Cheap cordless drills sold without 2nd batteries...can I use D-cells wired together?

Greenheart

Greenheart

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So, I've decided to quit trying to use a wonky old hand-drill for various jobs on the boat and at home. But I remain tight-fisted enough not to want to buy one of those lovely branded megabucks cordless pieces of kit. Something from Argos for under £20 will be fine...

...except, I've owned a cheapie-Chinese cordless before, and the rechargeable batteries weren't durable. So...being (hopefully) a practical rather than an image-conscious boat-owner, is a 14.4v model likely to work just as well with ten D-cells wired together, in a belt-bag?

Although I don't know...that many D-cells will cost almost as much as another new drill. :(
 
dancrane said:
So, I've decided to quit trying to use a wonky old hand-drill for various jobs on the boat and at home. But I remain tight-fisted enough not to want to buy one of those lovely branded megabucks cordless pieces of kit. Something from Argos for under £20 will be fine...

...except, I've owned a cheapie-Chinese cordless before, and the rechargeable batteries weren't durable. So...being (hopefully) a practical rather than an image-conscious boat-owner, is a 14.4v model likely to work just as well with ten D-cells wired together, in a belt-bag?

Although I don't know...that many D-cells will cost almost as much as another new drill. :(
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I bought a cheapie B&Q rechargeable for less than 15 quid. I reckoned it would work out cheaper in time and money to just buy a complete second drill to get a spare battery so that's what I did - then had a spare charger and drill too :)
 
l'escargot said:
I bought a cheapie B&Q rechargeable for less than 15 quid. I reckoned it would work out cheaper in time and money to just buy a complete second drill to get a spare battery so that's what I did - then had a spare charger and drill too :)
Click to expand...

Which drill was this? I bought a £15 240V one recently, but haven't seen a cheap rechargeable.... And I'm always looking:(

The ones I see are bramded and around a hundred quid or so!
 
l'escargot said:
I bought a cheapie B&Q rechargeable for less than 15 quid. I reckoned it would work out cheaper in time and money to just buy a complete second drill to get a spare battery so that's what I did - then had a spare charger and drill too :)
Click to expand...

I just remembered that I did the same in France after knocking my not-very prestigious 24v drill-driver off a beam in a half-built house. The casing was cracked but the battery and charger were fine...so I bought another identical drill (20 euros at Leclerc), and thereafter had two batteries and chargers for it. Good plan...assuming the tool itself is satisfactory.
 
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Richard10002 said:
Which drill was this? I bought a £15 240V one recently, but haven't seen a cheap rechargeable.... And I'm always looking:(
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Plenty of 'own-brand' supermarket power-tools around. Several Argos models, under £20. Not sophisticated, but I've always found the simple cheapies to be excellent value and very solid, whereas cut-rate clever designs with variable-speed and LED illumination, don't last.

I suppose I could buy a hundred and sixty 1.5v D-cells, and a converter for DC to AC, then run a very cheap ordinary 240-volt drill...any odds on how long I'd live? :rolleyes:
 
If you want rechargeable battery pack I reckon Sub C sized NiMh batteries give good AH for value. Certainly C size are expensive for what you get. Plus subC can be got in tagged style so easy to solder together. Yes In my experience cheap drills are fine but battery packs die soon. I like my old 2 speed with gearbox type cheap battery drill. I replaced the batteries in this case they were 4/5 Sub C Ni Mh from China. (ie shorter than sub C which are smaller than C size) good luck olewill
 
I had an 18V relatively cheapo ( ' Powerbase ' I think ) drill from Homebase, it's just packed up after years of good service so I can't complain; I don't know what their modern deals are like, but it was the only thing I've ever bought there and been really pleased with !
 
Laundryman said:
When my 14v drill battery pack gave up, I took the batteries out and soldered a lead to the connections and on the other end put a standard cigarette lighter plug. I just plug it into a nearby accessory socket. Works fine for me. Thanks. Alan
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Ideal for mast work such as fitting wind senders ;)
Still makes laugh when people think we're rich because we own a "yacht". If only they read this forum ....
 
Laundryman said:
When my 14v drill battery pack gave up, I took the batteries out and soldered a lead to the connections and on the other end put a standard cigarette lighter plug. I just plug it into a nearby accessory socket. Works fine for me. Thanks. Alan
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+2 except mine are 12v and are perfect speed for drilling stainless steel as always cut and do not overheat the drill bit.
 
Is there something inside a car's cigarette-lighter plug/supply which modifies the ampage? I've unintentionally blown 12v power-tools up by wiring them direct to a car battery. :(
 
If you open up the "battery" on a cheap cordless drill you will undoubtedly find that a chain of bog standard rechargeable cells wired in series (probably c type) is exactly what is inside it. Whether it is economically sensible to replace them is another matter, because the cells are expensive.
 
CreakyDecks said:
If you open up the "battery" on a cheap cordless drill you will undoubtedly find that a chain of bog standard rechargeable cells wired in series (probably c type) is exactly what is inside it. Whether it is economically sensible to replace them is another matter, because the cells are expensive.
Click to expand...

Not just cheap drills. ALL cordless tools are a series of cells - good or cheap - wired together to make the desired voltage - hence 14.4 etc. The cell voltages vary depending on type NiMh - LI etc, but they are all individual cells
 
CreakyDecks said:
If you open up the "battery" on a cheap cordless drill you will undoubtedly find that a chain of bog standard rechargeable cells wired in series (probably c type) is exactly what is inside it. Whether it is economically sensible to replace them is another matter, because the cells are expensive.
Click to expand...

I've just replaced the cells in a 24v drill. Cheapo from NETTO. Drill is excellent, but both battery packs failed in very short order. 20 sub-C cells from China cost around £20 - not far short of the cost of another cheapo ..... but the replacement cells have 3 times the capacity of those typically fitted to the cheap drills and hopefully will also have a more respectable lifetime. (of course if you start valuing your own time the way some sad people seem to do you will soon conclude the exercise is not worth the bother :( )
 
£7.32 - won't ever run out of juice!


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What I've done with one of the early B&Q 12v drills was to discard the battery when it finally expired and rewired it to run directly off the boats battery. And it's much lighter as you discard the battery. I've added a 12v plug and just plug into the boats 12v system - it works a treat and the lead is long enough to reach all parts of the boat. Just buy a cheapy from ebay without the battery - this is the one I have http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-cordl...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item4aca954495


dancrane said:
So, I've decided to quit trying to use a wonky old hand-drill for various jobs on the boat and at home. But I remain tight-fisted enough not to want to buy one of those lovely branded megabucks cordless pieces of kit. Something from Argos for under £20 will be fine...

...except, I've owned a cheapie-Chinese cordless before, and the rechargeable batteries weren't durable. So...being (hopefully) a practical rather than an image-conscious boat-owner, is a 14.4v model likely to work just as well with ten D-cells wired together, in a belt-bag?

Although I don't know...that many D-cells will cost almost as much as another new drill. :(
Click to expand...
 
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