Cordless Drill question

[MotionMan]

I have a Makita 6011d cordless drill. It has 9.6V and 12V batteries. The batteries seem to only work for a very short period of time each, like a few minutes at a time. I keep having to swap them in and out of the charger.

Am I correct in assuming that the batteries, which have to be over 10 years old, are toast? Could it be the charger? How would I figure out where the problem is?

I can get a "12v, 1700mAh, Ni-Cd, Replacement MAKITA Power Tool Battery" for $32.74 or a "12v, 2000mAh, Ni-cd, Replacement MAKITA Power Tool Battery" for $36.75 from Amazon. Is the extra $4 worth it? (The "Makita 632277-5 1210 12-Volt 1-1/3-Amp Hour NiCad Pod Style Battery by Makita" is $57.89.)

Should I buy two new batteries or should I put the money towards a new drill?

MotionMan

 

[apac]

Put the $36 towards an 18V drill. They are worlds better. See if your home depot has any open box items for sale- I got a great deal (maybe ~40% off) on an 18V drill/skillsaw/sawsall combo cause someone bought the kit, used it once, and returned it.

 

[13Gigatons]

Walgreen's have a entire drill set for $30. It's 18v and would probably run circles around the drill you have now.

 

[brainhulk]

get a lithium ion drill.

 

[Lizardman]

Don't waste your money on complete garbage like black and decker. At least check out the reviews http://www.cordless-drill-reviews.com/18v-cordless-drill.html

 

[Vette73]

You can get a Li-Ion 18v drill pretty cheap now.

I got a hitachi 18v Li-Ion drill for $90 (was on sale). Its now $130 but there are other options as well.


The Ah number is usually how much power it can store. So the higher the number the longer it can go. BUT that usually means the higher the number the more weight it has.

 

[edro]

Li-Ion is a completely different class than NiCd.
I have had a few NiCd drills int he past and they all suck.
The batteries don't last, there isn't much power, etc.

I got a $100 set of Ryobi Li-Ion drill and impact driver 2 years ago.
I use them all the time renovating my house. They still work great, even after all the abuse.
I was worried about getting Ryobi, but for $100 it wasn't too bad of a risk.

Li-Ion has a ton more power, punch, much shorter charge time, longer battery life, lighter batteries, etc.

I 100% recommend the green Ryobi Li-Ion 18V drill and impact driver.
Go try a Li-Ion in the store.

Also, if you are still using a drill as a screw gun, you need to try an impact driver.
They hammer the screws in with a high speed ratchet action.
No wrist strain and they can drive huge screws into materials a normal drill can't.
I have screwed numerous 1/2"x4" lag bolts into wood with mine.

 

[drnickriviera]

See if you have a batteries plus or a store similar to that near you. They can rebuild your battery packs with new cells. You may even be able to ditch the Ni-Cd and go to NiMh

 

[sonicdrummer20]

Try Sears, they have 18 volt cordless drills for $50.00+ and that includes a lifetime warranty with Sears.

 

[Linflas]

I bought the Porter Cable PC180DK-2 last summer. It was rated as a Best Buy by Consumer reports and works fine for the around the house stuff I use it for. I picked it up for around $100.00 from Lowes and it came with 2 batteries and a plastic case to store it all in.

 

[Kommander_Kink]

Can someone tell why cordless drills (and corded) have fallen through the basement in price in the last 10 years? China?

 

[MotionMan]

So what are, generally, the best brands nowadays (the ones you would pay a little extra for).

Which brands have to be avoided like the plague?

Obviously, I have not purchased one in many, many years.

MotionMan

 

[Lifted]

There must be a glitch in the Matrix.

 

[brainhulk]

Can someone tell why cordless drills (and corded) have fallen through the basement in price in the last 10 years? China?

my guess is harbor freight. <---I love this store

 

[Vette73]

So what are, generally, the best brands nowadays (the ones you would pay a little extra for).

Which brands have to be avoided like the plague?

Obviously, I have not purchased one in many, many years.

MotionMan

Depends on your price point.

Dewalt is still ok but not a leader as they once were.
Makita is very good, but costly.
Some hitachi are good but they only have 1 name line so their BlackandDecker fighter drills have the same name as they better units, hitachi.
Skil use to be good but seemed to have really dropped in Q.
Bosch use to have some good ones but have not looked into them for a while.
etc...

A lot of them are out there, just depends on the price point and what you will do with it.
Are you a DiY or a heavy/pro user?

 

[Vette73]

Can someone tell why cordless drills (and corded) have fallen through the basement in price in the last 10 years? China?

Patents have run out on a lot of stuff and the basic drill motor is about the same in all drills.
The batt's and charger are what eat up a lot of cost now.

 

[MotionMan]

A lot of them are out there, just depends on the price point and what you will do with it.
Are you a DiY or a heavy/pro user?

This is just for stuff around the house, but I do not want a piece crap, girly-girl drill, either.

I would like to get away will around $100, but am willing to go to $200 if the $100 price point is filled with crap.

MotionMan

 

[Vette73]

I got this drill...

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-DS18DS...4240470&amp;sr=1-4

It was $99-105 about a month ago but is not onsale now.

Look for a drill that has a locking chuck, not the 2 piece design. The 2 piece always seems to come loose when you really need it to work. Cheaper drills use the cheaper 2 piece design and make it easy to weed them out from any selection IMO.

But for a good DiY look for a locking chuck Li-Ion unit from Hitachi, Roybi, Craftsman, etc&#8230; You should be able to find a good Locking chuck Li-Ion unit in the $100-150 range.

 

[feralkid]

Try Sears, they have 18 volt cordless drills for $50.00+ and that includes a lifetime warranty with Sears.

No.

The lifetime warranty is only for Craftsman hand tools.

Not Power Tools.

 

[MotionMan]

I am going to try to swing by Home Depot this weekend. I will tackle someone with an orange vest and force them to talk about drills with me.

MotionMan

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I have a Makita 6011d cordless drill. It has 9.6V and 12V batteries. The batteries seem to only work for a very short period of time each, like a few minutes at a time. I keep having to swap them in and out of the charger.

Am I correct in assuming that the batteries, which have to be over 10 years old, are toast? Could it be the charger? How would I figure out where the problem is?

I can get a "12v, 1700mAh, Ni-Cd, Replacement MAKITA Power Tool Battery" for $32.74 or a "12v, 2000mAh, Ni-cd, Replacement MAKITA Power Tool Battery" for $36.75 from Amazon. Is the extra $4 worth it? (The "Makita 632277-5 1210 12-Volt 1-1/3-Amp Hour NiCad Pod Style Battery by Makita" is $57.89.)

Should I buy two new batteries or should I put the money towards a new drill?

MotionMan

Your battereis are smoke.

If you are willing to wait, wait for the Dewalt's to go on sale with 2 battereis. Point being, you bascially get the drill free at that point.

FWIW: Get a Dewalt. I've used them for years and they are reliable for occasional use. I use it more than the average pserons though so trust me, they are good enough. Besides, for $100, it doesn't really matter what brand you get. They are all comprable. Just pick a brand and stick with it though so that you can swap batteries. Unless you need it for your career, you do not need a high end drill ($250+).

Oh, get a larger 18 volt dewalt, not a 12 volt model. The 18 volt models always have enough power to do anything unless the charge is getting weak. I jsut checked though and they are now $200. Wow. I thought they were less. I'd wait for a sale if you can.

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053