I own a Craftsman 3/8" drill/driver which runs on a 9.6 volt battery pack. The drill is in perfect condition except the quick charger is dead. The drill was my father's and I would like to continue using it. Does there exist a truly universal charger, perhaps made by someone else, that will charge my battery pack? I purchased another Craftman 9.6 volt portable drill in the hopes that it's charger would work but, alas, it does not. Any help out there? It would be most appreciated!
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Hi hummercat,
Not sure about Craftsman but I know when you buy a bigger Makita that it will charge their smaller ones too. For example if you get a 14.4v it also charges their 9.6's. Perhaps Craftsman has models like that too(?)
By the way, I'd definitely return the one you bought that isn't doing what you want. And if you get another and it won't charge yours either, I'd return that one too. Nothing worse than being stuck with something you don't want. I also like to use that method to tell a store that they could've done a better job with their product. There's no reason there has to be sooooo many different types of batteries!
Also by the way, good luck on finding a charger that'll do it. I have a really old Lufkin 12' tape measure that used to belong to my dad a long time ago. I loaned it to a friend, who managed to mash the tip of it. Of course she tried to find a replacement; it had long since gone out of production. Taught me something about loaning tools, too...
Thank you so very much for your reply! Yes, I do want to continue to use this drill since it was my Dad's, who passed away 6 years ago. Many of his tools came to me, his daughter, and I use them proudly, along with all the skills he taught me. I credit him the most for my becoming a picture framer. I love my job!
A ***** store is nearby so I plan to take the drill and it's battery packs with me and discuss with them the purchase a higher voltage charger. As you may suspect, if the drill wasn't my Dad's I probably would not invest in a 50 to 60 dollar charger for a portable drill that I could replace for 80 to 90 dollars.
BTW, with the amount of remodeling and repairing I do in my home and those of my family, I am keeping the additional drill/drive set. It, along with my original Craftsman, will get much use.
Again, thanks for your response!
You're very welcome Hummercat!
It's definitely a good idea to at least take in the original battery and see if it'll fit in one of the chargers that come with a newer (higher voltage) drill. The documentation with any self-respecting charger will also say if it'll do this. I know in Makita's case, the batteries look nothing alike--but they still fit in newer chargers because there are multiple contacts within the charger unit. The charger "knows" which voltage it's dealing with. It'd be nice if Craftsman has one like that--in which case you could get the entire package (drill + charger) and return the one you already bought that's incompatible. (If a charger alone is $60, it might be worth buying the entire drill/charger package for one that'll do what you want.)
It's definitely not a bad idea to have a couple of battery-operated drills around. I find it useful to have one loaded with a screw bit, the other with a drill bit. It's a VERY handy tool that gets a LOT of use...so it's worth buying a better one than you think you may need.
True, too, about tools that are "passed down". It's amazing what feelings and memories they conjure up when you use them. Thanks for the nice feedback, and I hope you can find just the right thing!
-k
