Difference in brush and nonbrush drills

Re: Difference in brush and nonbrush drills

Bill Howatt

They use fancy electronics to cause the armature to turn and thus they can detect loading better. Supposedly less maintenance since you don't have to replace brushes although I wonder how may hobbyists actually ever do. Lighter weight and higher RPM and efficiency since there is no brush drag. Downside is they are more expensive and of course having the electronic circuitry means if they do fail the repair may be more than sticking in a couple of brushes.

Don't have one myself.

Bill

Re: Difference in brush and nonbrush drills

Jack Dover

A motor is the difference. Brushless motors have a ton of advantages over brushed motors, particularly torque-to-weight ratio and power efficiency are important for hand-held battery powered tools. Brushed motors are simpler and cheap to manufacture, also most of the hand held tools used to be corded, that is having a good source of power. But today industry is driving cost of manufacturing of a brushless motor down, so I think brushed motors will be phased out in the next decade, plus or minus.

Re: Difference in brush and nonbrush drills

Barry Irby

Good answers so far.

My limited grasp of the subject is the brushless ones are more efficient and don't have the drag of the brushes and give better battery life.

Not just drag...

Jason Roehl

When you run a motor with brushes, typically you can see a little bit (or a lot!) of arcing through the vent holes in the case. That arcing (light from the breakdown of air molecules) takes energy to make happen—energy that is not going to what you’re trying to do with the drill; wasted energy.

Jason

Re: Not just drag...

William Duffield

The arcing is also generating ozone, which is not good to breathe.