Which Tools Will Be Future Classics?

[PutnamEco]

Which portable power tools produced today do you all think will be tomorrows classics? Tools that will bring more than twice their current selling price in 25 years? I look at some of my old tools and some of them really did stand out, like Black & Deckers Super Sawcat, the Porter-Cable 690 router and their Porta-plane and I wonder if anyone still produces any stand out tools that will stand the test of time and become our futures classics.

[oldtools]

It definitely will not be a Battery powered tool, they get obsolete too fast...  Maybe a corded Festool

[OilyRascal]

I'll throw the modern Ridgid JobMax's hat in the ring.  It has several attachments - all but one (the auto hammer) winning my vote.  The oscillating saw attachment is one handy tool.

[fflintstone]

IMO older US made Milwaukee tools will be wanted.

[PutnamEco]

It definitely will not be a Battery powered tool, they get obsolete too fast...  Maybe a corded Festool

I could think of a couple cordless tools that could/should  be/become classics, like Black & Deckers first cordless drill, which was the first one commercially produced and offered for sale to the public. Porter-Cable produced their 12v drill back in the 80s that might be credited with bringing cordless drills to a wider professional audience.

[oldtools]

But can you still get the replacement batteries in 25 years? 
Until they make a battery with infinite recharge cycle...

[scottg]

But can you still get the replacement batteries in 25 years? 
Until they make a battery with infinite recharge cycle...

What?
 Batteries are no big deal.
Buy batteries,  solder them together,  close case.
It costs around 40-50% to do it yourself.
 By the time you think about new batteries the generations have always moved on several jumps.

 Here is the kicker.
 Factory batteries suck most of the time. Open any battery case and what you will find are one generation previous batteries, no matter what brand you buy. When they made that tool, they were at least one or two generations back in the evolution of batteries.
 
  Batteries are always changing. Every year or two out comes another new type. This time its 42 hundred MAH, or whatever is the newest  rating.   More power in each generation. 
 
 Now, tool factories, are not going to buy the current generation batteries for production tools. You kiddin?
  Not when they probably get them for eeentsy five cents on the dollar, since they are last years batteries!! Open up your battery case and have a look for yourself.

 But, will they ever sell you their own batteries like they are last year' model batteries?? You ever see that? A battery price that reflects the obsolete technology inside??? 
 "Replacement batteries" by now, are years old technology
  and they still want 65% of the piece of the tool, now don't they?
 
   So, you just go around and start looking at batteries.
Battery tools use sub C nicad cells all the time unless they are marked for something else. 
But all the nicad stuff for sure, plain old ordinary (almost ordinary) batteries.
 Well they nearly look like they should fit in a flashlight, is my point.
    Just soldered together into a block. 

 Its not hard. Takes a few minutes, (maybe an hour or so)  even when you don't do it often. 


 The batteries always freak me out how powerful and how long they hold a charge when you use premium fresh batteries.  Its like dropping a hemi in a bugeye.
Little Missy Sears-Roebuck never sang like this here. Not in her life!!
  Not ever. whooooozah!@
Warmed up her motor a little.
  yours Scott

[oldtools]

Did you know the original Edison lead acid battery was a lifetime battery? 
Companies spent big buck$ to design flaws to kill batteries at predetermined time periods. basically depth of sediment accumulated to short cells, deeper sump longer life.

Yup! "Planned Obsolescence" is the name of the game... Insure the batteries die, then sell them another power tool.. because the price of batteries is almost the cost of the tool.. imagine if tools lasted forever!!, they wouldn't be selling as many tools. I have 6 great cordless tools with dead obsolete batteries, either don't make them or too costly to replace batteries.  Thinking about getting transformers adapted to battery connections to plug in tools, even 12V DC car power. 

Anyone want to buy my cordless power tools? Porter-Cable, Craftman, Black & Deckers cordless drill..  They are GREAT! tools, Just need batteries.

What is the next step in Cordless evolution? back to hand power?

(And talking about replacement prices!!,  What is it with printer ink? cost almost as much as the printer!!!  Oops, sorry started raving)

[Branson]

Well, I have a good selection of cordless hammers...

You need to check around on the batteries.  A friend gave me his 1/2 inch drive Makita because the Makita nicad batteries cost $127 each, and his were dead.  I checked around on the net  and found off brand batteries, designed to meet original Makita specs.  One company had them for $57, but another company was selling theirs for $26.  I bought two!  With the void of Makita made batteries for the older models, companies are stepping in and serving Makita's former customers.  They have them for other companies' cordless tools also.

I don't think there is any reason why the new lithium batteries couldn't be made to fit the older nicad tools... except that it means you're supposed to dump a perfectly good working tool.  Bah!

[oldtools]

Branson,
NEED some info on the company selling $127.00 batteries for $26.00 PLEASE!!!...
would love to buy Lithium batteries for my old Nicad cordless tools.. 
Or maybe next generation batteries would be like a lithium AA cells, that you could wire several together into old battery case.  Dreaming & Drooling ;)...

[PutnamEco]

I don't think there is any reason why the new lithium batteries couldn't be made to fit the older nicad tools... except that it means you're supposed to dump a perfectly good working tool.  Bah!

The problem is not in adapting batteries to the tools, the real problem is with the chargers. Ni-Cads have a totally different charging routine than Lith-Ion cells.

[Branson]

The problem is not in adapting batteries to the tools, the real problem is with the chargers. Ni-Cads have a totally different charging routine than Lith-Ion cells.

I wouldn't mind getting a different charger.  Tossing a charger, OK; tossing a working tool, not OK.   I mind not being able to get batteries that will fit in my cordless tools and make them run.   As luck would have it, the Chinese are now making replacement batteries.

[scottg]

 I mind not being able to get batteries that will fit in my cordless tools and make them run. 

 If you have the old battery case, open it up and change the batteries inside.
As long as they aren't the early 6V Makita tools with the blue battery cases that were glued together?
 All newer ones, 12 to 24V, have a couple of screws, and they open right up!

Same ol drill, same ol charger,  stuff the old case with new subC's............viola....
       phenomenal cosmic power!!
           yours Scott

[johnsironsanctuary]

Batteries Plus is a local franchise. They quoted me $32 for my 12v Dewalt. Rebuilding my old one. There are some places online that do it for about the same.

[Mel Larsen]

You guys do realize that you have totally hi-jacked poor PutnamEco's thread on what would become classics.  I think that any power tool that has a all metal case has a better chance than those made of plastic.
Mel