Popular Woodworking 2005-12 № 152, страница 73
PORTER-CABLE The Porter-Cable 14.4v drill is a solid tool that we thought should have done better in the testing. The features are pretty standard, with an all-metal chuck and good jaws. The most recent upgrade in the tool was the addition of replaceable grip pads that let the user adjust the width of the grip for maximum comfort. Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for the below-average results during testing. This drill finished one place out of last in the screw-driving competition and finished below average on the number of holes drilled on one charge. It's also the third-heaviest drill in the test and has the most difficult battery to remove of all the drills tested. The weight also contributed to the drill feeling out of balance in the hand. While the price of the Porter-Cable is in the affordable range, we don't feel the technology has kept up with the pack. It's our opinion that there are drills with better features and performance for about the same or slightly more money. u PORTER-CABLE 9978 RIDGID The Ridgid is the heaviest drill we tested and its size is near the top of the scale as well. With numbers like that, we sort of expected more. The testing numbers put this tool in the average category for number of holes drilled, and closer to the bottom of the scale for lag screws, beating only the Metabo, Porter-Cable and Skil drills. The drill is reasonably priced at just under $190, but its biggest asset is the two-bay fan-cooled charger that lets you charge both batteries in about 30 minutes. The Ridgid offers all the basic features found throughout the drills in the test, and includes an all-metal chuck with carbide insert jaws. Our finding is that it finishes slightly below average in performance, and was uncomfortable to use for an extended period. Even the two-bay charger has a hard time overcoming the drill's massive size and weight. SKIL You might think that a drill priced less than half of all the other drills in the competition would be in line for a bargain recognition. That would be true if the drill performed anywhere near half as well as the other drills tested. Not so. The Skil is priced and designed to make the very occasional home woodworker happy. Its price is low, but honestly it is a 14.4v tool in name only. The drill was simply outclassed by the competition. We saw significantly better results from our 12v baseline drill. Also on the downside: This is the only 14.4v drill with the smaller 3/s"-capacity chuck. We might have forgiven the low number of holes, but when matched with very poor lag screw numbers, oh well. On the positive side, it's the lightest drill in the test. Unfortunately the benefit didn't seem to carry over to the size of the drill. It has a large frame, but we're not sure why. There are a couple of features worth mentioning on this drill. The batteries include a fuel gauge that will probably give some comfort to the occasional user. Mounted on top of the drill is a slip-off drill gauge that may prove handy. FESTOOL 15.6 VOLT Comparing the Festool in this category is a little unfair because of the tool's accessory capabilities. The interchangeable chucks (one for working in tight corners and one for right-angle drilling , both sold as accessories for around $85 each) make this tool more than a standard drill, but for the sake of comparison, it's still a 15.6v drill. The benefit of an extra 1.6 volts seems obvious with more holes and more screws completed than nearly all of the 14.4v drills. It's also a comfortably sized and weighted drill, with good balance and a comfortable grip. The jaws in the chuck offer the tightest tolerance of any in the test and the overall feel of the drill is small compared to the performance. Compared to the other 15.6v drills, the Festool finished well with respectable numbers. The Panasonic, however, far out-paced the Festool's results. And when you compare the $400 price tag to the retail price on the Panasonic, you've really got to want the option of extra chucks to make this tool your first choice. FESTOOL TDK 15.6 CE 00 00 00 74 102 Popular Woodworking December 2005 |
