George wrote:

I'm taking bets he dropped it on its heel, or used it as a hammer.

Just got a 30th anniversary version long battery myself. Replacement NiCd
for my fifteen year old one was $40, did the Menard 18% off and on sale
for the new one with _two_ NiMH batteries for $58.

My hand spans 10" and I love the standard and right angle versions I own.

"Eugene" wrote in message
...
DEBORAH DOYLE wrote:

Okay okay I should definitely not have done it but I handed my 5 year
old 9.6 V Makita cordless drill to a temporary worker, a kid, who
didn't really understand them (he SAID he did but no, as it turns
out)and he held onto the snout and twisted it (in F) in reverse to
back out a bit. He must have done this with steely determination.
The F/R switch will no longer go into R, it freezes 1/2 way there, and
only the forward torque works - there is no action in the 1/2way
there, and when I slide it to the full R posiition it will not only
not remain in that position but there is no action at that position
either.

I have 3 of these and am dedicated to them. The ones with higher
voltage are too heavy for me, I'm a girl thankyou, and I still use the
batteries that have the one metal clamp in front.

Well I'm not a girl, but I like the smaller size of the 9.6v drills
because
they fit inside places like cabinets or between studs better than the big
ones. Makita's web site under service has parts drawings available in
.pdf
format for download so you can see what is inside.
I'm still trying to get a right angle. No Menards near here. I've been
thinking about picking up a new one sice I can get the whole kit for the
price of two new batteries.