Hilti Cordless Drill - DIY battery refurb or buy a new setup

[woodenstx]

I've got an 8yr old Hilti 18V NiMh cordless drill/driver. Its utterly fantastic, but sadly both of the 3Ah Battery packs are getting very tired (maybe a dozen screws or few holes drilled in MDF and shes slowing down).

Now, do I refurb the packs with NiMh sub C cells from China (some claim to be 5Ah :lol: ) for about £50 to do both, or do I cave in and buy a new non Hilti Lithium powered cordless?

 

[deema]

I'm looking at a new drill driver and have been reading up about Hilti, they offer a guaranteed repair cost for the life of the product, I think you can purchase replacement cells, anyway I'd Google them and give them a call. I would be interested in what they come up with.

 

[heimlaga]

Woldn't it be possible to buy new batteries for it. Either Hilti batteries or from someone else making batteries to fit Hilti.

An 8 year old Hilti should be a machine worth spending some money on.

 

[woodenstx]

I purchased it via a chap I knew on a car forum who worked at a Hilti branch in the North... I paid about what a new battery costs now :lol:
So worst case I'll ebay the drill on the premis that the batterys are naffed, or best case try a DIY rebuild on one battery pack.

 

[mind_the_goat]

You could purchase branded cells, or get someone to refurb the packs for you. As it's a quality drill it would seem worth it. Last time I looked NiMh cells were a good price compared to the NiCads I was after. The downside of s self build is how to join the cells together, normally the tabs are spot welded to the cells. It is possible to solder them if you clean off any plating, but you do risk pumping a lot of heat into the cells.

 

[Jim Davis]

Are the Hilti tools good? I'm thinking about getting a drill and a grinder there.

 

[Sideways]

Hilti are one of the best manufacturers out there. They primarily target industrial / professional users and they have been focussing on ergonomics, noise and vibration reduction, etc longer than most.
Their tools are made to a high standard of fit finish and durability rather than chasing the highest possible "numbers" so they tend not to come top when included in occasional youtube tests.
Hilti have an interesting quality measure called the "customer perfect order".
This isn't just "did we pack and ship what was on the order?" but includes the front end sales and marketing to ensure the customer was able to identify the best possible products to solve their problem, their ability to order it and the delivery of the right stuff to the right place on time.
I don't own any of their tools but I do rate the company.

 

[lexfurther]

Are the Hilti tools good? I'm thinking about getting a drill and a grinder there.

I never had any troubles with their equipment to be honest.
Here you can contact hilti customer service and discuss with the returning policy and warranty , in case you worry about that. Their grinder i have for 4 years probably and it still works like new. No complaints.