Cheap PowerproKraft Cordless Drill - bad Battery

Suspect it uses "sub C" batteries. You could buy some batteries and install them to replace the bad ones. Do a search for sub c and I bet you will find them on the web. Last ones I saw were about $2.30 each

I had a simlar experience with a cheap Ryobi - the problem seemed to be the very basic charger not cutting off and over charging the battery rather than cheap batteries. I gutted it and use it as part of a tapping machine for small threads.

Interestingly, a 18V drill from Canadian Tire which I bought as a part of a set about the same time (including a reciprocating saw which is what I really wanted) does not seem to have that problem.

I am not sure what accounts for the disparity, but in future I shall be looking at the battery waranty very closely. An buy Lithium Ion if I can afford it.

Pop the pack open and see what type and size cells it holds. There are a bunch of eBay sellers that sell replacement cells with welded-on tabs. You solder the tabs together to recreate the original arrangement of cells in the pack. I just did this on a Craftsman screwdriver unit that must have sold for much more than yours, as Sears wanted close to $100 for the battery pack. I paid something like $30 for the replacement cells, but have some left over for other projects.

Jon

Often it is the awful chargers that ruin the batteries. It is worth making sure that the charger uses the proper method of deciding when to terminate charging, because otherwise it might wreck the replacement batteries too. If the charger is too primitive, you can buy intelligent chargers (as well as junk ones too), for R/C car purposes, that will handle multiple cells in a pack. The cost may not be worth it for just one drill, but it may be handy for other appliances too.

Chris

Get one of the switches that plug into the wall to turn on/off lamps for vacations and lamp strings. I have one on my emergency battery units and they get about 4 hours a day - 2 hours a time.

They stay charged and never overheat or dry out.

Used one of these on my 2 meter sail plane when flying it some time ago.

Mart> J>