Advantages and Disadvantages of Brushed and Brushless Motors - A GalcoTV Tech Tip

Here’s what I’ll say: if you’re a contractor, or someone who will be using the drill/impact or whatever it is constantly - buy the brushless. You’ll get longer battery life, and the tools won’t overheat as easily, as well as you may get a slight power advantage over brushed depending on the brand. However, if you’re someone who only occasionally needs to use the tools - just buy the brushed. It’s cheaper, and still get really solid build quality depending on the brand. Plus, if your brushes wear out they’re easy as heck to replace.

The brushed does have one and only one advantage over the brushless: the cost and simplicity in replacing parts. When a brushless motor dies: you have to buy a new tool, if a brushed motor dies: you probably just need to replace the brushes.

Author — Alex

The big problem with brushless tools is their very complex and delicate control electronics. They cannot be repaired and the entire circuit must be replaced. Brushed motor tools are extremely robust and their 4-pole versions are very powerful, which is why they still exist. many dewalt xrp series tools 15 or 20 years old working today.

Author — Alex andres

To the point, logical and well explained. One of the most informative YT vids i've seen in a long time. Thanks

Author — Craig Morgan

Amazing well explained, needed this info getting into hobby grade RC

Author — HYPE WARRIOR!!

Brushless generator looks more durable than brush by design. The Brushed Generator's conductors between stationary and other in motion - must be connected to conducting the electricity. Brushless generator doesn't need that, since copper coils are stationary.

Author — Galatians 3:26 - 29

The weakness in the brushless tools are going to be the cheap electronics that drive the motor. They will likely be the failure point. The little computer also typically has pre-determined notched speeds so you don't get continuously variable control. You also get the added trigger lag as the chip tries to figure out how far the trigger's pressed in with most brushless tools. Companies are eager to switch to brushless though because it can make tools lighter and cheaper to manufacture/ship from wherever they slap them together. If brushless designs resulted in larger/heavier tools, despite not having brushes that can wear out that tech would remain a novelty and would probably never be adopted on a large scale.

Author — TapesNstuffS

The major advantage brushless is less friction and less loss as brushes start to wear/down- grade performance immediately. This is well know in other applications that have long used in competitive use to point that brushed is not seen in them any long. Brushless isn't really that new in applications. Cost is the down factor but has gone down which is why you see it offered in lessor applications now.

Author — David Davis

I read a review on a Milwaukee tool site and one guy said his brushes drill was more durable than the new brushless he purchased. Someone else said the brushless is very sensitive to moisture compared to a brushed version, maybe if its foggy out or working near the coast.
Has anybody else experienced the differences like that?

Author — 707SonomaComa

As electrical Constuction and tool repair for over 50 years I can tell you we changed many brushes until the 1970. I think commutators were improved and they don't wear out the brushes anymore. So do you want a brush motor or one that uses non repairable electronics, sensitive to moisture at twice the price?

Author — joe reese

Good videos and presentation....now i can learn how to make my own racing drone

Author — roshi

In my (personal) experience the overcomplicated wiring and requirement of a computer chip causes brushless tools to be much less durable than brushed. I believe the word “durable” is used wrong when talking about the lack of physical contact in a brushless motor. The brushes wearing out on a tool is normal and still takes 5-10 years with heavy use. This doesn’t lower the durability at all in my opinion as the brushes are consumable. It’s more like replacing the batteries in a remote than the remote breaking.

You could make a brushless tool in a glass housing and it would shatter the moment you drop it. Would that tool be considered more durable? If you look at brushes as consumables then they become the more durable tools due to their simplicity. I feel a lot better when one of my brushed tools falls off of a roof simply because I know it will still run fine after. The brushless tools just don’t hold up to as much physical abuse.

My 2 ¢

Author — Turner Moczygemba

the probleme is with some motors where the brushes are inside the motor housing like fore some chinese cheap cordless drill for example, so it's complicated to fix them, and we have to change the whole motor

Author — yahya bora

hi sir, i just have 2 questions
1. which of the two is better for aquariums?
2. can a brushless motor run 24/7?
thank you in advance

Author — J English

brushless is the better choice... but more expensive

Author — FatSquishyFry

Doesn't the commutator take an AC signal and convert it to DC? 🤓

Author — james tomlin

Very impormative now iknow the diference between brushed and brushless motor.

Author — lotku

Lynch brushed motor 93%, Maxon brushed 92% their brushless 86% so not sure why you're claiming brushless are more efficient? - Brush controllers are both more efficient and cheaper

Author — Trev S

You never said anything about the power and torque each gives off

Author — Matthew Lachance

You could feel that Katie was thinking “please God fuc*ing Kill me now” as she was regurgitating dialogue for a topic she could care less for. Personally, I thought it was great!

Author — TheSebastian5978

my brush motor drone is better than my brushless one :)

Author — FatSquishyFry