AC power for battery powered tools...

[crashwg]

I am sick to death of going to use my cordless saw only to find out that the batteries are half dead and in need of charging!

Is there anything special I need to know if I attempt to use a "wall wart"  with cordless tools?  It's a 14.4v set of drill/circular saw ryobi to be exact.  Should it work fine as long as I get enough amps?

Any advice would be apreciated...  Gonna go check to see if it is charged enough to finish cuttin the piece I'm working on now!  

[Ken Layton]

The wall wart only puts out enough current to charge the batteries not to operate the tool directly or continuously.

[DrewKaree]

I've got the perfect solution for you....send me your cordless saw (I'll even kick in $20 for shipping ) and I'll send you my corded saw.  If, after trying it out, you find you want to go back to a cordless saw, just let the cord dangle too close to your cut (I've got three I can send you if you want to skip that step yourself).

BTW, where would you plug a wall wart into?  I've never seen one that was dual-powered like that, although they always offer some nifty features you can get from them *for a small price* after you purchase their tool.  If it's THEIR A/C pack, you should be fine, otherwise, I seriously discourage hacking it to work it that way.  Sell it before throwing your money away like that.  You could prolly get two good corded saws for what you could sell that cordless for.  

Is that the saw that came with the 20 gazillion-in-one kit?

[crashwg]

Nope to the 20 gazillion-in-one kit.  It's the 14.4 drill/saw/flashlight kit.  Was approx. $100 at HD.

I guess I'll just have to drive out to my friends house that's like 50 miles away where I left the flashlight and the second battery...  

[fredster]

That's why they have the second battery. One on the charger, one on the saw.

[DrewKaree]

I guess I'll just have to drive out to my friends house that's like 50 miles away where I left the flashlight and the second battery...

You'd better just ship this off to me A.S.A.P.  If you can't keep the batteries together, you may just end up hurting yourself with this thing....it'll be safer in my hands...I'll send you one of my homemade "cordless" saws to replace that one for you....much safer for you!  

What'd you forget your helmet when you left the house, man?!  

[spystyle]

I've worked in construction part time for years and concluded that cordless tools suck in almost every situation, if you are within 100 feet of an outlet go with corded tools and an extension cord.

Even an $18 corded tool from Wal-Mart should be stronger than the average battery tool, they just have no balls.

Can you dig it ?
Craig

[DrewKaree]

...and concluded that cordless tools suck in almost every situation, if you are within 100 feet of an outlet go with corded tools and an extension cord.

Cordless tools aren't designed for "construction" use, they're usually designed for some purpose similar to, but separate from, that type of use.  Drills would probably be the exception you would site, but someone finishing a deck and using a cordless saw to trim the ends would find that a godsend, rather than getting *almost* to the end of your run and YOINK, the cord catches on something, botching your cut.

They are not designed for all day use, that is true....the power issue is going away with the larger batteries (if you've tried an 18 volter, you'll agree), but the run-time is what is truly limiting cordless tools.  I have yet to see a contractor without at least a cordless drill, and I've used my buddie's router enough that I'm trying to figure out a way to talk the wife into letting me get my own.  Just depends on your use, that's all..  

[Tailgunner]

I've used cordless tools in construction since they became popular in the mid eighties. While I'll agree that some tools simply work better when they're plugged in, lots of tools work quite well on battery power. The 18 volt drills, reciprocating saws and jigsaws rock, though I still prefer a corded circular saw or drywall screwgun. The biggest thing about using a cordless tool on a jobsite is you need at least three batteries and a 15 minute charger. That way you can have one battery in use, one charging, and the third cooling between charges.