pm ET by Michael666
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