Old reliable to obsolete

Nothing lasts forever, especially in the woodshop.

I talked last time about a bunch of old tools I’m getting rid of, all of them unusable for one reason or another. Well, I got an email that asked if I thought those tools or brands were inferior. That’s hard to answer.

Any tool that doesn’t work is inferior to one that does, so in that regard I guess the answer is yes. But it goes a lot deeper than that and the brand has nothing to do with it. Take this Ridgid 18-volt drill, for example. I honestly have no idea how long I’ve had it – maybe 20 years?

The battery long ago died permanently. I checked out replacements but they’re prohibitively expensive; cheaper ones are all knock-off brands, and you know my feelings on knock-off batteries. But when that drill was new, it was literally my favorite. I’ve acquired several other drills over the years that took its place, but I hung onto it because of how much I liked it, thinking I’d eventually get a new battery. However, there’s no comparing that drill with my current favorite, a DeWalt compact 12-volter.

The old one weighs in at nearly 6 lbs., while the DeWalt is only 2-1/4 lbs. And although 18 volts, it’s really not that much more powerful than today’s 12-volt Li-ion batteries. Sure, if I’m using larger bits or drilling concrete or deck posts, I’ll still use a big 18-volter – and a hammer drill at that – but for 95 percent of what I need a hand-held drill for, the smaller one is perfect.

The small drill has a better battery with longer life and higher weight-to-power ratio, and recharges incredibly fast. The tool itself is brushless, gets into places no 18-volt drill can, is far better for driving screws, and doesn’t have my arm aching after only a few minutes of use.

Taking all that into consideration, that old reliable 18-volter is obsolete, but that doesn’t make it a bad tool. That’s probably why I’ve hung onto it for so many years. In fact, I’m starting to rethink getting rid of it.