I have a few DeWalt cordless tools (Two drills and a Circular Trim Saw). I am not a contractor, but I have had projects where they have been used everyday for maybe a month.
I haven't used the drills for maybe five or six months. I stored one battery fully charged; the other possibly about half charged. When last used capacity seemed fine. Now they won't hold a charge for more than an hour, and at full charge, the drill seems to be sluggish when under much of a load. It is $180 to replace them at Home Depot.
I decided I could buy a new drill with batteries for that amount, and then discovered the C12 Festool. My intention was to put the $180 toward the C12, until I discovered it uses NiCad batteries instead of lithium ion, which seems to be the newest technology in battery design. I am noticing other drill manufactureres going to this battery design.
My experience with NiCad batteries is that they take a memory set, and must be charged fully and discharged completely. My experience with Lithium Ion is that they are powerhouses for the weight and last longer than NiCads.
Can anyone comment on the C12 from the perspective of battery life, and how often you are having to replace batteries.
I haven't used the drills for maybe five or six months. I stored one battery fully charged; the other possibly about half charged. When last used capacity seemed fine. Now they won't hold a charge for more than an hour, and at full charge, the drill seems to be sluggish when under much of a load. It is $180 to replace them at Home Depot.
I decided I could buy a new drill with batteries for that amount, and then discovered the C12 Festool. My intention was to put the $180 toward the C12, until I discovered it uses NiCad batteries instead of lithium ion, which seems to be the newest technology in battery design. I am noticing other drill manufactureres going to this battery design.
My experience with NiCad batteries is that they take a memory set, and must be charged fully and discharged completely. My experience with Lithium Ion is that they are powerhouses for the weight and last longer than NiCads.
Can anyone comment on the C12 from the perspective of battery life, and how often you are having to replace batteries.
