Cordless drills

[landmannnn]

What do you guys do with your cordless electric drills when the batteries die?

I seem to have 4 decent cordless drills and about 10 useless batteries, just one good one left. A mixture of 14v and 18v. I do object to spending best part of 100 quid for a couple of batteries.

Do I replace the whole lot with a premium brand hoping the batteries last longer? Or do I buy cheaper one and sling it in 18 months?

[SiWhite]

I have Ryobi One Plus kit which I have owned for over 3 years - still going strong. I bought thier Li-Ion batteries a year or so ago and don't anticipate they'll need replacement for a few years yet.

[bishbosh]

For some daft reason, batteries are more expensive to buy on their own than a drill and two batteries - last time I wanted a Bosch 14.4v battery - sixty something quid or £50 for the drill and batts from Homebase....?

You could try the old "touch it with your welder " trick (not an euphamism) but personally I am not that brave......

[MrKev]

1. I modify and old battery by fitting a plug on the back of the battery so that I can connect external power in

2. I tape velcro to the base of the old battery

3. I attach using said velcro a model helicopter Lithium Polymer battery back and have a cordless drill that seems to perform better that it did on it's original battery.

I often run my 18V drill on an 11.1V Lithium Polymer with perfectly satisfactory results, though I generally run it on a 14.8V pack. About 20 quid for a suitable battery pack.

Kev

[landmannnn]

You could try the old "touch it with your welder " trick (not an euphamism) but personally I am not that brave......

Tried that. The batteries seemed fine, then a week later back to dead again.

[sotal]

I had a 12v cheapy one that died, I removed the battery and hard wired a length a wire in with crocodile clips, so it can be connected to a 12v battery - mainly used in the caravan as a leg winding tool and a screw peg extractor.

I've never dared to the welder trick.

I wouldn't ever bother with cheap drills again. Not only do the batteries run out quickly but the drill just doesn't perform they just feel like toys.

Last time I needed a replacement I opted for a pair of second hand Makitas from ebay. They're 2006 models and came with two batteries each and a charger each. They're Nicad batteries so not the latest technology but I figured with 4 batteries I should get some use out of them before they needed replacing. They cost me £80 for the pair so £40 each so not much more than a cheapy drill. The difference is amazing - they just work, they don't give up half way through screwing a screw in, they feel solid, they have electronic breaking etc. I've had them about a year now and the batteries still work perfectly and last loads longer than any other drill I've owned

Sorry if I've gone on a bit but buying the Makitas was one of the best decisions I've made with tools

[smokinv8]

I had a 12v cheapy one that died, I removed the battery and hard wired a length a wire in with crocodile clips, so it can be connected to a 12v battery.

Done that myself, one of the best mods I did and carry it in the land rover always!

[LandyManLuke]

I've also taken a 12v drill with a knackered battery and made up leads to run it straight off a car battery.

Works very well, but its very easy to over-work the drill, as the battery won't go flat anywhere near as quick!

[R.G.P]

Get a Makita, I have got a package with a cordless jigsaw and 2 batteries. It's lasted about 3 years, on a farm! I use is for loads of things like a hammer when there's not one to spare!!!