Who's got the oldest cordless battery drill?

[uart]

Post your oldest cordless drills.

I was cleaning out the shed a few weeks ago and found these two. They're old Ryobi 7.2 volt drills from somewhere about the late '80s (I think but tbh I'm not 100% sure of when).

The bright "kermitt" green one was my very first drill, it was pretty much a cheap little toy though. The other blue-green one with the keyed chuck was a better drill, variable speed but very ordinary indeed by today's standards. Surprisingly the battery on that one still took a charge and the drill worked fine, even after being lost in the back of the shed for well over a decade. The other "kermett" one is totally dead though, battery pack wont take a charge and it barely even turns over.

 

[bas157]

I've got a black and decker that I used in College from 91 to 96, not sure when I bought it but I'm thinking it is from '92. Battery is dead but drill is still in great looking shape.

 

[uart]

I've got a black and decker that I used in College from 91 to 96, not sure when I bought it but I'm thinking it is from '92. Battery is dead but drill is still in great looking shape.

Yep that's the general story of cordless stuff, the tool always seems to out last the batteries. I've got to admit I was real surprised when I charged up the blue one and it still worked ok.

 

[spacedoutbob]

I still have my Makita that I purchased in 1983. It still works fine. I also have one purchased in 1989 that the original battery still works.

Bob

 

[Zrexxer]

No pics handy, but I started out with a Makita 7.2V model in 1982. Still have it, somewhere.

 

[nickleone]

I took a 12 volt drill that would not take a charge anymore and converted it to use my car battery. I disposed of the batterys, kept the case and wired up an extension cord with alligator clips. Great for working on the car or taking on those racing weekends.
Nick

 

[Zeke]

Makita 9v with the slim battery that slides into the handle. I have 5 of them, the little recip saw, the 7.2v angle grinder (which is a terror with the 9v battery installed hanging out the ***) and the angle driver. I'll keep buying 9v batteries as long as they make them. I'm down to 2 now.

One of these 9v drivers is so old it has a chuck key and no variable trigger. 1980's.

 

[uart]

Come on guys. Pictures or it didn't happen.

 

[uart]

I still have my Makita that I purchased in 1983. It still works fine. I also have one purchased in 1989 that the original battery still works.

Bob

Interesting that the battery packs can last so long.

Notice on both my old drills it's the really "old school" style of NiCd charger. These are basically just a current limited plug pack, corresponding to about a 5 hour charge cycle, and no auto cut off. You had to be careful not to overcharge with those things, however if you were (careful) they could actually preserve battery longevity better than the faster "auto cut out" ones came with later models. They heated the batteries less and stressed them less each charge cycle.

 

[Zeke]

Come on guys. Pictures or it didn't happen.

Since I can't upload a pic directly from my phone, they are a PITA. But just for you. 3 of my old 9v tools are in the truck. This is the rest. I don't know where the keyed chuck one is unless I cannibalized it.

 

[Outlander]

I still have one of those old Makitas. My first cordless drill.

 

[Jawn]

Not quite the same kind of battery drill you might think about for this thread, but I have one of the old Dremel MiniMites from the early 90s. Still works... not sure how long the battery will hold up tho (rarely gets used).

https://udisco.com/hobbies/pics/230750.jpg

 

[7th Kahuna]

I'm not sure where it's at, but I still have my first Makita which dates to sometime before 1987. It was orange rather than blue and the battery wasn't removable. The last time I ran into it, it still took a charge. Couldn't say how long it would last though. It was a good little drill for it's time.

 

[7th Kahuna]

Since I can't upload a pic directly from my phone, they are a PITA. But just for you. 3 of my old 9v tools are in the truck. This is the rest. I don't know where the keyed chuck one is unless I cannibalized it.

Same set my dad has. He still uses it from time to time. One of these days I need to get him a new light weight lithium set.

 

[uart]

Since I can't upload a pic directly from my phone, they are a PITA. But just for you. 3 of my old 9v tools are in the truck.

Thanks.

Makita 9v with the slim battery that slides into the handle. I have 5 of them.

Those early model Makita's were very popular here in Australia too, and yeah you do see quite few of them still kicking around. They were actually the first type of battery drill that I ever saw.

From memory I think they were pretty pricey at the time ('80s). Makita seemed to have the "trade/professional" market sown up here, with Roybi more geared to the lower end home DIY/hobby type market. Those first Ryobi's I bought were fairly cheap crappy units in comparison to the Makita's.

 

[e_d]

I have the original cordless, grandpa's bit brace from his dad. So I would say 30s or 40s.

 

[otis66]

I still have two Makita 9.6 drill kits.

 

[Steevo]

I recently sold all of my old Makita drills, batteries and chargers at a yard sale.

I was surprised how fast they went.

 

[Steevo]

I have the original cordless, grandpa's bit brace from his dad. So I would say 30s or 40s.

I have a couple of these in my arsenal too!

 

[MN4x4]

I also have a Makita 7.2 volt - my very first right-angle drill. The battery is long dead, but the tool still looks nice!