Don't buy a new power drill, replace the battery to save money and starve the landfill.
My husband, Joe, loves tools, so my mother gave him a Makita 7.2 volt power drill for Christmas in 1993. It's been his reliable helper ever since, allowing him to put up bookshelves, a train table and a score of other items around the house. A few years ago he noticed that the drill battery was starting to go, but he put off looking for a new drill. (Maybe it was his sentimental attachment to the old workhorse--the drill, that is, not my mother-- or maybe he just didn't want to spend the money on a new drill).
The manufacturer never advertised replacement batteries. Maybe they were hoping owners would just go out and buy a new drill. But, they didn't know my husband and his environmentally frugal (aka “cheapness” ) gene.
The drill cost $95.00 more than fifteen years ago. Replacing it with a similar quality tool now would probably cost at least $150.00. Well, two months ago the drill finally died. On a whim, Joe went on the internet in search of replacement batteries and found out that Makita-manufactured batteries are available for all the company's products, going back at least fifteen years. The website you can go to to order them is www.toolsource.com.
So, he ordered a new battery for $35. When it arrived in the mail, he opened the trap door on the handle of his drill with a screw driver. That door appears to have been designed to allow for removal of (and proper disposal of) the old battery. Joe just removed the dead battery and popped in the new one. Now his drill works like a charm. These days, every time he uses his Makita, my husband thinks pleasant thoughts of his mother-in-law!! That, in itself, is a tiny miracle!
Good tip...I have been replacing the drill battery for all 15 years of owning my power drill. I didn't know it was helping with the environment...I just wanted to save money! Thanks for the info...
Posted by: max power | August 27, 2009 at 04:42 PM