12v battery for Craftsman drill. mini rant.

[sparkeyjames]

I have just learned that the batteries for my 3 year old Craftsman drill are no longer available. 3 YEARS??. What kind crap is that? I have seen batteries for 10 year old stuff still available at Sears. Why this model?
Time to switch things over to a company that actually cares about their customers and makes parts out to at least 5 years after discontinuing a product. I have found one aftermarket company that makes a battery unit for this drill but I'm not sure I can trust the quality.

Riled in Redford.

[DaveS]

Honestly, this is a blessing in disguise.

Go and get the batteries you already have rebuilt.

It will cost less than new, and you will be happier.

I can't find my link to the online place that does it inexpensively, but I'm sure someone will be along close behind me to provide a link.

[LCHIEN]

save the cases, that's the hard to get part.
Then google "tool battery rebuild" on the internet or check ebay under battery rebuild
and pick the best deal. You can mail him your old batteries in the case, they will open them and put new standard sized battery cells in and probably have a better pack as the aftermarket battery cells are usually better.

[just started]

I use BatteriesPlus for getting mine re-celled, and they usually have higher capacity cells than the originals, which means longer run time per charge. In most cases they have been cheaper than buying an OEM replacement also. They have stores (franchises) all around the country listed on their web site.

[sparkeyjames]

Thanks for the tips. I may get them rebuilt or I may get a new Rockwell 1/2 drill/driver. Why? I saw a little blurb in the Sears catalog next to the battery listing for the Rockwell tools stating that if your Rockwell battery ever fails during the life of your tool it will be replaced FREE of charge. Can't beat that.

[sparkeyjames]

Sorry to bump this one back up but I decided to get them rebuilt.
Total cost for two 12volt battery packs $55. All in all way cheaper than
buying 2 new ones IF they had been available ($59 each last time I saw them).
BatteriesPlus is a great place.