Switched to a corded hammer drill after years of using battery powered ones

I always figured cordless was the way to go for everything, but last week I had to drill 12 holes through my foundation in Amarillo to mount a new workbench. My battery drill barely made it through hole number 3 before dying. Borrowed my neighbor's corded 8-amp model from Lowe's and it went through the rest like butter. Now I'm thinking there's a time and place for both, depending on what you're doing. Anyone else stick with corded tools for certain jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagecooper1mo ago

Wait, did you notice a difference in torque or just the runtime? Because I've got a Milwaukee 18v that supposedly hits 1200 in-lbs but my old corded 7-amp from Harbor Freight still outdrives it in thick steel. Is it just me or do corded drills actually have way more consistent power under load?

angelarivera1mo ago

Hold on, @sagecooper, you're saying a Harbor Freight corded actually outdrives your Milwaukee 18v in thick steel? That's wild to me... like, I've seen Milwaukee's numbers but never tested them side by side like that. I always figured the cordless stuff would have a little voltage drop under heavy load, maybe that's it.

finleyl391mo ago

Man, I felt that in my soul. My battery drill once gave up on hole five of a fence project and I stood there like an idiot holding a dead weight, wishing I'd just dragged an extension cord out. Not gonna lie, my corded drill is basically a wet noodle compared to some of the newer stuff, but at least it doesn't gas out on me halfway through a job. I guess the real lesson is that I'm still the weakest link in my workshop, but the corded drill at least pretends to have my back.