It is really important to buy a drill or driver as you need. There are both brand new tools as well as used tools available in the market. If you are a newbie as well as you wish to invest small money for the power tools such as drills and drivers, used tools are a real option. When you buy a used drill and driver, you must consider, whether it is worth it? This is a checklist that you should have on your hand when you buy it.
It is really worth it to buy a used drill and driver. It is a good opportunity for the newbie who needs tools for the first time. Normally, the used drill or driver will be cheaper than the branded tools. So let’s see whether it is worth for buying a used drill and driver as well as what should we check before we buy it.
Is it Worth Buying a Used Drill Driver?
It depends on the tool condition and price. Normally, a used drill and driver will cost 20%-30% less than the branded tool price. But this can be less than that, according to the seller’s requirements, condition of the tool, etc.
You can buy thousands of used drills and drivers from yard sales. As for me, I have seen so many attractive deals there. But you should pay attention to the condition of the tool and the price of the tool.
This Yard Sale Treasure Map App will help you to find a yard sale in your area.
Buying a drill, or driver is a good idea. But I do not recommend buying a drill battery there. Because we can’t observe the problems in the battery. So you can save money and avoid problems, by buying batteries.
Nobody can predict the battery condition except the user. So can we trust him?
Check List to Buy a Cordless Drill and Driver
1. Check for Physical Damages
First, you should check the tool for physical damages such as scratchings and cracks. When a tool is got hit to a harder surface, it can crack or scratch hardly. So you should pay attention to this at first. When you can see this kind of damage you have to check inside as a second step.
Sometimes outside physical damage can not affect inside function. But sometimes, it can spread inside.
Avoid buying damaged tools if you do not have the knowledge to repair them.
2. Check Power Supply
The most important thing is to check for the power supply. Most lightweight drills are cordless. Corded drills are used for heavy-duty tasks. There are both pros and cons for the cordless vs corded drill and drivers.
If the tool is cordless, check the battery and tool adapting area. Check whether the battery can be placed there properly. As well as if there is abnormal heating, it can be due to inside power short. So you had better pay attention to this.
If you wish to buy a corded tool, make sure there is no damage to the power cable. If it has damaged, you can get shocked by electricity.
Read More About – Are Cordless Drills Powerful As Corded?
3. Check for Operations
As a next step, you had better power up the tool and then check for the operation. If it is a hammer drill check whether the hammering action is working. You can check it by pushing to bit or chuck when its trigger is pressed. You can feel the blow of the hammering action.
If you are going to buy an impact driver or impact wrench check it with a drive bit. You can hear the impact mechanism clearly.
As well as if the tool is multifunctional tool check each one separately. Check whether those are smoothly changed from function to function. Some tools are not worked a long period. Hence function can not work properly due to not lubricating etc.
4. Check for Machine Functions
Check for the chuck tightening and removing and then press the trigger. As well as there is a switch to change to spinning direction. so check for it. And then check the battery mounting.
If all parts are functioning well, you can go for the next point.
Read More About – Top 08 Drill Bit Problems and Solutions
5. Check for Heating
If you have a drill battery, you can check it for heating. If you test the tool few minutes, check its heat generation. Heat can be generated due to the below reasons.
- Cover the ventilation holes
- Electrical path short
- Mechanical problem
- Inside debris
- Worn brushes
- No lubricants etc.
This guide will help you to identify, why is your drill overheating and how to fix it?
6. Check for Sparking
Sparking is a common problem for the drill and drivers. Every drill is sparking inside. But it should be limited. There is minimum sparking that can be seen in any power tool which is powered by an electric motor.
But if it can be seen abnormally, it is not good. A drill can be sparked due to these reasons.
- Inside debris
- No lubricants
- Worn brushes
- Damages windings
- Worn bearings etc.
So if you can see huge sparking. It can be due to one of these reasons. So if you can fix this you can buy it.
7. Check Brushes and Motors
You cant check the motor without removing inside. As well as if you don’t have better knowledge about it, do not try that.
But you can check the brushes. You can check the brushes by removing them outside. If it has worn you can replace it easily.
There are two types of drills called brushed and brushless. Brushless is better than brushed motors.
If the brush’s length is 1/4 of its initial length you should change it.
8. Check for Drill Battery
Buying a used drill battery is not a highly recommended solution. Because Li-Ion batteries can not work properly when it is using a long period. Sometimes batteries can be dead. But if you know it has dead you can revive the drill battery using this method successfully.
Sometimes it can be not charged as well as it can discharge soon. Some drill battery problems we can see. So I strongly recommend you not to buy a used drill battery.
Drill batteries can be bought easily. So you can buy a brand new one for a long period of usage.
Read More About – 09 Reasons Why Do Drill Batteries Die Soon? – My Experience
Conclusion
Second-hand, reused, power tools such as drills and drivers are worth it for buying a newbie. But it is not highly recommended for the professional user. These cant be guaranteed. But it is good for the start drilling and driving as a woodworker or metal worker.
Buying a battery is not recommended. But if you can trust the seller you can buy it.
Related Topics
- Drilling Basic – Explained with Images!
- What Size Bits Does an Impact Driver Use?
- Is An Impact Driver Better Than a Regular Drill? – Find Out Here!
- How Many Watts Need For Impact Driver? – Power Consumption
- Voltage For Cordless Drills – Do I Need Higher One?
