TWS wrote:

snip

Batteries Suck.


Yup. My last project, framing a mirror in the bathroom, started
simple enough until I went to use my 3 year old Hitachi cordless
drill. Since their charger is 'smart' it stops charging after
reaching full charge so you can leave it in the charger as long as you
want - it won't harm the battery. Problem is - it is so smart, it
doesn't check to see that the battery self-discharged on its own while
sitting there so it doesn't charge it back up - keeping it in the
charger is useless. Two dead batteries.

So, to finish my project I have to use my VERY old 3/8 inch corded
drill with the kind of chuck that requires a key - it's also the kind
of chuck that sits pretty loose in its bearing - this doesn't have
runout - it's more like a marathon. Anyway, it's amazing how quickly
one can get used to have a hand tightened chuck and how quickly we
forget that the key, which is tie-wrapped to the cord, needs to be
removed from the chuck before you pull the switch - that cord got
really short in a hurry! Ok, so I'm past that but at every turn I'm
either knocking stuff off the counter with the cord or can't reach the
damn hole I want to drill 'cause the cord's caught on something or I
trip on the cord going to get the spackle to repair the hole I just
put in the wall because the drill stopped short and dinged the wall.

I just bought a new cordless drill and chose it almost entirely
because the manufacturer promises 'lifetime' replacement of batteries.
We'll see. Either their promise is full of holes or they're going to
go out of business because...

Batteries Suck.

TWS
What mfgr offers lifetime replacement of batteries? and what's their
criteria for replacement? Is there a large fee for shipping/handling?

Dave