Cordless Drill Advice
#1
My Black and Decker cordless drill 12 volt power pack won't keep a recharge very long any more . It is several years old . The replacement power packs seem to be around $50 and I don't think I paid much more than that for the drill AND power pack , originally ....if I remember right Goldth

Is there a new drill anyone can recommend , or should I just spring for the new 12 volt P.P. ? I don't think I would need the extra power of a 24 volt PP and , besides , it would probably be a lot heavier .

Any suggestions ?

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#2
TeeJay
If you have a Harbour Freight in Ca. they have batteries for a reasonable price, in fact some of their cordless drills are priced reasonably but I can't say how good they are.
I got a cordless Black and Decker 3 years ago on sale, and it came with 2 18 volt batteries. It has driven a whole lot of screws and drilled loads of holes.
I have had good luck with my last few B&D tools, but before that they were a lot of problems.
You might find a battery on e bay.
Charlie
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#3
I never bother with battery power tools. Unless you are a contractor that uses the tool daily, it is more of a hassle to keep batteries charged for when you might need them.

I got 20 plus years out of my first corded drill. Upgraded to a hammer drill that gave me another 20 years and is still going strong for my second power drill.

Any battery powered tool that I've ever owned has only lasted a couple of years before dying.

If you want to find replacement batteries for what you have, do a google search for "batteries" and your location. So for you, I'd think that "Batteries Windsor Ontario" would work.

Interstate is a good place to get batteries. I got new batteries for a mobility scooter from Royal Batteries. These places are wholesalers which are cheaper than retailers.
Ron Wm. Hurlbut
Toronto, Ontario, Dominion of Canada
Ontario Narrow Gauge Show
Humber Valley & Simcoe Railway Blog
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#4
I like my B&D cordless screw driver and drill. The screw driver is probably 10 years old and still going strong. I did buy a couple of the new longer life batteries for it because it works so well. The drill (18v) is only a couple of years old but the battery lasts for months of intermittent use without a charge. Your comment made me curious so I weighed it. It was less than 4 lbs. My daughter found it on a clearance rack at Walmart for $19. An excellent price for a good tool.

I have a couple of corded drills, both from the 70s, that are still going strong. Sometimes you just need the power of a corded drill.

Tom
Life is simple - Eat, Drink, Play with trains

Occupation: Professional Old Guy (The government pays me to be old.)
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#5
I've got several of those drills from Harbor Freight. Some of them I've had over 15 years. The only problem I have against them is the chargers. The transformers have a tendency to open up if there's a short or if you leave the battery charging too long. There is a fuse link inside the transformer housing that hard to get to. It is also easy to overcharge the batteries if you're not careful, and that's the end of that. That being said, their 18 volt drills are in the $20 range when on sale (which is most of the time), batteries run about half that.

I've also got a Craftsman drill set that I bought from Sansone online for $30. I got it because it had a right-angle drill that I could have used in the past. You guessed it, neither battery can hold a charge for very long, and replacement batteries run about $35 for even an after market one.

The next drill I buy will have a lithium-ion battery.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#6
Thanks for the replies , guys .

Thinking back , I probably overcharged it at some point ....but how do you know when it's charged ?

-I have a couple of corded drills that are 15-20 years old and they still run fine , but I get tired of hauling around the 50 foot extension cord .

- I'll check the local WallFart , although it will be the last resort ...hate the place .

- My "about $50 " statement on my post came from googling B&D 12 volt PP , PS130 .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#7
I got several years ago a small and a medium one from the German brand Bosch. The advantage of the devices is the rechargeable batterie they use. They are lithium-ion battery and last very long. Over loading and self unloading if not used for month are much better handled than with other technologies. I recommend lithium-ion battery for casual hobby use.
Reinhard
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#8
I've tried B&D and Craftsman, both had trouble holding a charge. Got a DeWalt 18v at Lowes several years ago and wish I had started out ewith it. Would have saved me a lot of coin.

Lynn
Whitehouse, Tx
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#9
Just got back from WallFart and have now a B&D 20 volt Lithium . It was just under $50 for everything so it made sense to buy that instead of just a 12 v PP. I'll make sure I read the instructions on the proper way to recharge .

Thanks All

T

Pretty cool ......It has a recharging "dock" setup and the charging stops when complete !
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#10
It won't burn up a 12v drill by giving it 20v?
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
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#11
teejay Wrote:Thanks for the replies , guys .

Thinking back , I probably overcharged it at some point ....but how do you know when it's charged ?

T

It depends on the charger. Some, like the earlier 18 volt Harbor Freight ones had a charger that quite charging when it reached full charge. I had a couple of those, that's why mine lasted so long. There was a red LED lit when it was charging and a green one to let you know it was charged. It would not overcharge, unlike the newer ones that have just a red LED and no limit sensors.

Tyson Rayles Wrote:It won't burn up a 12v drill by giving it 20v?

It would if it would fit, but I think he's talking about the whole thing, drill and battery. Not a bad deal with a lithium battery.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#12
Yeah , got a new drill , 20v PP and recharge dock for $49.95 . I still have the old drill and dead PP , Mike .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#13
10-4 Thumbsup
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
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#14
I'm looking for a timer for my rechargeables. I have instructions that say 4 hours, 16 hours, a day ... My old lawnmower got charged for 2 months because I left it in during holidays.

Something like the timer for the bathroom fan or heater, but longer time.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#15
BR,

You shouldn't need one. You also shouldn't have a battery charged for that long, if your not going to be using a battery for a couple of weeks it should be unplugged and sitting on wood or rubber.


Most chargers nowadays have a full charge shut off. Depending on what you got (age wise and brand/model) it would be wise to change out to newer.
Tom

Model Conrail

PM me to get a hold of me.
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