"Ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
The trimmer is only a few years
old, so I thought the battery died earlier than I would have expected.

From my experience in using ni-cads for the past 30 years or so, you did
good. they do not last forever.



Did the higher than expected voltage on the charger lead to the early
demise of the ni-cad battery?

No it is probably just fine. Some chargers give a high reading under no
load. Others can expain it better than I can.
Stick with what you have.