If you have a repair tech/shop you trust it might be worth having them inspected. It's strange that both aren't working.Now I present for you critique my tool situation.
First, too much information. When we bought our present home in New Orleans it was three weeks before Hurricane Katrina. I had a pretty good collection of tools as a small electrical contractor but now everything I owned was under 8' of salt & chemical laden sewage. (When I tried to clean my hand tools months later, they had been soaked in diesel and then clean water. When I scrubbed them and laid them in the grass, blowflies started landing on them!) I didn't NEED many tools because I was now an RN. Except I had a house to rebuild from the framing and subfloor up. (I promise it will move faster from here.)
Two of my favorite power tools I bought to rebuild were a Skillsaw wormdrive cirular saw, and a Milwaukee M-18 cordless drill motor. When I broke them out recently to build a new coop in the backyard, neither worked. Confused and a little brokenhearted (I didn't think I would have to buy these tools again) I cut the frayed and patched cord and installed a new male plug without success. No broken wires in the handle. I even removed and cleaned the brushes and the motor wasn't frozen. Question, Would you try to have it repaired, get a new one, or go battery?
The drill motor, I THINK has a bad charger but I haven't had a way to test. (In the middle of the build when cash and time was of the essence, I had a chance to buy a M-18 circular saw for $200, not much more than just the battery charger set. I passed and they were gone the next day.) I see now I can get a charger for @$30 on Amazon.
I am open to any suggestions.
We bought a corded circular saw about 8 years ago, rarely use it but kept it inside the house. I wonder if it would still work if we'd stored it in the shed, in an outside environment of dust and dirt?
I am now keeping it in the shed, but in a large plastic tote with a tight lid, along with my recently purchased handheld grinder and metal shears (both corded).
What I like about my cordless tools is the weight, or lack thereof. I'm an older woman, small in stature, and with arthritis. If I had to handle the weight of that circular saw for more than a minute here and there I'd be in a lot of pain. My Milwaukee drill is a little workhorse, and got me through my hoop coop construction with little to no pain.
I am now purchasing outdoor cordless tools because I can get yard maintenance done without requiring upper body strength and young joints. I found a new reciprocating saw on eBay, bit the bullet and bought it. I think it will be worth the investment.
