I have a Bosch (blue) GSR12-2 cordless drill that I bought with a
mains SDS drill on sale from Screwfix in 2009. (IIRC, someone here
pointed the sale out to me. Thanks, whoever!)

The drills are still in good working order, but one of the two
batteries that came with the cordless one is dead. Specifically, if I
put it in the charger, the light blinks for a while (charging) then
indicates "charged", but when I put it in the drill, absolutely
nothing happens. The other battery is still working, but it doesn't
last as long as it used to, & I have to be careful not to run low in
the middle of a job.

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.

Thanks.

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.

There are firms around who will re-cell batteries for you. I had one done
for a much loved Wickes drill that included a right angle drive.
Replacement cells - despite a highish cost - weren't as good as the
originals, though.

--
*The more I learn about women, the more I love my car

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"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

On 23/01/2019 16:21, 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.

+1, I am still running NiCad Makitas because they just do the job. But
I've bought several clone batteries and they have all been fine, as far
as I can see indistinguishable from the original.

You might well find that modern AldiLidls are nearly as nice as the
Bosch (and they come with their own standard batteries which can be
bought separately, and which fit their other tools).



There are firms around who will re-cell batteries for you.

Or you can re-cell your own. I re-celled the Ryobi that preceded the
Mak. Space is a bit tight, the originals tend to be spot welded. You can
DIY spot weld, or solder; easisest way is to get ready tagged ones and
solder, but it may be very hard to fit these back in the original case.

NiMH are an alternative to NiCad; not as good as LiIon but less likely
to catch fire if you screw up.

On Wednesday, 23 January 2019 15:30:05 UTC, Adam Funk wrote:
I have a Bosch (blue) GSR12-2 cordless drill that I bought with a
mains SDS drill on sale from Screwfix in 2009. (IIRC, someone here
pointed the sale out to me. Thanks, whoever!)

The drills are still in good working order, but one of the two
batteries that came with the cordless one is dead. Specifically, if I
put it in the charger, the light blinks for a while (charging) then
indicates "charged", but when I put it in the drill, absolutely
nothing happens. The other battery is still working, but it doesn't
last as long as it used to, & I have to be careful not to run low in
the middle of a job.

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.

Thanks.

I very recently bought a Battery type BOSCH 2607335244, High capacity, 12.0V, 3000mAh, NiMH. My old Bosch drill has always been so solid and smooth. I've now got a cheap but effective impact driver, a decent SDS, but preferred the Bosch for everyday drill use. The downside being that it is heavier than so many modern drills. Plus, it is a much appreciated present that I couldn't throw away even if it were a doorstop.

Bought from AboutBatteries FR. Fast delivery. Couldn't find one cheaper at the time from what appeared an acceptable supplier.

In article ,
newshound wrote:
You might well find that modern AldiLidls are nearly as nice as the
Bosch (and they come with their own standard batteries which can be
bought separately, and which fit their other tools).

My modern(ish) Lidl one locks the chuck when stopped. Something my older
ones didn't. It's also soft start.

--
*Being healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 24/01/2019 18:34, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
newshound wrote:
You might well find that modern AldiLidls are nearly as nice as the
Bosch (and they come with their own standard batteries which can be
bought separately, and which fit their other tools).

My modern(ish) Lidl one locks the chuck when stopped. Something my older
ones didn't. It's also soft start.

Very good points. Are you sure it is a positive lock though? On my Mak
in low gear the chuck appears locked solid, in high gear you can just
rotate it (not normally a problem).

On 2019-01-23, Theo wrote:

"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.

I suspect I'll go down that route unless I come across another good
deal on a Bosch or similar in the near future. On principle, I prefer
to invest in good tools that will last [1] but the changes in battery
designs every few years are a big obstacle to that.


[1] Except for consumables like oscillating tool blades.

On 2019-01-23, newshound wrote:

On 23/01/2019 16:21, 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.

+1, I am still running NiCad Makitas because they just do the job. But
I've bought several clone batteries and they have all been fine, as far
as I can see indistinguishable from the original.

You might well find that modern AldiLidls are nearly as nice as the
Bosch (and they come with their own standard batteries which can be
bought separately, and which fit their other tools).

That's good: I like to have a spare. (I'd be up a creek now if the
Bosch hadn't come with two batteries.)


There are firms around who will re-cell batteries for you.

Or you can re-cell your own. I re-celled the Ryobi that preceded the
Mak. Space is a bit tight, the originals tend to be spot welded. You can
DIY spot weld, or solder; easisest way is to get ready tagged ones and
solder, but it may be very hard to fit these back in the original case.

NiMH are an alternative to NiCad; not as good as LiIon but less likely
to catch fire if you screw up.