sears cordless drill

[oldyam80sg]

Hello-I bought a 18 volt cordless drill from Sears a couple of years ago.I use the drill on occasions but not daily.I charged the batteries the other day for 5 hours and used it at work.Battery life lasted 2 hours at best.Took batteries and charged them overnight so i could use at work the next day.Only was good for 4 hours at best but really lost power after 3 hours.So my question is this-Would Sears do anything about the batteries?Really disappoints me that the batteries don't last long or do they eventually go bad.Anyone?

[tw1980]

I read my wife your question.She was a manager at sears for 13 years until she went to work for me 2 years ago.She said Sears will not replace the batteries after one year unless you purchased the product protection plan.Now I'll answer your second question.Yes ni-cad batteries wear out,even with intermittent use or when not used at all.Their storage capability diminishes with time.Sorry I have no good news.They also can develop a memory.They should be completely discharged before they are recharged. Terry

[oldyam80sg]

Ok thank you for the reply-that saves me a trip to there.Is there anything out there that you would recommend besides the $$$ Dewalt line.Need something that will last 8 hours drilling holes in wood without the cord.As always i appreciate any advice.Pete

[Ken Talbot]

How about two batteries?

[oldyam80sg]

Actually my Sears drill came with 2 batteries but they both are going-stilll will not hold a long charge.

[Ken Talbot]

Four batteries?

[fredintoon]

Ok thank you for the reply-that saves me a trip to there.Is there anything out there that you would recommend besides the $$$ Dewalt line.Need something that will last 8 hours drilling holes in wood without the cord.As always i appreciate any advice.Pete

Hi Pete,
dunno if this works but some guy told me that you can coax a few months of improved performance out of a rechargeable by sitting it in a deepfreeze overnight before giving it a recharge.
There is an ugly old-fashioned alternative called a wheelbrace.

[b.walker5]

Hi Pete,
dunno if this works but some guy told me that you can coax a few months of improved performance out of a rechargeable by sitting it in a deepfreeze overnight before giving it a recharge.
There is an ugly old-fashioned alternative called a wheelbrace.

Okay, that works for a while but you gotta follow some rules first. First, completely discharge your battery. The way to do this effectively is to rig up a 12v lamp in holder with a couple of wires attached. Bare the ends of the wires and connect them to the battery + and - by whatever means you have. I use alligator clips but depending on the battery these can be a PITA to attach. Leave the lamp attached for 24 hrs min, 48 is better, and then throw it in a freezer overnight. Recharge the battery for 14hrs min, discharge and recharge at least twice more, before use again. (for this step I put the battery in the drill and cable tie the trigger down till the drill dies and then i hook up the lamp to completely flatten the thing) From then on make sure your battery is completely flat before charging again. This buys you some time to save for a good drill with Metal Nickel Hydryde or Lithium Ion batteries. Lithium doesnt develop a memory but lacks punch at lower voltages. Metal Nickel does develop a memory but takes much longer than Ni-cad and has good current draw at right across the usable voltage range. I have a Metabo 12v with hammer and pulse function powered by Ni-Mh and it often has to work long hours. I have 2 batteries but usually only need 1.

[tw1980]

Yes this procedure will help if your batteries have developed a memory.You guys lost me on the freezer thing though.I don't understand how that helps.Unless it's because it makes the battery recharge slower.Is that why?

[freebird01752]

Go buy the Rigid brand from Home Depot. The carry a lifetime warranty on both the drill and battery. I had a friend that had a combo kit and the drill messed up so they asked if he wanted everything replaced ... sure why not. The one I have only take like 30 mins tops to be fully charged and lasts a good long time.

Steve

[oldyam80sg]

Thanks Steve-will check that out!

[Ivan]

Take your batteries to the local RC hobby shop and ask if they can cycle them. This usually wakes up Nicd batteries. FWIW MiMH has great capacity, but once discharged below minimum voltage, they are toast. Same with Lithium, plus the risk of fire if not charged properly. All that is to say that with NiMH or Lithium, USE THE RIGHT CHARGER! Also, dont run them after they slow down noticably. NiCd are the most forgiving, but lack the capacity.

Anyhoot the local RC guys probably know more about the batteries available than the guys that designed the tools. Give them a try.

[CatatonicBug]

I second the Rigid brand. I actually have a Lithium-Ion cordless drill that I purchased for exactly this reason. My old Craftsman cordless had batteries that died after about 2 years, and I couldn't justify buying another whole drill that would do the same thing again. I am actually contemplating using the warranty on my Rigid right now, as the batteries are starting to loose power, but I know that since I have the warranty, I won't have a problem.

[latexeses]

fredintoon,

You just about have to be the son or grandson of a Millwright to have used a brace and bit more than once. Work great if you can get your arms to last all day on one charge.

Rodger

[CatatonicBug]

You just about have to be the son or grandson of a Millwright to have used a brace and bit more than once. Work great if you can get your arms to last all day on one charge.

I learned the art of drilling using my dad's brace & bit. He never let me use power tools until I was in my teens, so he would hand me this huge, heavy brace and I'd lean my chest on it while trying to turn the thing. Fun as a kid, but I can't imagine doing that all day long now...