# Good Cordless Screwdriver?



## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Lower price: Milwaukee M12 1/4" screwdriver. Small and reasonably priced, runs the same batteries as all the M12 stuff in case you want something else in the future. 

Cost No Object: Festool CXS. Lots of cool features and so light I'm surprised it doesn't float up to the ceiling. But saying it isn't cheap is an understatement.


----------



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I feel your pain, Mathmonger. I've been looking for one for quite a while. Something to remove cabinet doors and hinges, cover plates from electrical boxes.........things like that where an 18 v isn't needed. I use my ratcheting (non-electric) screwdriver for many things but I would still like a cordless just to speed things up.

Thanks for those recommendations, Mort. Good products for sure.


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Exactly. I had a job the other day replacing all the doors and drawer fronts on a kitchen full of IKEA cabinets. It's one of those things. It seems like it should be a 10 minute job. But none of the holes on the new parts were compatible with the old parts. Everything had to get adjusted. The fixed shelves got replaced with shelves that roll out when you open the door. The customer changed her mind 5 times about the height of the drawers. It took me about 6 hours. And a lot of that was just crawling into awkard positions, trying to turn a screwdriver. 

That Milwaukee is on my short list. It looks nice on paper, but it feels more like holding a brick than a screwdriver. The Festool is kind of tempting, but still bigger than I would really like. 

I'd also like to have a really good light with a separate button. My impact driver often turns into a flashlight, but I have to kind of awkwardly hold the trigger half way down to make it work.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Try a head lamp in those dim lighted areas. Mine is a must even when not working in cabinets but just trying to find a jar of peanut butter. :biggrin2:


----------



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I like these types of 'cordless' screwdrivers. Never needs charging.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

GAWD, I forgot all about having a yankee screwdriver somewhere, only if I knew where.


----------



## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

I've had a Ryobi 12 volt for about 4/5 years now, light weight,45min.charge, and if your not careful it can/will give your wrist a pretty good strain, mine came with 2 batteries and a cloth case,but i see they have one battery and a different looking charger, but the price has gone down too, so might be worth a look.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-12-Volt-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Drill-Driver-Kit-HJP004/205152814


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

SeniorSitizen said:


> Try a head lamp in those dim lighted areas. Mine is a must even when not working in cabinets but just trying to find a jar of peanut butter. :biggrin2:


Yeah. I have that. It's great on a fresh battery. Then it is just blah. So I don't use it. So the battery lasts even longer. It's a vicious circle. So I just make do with the light on the impact driver. 



ddawg16 said:


> I like these types of 'cordless' screwdrivers. Never needs charging.


Those are not bad if you have the access. If you have to take out a long screw with a buggered up head in an awkward place a quarter turn at a time in the dark, you'll be begging for something to speed the process up a little bit.


----------



## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

I have the dewalt gyro screwdriver, and it works well for what I do with it.
I also have the m12 when i need more power.


----------



## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

mathmonger said:


> That Milwaukee is on my short list. It looks nice on paper, but it feels more like holding a brick than a screwdriver. The Festool is kind of tempting, but still bigger than I would really like.


I too was a bit disappointed in how heavy the M12 tools were. I want something light for when my M18 Fuel stuff is overkill and that ain't it. 

Have you handled the Festool in person? I found it to be a lot smaller than it looked like in pictures. Plus you can run it with the right-angle chuck or no chuck at all to get into tighter places. It was designed specifically for cabinet makers and installers.


----------



## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

https://www.ryobitools.com/power-tools/products/details/766

I have one of these and it works well in hard to reach area. If you have drill bits with the ¼" collets, it will drill holes where a cordless drill can't get to.


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

I picked up a little 4V Ryobi tool very similar to that. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-4-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Screwdriver-Kit-HP54L/205545276

Hopefully, it will hold me over for a little bit. It was 40 bucks. 

No variable speed on the trigger. Lame.
Tiny pathetic lights that only turn on when you pull the trigger. Lame, but maybe better than nothing. 
10 hour charge time. Ugh. Lame.
No battery "maintain" mode on charger. Lame.

I tried to take out a screw on a door hinge. It did not have enough torque, so I shifted into low gear and it was able to spin the screw out. It was a 4 inch screw! Heh. So I guess I can give it a pass on that. It did some drawer pulls and door knobs with no problem. Toque is respectable. 

Top end speed is kind of slow compared to slaming in screws with the 18v impact. But I guess it's a heck of a lot better than turning it by hand. 

It fits in my toolbox. The business end is a little chunky, but with a long bit or a bit holder, it will be fine. And it doesn't have much weight at all. 

I keep two 1/8" stick type socket holders (one metric, one standard) in my toolbox along with a little 1/8" ratchet. They don't take up much room and it often saves me the trouble of getting a socket set. So now, with a little adapter, I can use those with the electric screwdriver too. That is a cool little benefit I didn't anticipate.


----------



## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

mathmonger said:


> I need a recommendation on a good cordless screwdriver. I have Dewalt 18V drill/driver and impact driver. They are nice, but just too big and heavy. I'm looking for something tiny that I can keep handy in my toolbox. The 18V tools with the battery and charger need a whole separate case.
> 
> I recently borrowed a 4V Ryobi driver and I actually liked it except for the lack of variable speed trigger. Dewalt has an 8V gyroscopic driver that caught my eye, but it might be too long to get into a lot of tight spots. It seems like most of the really small drivers are cheap toys.
> 
> A little pistol grip 12V drill/driver would sort of work. There are a bunch of them. But even that seems like kind of an obnoxious shape to fit in my toolbox. I don't need the chuck or clutch. And they are heavy.


I have a set of 12v Dewalt drivers/drill. They have worked well for the past several years. I use them during cabinet assy (50 plus) and anything else where a screw needs to be driven.

There are several models to choose from. 1/4 inch quick connect driver or 1/4 inch quick connect impact driver or 1/4 inch capacity chuck model drill.

They are light, yet provide plenty of power. The 12v Lithium ion batteries last a long time and recharge quickly.

Note: My installer (wife) finds them easy to use also. :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

Hope this helps.
Mike


----------

