Recommendations for Cordless Screwdriver please

I have owned several of these and they all had two problems:

- poor battery capacity

- the NiCad batteries gradually lose capacity after a time and cannot be replaced

But now I seemed to have solved the problem and am very satisfied with the solution I have. It is a B&D cordless driver (£12) which uses four AA batteries. I bought two sets of high-capacity (2500mAH) NiMH batteries on ebay (£6 per set) and a charger.

NiMH batteries, unlike NiCad, does not seem to deteriorate with age and the batteries last for days. Very satisfied.

cheers

David

Reply to
Davy
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I've had a Makita 6270DWPE for my house renovation. 12V, 2 batteries,

1 hour charger and it came with a large bit/drill etc. selection. I think they can be had for =A365 ish. I'll be buying another one, or possibly the 14V, when this gives up the ghost (been going ok for 2 years now).
Reply to
nafuk

Assuming correct charging for both, NiMH actually have a shorter service life than decent Ni-Cads. But most cheap tools used poor Ni-Cads and an even poorer charger. Your earlier problems were almost certainly caused by overcharging. NiMH are even less tolerant of this so makers have been forced to use better chargers.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

B&Q have 4.8v Ryobi pistol drivers, including carry case, lots of bits of every kind, and a free MP3 player, for £24.98 (half price)

Used one for the past couple of weeks, and think it's great.

Umgall

Reply to
Umgall

He is not impressed with a 4.8v driver, he said that. He might be impressed with the player though.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Replacement nicad cells 1.2v are easy to fit eg. 4.8v-->4x1.2v cells....most sizes are sub-c (an industrial standard) found in all sorts of stuff ,shavers,rechargeable torches etc..@ few =A3s each well worth replacing if yours is for light "hobby" use.Maplins etc sell them ..

Reply to
kontiki

You're wasting your time Most of the boneheads on here think you have to whack all impact drivers on the end with a big hammer to get them to work. The others test the idea of winding in large screws, with an Air impact wrench, and then can't see any use for these new fangled battery powered impact drivers.

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Reply to
Mark

Yep. Once you have an Impact Driver the drill/driver stays in the box.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:50:37 -0000, "Doctor Drivel" mused:

Eff off as you are an idiot (still).

Reply to
Lurch

Aw shame on you!

You forgot to say PLEASE.

Reply to
Heliotrope Smith

Since you've just described an impact driver which has been around for a long time what would you now like to call it to avoid confusion with an electric impact driver? After all, if you talk about a screwdriver most will think you mean a hand operated one - powered ones get called just that.

Of course it could be you've never come across an imnpact driver before the powered ones arrived.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Big snag is the replacement costs of the cells often exceeds that of a complete new budget drill, battery and charger. And B&Q sell complete replacement PPPro batteries for less than the cost of the cells from Maplin.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I have no influence over what a manufacture may choose to call a Tool

You are right, never owned or seen a "imnpact driver" Were do you hit these ?

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Reply to
Mark

On the ennd, silly.

And if that was a comment on a typo, look to your own post. "Were"?

Reply to
Bob Eager

Please eff off as you are an idiot (still and always).

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

You're dead right, Dave. My crappy little Bosch 2.4V was transformed to an actually-not-so-crappy little Bosch 2.4V when I shoe-horned the battery from a dead crappy £2 cordless I picked up somewhere. I'd gone through the bit about looking in Maplins and Euro Battery and, like you say, realised the economics were all wrong. I even fitted a little 2xAA holder (from Maplins for 60p) in and stuck 2 NiMH AAs in. I'm not so sure the charger was ideal for that setup: the batteries got warmer than usual (but that might have been because they were enclosed in the handle) but it worked well. .However. then I realised I'd be better off cannibalising the other screwdriver. As and when this NiCad eventually goes, I'd revert to the

2xAA rechargables. It makes me consider the possibility of powering a screwdriver from a small external rechargable battery pack. I know it wouldn't be "cordless" then but I could easily live with a thin flex.

I'm really grateful for all the excellent advice and food for thought. Having used my Bosch today, I realise one of the most important features of anything I get is that it must contain a light to shine on the job - it's invaluable at times - my little Bosch has 2 small bulbs at the end. But you've all given me much to think about - not least of which is battery type. And after my experiences with Li-ion laptop batteries, a screwdriver with such battery technology would not be high up on my list.

Reply to
Martin

One thing I missed is that a budget tool may be transformed by re-celling with quality types. Good quality cells can supply a deal more current and this can translate into more torque.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

This is £40 in B&Q.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Now reduced to £32

Reply to
Mark

For what it is a good buy. The fixed integral, non-changeable, battery and long charge is the put off. I held one in B&Q. A nice small szie and all they power too.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

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