My new impact driver quit on a roof job in Nashville, back to the old corded one

Picked up a brushless cordless last month after my 12 year old Makita finally died. It worked fine on trim and small stuff, but I took it up on a metal roof install Thursday and it just stalled out on the third screw. The battery was full and it kept overloading on 1-1/2 inch self tappers through 22 gauge steel. I had to climb down and grab my old corded drill from the truck to finish the job. Total embarrassment when the homeowner asked if I needed a ladder. Anyone else find these new battery guns useless for actual metal work, or did I just get a dud?

2 comments

2 Comments

logantaylor24d ago

Battery tools are great until you need them to actually work, then they turn into expensive paperweights. Sounds like you found the one job where cordless still means "go get the extension cord.

the_sean24d ago

Tbh I hear you, but I gotta disagree. I run a crew and we use cordless for framing, siding, the whole nine yards. Yeah, you gotta manage your batteries and have spares charged, but that's just part of the gig now. One job we did last summer, we were on a roof with zero outlets nearby, and the cordless route saved us hours of running extension cords up ladders. It ain't perfect, sure, but I'd take a modern 60v over dragging a cord around any day.