First of all, I realized that my drill and batteries
were over four years old, so I can't complain too much
about the fact that they are finally shot.
Second, I was wrong when I thought that the 18-volt
back had 16 cells instead of 15. There was one
missing cell, right in the middle where it was all
covered up with insulation sheets.
I went to Sears with my drill and an old battery. I
noticed that the "Die Hard" model 18-volt battery pack
was identical to the old "EX" one that my drill came
with, and they were only $28. But then I noticed that
the newer model 19.2-volt packs also fit my drill, and
they were on sale for only $24.99! So I got one of
those instead. So my drill will get a slight power
boost. I can't imagine the difference is enough to
hurt it in practice. My old 1-hour charger that came
with my drill is the exact same model they still sell
for all these batteries.
One last thing: These batteries have date codes,
which you can read through the packaging. My old
batteries had "C0331", which means week 31 of 2003.
The new batteries have code C0733, which means they
are only a few months old. A couple of the 18-volt
DieHard batteries on the shelf had a 2005 date code,
so caveat emptor.
My drill looks exactly like the one they sell today,
except that the new one says "19.2V". The drill is
pretty sturdy, and I am glad I did not have to throw
it out. I have seen cheapo HF electric drills, and I
would not want one of those. The DeWalt drill may be
nicer for some, but they cost at least $200, and I bet
new batteries are $50 or more.
One final tip: Sears sells a generic Craftsman
18-volt battery that fits my drill, but it will NOT
fit the 1-hour charger. It also costs more than the
correct DieHard pack. Avoid that model! Fortunately
my local Sears had a lot of chargers and spare packs
lying around so I could plug-and-play.
Doug
_______________________________________________
Shop-talk mailing list
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shop-talk
|