a case for safety

How did we ever survive when power tools didn't come in HDPE clamshell cases? I remember when power tools mostly came in just a cardboard box, if that. It must have been incredibly dangerous. I deduce this, at any rate, from the fact that most power tools arrive on our shores encased in HDPE which apparently has no other function.

As one example, I bought a grinding tool (Dremel knockoff) at HF. The manufacturer managed to stuff it into an HDPE clamshell. I don't really understand how, since I've never been able to get it back in. There are some slots which looked like they might have been there to hold the bits, but they didn't hold the bits, so that must have been a safety slot inside the safety case.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new corded drill. It was kind of haphazardly tossed into its HDPE safety case. I suppose the fact that the HDPE case was about six times the size of the drill and that the indentations and spacers inside the case bore no resemblance to the shape of the drill just didn't matter, since the purpose of the case was to prevent the drill from leaping out and attacking me when I had my back turned. At least that's where my powers of reasoning lead me by process of elimination, since I haven't determined any other use for the case.

Well, that drill was a piece of junk even though the case was mostly OK, so I returned it and bought a different one. I could tell this one was better made, because the HDPE safety case was only about four times the size of the drill and had indentations that actually fit the drill. Looks like a keeper.

At the same time, I bought a power planer. Sorry, a power planer

*kit*. That's a larger tool than a drill, so I wasn't surprised that the case was over twice the size of the drill's case. And the edge guide, extra bits, and Allen wrench actually fit in the case. They would have fit in a small nylon bag, but I guess that wouldn't have been as safe as surrounding them with a couple of pounds of HDPE.

Oh, I have to admit, there's the esthetics too. I have my new tools lined up on the shelf in their HDPE cases. Who wants to see power tools when you can look at a beautiful row of plastic boxes? I'm realizing that I will have to start replacing the rest of my tools just because they look out of place without any cases.

So don't take my HDPE safety cases away from me. Heck, I'd sooner buy fruit with no stickers on it, and that ain't happening any time soon.

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid
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Edward Reid wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Clamshells are normally PET/PETG, not HDPE.

Retailers like them because they give the product excellent visibility while being just about impervious to shoplifters and curious shoppers.

Boxes are too easy to break into, and shoppers do exactly that so they can make sure the product is all there, and is not damaged. And once a box has been opened, nobody will buy it, even if the store tapes it shut again. This is a big problem for retailers.

Reply to
Tegger

Tegger wrote in news:Xns9EE8DAF22A724tegger@208.90.168.18:

Hold on. I know what you mean now: not the clear clamshell you discard after buying the tool, but the opaque one you /store/ the tool in. I'd call that a storage case, not a clamshell.

Those storage cases are meant as a convenience feature. Marketers hope that including a storage case will help make their product more attractive to buyers. This is especially true when the tool consists of numerous parts, which may be misplaced unless a storage case is used.

I have a number of tools that came in storage cases, and I find the cases quite convenient indeed. I have a runout gauge, a torque wrench, and a set of micrometers. These are all precision tools which benefit greatly from the protection of their storage cases.

Reply to
Tegger

Tegger wrote the following:

Besides, they stack well on shelves. If you have enough height between shelves, you can stack 2 or 3 boxes, one on top of another. You couldn't do that with unboxed tools.

Reply to
willshak

Sure. I did say power tools. And I imagine those tools of yours have cases designed to fit and protect the tool. Hey, I still (somewhere) have my father's old slide rule that he got probably 75 years ago -- in its original leather case. And his engineering drafting tools, in their case.

I would appreciate even the power tool cases if they were designed to fit and store the tool, efficiently, instead of being mostly generic and oversized. I have a DeWalt cordless drill whose case does a pretty good job of storing the drill and batteries. That would be worth having if it also had a place to store bits securely. But it doesn't. And the batteries are shot, so the drill will also be gone soon. Along with its case.

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid

I will speculate that the proliferation of carrying cases for tools, even the corded ones, started at about the same time as the proliferation of cordless tools. Cordless tools basically *need* cases so that you can take the charger and spare batteries along on the job.

I think that the use of cases for corded tools just naturally followed.

As far as storing bits in a Dewalt drill-kit case, I keep the #2 Philips in the plastic box they came in:

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I use small zip lock bags for other driver bits and a set of hex-shaft drill bits that I keep in the kit.

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BTW...Don't throw away the case from the old drill.

I used my multifunction tool to cut out some of the dividers from an old Dewalt drill case so that my pneumatic brad nailer, which didn't come with a case, now has one. I lined it with foam and left compartments for storing various sized boxes of brads.

I also bought an inexpensive plastic tool box from HF to use as a case for my multifunction tool and it's accessories.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

primecell.com will rebuild those dewalt power packs with cells better than new,,,

Reply to
bob haller

Please define "better than new".

Just curious...

Reply to
DerbyDad03
[snip]

And can be nearly impervious to the purchaser too.

[snip]
Reply to
Mark Lloyd

Battery technology and cell capacity has improved a LOT over the last few years.

So the 3 year old pack had cells with less capacity new than a pack rebuilt today

Reply to
bob haller

Cordless Power Tool Batteries - we make them work like they should.

We do not offer new tool battery packs. Our quotes are for rebuilding your old battery pack. (It must be sent to us.)

If you are considering the purchase of new battery packs from the original manufacturer.. remember this: If your tool is 5 years old... it is likely that the existing replacement packs are also 5 years old. They stopped making the battery packs... when they released the new model, and the gadgets that go with it.. If you do not care about the gadgets that draw most customers into the "buy a new one" trap - then you are our intended customer. Our purpose is to provide improved performance... for use by those who require only the best. It is not our intention to compete with low cost replacement batteries. Remember that the poor quality battery problem will continue... it is sold to you along with the new gadgets and doo-dads. If you do not require more than a casual use of your cordless tools, then you should probably search for the lowest price.

Others claim that batteries without screws cannot be rebuilt - NOT TRUE - WE REBUILD BATTERIES WITH SEALED CASES.

When rebuilding your old battery - we only use factory fresh cells, that exceed the original specifications. There have been considerable increases in the capacity of all rechargeable cells, and they continue to improve every day. Your power tool has never had it so good. Battery packs for cordless tools may be viewed as three categories.

They are typically graded by voltage and capacity. The voltage indicates how many 1.2 Volt cells are used. (10 cells = 12 V). The mAh or AH refers to how much energy can be stored. (2.1 AH is the same as

2100mAh etc) The higher the number, the better the ability to provide continued use without recharging. The physical size of the cells, and if they are NiCd or NiMh ... determine what can be used as a replacement. Battery capacity measurements are based upon finished product testing with top quality cells. Often times cells may be marked with capacity ratings that are misleading - some perform better

- others less - we test to make sure.

Standard capacity packs: They are usually sold in pairs, in kits with do-everything attachments. They were made at minimum cost, with small size cells, that provide little operating time. These batteries often spend more time in the charger, than they do in the tools. The batteries are usually only 1.0 AH cells, we rebuild them with the highest available capacity. (depending of the model the upgrade can be

1.3 AH or higher. The result is usually a 25 to 35% increase in run time.

Extra, XR or Maxi etc. battery packs. These are large capacity NiCd packs, they are usually 1500 to 1700. We only replace these with 2.1 to 2.4 AH cells for a 40% increase in run time.

NIMH -Maximum capacity packs: NiMh batteries are usually available in two battery sizes. Small packs were 1.5 AH and large battery packs were 2.2 AH to 2.6 AH We rebuild the small case with 2.1 AH and the larger packs are improved to 3.3 AH. Either rebuild usually adds 50% more run time.

Our price to rebuild Tool Batteries is based on the voltage and cell type (NiCd or NiMh). FOR ANY BRAND NAME. The brand name or model number does not change the price.

"Think Better than New." (not cheaper than new) Our rebuilds are designed to be superior in capacity, and of the highest possible quality, for use with your existing equipment. We do not offer poor performance for cheap prices.

Click here to see what magazines are reporting about PRIMECELL rebuild service.

Make it easy .. A printer friendly order form is available for download at this web address:

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the file and use it to send your batteries for quotation or rebuild.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prices for rebuilding cordless power tool batteries (including performance upgrades) are listed below:

Locate the voltage of your cordless Power Tool Battery Brand name is not important.

Identify chemistry -- Read the markings on the battery to determine if it is NiCd or NiMh

Reply to
bob haller

I've looked at them in the past and decided it didn't make sense for this drill. I've forgotten the details. It's probably DeWalt's low-end cordless drill, so the better replacement batteries from Primecell would cost almost as much as the drill.

Plus my pattern of use doesn't fit a cordless tool very well: I'll go for months without using it and then use it a few times, but when I need it, I want it now. So either it's not charged and I can't use it, or I leave it on the charger and the battery goes bad.

The NiCad replacement batteries from Primecell might be worth the price, but would probably go bad like the originals. The NiMH replacements, I don't know if they would last longer with this usage pattern, but that's where it gets into more than the cost of the drill.

Maybe when lithium ion batteries come down in price I'll feel better about cordless tools.

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid

I have a Dewalt cordless drill and circular saw - but the drill gets far more use.

I also one of these:

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I randomly switch the batteries between the drill and the radio and typically use the radio/charger unplugged, plugging it in when I'm done or if the sound quality degrades, indicating battery weakness.

I've been doing this for years and can't remember a time when I didn't have a fully charged battery when I needed one.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Band saws work quite well also.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

uh, thanks for the detailed explanation.

Improved performance *and* function?

Explain the difference when discussing a cordless tool battery.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

.

You appear to have misunderstood my question.

Let's break it down:

1 - Bob Haller said that Primecell battery packs were "better than new" 2 - I asked for a definition of "better than new" 3 - You replied: "Improved perforamance and function" (sic) 4 - I asked you to explain the difference between performance and function when discussing a cordless tool *battery*, not a cordless tool. 5 - You replied "Performance is how the drill performs in use. Function is how the drill functions"

I'm still looking for a explanation of the difference between performance and function of the Primecell rebuilt *battery* packs.

How is the performance improved vs. a new pack from the manufacturer? (That should be easy)

How is the function improved vs. a new pack from the manufacturer? If the battery's function is to provide power to the tool's motor, how have they improved the provision of that power?

P.S. Defining "performance" by saying it's how a item performs and defining "function" by saying it's how an item functions wouldn't get you too many points on a vocabulary exam.

1 - It does not show understanding of the terms and the ability to explain them 2 - If the person you are talking to doesn't know what the word "performance" or "function" means, using the same terms in the definition will not help them.
Reply to
DerbyDad03

...

om...

Charlie Brown! Is that you? How ya been?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I've got one of those. It's a pretty piss poor radio but works OK with an MP3 player.

Reply to
krw

Not sure why your radio is piss poor. I've never had a problem with mine. A couple of my friends have the same model and one has a newer model. I've never heard a compliant from any of them either.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

The ratings for the thing are in the toilet, too. The AM section is junk and the FM isn't much better. It doesn't even pick up local FM stations. I certainly wouldn't replace it if it went west. The Bosch has a better rep but it's almost twice the price.

Reply to
krw

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