Rechargeable 24 v drill

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

To answer the original question, Bosch, or Hitachi. I would’ve said Makita but I had a problem with a brand new chop saw that fizzed and went pop the first time I used it which put me off and the quality of DeWalt seems to have dropped since Black & Decker bought them.

[The Merry MillerParticipant @themerrymiller]

Well thanks for your advice lads.

First thing to say is that I got my knickers in a twist over Li-Po and Li-Ion batteries so I went back to my shortlist and found the choice was between Ni-Cd and Li-Ion not Li-Po.

To cut it short, Screwfix were having a three day sale of a Bosch professional combi ( the Blue range not the Green) with two Li-Ion 2.6 AH batteries.

Price £179.99 reduced to £99.99, sale finishes Saturday.

I snapped one up.

Len. P.

[GarthParticipant @garth]

If you have been using older NiCad batteries your charger wont handle Lithium cells go for NiMh types.

Make sure they are fast charge types and a good capacity 3Ah is best.

As for the batteries in general 90% of them are made in China nowadays, even reputable drill manufacturers have quality control problems from time to time.

Look them up on ebay you will probably find replacement packs for a reasonable price, just double check the specifications.

If you have had your drill for 12 years I can only assume you have not used it very heavily but consistantly otherwise your batteries would have packed up a long time ago.So a top line drill is not probably needed Go for middle range ones similiar to Ryobi.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

For De Walt-read Black & Decker, just a different coloured plastic, and here at least, a different price.

I sorted my workshop for tools with dead battries, I'v got a low voltage supply which is most handy, and its usually easy to pick up battery tools that the battery has expired.

One way of zapping dead cells is to discharge a capacitor across it. Ian S C

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Gentlemen,

Just as a slight aside I used to work for a company that sold machine tools from all over the world, one of our products was conveyor systems used on assembly production lines and we built a race track conveyor for testing a well known british manufactured mains powered electric drill after assembly. I found out whilst installing the equipment that your average DIY mains drill only had a life of twenty four hours, this doesnt seem a lot of time but when you consider what the drill would be used for, drilling holes etc which only take a few seconds, then the drill will last a long time.

Martin P

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I should have said , for zapping Nicad cells, I don't think it would work on Nickel Metal Hydride. Ian S C

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