Brush-less Motors vs. Traditional Motors in Drills

Brush less Motors have been used in tools since the conception of power tools. These motors require a magnet, brushes, an armature, and a commutator, and have some issues that limit there performance according to How Stuff Work's.

Limitations include:

• The brushes eventually wear out.
• Because the brushes are making/breaking connections, you get sparking and electrical noise.
• The brushes limit the maximum speed of the motor.
• Having the electromagnet in the center of the motor makes it harder to cool.
• The use of brushes puts a limit on how many poles the armature can have.

Advantages of a traditional motor include that they are cheap and easy to make and don't require additional electronics to change the polarity of the magnets, that is what the brushes do.

Brush-less Motors have been around since the 60's, according to Popular Mechanics. These motors were first used in manufacturing applications on conveyor belt systems. Makita tools Rep. Wayne Hart said that they have been using brush-less motors in their tools since 2003, mostly in the aerospace industry.

Limitations of the brush-less motor include:

• cost - these motors are expensive to make and are making these tools expensive (Makita kits are excess of $400)
• Manufacture cost for the companies that make them

Advantages include longer motor life, longer battery life due to electronic regulation of the motor torque and power output based on need.

One benefit of this technology that will be helpful for contractors and DIYers abroad is that with the ablility of the motor to sense load and torque needs, it will save battery life when you are working with soft stock and it will ramp up the power for the big job. It basically is a start of a smart too that is more efficient for work.

In conclusion, this technology is here to stay but if you are a weekend warrior or a DIYer that doesn't use your drill/driver daily, then going out and purchasing a new brush-less drill isn't your best choice do to the added cost of these drills. However, if you use a drill/driver everyday this investment will be worth it because it will save you time on battery recharges and you can divide the cost of the drill over a longer time. My suggestion would be to use your current drill until the manufacture and the new wears off these drills to bring the prices down. (It may be less than 18 months)

(Since I am a Bosch fan I had to add there new line of 12v/18v brush-less drills that are coming in March of 2014 - New Bosch Brush-less Drills)