"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
Adam Funk wrote:
I googled the battery number, 2607335709, & it appears to be extinct,
but you can buy "compatible" ones for £25 & up. I'm interested in
opinions on whether replacing one or both batteries is worthwhile.

Rather depends on how much you like the drill. If nothing special, I'd go
for a Lidl offering (you have to keep an eye out for them) They are all
Li-Ion these days which seem to be a better and longer lasting type of
battery. The problem being that replacement batteries if not genuine vary
a lot in quality. And how much current they can deliver makes a big
difference to drill performance.

Google seems to suggest the above is a 12V NiCd battery.

If you're attached to the drill, it would be possible to recell it with
lithium ion (a simple 18650 3S pack would fit inside with ease) but you'd
need to put a BMS in the pack (basic ones are a few dollars from China) and
a new charger. It would likely make the drill work better - you'd keep the
'freshly charged' feeling for a lot longer, and possibly get more torque if
you select batteries with a high current capability.

If you buy a replacement battery, pay close attention to the cells
inside. Many Chinese cells aren't good.

If the drill isn't terribly special, you might find a new one isn't a whole
lot more. I bought a pair of Aldi drills for 25 pounds each the other month
- it was cheaper to buy two drills than a spare battery pack, and turns out
having two drills is quite handy (drill bit in one, driver bit in the other,
left hand, right hand...). They work a whole lot better than my old NiCd
drill.

Theo