Customer Reviews

Panasonic EY9200B 12-Volt 3.0 Amp Hour NiMH Pod Style Battery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased 2 of these high powered batteries for my 5 year old guns and received them just find out that I need a special charger which I cant find anywhere unless I buy an entirely new gun. It wood be nice if this info was posted on the site and not just on the box when I received it. The batteries were shipped in a timely fashion and in perfect shape. But only good for a one-time use since I cant charge them with my 15-min charger.

I have 3 of these batteries. They work great! A charge lasts about 30-50% longer than NiCads. These are an absolute MUST for the wood and metal saws. As previously mentioned, you MUST have the new Universal Charger.

It seems Panasonic has made it impossible to upgrade to NMH batteries unless you buy a whole new outfit. It took a real study in 'logic' to work this out. All combinations lead to a new system. I refuse to be be 'faked out' so I cut the black case off of my 12 volt nickle cads with a band saw (just deep enough to slip the case off)and hooked up a set of leads with alligator clips which can connect to a 12 volt auto battery or similiar.

I previously owned a Panasonic battery drill with the ni-cad batteries, which I truly loved. When the time came to replace the batteries (They lasted about 7 years) I decided to upgrade to a new drill ( also a Panasonic) with the new ni-mh batteries, what a mistake! The newer ni-mh batteries boasted a 50% longer run time which they did not deliver, and also a life-cycle of approximately 1200 charge-dicharge cycles. After less than 50 charges following the manfacturers instructions, these batteries no longer will hold a charge. I have owned this drill for about 2.5 years and use it only around the house, but that is the same way my old drill was used. Of course Panasonic won't do anything about it because it's beyond warranty, but at around $... a crack these batteries should last more than 25-50 charges. Maybe these batteries last longer when used heavily in construction , but for a homeowners use these are TRASH! My advice, save your money, buy the ni-cads.

OK, now we know that this new battery needs a special charger. I was going to order a new 12 volt drill with the two ni-cad batteries and charger, AND ONE OF THESE NEW FANCY BATTERIES, assuming that the new charger will be the latest charger and will handle the old batteries and the new batteries. Now I don't know what to do. Panasonic did this once before. They came out with an "Iron Man" battery and you had to send in your charger and they would update the old charger to handle the "Iron Man" batteries. We did these one at a time, as we have three of the 3/8" drills and three of the chargers. Today I will just order the new drill with the two ni-cads and the charger, read the book to see if it can handle the nickle-metal hydride batteries. Panasonic should have offered a deal for the new 12 volt drills where you could pay extra and get two metal-hydride batteries instead of the two ni-cads for $40.00 more. I would have gone for that.

I think Panasonic tools are the best. I use my drill daily and need replacement batteries every 2 - 3 years. The only problem with this product is that the one shipped was not the one shown. The one I received was a 2.5 Amp Hour, NOT a 3.0 Amp Hour as shown.

It would seem that the NiMh batteries don't like being stored. A friend has four of these 'N' batteries. He uses them every day at work and the older pair are now nearly four years old. He's had no problems, and they still hold their charge well.

But if you want a battery for a handyman drill (for weekend use) stick with NiCads.

Can't find anything bad to think of when discribing panasonic's ey6407 12volt drill driver or the ey6431 15.6 drill driver. I've been using these two drills for work for 2-3 years now, and being an electrical contractor which has its times of abuse towards tools, I'd have to say they are rugged enough to keep up with me. My 12 volt drill has been in my tool collection for the better of 3.5 yrs. and this is the first time I'm buying a new pair of batteries (dropped one tapped it up and it still works!). Still it's time to replace them, but it's worth the money. Oh, by the way I've also aquired the 15.6volt eyc133 drill driver/ skill saw combo (also well worth the money).

Sincerely,
Douglas Tjong