Battery drill, 18v or 14.4v, does it matter?

[student plumber]

What is the difference between an 18v or 14.4v drill, combi, driver.

Does one battery last longer than the other?
Is there more torque?
Does more volts mean drill lasts longer, not overworking?

Just not sure what to buy.

Or any other drill options for that matter.

 

[REDSAW]

i use 14/4v dewalt for years. does what i want, 18v batteries heavier and cost more

 

[JCplumb]

The minimum you want when starting out is an SDS and a combi drill, SDS should be 240v(110v for sitework) and 18v for the combi(in my opinion), 14.4v is generally weaker in my opinion - unless it's a good brand it may struggle with rad brackets or things like pan fittings.
When I started out I had a Black and Decker drill and a B&Q own brand 14.4v combi drill and they did me OK until I got better gear.
Combi just means it can do holes aswell as drive screws and will have more than one speed setting depending on which you are doing. It's not the best at either but will be fine for starting out. You'll probably move on to get an impact driver eventually for screws, it delivers all the torque to the head of the screw so powers them in better.
The SDS will be needed for small cores(up to about 40mm unless you pay a lot for it) and drilling through brick/masonry. If you're doing a lot of cores or doing the larger ones 3 or 4'' then you'll be wanting a core drill.
I love my Dewalt SDS, had it for about 10 years I think, but I go through combis every couple of years, maybe because I can never justify paying too much for them, I'm on a Ryobi 18v combi at the moment, not expensive at all but it does a good enough job.

 

[Last Plumber]

I would look at 18v as JCPlumber said but the amp hours are important too.

You can get 14v with high amp hours that perform as well as an 18v with low amp hours.

In my opinion an 18v with around 3.4 amp hours is perfect for general work, like hanging rads, fixing clips etc.

I would also go for a well known make, mine are Milwaukee. I bought two the same, three years ago and they're still going strong.

 

[paulusgg]

In my opinion you want to spend the most you can afford because in the world of battery tools you definitely get what you pay for.
I'm running Makita 18V Li-ion tools which came with the 3Ah batteries but I've just bought a 4Ah battery which keeps going for longer.

 

[antdad]

Before lithium-ion batteries and brushless motors, size and weight were noticeably more of an issue between voltage systems and 14.4v fitted nicely between 12v & 18v options where 18v with nicads were quite heavy and ***bersome and 12v didn't always carry enough juice.

Nowadays there is little to choose in size and weight between them so comparing like for like a 18v system should give you a little more torque and more run time depending on the battery rating (Ah).

The clincher for me would not be power and run time because you'll get more than enough from either but the fact that you'll get far more tool options with a 18v over a 14v system.

 

[antdad]

Oh and you'll get more battery options with a 18v system too.

Most 18v have 2,3,4 and now 5 amp options, doubt you'll get that with 14v.

 

[Best]

The higher voltage doesn't mean more power, or certainly much more. And it also depends on quality of the tools motor. You could buy a large 18 volt cheap DIY £20 - £50 drill, but you will find it is weak.
You are better with 18volt, as said because of large choice of tool bodies to match.
But you need to consider the weight and length of the tool, no matter which you opt for.
The amp/hrs are nothing to do with power - they are just the 'fuel' amount and really the petrol tank capacity of the battery. A 4 amp/hr will run between charges twice what a 2 amp/hr will, but the 2 amp battery will still make the tool work as strong. Remember though that a higher amp battery will have longer lifespan as it will need less charges.
Go for a drill with about 80nm torque or near that.

 

[Jay The Plumber]

i have both and the 18v are more powerful.

I have 14.4v makita
18v hitachi
18v milwaukee.

the milwaukee are easily the most powerful with the longest lasting batteries.

the cost of the milwaukee gear is easily worth it. all the torque figures are available, you can easily compare them on the ITS.co.uk website.

 

[Best]

i have both and the 18v are more powerful.

I have 14.4v makita
18v hitachi
18v milwaukee.

the milwaukee are easily the most powerful with the longest lasting batteries.

the cost of the milwaukee gear is easily worth it. all the torque figures are available, you can easily compare them on the ITS.co.uk website.

Yes, the higher voltage will have more power, but only if the motor is same quality I believe. Something to do with extra windings I think, plus obviously the way the tool mechanics are designed. The brushless will be different.
I guess when you buy a cheap drill, you get a cheap made motor inside it.
The torque figures from each manufacturer can be a bit suspect, so just use them as a guide, especially with the more cheaper DIY tools.
(Am sure the top names like Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Metabo, Hilti, etc, will have figures that can be relied on as a good indication of true torque)

 

[Jay The Plumber]

Yes, the higher voltage will have more power, but only if the motor is same quality I believe. Something to do with extra windings I think, plus obviously the way the tool mechanics are designed. The brushless will be different.
I guess when you buy a cheap drill, you get a cheap made motor inside it.
The torque figures from each manufactorer can be a bit suspect, so just use them as a guide, especially with the more cheaper DIY tools.

yep..
the brushless are savage.
also, make sure the gearboxes aint plastic.. youll knacker them pretty quickly if using hard

 

[REDSAW]

lion what are those

mines an xrp all metal gear box with ni-mhi 2.6amp, 30min charger and plenty of batteries. i just repaired 2 of them by changing some cells from a donor battery-10 min job.
the new 4amp batteries take an hour to charge and once there gone get your hand in your pocket time!

i should imagine weight dont come into it much now, but when i bought mine a 18v with your arm in the air would soon tire you out, hence the 14.4v choice!

all depends on the budget really, a decent one without being too much would be half the money for some other tools and still give you years of service until the new nuclear powered ones become the must haves .

 

[gmartine]

As has been said if you compare like with like (same motors, gbox etc) you'll get more top end torque/power with more voltage as run time is based on amp/h. Dewalt are sort of pulling a fast one with their FlexVolt system, notice they mention the battery amp rating in 18v guise (6A) but not 56v which could only possibly come in 3A. Good power, not great run time but backwards compatible, I'm fairly sure Milwaukee's 28v (5A) SDS will still **** on the 56v SDS anyway with it's superior motor and hammer mechanism.

 

[gmartine]

I meant (56v) 2A not 3A for the same power out.