On 8/22/2010 9:11 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
My Makita cordless drill is getting tired. Or, more likely, the
batteries are wearing out. My options include:

1) put up with it
2) Use only corded drills from now on
3) Buy more batteries either at the store, or off the web, or Ebay


The old Makitas were good drills, new batteries might be a good plan.

4) Buy a cheap drill from HF and hope that's good. I've got a couple
12 volt "Drill Master" which have served well, for a long time. I use
them for turning screws, light duty. Charge for an hour when the drill
won't work any more. The charger is unregulated.
5) Buy a different brand altogether

I'm liking Ryobi for cheap tools. I like the way they are designed and
the attention to details and features.

Their standard 18V drill has a half inch chuck. How cool is that? It's a
bad boy.

I bought the kit, drill, circular saw, sawzall and flashlight with 2
batteries from HD for $129, a deal they have run on and off for years.
What got me into Ryobi was the cordless fan. It runs a long long time
and kicks out enough air to make being outdoors pleasant.

If you can afford the LiIon batteries, the Ryobi 18V tools can use
either them or the NiCads. LiIon is the future.

Jeff

6) Get a couple tired 14.4 cells rebuilt at Primecell

Has anyone had good experience with any of the HF drills? Or with
Primecell? I've heard others reccomend Primecell.