Opinions wanted: new batteries or time to move on.

[Walter Plummer]

Hello all. I have my original 3 Makita drills plus another 3-4 people have given me plus the right angle drill plus the flashlight that all run on the 9.6 volt stick battery. I also have the 7 or eight chargers. The batteries are dying again. Apparently no one rebuilds them because they are too tall for the tab welder. I found aftermarket for $26.00 each plus whatever shipping would be. The genuine Makita's are going for $49.00 each. I hate to toss all the good equipment but i can't make up my mind. They have been great tools used daily in commercial shops. I have never had the need to go 12v,14v,18v etc. What is everyones thoughts? Thanks in advance. Walt

[scott vroom]

Hello all. I have my original 3 Makita drills plus another 3-4 people have given me plus the right angle drill plus the flashlight that all run on the 9.6 volt stick battery. I also have the 7 or eight chargers. The batteries are dying again. Apparently no one rebuilds them because they are too tall for the tab welder. I found aftermarket for $26.00 each plus whatever shipping would be. The genuine Makita's are going for $49.00 each. I hate to toss all the good equipment but i can't make up my mind. They have been great tools used daily in commercial shops. I have never had the need to go 12v,14v,18v etc. What is everyones thoughts? Thanks in advance. Walt

I say give them away, as some were gifted to you. You'll gain much more satisfaction than if you sell them for a few dollars. You asked.

[phil harold]

I have had good luck with this company
http://www.primecell.com/pctools.htm

[Peter Quinn]

I say dump that old junk in a safe place and move on. I've lived through different incarnations of makita drills, some of the old ones were great for their time. But that time has ended. The new round of LI ion drills are lighter, more powerful, the clutches are more sensitive, the LED lights rock, they don't power down when not in use. I have a feather weight 7.2V metabo that smokes my old makitas in every way, fits in my pocket, and seems to run for ever on a battery. And my new 18V compact makita handles the heavy lifting without being a brick itself. Perhaps you could build a glass display case to hold them as a collection? As users I retired mine several years ago. I'm all about old iron, not so much about old plastic.

[Dave Zellers]

I love my 20+ year old right angle 9.6v Makita drill so much that when I was faced with your dilemma 2-3 years ago, I ponied up for 3 of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-193890-...2364953&sr=1-7

Although I didn't pay that much, it was still painful.

But that's how much I love my right angle 9.6v Makita drill. It's like my right arm when I'm in the shop. I also have the original Makita 9.6v 2 speed drill and the flashlight that I use with these batteries.

When these batteries die, I may have to accept reality and let my geezer tools pass into their proper place as old icons of cutting edge cordlessness.

But I will never forget pre drilling oak treads and nailing them down (BY HAND!) using my brand new cordless drill the day I bought it.

I don't even like thinking about life without my right angle 9.6v Makita drill.

[johnny means]

Modern batteries in modern tools are going to out perform and outlive replacements. Current 12v equipment is smaller, more powerful, with longer battery life. Considering battery longevity, new equipment is probably cheaper too.

[Charles Bjorgen]

I'm facing a similar dilemma with my 12 volt Panasonic cordless. The original batteries no longer hold a charge. I've looked on eBay and have found many replacement sources but the prices are still pretty high for 12 volt, yet I've always liked this drill and hate to junk it.

By the way many eBay vendors are selling a DVD that purports to show you how to restore batteries. Has anyone here ever tried this with success?

[Walter Plummer]

Thanks everyone. I was leaning to new batteries but the Black Friday sales got me thinking again. Giving them away is an option but without a decent battery I'm not sure who would want them. I think I will get a new tool or two to get started and keep useing the old stuff till it won't even take a charge any more. Thanks. Walt

[david brum]

By the way many eBay vendors are selling a DVD that purports to show you how to restore batteries. Has anyone here ever tried this with success?

There is lots of info available on the web about how to restore a nicad. I used this method, gently tapping the terminal with a car battery charger clamp. It isn't for the faint of heart and I'm sure there is some danger here, so proceed with caution and use safety gear. That said, I have done this and restored some long dead nicad batteries for a really old Makita that I had given up on. Please note that this is only for nicads and NOT for lithium batteries.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6020901_reset-memory-nicad-batteries.html

Note: It still won't turn an old technology nicad into a new system. It will still discharge itself over a short period of time, have to be recharged more often and develop a memory. After I fixed my old Makita, I still don't use it because I'm spoiled by my newer drills being ready to use whenever I grab them. As nice as the old Makitas are, if you get a newer drill, you'll never look back.

[Bill White]

I faced the same issue with my DeWalt stuff. I had replaced the batts a couple of times (for a pretty hefty $). Finally gave the set up to a local "re-run" shop called BUILDING BLOCKS that recycles materials and tools for the building trades, took the tax deduction, and bought new LiIon tools. So far, so good.
Still strikes me as kinda wierd that batts cost almost as much as a complete kit with tool, 2 batts, charger, case, etc.
Bill

[jared herbert]

I have several of the 9.6 drills. You can sell the chargers on ebay, I have sold several of them. At least when i was doing it people would pay more than I expected for them. Jared

[Larry Edgerton]

I'm with Peter on this one. Move on.

I had some of those and I switched to Hilti's, then switched to Li-Ion Makita's when the cost of Hilti batterys became too much.The Hilti's were better than the Makita, and the new makita is better than the Hilti's. I am at a cross roads right now again. I have four 14.4 impacts and three 14.4 drills, and the batteries are dying one by one. I tried the new models and they do not have an advantage other than the batteries are new. Do I spend money on batteries??? I know your pain.

I have to say though, I bought my first Makita 9.6 in the 70's, and my dad is still using it with new batterys today. I still have a 9.6 right angle.
Larry

[lawrence dosson]

Walt
this is my recycle use for those drills
i have a cupple those old 9.6 drills also.. i use one with two wires permanently added and use it on 12v ran of a quad bike battery ,[ just use a short cord 12 feet or so ]
use it to tap maple trees in the spring so far it has ran flawless for several years i usually tap a hundred or so trees each year with my 14 v maketa i always had to come back for at least three four battery charges as the batt seem to run down easy in the cold. not so off the quad battery with the 9,6 v

[Larry Edgerton]

Walt
this is my recycle use for those drills
i have a cupple those old 9.6 drills also.. i use one with two wires permanently added and use it on 12v ran of a quad bike battery ,[ just use a short cord 12 feet or so ]
use it to tap maple trees in the spring so far it has ran flawless for several years i usually tap a hundred or so trees each year with my 14 v maketa i always had to come back for at least three four battery charges as the batt seem to run down easy in the cold. not so off the quad battery with the 9,6 v

Very clever! I make maple syrup on my property every year as well, and the old brace was cool, but I think I am over it. I just happen to have a 10 volt Hilti sitting around with bad batteries......

Thanks, Larry

[ray hampton]

can a car battery be use to charge a drill battery if the voltage values for both battery are close