Hello,
I have a 4-year-old Craftsman 18-volt "EX" cordless
drill. The two batteries it came with have slowly
gotten worse and worse, and are now useless. I need
to decide what to do.
Sears seems to keep changing their battery styles and
voltages. 18 volts was their big deal a few years
ago, but now all their sturdier Nicad-based stuff is
19.2 volts! They don't seem to carry any 18-volt "EX"
replacement batteries any more. They now have generic
Craftsman and "DieHard" 18 and 19.2 volt batteries
(with a big variation in price), and I cannot figure
out what the difference is. The terminals appear the
same as my old ones. anybody how what interchanges
with that?
What's more, I opened one of my batteries and counted
16 cells. At 1.2 volts per cell, that means my
"18-volt" battery is really 19.2 volts! When they
switched to 19.2 volts did the actually stuff one more
cell in the packs, or just correct a math mistake?
Is it even worth trying to replace just the batteries,
or should I just check the perfectly good drill and
charger and get something different? Is there any
other line of cordless drills being sold today where
the batteries can be expected to last more than 3
years (and still be available then)? Are the
newfangled Lithium cells any better?
Or should I just get a good 1/2" chuck corded drill?
I rarely use my drill more than 20 feet from an outlet
anyway. Any recommendations on brands or models? I
have a corded drill, but it is a $19.95 single-speed
non-reversible Black&Decker one that my wife bought
before we were married. I think I am due for an
upgrade...
Rantingly,
Doug
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