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I'm 50 years old, and I have worked in the trades since I was 13. Sometimes they won't accept a charge at all. So I think I know about tools. These Black & Decker batteries don't hold a charge. I have three B&D battery-operated tools which I use only at home, and so they don't get a lot of use. I don't think I have more than about 10 hours use on any battery, and yet they're all dead.
I'm on my 3rd battery (two came with the Firestorm kit and I've purchased one replacement).These batteries work great for about 3 months of normal household use (a couple of small jobs per week). Then they quit holding a charge. The convenience of cordless power tools - and I love that convenience - is totally lost when you are ready to do a job and don't have a drill that will work.I'd give this ZERO stars if I could.
Even B&D sells the 18v battery for 36 USD online. Hence why I bought a dual charger that is supposed to charge them faster, we'll see.I will say that Amazon yet again pulled this list price from Fantasy Land.
I am interested in the hedge trimmer, chain saw, and reciprocating saw. For weed wacking, I am able to do my hold yard once plus the next week, half of the yard on one charge.
Right now I only have the weed trimmer/edger from the 18v line of tools. I also have a thrid battery in the package still that was a Lowe's special, buy a tool, get an extra battery free.I dont like the 9hr charge on the battery.
The other battery seems to almost allow me to do my entire yard. Both came in the box with the tool.
I have been looking everywhere lately for the best deal on new/refurbed 18v B&D tools, and of course for good deals on batteries. The average price on store shelves that I have found (Lowes/Menards/Sears/Kmart) is 32-34 USD.
And then there is three digit number, which tells you cell manufacturer (first digit) and capacity (two last digits). B&D doesn't really tell you the whole story about their batteries.In my experience, this battery has 1.5 Ah cells, and unless HPB18 to which it is compared to has 1 Ah cells (which I doubt) it cannot have 50% more capacity. This is what I encountered:412 - 1.2 Ah cells marked BD (most likely specifically manufactured for B&D) - usually FS18B and HPB18 batteries, but also some 244760. 25% is more likely and it was marketed as such for a while.Adding to other review, I think I figured out number near the battery lock. First, you have manufacturing year and week along with some letters. These cells are actually short Sub C (or 4/5 SC) and B&D puts plastic pad inside the battery, so housing has the same exterior size.115 - 1.5 Ah cells without manufacturer identification415 - 1.5 Ah cells marked BD515 - 1.5 Ah cells manufactured by HANYUAll these are marketed as FSXtreme, HPB18-OPE, FS18BX and 244760421 - 2.1 Ah cells manufactured by BYD - high capacity "Silver Series" FS18SBX. BYD is actually well known Chinese battery manufacturer, nice chunk of whose shares was recently purchased by Warren Buffett.
Everyone should get together and have a class action law suit.Takes 10 minutes to run the battery down and 3 hours to charge it. The tools are fair tools. To bad the batterys suck. Pure junk. I have a whole set of the tool to is the bad thing.
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