Arthritis & Cordless Power Drills

[Deb Malloy]

Just wondering if anyone else has problems changing batteries in they're power drills. I have arthritis in both hands and in fact just had surgery on my thumb.
I just bought the Bosch 12V, and I'm having a devil of a time changing the batteries.
Wondering if someone has any tricks they use. I e-mailed Bosch, but they weren't much help.

Thanks

[Mike Henderson]

I don't have arthritis but I have trouble unlatching the batteries on the DeWalt 12V and 20V tools. I can imaging how difficult it would be with arthritis.

I suppose they make them difficult to take out because they don't want then falling out by accident. But there should be a better solution.

Mike

[Al Launier]

I also have arthritis in my thumbs & fingers and have a difficult time removing the battery from my Porter Cable drill. Fortunately it's on its last leg & I picked up a Ridgid to replace it. Tough to get older.

[Greg R Bradley]

The Bosch 12v line uses two tabs that are pinched to release the battery. You can file down the lip on the triangular catch a bit so they don't have to be pressed so far to release. I would do it a little bit at a time until you make it easier to release the battery but before you get to the point that the battery comes out on its own.

Most small cordless batteries use some variation of the two catch system which requires you to pinch two tabs. That means finger strength so I'm assuming lessening the pressure required may do the trick.

Many larger batteries use a single large push release and the the battery slides to release the rest of the way. Makita small LXT might be easier for you since you can set the bottom of the battery against a bench and press the single button with your thumb. Bosch 18v works similarly but I have no personal experience if it is as easy as the Makita 18v.

Bosch has a 30 day no questions asked warranty if you just got it and want something else.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Deb, my Festool CXS has a very easy to eject battery.

Might be worth looking into, along with the weight and balance of the CXS it may be much easier to use...........Rod.

[Jim Dwight]

I have arthritis too but mostly just in the morning if I do a lot the previous day. As I use my hands they loosen up. I still have full strength, it just hurts sometimes. So not bad so far. I use Ryobi 18V tools. They are a little inconsistent but usually they come out pretty easy. You might try setting up a dowel or something in a vise to push against on one side while you use your best thumb on the other side of the battery. Sometimes when my batteries don't want to come put I tap them a little and the will come out easier. I think they get a little wedged sometimes.

[Kevin Jenness]

I feel your pain. Have you tried putting the drill in a vise (lightly) and using your stronger fingers to pinch the tabs? Perhaps that in conjunction with some careful filing of the detents would make it easier.

[John T Barker]

My arthritis is just beginning to kick in the last year or two so it is not as big as problem for me. My problem is that as I get closer to sixty my hand strength has diminished considerably so many tasks are just not easy. (Was in a gun shop the other day looking at a 1911 .45acp and could barely work the slide.) The battery on my new DeWalt is not easy to work. Someone should design some new battery release switches and get these companies to encorporate them.

[Earl Rumans]

I have very bad arthritis but I have the Milwaukee M-12 Fuel and M18 Fuel cordless tools and I don't have any problems changing batteries. The M12's are especially easy to change.

[John Ziebron]

I don't have arthritis in my hands but I even have trouble sometimes removing the batteries in my Dewalt 18v tools so I can sympathize with you. I'm not familiar with the Bosch 12v batteries but if they have the 2 tabs on each side as Greg mentioned maybe you could use a C clamp to squeeze the tabs to release and remove the battery. Shouldn't require as much finger strength to work the C clamp.

[Michelle Rich]

Hi Deb: I know your pain..I have a mangled hand and arthritis , and smaller hands than men. I've had to resort to putting the drill between my knees and then using both hands to push the side tabs in. you could use some tool (dowel?) in each hand and push the tabs...the suggestion to put in a vise seems a good one too. Of course corded tools solve the problem

[Larry Frank]

A very good thread about difficulties that some of those of us with arthritis. Many if not most of my tool purchases are based on weight and difficulty of using with my hands. I have the Makita 18v drill driver as it is easy for me. I want a smaller and lighter one that is 12v and will look at some of the ones mentioned.

I had to have surgery on my right wrist two years ago and now my left wrist is needing it. I will do whatever I have to so that I can continue to make sawdust.

[Deb Malloy]

Thanks for all the great replies.

[Bill Adamsen]

Like Mike, I too have terrible trouble replacing the older style Dewalt 18 volt batteries - though I'm not familiar with the Bosch you mention. There are machines with easy to remove batteries ... take back the Bosch and get one that is easy for you to operate. It will make you miserable over time if you don't and there is no reason you should have to put up with that. Btw each tool - even different units of the same tool - seems to have varying gradients of difficultly (my Dewalt Jigsaw is the worst) so be firm with your decision. Just tell the supply source that you were surprised by the difficulty.

[Greg R Bradley]

Bosch has a 30 day no-questions-asked warranty just like Festool. If there is anything you don't like for any reason, you can take it back.
However, I should say that I read your post and replied a few hours before a tool event at an industrial supplier that had lots of reps from all of the suppliers. Your post was fresh in my mind so I paid attention and asked some questions. It was pretty obvious that nobody had asked those questions to those reps before.

The mechanism that holds those batteries in is the same as the Milwaukee 12 v that Earl said were easy even though he had arthritis. Makita 12v is the same style. Bosch does seem to have a bit bigger clip holding it in so I'm going to repeat my advise to file it down a bit.

Makita, Milwaukee, and Bosch 18v have a single button that you push down and then slide the battery off. Makita 18v have the button on the flattest section so is clearly the easiest. Seriously, you could stand the tool on the battery, push the button with a cane a push the tool off the battery with your foot. Makita is just coming out with a 12v with that uses a smaller version of that same mechanism. The 18v LXT working so well could be a fluke as the lower end 14.4v LXT, not sold in the US, is as bad as the Milwaukee and Bosch 18v. Not terrible, just not as easy.

Rod mentioned the Festool CXS and I resisted mentioning it based upon cost but yes, it is stupidly easy. If you buy Centrotec drills and bits then a 3 year old can probably manage to change batteries and drills and bits. I think it's worth the money but some don't. All the bigger Festool drills have a pinch mechanism just like most others.

The older Dewalt that Bill is complaining about adds the additional complication of a large battery that you have to work around and still pinch the buttons. Not bad if you have large hands but if you don't.......

[Ken Kortge]

Deb,

I was just looking at my Bosch 12V driver. Your issue is the strength needed to pinch the release buttons on each side of the handle base. I can imagine this being tough with hand pain. I also have the Bosch 18V driver, and it's battery is much easier to release, but the drivers and batteries are bigger and heavier, which might cause you other problems.

If you want to stick with the 12V it seems that something like this for about $8 would help a lot: http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/handi-clamps

They make three versions. I would think the smaller throat depths would provide the most force on the jaws for a given force on the handles.

[Justin Ludwig]

Handi-clamps or something you can push one button against while holding the ergonomic handle and use your other hand to push the other button. I think a corner of a table would work? I don't have that drill so I'm just speculating.

[Stan Orsk]

Have arthritis in both knees and found a product called Penetrex on Amazon. It has been almost miraculous. More effective than cortesone or SynVisc (at $700/shot). Hardly any pain at all and I walk as I did years ago. BTW, I also have trouble with the 12V Bosch batteries. Poor design...with or without arthritis.

[Dan Rude]

Dewalt is coming out with a new adapter for their older 18 volt tools. I saw it in tools of the trade, so if this is the type you have. Link:http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/cordless-tools/dewalts--18--to-20-volt-power-adaptor_o.aspx I have no idea what it will cost. I think it is a good move for Dewalt. Dan

[Jay Michaels]

Just came across these Bosch induction chargers and it made me think of this thread. Not sure how good these are - how quick or how expensive, but if it is a real issue for you, this may be the right solution:

http://gizmodo.com/you-can-finally-buy-an-inductive-charger-for-your-bosch-1646316300

[Earl Rumans]

Deb, stop by a local Home Depot. They have a large selection of Milwaukee M12 tools on open display and you can try removing and installing the battery, too see if it's any better than what you have.