PutnamEco

In that case your best bet would be to buy another drill with batteries off of Ebay or Craigslist.

I don't believe they have a HEPA Dustbuster yet.

No, the 50hz sucks more, I have the technology sitting in my shop right now to run a 240v tool, however I cannot run a tool designed for 50hz. Well not for long any how......

No it was from our futures past.

Tinydrill.com

Forget about the Zombies, it's the robots that we have to worry about, First they take over your bartender, then they will infect our insects, then the next thing you know they will be able to out run us...

Rebuilds can often be cheaper than aftermarket batteries. I don't know about you, but I can always find a use for another drill, if for nothing else, old drills make wonderful tools for carrying in your vehicle.

That was one of the reasons I didn't pick up the 7.2v, it could hardly drive in a wood screw, when my corded Screw-Shooter could with ease. That and the fact that you could only drill about four 1/2" holes.

Well actually, if you count smaller companies, I do still get brand catalogs, companies like Lee Valley still put out a dead tree version of their catalogs, I haven't seen a power tool manufactures catalog in a while though.

You know it's stuff like that makes me think even more that we need more 36v and maybe even 48v cordless tools....

My old trick is to use a Dust Buster. I've been using that trick since Black & Decker first came out with them.

I doubt they will, but I would buy one.

It's not the 240v that is the bummer its their 50hz vs our 60hz. It is easy to change voltage with a transformer.

Did you have one of the 7.2v drills or an even earlier version with the internal battery? I had tried out one of the Makita 7.2s but I just couldn't part with my money for one. I was still a fan boy of Black & Decker at the time and if I had felt cordless drill were worth it at that time I probably would have bought one of theirs. It wasn’t until the manufacturers started to come out with 9.6v tools (and one of my workmates bought an AEG cordless drill) that I became interested and bought my first cordless drill, I got the Milwaukee and followed that about 18 months later with my first Makita. My 9.6 Milwaukee has a bit of play in the shaft but still works, my Makita has a worn out clutch that slips well before maximum torque is reached making it pretty much useless. I don't think I'll ever repair either as I have later tools that still function well, and I can still use the Milwaukee for stirring paint and the Makita for drilling 1/8" pilot holes.

I'm buying more used tools, luckily there are still a fair amount of them in good condition around....

Sounds like you lucked out having them fix a tool you abused....

I could see Kleins usuing magnets as they are aimed more towards the electrical trades and those guys are going to be using them for setting conduit and the like. It is companies like Dewalt and Milwaukee that don't have an option for a non magnatised level that has me wondering. While it would appear that Milwaukee is targeting trades that could use a magnet, I don't know about Dewalt. I don't even think Irwin offers a non magnetic torpedo level. I think Stanley is the only consumer grade producer that is offering one and it would be their cheapest plastic level.

I used to use Estwing hammers and still respect the brand, but if you use them all day the vibrations will eventually get the best of you. Stanleys anti-vibe line is what I now use for my knock about hammers. Estwings newer line of wood handled framers has got my interest though and I may end up giving one of their California Framers a try

You may be able to have the batteries rebuilt. I just had my Milwaukee 9.6s rebuilt not that long ago, from MTO Battery. I have always been happy with their service, I get their heavy duty rebuilds and they are better than new. I cna't see letting a perfectly serviceable to go to waste.

Wikipedia always seams fairly up to date. There are a few glaring holes though. I wish I had more time to contribute.

Interior decorators too. Not to mention the dreaded house frau. At least most space planners have some concept of reality.

I miss getting all the latest tool catalogs, It has been a while since I received a tool brands catalog. I think the last new one I got was Snap-ons, now it seems all I get are sales fliers and tool supply house catalogs like Graingers. I really hope someone is archiving all the digital catalogs so future researchers can know about what tools are available in our day and age.

I can, picture working in occupied buildings. Those office wenches can be mean.

It is next to impossible to keep track of who owns who these days. If your really interested in a company, watch their stock reports. SK tools was part of Facom for a while. I have some of their tools from that era.

The first power tool I received was a hand me down Black & Decker U-400 1/4" drill. I got it from my father because he got tired of me always borrowing it to fix my bicycles and such. I still have this drill somewhere in my shop and even use it on occasion. It still runs like a Swiss watch. Remarkable that it still works after all these years. It has become a reminder that they used to make tools to last a lifetime. The first power tool I purchased on my own was a 1/3 sheet sander, again from Black & Decker, I have forgotten which model it was as I no longer have the tool. I got it to sand down an old rowboat I was refinishing at the time, that I got fed up with trying sand by hand. That tool was a major purchase at that time in my life. I wish I still had that sander but it was lost in a move. So what was your first power tool, and what memories do you have of it?