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Old 30th August 2008, 09:14   #1
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Cordless Screwdriver

I am looking for a cordless screwdriver meant for small to moderate DIY projects. It should have the power to drive in self-tapping screws into wood and remove some nuts/bolts.

The ones ive seen so far with the discounted price (MRP in brackets)

Bosch 7.2 V - : 4780 (MRP 5500)
Bosch 3.6 V - : 1900 (2400)
Black & Decker 12 V : 4200 (5600)
Black & Decker 2.4 V : 900 (1500)
Skil 7.2 V : 3700

Horse Power (chinese make with 6months warranty) 7.2 V : 3000
Unbranded Chinese (not cordless no warranty ) 1450

Please suggest which one will fit my requirement or suggest another brand ? I dont mind buying chinese-made stuff provided someone has had a positive experience with it.

Last edited by adityamunshi : 30th August 2008 at 09:17.
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Old 30th August 2008, 10:01   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adityamunshi View Post
Bosch 7.2 V - : 4780 (MRP 5500)
Black & Decker 12 V : 4200 (5600)
Horse Power (chinese make with 6months warranty) 7.2 V : 3000
I have used the B&D but the Bosch one should be just as good. FOr the price difference I would nt touch an unbraded model. If the unbranded cordless was available at 1.5K it wold be another story.
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Old 30th August 2008, 10:36   #3
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Bosch stuff does seem pretty long-lasting.

I only heard of Skil last week --- on the Bosch site! It seems they market it.

I make do with using screwdriver bits in the drill: what are the advantages of a dedicated electric screwdriver?
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Old 30th August 2008, 11:06   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adityamunshi View Post
Please suggest which one will fit my requirement or suggest another brand ? I dont mind buying chinese-made stuff provided someone has had a positive experience with it.
Hi,
Never buy those chinese stuff.You will spend more time repairing them than your DIY.I had brought angle grinder for 500Rs and spent 150Rs for the gear within 10 min of usage.Major problem will be with spares availibility and if available then the quality of them.Its worth to buy Bosch (7.2v) or Black & Decker.Thre are other options like Electrex and skill.Heard that Electrex is having some battery issue.
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Old 30th August 2008, 11:23   #5
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i've used the bosch and black n decker in our college workshop.the bosch 7.2 volt has more self drive,i.e. u can make a hole using the screw driver.these are called power tools.the 2.4 volt is just to tighten and loosen bolts.one more factor to be taken into account is the battery life.bosch has very good back up.i have continously used it for an hour of work with breaks.doesn't heat much either.
go for bosch power tools.black and decker when compared is more useful for small works and removing cpu screws cos they're designed in such a way.please be wary of chinese tools.
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Old 30th August 2008, 12:25   #6
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Higher voltage = lower current; lower current = lower losses! Makes more sense to go for the higher voltage cordless models. Pound for pound, the Bosch units are ahead of the B&D and Skil units in terms of reliability. I have various tools of both Bosch and B&D - the B&D ones I have had to mollycoddle sometimes.

Navin, there is a (probably Chinese) drill-driver unit advertised in ToI for 1199/- today, complete with a box of bits etc.

More than unit reliability, the main reason why one should avoid unbranded drill-drivers is the availability of replacement batteries and carbon brushes (they don't last a lifetime). The popularity in the market of the unbranded stuff is because of the artisans who buy cheap. Since someone else is always paying for it, the low cost is an advantage; if the unit fails, chuck it and buy a new one. There is another ancillary industry which repairs and resells / rents them, anyhow.
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Old 30th August 2008, 13:29   #7
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also i just wanted to mention, i have a bosch driller, not cordless, but the beauty part is, you can use the drill at any desired speed, starting from very slow speed to the max, and the driller would surely not complain. i dont know if that is possible with other brands.

and as far as i know there is a bosch 12V model as we, which can be comfortably modded so that the power from the car battery can be used to power the driller, look for one that model will have that extra benefit.


EDIT: i mentioned the screw driver as driller too because the bosch cordless can very well be used as a driller too at least a few models do that.

Last edited by rider60 : 30th August 2008 at 13:48.
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Old 30th August 2008, 19:49   #8
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My drill (wired) also has variable speed, but no torque control. So can i use it to tighten screws or will the screws break off if too much torque is applied ?

And if i buy the 12V B&D driver, will it have enough power to be used as a drill as well ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rider60 View Post
also i just wanted to mention, i have a bosch driller, not cordless, but the beauty part is, you can use the drill at any desired speed, starting from very slow speed to the max, and the driller would surely not complain. i dont know if that is possible with other brands.

and as far as i know there is a bosch 12V model as we, which can be comfortably modded so that the power from the car battery can be used to power the driller, look for one that model will have that extra benefit.


EDIT: i mentioned the screw driver as driller too because the bosch cordless can very well be used as a driller too at least a few models do that.
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Old 30th August 2008, 21:05   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adityamunshi View Post
My drill (wired) also has variable speed, but no torque control. So can i use it to tighten screws or will the screws break off if too much torque is applied ?

And if i buy the 12V B&D driver, will it have enough power to be used as a drill as well ?

well i have experience with only bosch not B&D, so can give you feed back on only that,

by the way what brand is your driller?

below are the pictures of my driller, along with the bits and the torque setting for normal drilling(for screwing and unscrewing) and hammer drilling for purely drilling (wood, concrete, and metal), these setting are seen in the third pic.

you should still be able to use it for screwing or unscrewing but with great caution, just like when you drive in bumper to bumper traffic, you should never do sudden acceleration rather sudden speeds and hold the driller with two hands and maintain the speed cautiously.

excess speed or sudden speed will not break the screw but has other dangerous effects, the the + or - thread on the screw might get damaged if excess force is used or may slip away from the thread and cause an accident so you need to be way cautious while doing so.

it is for this very reason that i recommend the bosch brand over the others, they have this awesome setting that comes very very handy the drill or hammer drill mode, and if other brands better warranty and features go ahead and buy them.

mine cost me 1800 bucks without bill but warranty. it was 2500 with bill and warranty, the offer was 6 months warranty on both with bill and without it so chose the first offer.

EDIT: the last pic is the custom made switch board made at home to power this drill and get the power supply to the car. i dint want to buy another cordless after this so used some 250 bucks to get the switch board box and 25meters of wire.
Attached Thumbnails
Cordless Screwdriver-dsc01750.jpg  

Cordless Screwdriver-dsc01751.jpg  

Cordless Screwdriver-dsc01754.jpg  

Cordless Screwdriver-dsc01755.jpg  


Last edited by rider60 : 30th August 2008 at 21:07.
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Old 30th August 2008, 21:34   #10
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For small jobs - Bosch IXO.

The Best small Cordless Driver - Bosch GSR 10.8V-Li (MK2)

BTW i am partial to Bosch.
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Old 31st August 2008, 02:50   #11
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I find that, if anything get's damaged it is the screw head or the screwdriver bit itself, if the screw stops and the bit jumps and then starts to wear down the head.

Usually I can't manage the last few turns with the drill when drilling a fairly long screw into a wall, say, but the drill puts it nearly all the way in, and a nice screwdriver with a comfortable handle finishes it off tight.

Glad to see you guys are not using the tool I've watched most builders here use to put screws in with --- a hammer

By the way, I'm partial to Bosch too and, somewhat --- I just bought a Dremel tool for small stuff, and then discovered that they belong to the Bosch family too.

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 31st August 2008 at 02:52.
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Old 31st August 2008, 08:54   #12
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My drill is chinese made - power colt, about 4 yrs old. It has forward / reverse and variable speed. There's also a dial which lets me limit it to a certain RPM.


Quote:
Originally Posted by rider60 View Post
by the way what brand is your driller?

I liked the Bosch IXO too, its small in size and can reach into cramped spaces. But does it have the power to drive in self-tapping screws and unscrew nuts/bolts ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mura View Post
For small jobs - Bosch IXO.

The Best small Cordless Driver - Bosch GSR 10.8V-Li (MK2)

BTW i am partial to Bosch.
I didnt know Bosch made dremel tools too. How much did it cost you ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I just bought a Dremel tool for small stuff, and then discovered that they belong to the Bosch family too.

Last edited by adityamunshi : 31st August 2008 at 08:56.
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Old 31st August 2008, 09:51   #13
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Dremel 300: Rs3,665.

Then I discovered it came with only one collet (and no Collettes*), so I bought a set, and bought a chuck too, so near another thousand there.

I'll probably go on collecting bits and pieces for it, though I don't know how much I'll ever actually use it. Certainly wouldn't be any good as a screwdriver!
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Old 31st August 2008, 09:55   #14
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Another OT question : I just found out that my drill has a slight chuck wobble. Do i need to get it fixed ? If yes, how ?
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Old 31st August 2008, 13:00   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adityamunshi View Post
Another OT question : I just found out that my drill has a slight chuck wobble. Do i need to get it fixed ? If yes, how ?

Bosch - Power Tools


Bosch - Cordless Tools


take a look at these sites and pick your tool, they even have specs of the tools. and by the looks the IXO does not appeal to me for any kind of harder drilling, its would be better if you look at GDR 14.4 V - SCREWDRIVER-IMPACTWRENCH.

check for the cordless range in the professonial tools section. you should find the above model, and i think it will make a good product for the installations going by its tech specs. and its got awesome torque compared to other models and IXO is too damn puny, and the above cordless is a IMPACT wrench, so you decide.

and the chuck wobble can be corrected by tightening it i guess, you will need a allenkey and a spanner to do that, try and read the instruction on the manual to find out the way to loosen it and tighten the chuck, or download one of the manuals from the net for the instructions.


EDIT:Bosch - GSB 10RE

thats the impact drill i have!!!

Last edited by rider60 : 31st August 2008 at 13:06.
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