Anyone do a 3 battery cordless drill rotation

[John Weber]

I just bought a Makita 12v cordless drill to help out my DeWalt 18v. I ended up with 3 Makita 2.6 ah N-MH batteries. I also recently read that the NI-MH batteries, while preforming better then the Ni-CA, also have a fair bit short life. Now with two decent drills (I also have a 18v DeWalt saw - but only two batteries between the saw and drill), I don't don't need the uptime, but it should extend overall battery life by 1/3 since there will be fewer charge cycles for a given time vs a 2 battery rotation. The batteries sell for about $60/70 new and I could get about $35 on ebay - so that is my opportunity cost.

Thanks - John

[Tyler Howell]

John,

I have the PC combo pack (saw, drill, & light) and as previously stated I'm not over whelmed. After three years I have never had a want for batteries. The charger gave up once and the chuck for the drill is on its wayout, but the the Bats. are still cooking.
I do have 4 Makita 14.4 vdc toyls. I put a number on all 8 bats and rotate them through.
I expect to wear out long before they do. Good luck. ;)

[W.C. Turner]

I'll never buy another cordless drill. At least until they come out with one that will hold a charge. The ones I've owned have been very disappointing, especially for the prices they want for them. And, replacing the batteries is out of the question. You're better off buying another drill kit instead, cheaper.

[Michael Ballent]

I only have driver/light combo from PC and just rotate the batteries around... My routine is as follows:
1) Curse like the crazy, battery is out of juice ;)
2) Take battery out flash light and put it into the drill
3) pray it is fully charged and I did not forget my procedure
4) charge the dead battery
5) once fully charged place it into the battery until needed again.

Seems to be working for me :) Same batteries for 3-4 years in the dry desert heat :)

[Rob Russell]

I'll never buy another cordless drill. At least until they come out with one that will hold a charge. The ones I've owned have been very disappointing, especially for the prices they want for them. And, replacing the batteries is out of the question. You're better off buying another drill kit instead, cheaper.

W.C.,

I wouldn't be without a cordless drill.

I've got 5 drills - 2 cordless and 3 corded. The drill I grab first 99% of the time is the 18v Dewalt. Yeah, the batteries are getting a little tired. I can buy a 2-pack for $100 at the local HD. I've saved way, way more than $100 of time over the ~5 years I've had the drill by not having to drag out a cord every time I wanted to drill a couple of holes.

Besides, I had one of those recall chargers that, last week, smoked and fried a battery. Dewalt replaced both the charger and battery (with a new XRP battery yet), even though this has been out of warrantee for at least 3 years.

I will admit that the cordless saw didn't meet my expectations, but it has been useful. The "snakelight" type flashlight has probably been the most used part of the 18v set.

Rob

[Richard Allen]

I don't see any point in three batteries. You would be better off waiting till the new batteries start to fail, which could be as much as 10 years. At that time the batteries which are availble will very likely be better (more power, longer lasting...).

[W.C. Turner]

Rob,

I wouldn't be without a cordless drill either, if they would come out with a battery to accompany them, that will have a life. I don't use a drill everyday, but, I expect it to work when I do need one. That means that 9X out of 10X, when I pick up my cordless drills, the batteries are gonna be dead, & I'll have to pull out the corded drill anyway. If we quit buying these cordless drills that's currently on the market, with batteries that're piece of crap, the mfg's. would get the message, & put out a good battery for them.

W.C.

[Rob Russell]

I don't use a drill everyday, but, I expect it to work when I do need one. That means that 9X out of 10X, when I pick up my cordless drills, the batteries are gonna be dead, & I'll have to pull out the corded drill anyway.



Maybe I'm missing something, but I store at least one battery in the charger, so it's always fresh. The chargers are designed for that.

If you're charging a battery, stuffing it in the drill and tossing it in a drawer - yeah the battery will lose its charge.

[Ray Thompson]

Hi John,

For now just use what you have if you have enough uptime. Instead of buying new batteries rebuild the old. You can upgrade the sub C's to a higher capacity and get a far better battery than one from the manufacturer. They sell for price rather than performance. There is a place in Anderson that rebuilds for 3-5$ per cell depending upon capacity.

To get maximum life from a battery charge it fully then take it out of the charger and put it on the shelf. Then when you need it for a job put it back in the charger and bring it up to full charge.

The Ni-Mh has a little better performance than Ni-Cd but has fewer recharge cycles, so pick your poison.

I recently had my DeWalt 18v rebuilt into hi-power Ni-Mh and have increased the uptime and power dramatically. I just use the regular charger but have to take the batteries out when charged and not leave them in.

Ray

[Byron Trantham]

John a do a four battery rotation for my Makita 9.6V stick battery drill. My original drill was replaced (chuck was bent) with a newer keyless chuck. It came with two NI-Mh batteries and charger. Now I have two Ni-Cd and two Ni-Mh batteries with their respective chargers. I keep both chargers running and just rotate between the two styles. I expect to have batteries for some time! :D

[Chad Pater]

I have three batteries (really 5 counting two that are within an inch of life) for my Dewalt 18v. But I have the drill/csaw/recip/flashlight all to power with it. There is usaully one battery in the flashlight (in the truck) so two more are a necessity. Every once in a while I will pop in one of the dyeing ones if I know I won't needed to do much.
Anyway with just a drill you could get by with two.....with a saw too three may come in handy. I would get three if you can find one for $35 on ebay.
I love the flashlight too...
chad

[Steve Cox]

I have a Bosch five tool set with three batteries and have been very pleased so far. The way I do the rotation is thus:

1. Use a battery in a tool until it is dead.
2. Remove the battery and place it in the light until it is really dead.
3. Put it on the charger and then re-use it.

Batteries have a memory, not as much as they used too, but it is still there. For long life it is necessary to fully discharge a battery before charging. The amp requirement for a drill, saw etc. is such that the battery is not fully discharged even though it will not turn the motor, hence the use of the light to discharge the battery. If you read the directions for the batteries (mine at least), it says that if the battery is not going to be used for a month or so it should be stored in a discharged condition in order to prevent loss of storage capacity iin the battery. If you will follow steps in the directions and be careful with how you use the batteries they will last a long time.

[Greg Mann]

I have a Bosch five tool set with three batteries and have been very pleased so far. The way I do the rotation is thus:

1. Use a battery in a tool until it is dead.
2. Remove the battery and place it in the light until it is really dead.
3. Put it on the charger and then re-use it.

Batteries have a memory, not as much as they used too, but it is still there. For long life it is necessary to fully discharge a battery before charging. The amp requirement for a drill, saw etc. is such that the battery is not fully discharged even though it will not turn the motor, hence the use of the light to discharge the battery. If you read the directions for the batteries (mine at least), it says that if the battery is not going to be used for a month or so it should be stored in a discharged condition in order to prevent loss of storage capacity iin the battery. If you will follow steps in the directions and be careful with how you use the batteries they will last a long time.
While up-to-date batteries do still have memory I believe the current wisdom is to not run them too close to dead as you risk reversing polarity. FWIW, I have a 24 volt Bosch drill(good drill but too big) and charge the batteries at the first sign of weakening. I used to leave the extra parked in the charger but have read that is not real good practice. Either way, the life of the batteries has shown no deterioration over 3 years of some times intense use and some times of dormancy. Just sank 100 deck screws last night on a battery that hasn't been recharged in at least 2 weeks. Admittedly, last night screwing session was the most intense use the drill has seen during that time period but at least I know it is holding its charge when not being used. 2 batteries seem to be plenty in this setup. I also have a matching CS and reciprocating saw (Sawzall type) but seldom use them. The RS really drinks the battery but, boy is it handy for trimming branches around the house without a cord. It is why I went so big to begin with. My next cordless will probably be the Festool 12volt.

Greg