Cordless screwdrivers differ from ordinary ones in the same way as a modern lighter differs from a box of matches. Of course, there are people in the world who like to smell sulfur. And, probably, you can still find a master who is ready to show off bloody calluses on his hands – after screwing in a couple of hundred screws. However, technological progress has never been reversed. And today, instead of the word “screwdriver”, we increasingly say “cordless screwdriver” and decide which power tool is better to choose.
In appearance, they differ little from each other, because they are designed taking into account the anatomy of the hand. The layout is also similar. The main difference lies in the scope of work and the duration of operation.
Professional models are designed for daily long-term use. This, by the way, implies the presence of certain skills in the employee.
Professional tools:
- increased power;
- more durable housing: its components are made of high-quality, wear-resistant materials using the most modern technologies.
They sell such a tool in specialized stores.
Household cordless screwdrivers are used to perform small jobs at home, in the garage or in the garden. With their help, teams assemble furniture, erect drywall partitions, etc. Each model comes with a set of replaceable nozzles, as well as some rotary heads and even drills (a hole with a diameter of up to 5 mm can be made in the tree).
How many do you want?
A cordless screwdriver is the simplest power tool, which includes several attachments and a charger.
They have an attractive and ergonomic design with conveniently located controls. This tool is available to anyone who has a compact and reliable nickel-cadmium or lithium-ion battery built into the handle. it operates at a fundamentally safe voltage and easily turns screws with a diameter of 5-6 mm. Often this type of work serves as a kind of “reference point” for advertising screwdriver products (I remember one company advertised its screwdrivers as capable of wrapping up to 300 screws with a size of 3.5 = 20 mm in a dry pine board in one charge).
Useful advantages
- For convenience, the tool has a reverse (the ability to rotate in the opposite direction), as well as a spindle lock and an easy change of nozzles. Spindle locking is a very useful property. If you need to tighten or unscrew a tightly tightened screw, it is enough to fix the spindle — and you can use the tool as a regular screwdriver.
- In addition, some models also have a rotary handle, which serves to facilitate the tightening of large screws and screws.
- Control over the tightening process is also a great advantage of the screwdriver. For example, when working with wood or drywall, you may not keep track, and twist a little harder than necessary, and damage the cladding. Or do not reach it — then the screw head will stick out. The adjustment of the torque value by means of a limiting clutch ensures the termination of the tightening process. When a certain critical force is reached, the motor is still running and the chisel is stationary. The torque limiter (ratchet), which is equipped with almost all models, does not allow overloading, preventing the engine from spoiling or breaking the thread when screwing the screw into a solid material.
Something about batteries
Nickel-cadmium batteries:
- have relatively high power,
- provides continuous operation without recharging for up to 3 hours,
- withstands a large number of charge-discharge cycles.
However, they have a property called the “memory effect”. If the battery is not completely discharged, when charging, it will take the remaining capacity for zero, and the actual capacity will decrease. That’s why nickel-cadmium batteries need to be “discharged” to the end and only then put on charge.
A separate problem, although not so noticeable, is environmental. As the name suggests, these devices contain cadmium, a small useful chemical element. Therefore, when replacing a nickel-cadmium battery, think about environmental protection: hand over the used copy to the manufacturer’s service.
The most advanced, compact and powerful are lithium-ion batteries, which are now equipped with most wireless devices. They are free from both the “memory effect” and the phenomena of self-discharge. They also don’t care how long this tool will stay connected to the network. In general, the charging time of a professional screwdriver is no more than half an hour (for household — much more).
All chargers work in such a way that they automatically reduce the current when fully charged, which ensures the estimated battery life. Of course, the need to charge such a power tool is a dubious advantage, but with a replaceable battery, this usually does not cause irritation. By the way, with permanent elements placed inside the case, only the simplest and cheapest screwdrivers are produced.
The battery charge recovery time depends on the type of charger: if the standard one takes about one hour, then the so-called frame is from 15 to 20 minutes. Such devices are able to control a number of parameters: the degree of charging of the battery, its temperature and charging current to prevent it from overheating. Naturally, these products are more expensive. Therefore, it is more profitable to buy a tool with one ordinary charger and two batteries (it is still more expensive to buy a spare element separately than to buy the whole set).
Almost all manufacturers of power tools have cordless screwdrivers in their arsenal. Among the best are Bosch, DeWalt, Black&Decker.
The prospects of wireless technology
A rechargeable power tool is needed where it is difficult to find a power source. Agree, not being tied to a power source (literally and figuratively) is very convenient. With this tool, you can go to the yard, to the car, to the garage, to work, to the cottage, to assemble furniture, to fix the cornices. This is a more secure network, although it is heavier because of the battery. Another drawback: without recharging the battery, the tool will work for a relatively short time, so you need to monitor the condition of the battery all the time and periodically recharge it. And, of course, the price. She’s taller.
According to such an authoritative European specialist as Egbert Schneider, Senior Vice President of Technology at Robert Bosch GmbH, in the near future, in the domestic market segment, the network volume and battery performance will be equal, and only in professional, requiring increased capacity and continuous operation, the ratio will remain in favor of network equipment — 60:40.