DIYbanter - View Single Post - Lithium Ion or NiMH power tool "systems": Which one?

Dave Martindale

writes:
I was originally looking to buy a Dust Buster type
device but all the consumer ones have built in
rechargeable batteries....such that once the battery
dies you have to throw away the whole unit. Very
wasteful!!

Not necessarily. If you live in a decent-size city, there are probably
several places that rebuild battery packs from cells. They weld the
cells with straps in the same shape as the original pack. Just take
apart the DustBuster, take the battery pack to the rebuilder, and pick
up a new pack in a few days. I've replaced the battery pack in my
DustBuster at least once this way.

(This works for NiCd and NiMH cells; I don't know if LiIon batteries
can be rebuilt the same way. NiMH battery packs require more protective
electronics, and the electronics are more closely matched to the cells).

However, the real problem with a battery-powered DustBuster is that you
hardly ever use it. If you leave it charging forever in its wall
bracket, this kills the batteries prematurely. If you don't keep it
on charge, the batteries are always dead when you want to use it since
it's been months since the last use. I've read about people using a
timer to power the charger for an hour every day, but that seems like
too much work for a DustBuster, which really won't pick up that much
anyway.

So a vacuum that uses the same batteries as your portable drill is more
likely to be useful (assuming you use the drill somewhat often).

Dave