# battery powered cordless drills - new battery or new drill ??



## 1yeldud1 (Jan 26, 2010)

Ok - what is the most common "fix" for a 3 year old cordless makita drill (only slightly used) - should a person invest in new battery's since the origional won't hold a charge or should a guy just break down and buy a new cordless drill


> ? What is the concensus amoung the fellow "lumber jocks"


???


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## whit (Jul 6, 2007)

yeldud,

I've gone both ways. Frankly, I've been happier with the new batteries in the old drill. They're OUTRAGEOUSLY priced but the older drill works better and is more comfortable in my hands. It's from back in the old days before they started trying to drop a 3"x5"x1.5" battery under a micro-sized drill that has little torque. 'sides, the new batteries in an older working tool fits my reduce, reuse, recycle, repeat lifestyle a bit better. I'm a big fan of older stuff. But then, I can relate to old. 8)

Whit


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## semi75 (Jun 17, 2010)

I feel your pain. The 18v batteries are terrible if you let then drain too much. They are wired that if they do not have a small charge left in them they will not recharge. From what I've read they do worse with lack of use and just sitting there off a charger.
I own the drill, screw gun, grinder, circ saw, and rescip saw so there wasn't much of a choice to me other than replace a battery. I have had much better luck now I don't drain a battery completely and cycle batteries on the charger every couple of weeks even if not using them. I do like the Makita drills better than most others I have used.


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

If the drill is still in good shape and it is doing all you need it to then I would go with the new Battery. But if the thing is only slightly used and the battery is already dead then I would go with something new. You might be buying new batteries quite a bit. Do some research on the drill/battery and see if there is a problem. My Dewalt charger reconditions the batteries and they have lasted me 5 years and still quite powerful.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

I'm going through the same decision process right now; I have a 3yr old 18V cordless drill which I've put through its paces and been quite satisfied, however the batteries don't have the same kick that they used to. Replacement batteries are relatively inexpensive, but my love of new shiny toys is tempting me towards a new drill. Probably should just stick with what I know, and am already happy with though.


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## FMG (Jun 1, 2009)

I agree with Whit. The new batteries are the way to go. Most of the newer drills have been a disappointment for me personally. Including Milwaukee which I was a huge fan of.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

new drill and batteries and throw the old one out

Even better, ..........I might consider buying a corded electric one. In the end they are less expensive if you rarely pick the tool up and having no batteries so they never dissappoint ?


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

I have a 12V Makita bought about 9 years ago, both battery and drill are dead

I have a Black and Decker that is also dead

I have a ridgid thats dead

and I have a Delta thats dead

I also have a recent addition of a Milwaukee that is DYING.

I also have an old corded DeWalt that refuses to die, its almost as old as all the battery drills combined, and the only one left with any balls…...........mind you its corded?

Battery operated tools are rarely something some one should count on

they die way more prematurely then the "plug it in" kind

we get lazy with age


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

Although I agree that a corded drill is much superior… There are times you really don't have an outlet…and need some quick pilots/screws.

I would opt for a new battery if that is the problem - I would apt for a new drill if it is not using a Lithium battery….anything using the old type batteriies (NiCd or whatever) I would replace.

I have a Milwaukee set and a Dewalt set. The Milwaukee is near 5 years old and I have only had to replace 1 battery. This is the 28 volt system. I got a super great deal from factory rep on a Dewalt 36 volt system that had been his demo set…and now I have both…the Dewalt is only 3 years old…but it is working great and I haven't seen any sluggishness whatsoever from the batteries - the 36 volt has nice torque.


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## Lumber2Sawdust (Jul 22, 2010)

The batteries in my Dewalt 12v drill died a couple years ago, while the drill was still in great shape. My wife found an aftermarket manufacturer of batteries instead of a new Dewalt battery. It is an exact fix for the drill. The thing is, it was cheaper then a new dewalt battery (about $65) and according to the specs, it has longer-lasting power than the OEM battery. I have been very happy with it, under moderate use. I don't recall the site where she got it, but google for replacement batteries. I'll bet they make a replacement for your model, too.


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## Greedo (Apr 18, 2010)

what type of battery does it hold? NiCad or Li-I? there is a trick to "revive" dead NiCad batteries by shocking them with a welder. im gonna try it on a friends dead drill battery, i only have recent lithium batteries and no probs.
google the welder trick.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Lumber2Sawdust, do you have the name of the outfit? I have a Ryobi battery that needs replacing. Most places charge a bunch for the replacement batteries. The only real advantage of the cordless drill is that it has more torque that the electric drill.


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## Domer (Mar 8, 2009)

I had an old Rioby that I really liked but after 10 years or so, it died. So I did throw it away.

Since then I have tried to buy cordless tools that can share batteries. I have a couple of Hitachi tools that each have two batteries that are interchangeable.

Recently, I have bought a couple of Rigid tools. My 18volt drill had a battery go bad and Rigid replaced it with no problems. So I am probably going to continue buying Rigid tools. They are good tools and the lifetime battery warranty is hard to beat.

This probably doesn't answer your current question but might help you if you decide to buy new.

Domer


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

The newer drills are set up with LITHIUM ion batteries. This makes tham more powerful per pound of drill and the batteries charge in 15 minutes. The result is you can get a fistfull of power that doesn't give you a struggle when you use it.
The battery life on these drills is years instead of months and you can partially charge them which give the older Ni Cads memory problems.
Yep they are pricey but cry once.


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## RalphBarker (Oct 26, 2010)

I think the advances in battery technology might push one toward the new-drill side of the issue. That said, I concluded years ago that I didn't use a cordless often enough to keep the batteries in shape, so I went back to corded tools. If there's no outlet available, or the cord won't reach, there's always the old eggbeater or the brace.


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## Radu (Jan 25, 2010)

I don't mean to hijack your thread but I am pretty much in your situation. I have had an 18 V (Viper) for about 6-7 years that served me well. I used it but not abused it. One of the batteries was not holding power but the other one was OK. Recently, one day I decided to charge the "bad" one and as soon as I set it in the charger both the charge and full LED lights on charger came on. I tried the battery after a while and it was still dead. When I set the good one in the charger, though it was discharged the full LED light on charger came on. It's still charging but it seems to take longer and I can hear a ticking. I wonder how many ticks until it goes Kaboom.
I think it's time for a new one. My question is do I need and 18 V or a 12 V will do (again for somebody who's not using it every day; besides I do have a corded one). Thanks.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

I bought 12 volt lithiums last time get extra room in tight spots. The torque is just fine on these Ridgid drills.
I should point out that I have a couple of 18 volt Ni cads for anything real heavy duty but the doesn't happen often enough to carry around the extra weight. In your case, the corded drill is probalby enough to cover the odd tough situation.


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## RandyMarine (Mar 5, 2009)

I have a 18v Ryobi drill that is 7 years old…I just got rid of my original batteries last year and got new One+ batteries. I got the batteries because, I love this drill I have used it almost every day since I got it for around the house and in the shop with no issues. I even built my extension on my shed with 3 and a half inch deck screws and it did asuperb job. I am with the other guys that have said the older drills are much better than the newer ones. I also have a DeWalt drill and IMHO sucks big time….it doesn't have the torque of my Ryobi and it doesn't hold a charge as long. The DeWalt is 2 years old. With that said i bought the Ryobi hammer drill this summer for some brick stuff and flag mounting. It's ok, but still not the power and torque of my original drill. Hope this helps.


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## Radu (Jan 25, 2010)

I agree with you Randy. It looks like nowadays everything is made to break not to last. This world has evolved to make junk. Maybe in the past there were not so many ways to communicate and read / write reviews. I should stop here. Sorry for my rant.
I'd love to find replacement batteries for mine but I just couldn't. I know is a copycat but I just don't know of what. I'm probably going to end up with a 12 V. Thanks


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## terrilynne (Jun 24, 2010)

We have a Bosch cordless and you just can't kill the thing! Mike has dropped it twice from over 2 stories. It hit the deck and the battery flew out. I slapped it back in and it still worked! I made him tie it to his bags after that. We also have a Porter cable set that has never failed us.


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

As far as I know, Ridgid is the only company whose lifetime service agreement includes free battery replacement to the original owner. That reason if no other is good enough for me that all my cordless tools are orange.


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## iamwelty (Nov 14, 2009)

Well, I usually wait until Black Friday and buy a combo on sale…. Lowes has the 18V Black and Decker Drill, circular saw and a light on sale for $59 this year. Seems about every year they have a similar set and so I get a new battery, drill and what ever is with the combo for about the price of the new battery.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

Toss the old and get yourself a new Lithium Ion drill. Better yet, get yourself a combo kit that includes an impact driver and drill using the same batteries. You will find a great deal on these kits in the holiday shopping season.


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## traupmann (Oct 8, 2010)

I have owned Porter Cable, Makita and Rigid. I will stay with Rigid because I never pay for failed batteries. Just log the new tool for an lifetime warrentee and they replace the batteries ( 5 or 6 so far) for free. The also fix the tools the same way. I also like the power of the 24v system in doing all tasks.


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## gary351 (Sep 29, 2010)

I had a 14.4 Makita drill they told me the clutch is bad which they wanted $90 to repair. now this was nimi battery. For the same price i paid in 06' i bought a new combo impact driver/hammer drill with lithium-ion. You won't find a better time to buy then now, also lithium batteries offer lighter weight on your drill 18v and i learned to not driver screws with the drill just the impact driver i hope this my last drill.Good Luck


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