Sticker shock!

[Hawkmoon]

My trusty old Ryobi 12-volt cordless drill seems to be in need of a new battery. This is not surprising, considering that the thing must be at least 20 or 25 years old. The good news is that batteries are still available. The bad news is that one Ryobi (allegedly) battery on Amazon goes for $62.20. I'm pretty sure I can buy a newer, more powerful drill with a pair of higher-voltage batteries and a charger for that price.

I think I'm going to have to roll the dice and try a brand X replacement.

[HankB]

Couple of years ago I bought a Ryobi One 18v drill from Home Depot for about the price of that one battery. It came with charger and two batteries, and works just fine - I put down a lot of 2x4 decking in my attic with that drill, drilling pilot holes & countersinks and driving screws. The keyless chuck works like it's supposed to. The only limitation I've found is that if I'm drilling large diameter holes - say, 1" or larger with a spade bit  - the added torque of my corded drill makes the job easier.

[Ben]

I ran into the same problem with an older DeWalt 12v. I went to the third party battery and have had no problems in three years. That said, check the Amazon reviews (for as much as you can count on them these days) as not all the third party batteries are equal.

I generally have the best luck comparison shopping by ignoring the five star reviews and reading the one star reviews.

[Kingcreek]

Pretty common. I tossed a perfectly good dealt 14.4v driver/drill because I could buy new higher V with 2 batts for what one replacement cost.

[Brad Johnson]

I'm pretty sure I can buy a newer, more powerful drill with a pair of higher-voltage batteries and a charger for that price.

Not a decent one.

Closest thing I can find is a Makita 12v drill/battery/charger combo for around $110. Having used some recent-vintage 12v stuff (DeWalt) and not being overly impressed, I'd take a pass. Put the extra bucks into an 18v model.

Do you really really need cordless? They're convenient, for sure, but is it really a necessity? After taking stock of what I actually used my cordless for, I had to admit that I paid $200 to save myself maybe an hour a year over running a cord and using my trusty old Black & Decker corded drill. Plus, it takes less time to run the cord than to wait for the battery to charge.

Brad

[bedlamite]

Performance per dollar, the Ryobi is the best deal going. I've had the $79 Ryobi drill/recip saw 18v one+ combo for a couple years now with no problems.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Drill-Driver-Kit-with-1-3-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P1810/205202601

[Perd Hapley]

Not a decent one.

Closest thing I can find is a Makita 12v drill/battery/charger combo for around $110. Having used some recent-vintage 12v stuff (DeWalt) and not being overly impressed, I'd take a pass. Put the extra bucks into an 18v model.

Do you really really need cordless? They're convenient, for sure, but is it really a necessity? After taking stock of what I actually used my cordless for, I had to admit that I paid $200 to save myself maybe an hour a year over running a cord and using my trusty old Black & Decker corded drill. Plus, it takes less time to run the cord than to wait for the battery to charge.

Brad

The main advantage I find to running a cordless is that the cord is just not in the way of what I'm trying to do. That, and my little Milwaukee 12V drill fits in my tool bag a lot more easily than my corded drill. And a lot of time, what I need to do with the drill takes less time than running the cord to an outlet (and then wrapping it up later) would have. Wait, that's three advantages.

I don't get the complaint about charging the drill. First of all, have two batteries, and if you're going to be using the drill that much, plugging in the charger while you're using the charged battery take the same, or less, time than running a cord from the plug to the work area. If you're using the drill so hard that one battery dies faster than the other can charge, then yeah, that may not be the best place for a cordless. Or get a third battery. Or just a better cordless drill.

[Brad Johnson]

I don't get the complaint about charging the drill. First of all, have two batteries, and if you're going to be using the drill that much, plugging in the charger while you're using the charged battery take the same, or less, time than running a cord from the plug to the work area. If you're using the drill so hard that one battery dies faster than the other can charge, then yeah, that may not be the best place for a cordless. Or get a third battery. Or just a better cordless drill.

It's not that I use it so much, it's that I use it so little. The number of time I use the drill in a year barely gets out of single digits, and even then it's usually for some small project that takes only a few minutes and around the house where a corded drill would work just as well. Objectively, I can't justify even having a cordless drill, must less justify the expense of a second battery. It's purely a convenience item.

Brad

[brimic]

Love my Ryobis- have 18V driver, 90degree drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and flashlight + 2 batteries. Also have a corded router and orbital sander. Good enough quality to do occasional jobs, priced to not break the bank.

Not sure about lithium batteries, but I know that if some batteries become discharged too far, the charger will not charge them, so the batteries can be 'jump-started' to bring the voltage back up to minimum for the charger to recognize them.

[brimic]

It's not that I use it so much, it's that I use it so little. The number of time I use the drill in a year barely gets out of single digits, and even then it's usually for some small project that takes only a few minutes and around the house where a corded drill would work just as well. Objectively, I can't justify even having a cordless drill, must less justify the expense of a second battery. It's purely a convenience item.

Brad

My wife used the reciprocating saw to cut brush around the yard yesterday- I have a huge yard, extension cords wouldn't work.
Installed a new bathroom fan a few years back, running an extension cord through the attic (ranch house) would have been a severe PITA.

[Perd Hapley]

It's not that I use it so much, it's that I use it so little. The number of time I use the drill in a year barely gets out of single digits, and even then it's usually for some small project that takes only a few minutes and around the house where a corded drill would work just as well. Objectively, I can't justify even having a cordless drill, must less justify the expense of a second battery. It's purely a convenience item.

Brad

Understood.

[grampster]

Heh.  I have a Black and Decker 3/8 inch, variable speed drill.  It has a cord.  We bought our first house in early 1968.  That was when I bought the drill from Montgomery Ward.  I still have it and use it when the 18V lithium battery runs down on my new fangled Rigid drill...which it usually does when I'm right in the middle of something.

[Boomhauer]

Homeowner light use Ryobi or Ridgid is pretty decent.

[Perd Hapley]

Homeowner light use Ryobi or Ridgid is pretty decent.

My Ridgid was a lot better than my Ryobi, but things may have changed since the Bush administration. Then I went for a few years without using the Ridgid, and the batteries died. Batteries and Bulbs couldn't even find replacements for me. 😕

[brimic]

Rigid is owned by Milwaukee electric tools.
I have an electric impact driver that a friend of mine who worked for Milwaukee got me for cheap (demo model)- it’s a beast.

[charby]

I've pretty much gone exclusively to DeWalt on my hand power tools. Yes their batteries are more expensive than gold, but it's one of those buy once, cry once.

[Hawkmoon]

Considering how long my Ryobi 12-volt drill has been around, it doesn't owe me anything, and it has always performed well. Being a child of depression-era parents, it irks me beyond belief to discard something that works just because the battery died. It came with two batteries, and I replaced one of them a few years ago with a no-name -- which doesn't perform as well as the remaining Ryobi battery. Now I wish I hadn't discarded the old one -- I'd see about opening it up and replacing the internal cells. But ... that ship has sailed.

So my choice is to try another no-name battery for $25 to $30, pay around $70 for a purported Ryobi battery, or drop $75 to $100 on a completely new drill with two new batteries.

Decisions, decisions ...

[RocketMan]

I've had BatteriesPlus do rebuilds on an old Black & Decker cordless drill with some success.  The price wasn't too bad.  You might try that avenue.

[Sideways_8]

The Makita 18v drills are pretty stout for a cordless drill. The one I used put a 1" diameter augers through a foot of wood pretty easily. A corded drill was not an option short of 30 miles worth of extension cords.

[Hawkmoon]

Not sure about lithium batteries, but I know that if some batteries become discharged too far, the charger will not charge them, so the batteries can be 'jump-started' to bring the voltage back up to minimum for the charger to recognize them.

This drill is old enough that the batteries are NiCads, not even NiMh. How do you jump start a fully-discharged NiCad?

[Ben]

This drill is old enough that the batteries are NiCads, not even NiMh. How do you jump start a fully-discharged NiCad?

When I let my AA rechargeables sit too long to the point where the charger doesn't recognize them, I take two paper clips, put the "dead" battery and a charged battery between the paperclips for a couple of seconds, and it puts enough of a charge into the "dead" battery that it's recognized by the charger. Perhaps that would work with a drill battery as well.

[brimic]

If it makes you feel better... I used B&D 12v drills to finish the basement in my last house.
I went through maybe 4 batteries- I recharged and discarged them so many times, that they no longer held a charge. I just went out and bought a new driver of the same model each time that happened. They are probably still sitting the workbench in the ex-wife's house.