Thread: Sears tools
View Single Post
  #9  
Old November 18th 07, 01:33 AM posted to rec.aviation.homebuilt
Morgans[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,924
Default Sears tools


"Ron Natalie" wrote

That's a shame. Nearly all of my tools now are from the 18V
Dewalt line to include:
I've had no problem with the XRP batteries.


One big difference in how long they last, is how you treat your batteries.

One of the biggest battery killers is running them until they won't hardly
turn the tool motor without any load on it. You should stop using the
battery, and get a fresh one immediately after the RPM starts to drop
noticeably.

If you run your battery real hard, let it cool for at least 30 minutes, and
an hour or two is better, before you charge it. After it is fully charged,
it should be allowed to cool down a bit before you use it again.

All this requires is enough batteries to do your job with some resting time
between cycles. An extra couple batteries go a long way towards making all
of them last much longer.

Also, some of the Dewalt chargers come with a button on them, that you push
to run them through several cycles of discharge and recharge, to condition
them. I think that helps them out a bit, but it should not be over used.
All batteries, and it does not matter which brand, have a limited number of
cycles in them, before they start to go bad.

Another thing I do, is to take the pack apart when it goes bad, and right
after charging, read each individual cell's voltage. It will be very
apparent that a few are totally zapped. If you have at least two bad packs,
you can remove the bad cells from one, borrow cells from the other, and have
a good battery pack, for a while, at least.
--
Jim in NC