I bought this charger because the original one quit. It works fine. I was just glad that I was able to find one instead of buying a whole new driver. Be aware of the "bad battery" warning. My instructions read that if your battery has a measured voltage of more than 0.6 volts less than the published voltage of the battery (in my case a 14.4 volt battery should have no less than 13.8 volts when measured with a meter), you should get rid of the battery. This may have been what caused the first charger to die (my original battery was at 5.8 volts). Black and Decker 14.4 Volt Battery Charger 5101181-02
My set of 14.4v Firestorm rechargeable-battery equipment consists of a drill, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, and two flashlights, so charged batteries are rather a must. The original B&D charger went belly up one day, so after checking with the local hardware stores and hitting a brick wall, I checked with Amazon and there it was. When the replacement charger arrived, there was an enclosed instruction sheet addressing the recharging of old batteries, very appropriate for equipment that may be several years old. Two of my three batteries were in working condition, the third being dead. The charger performed perfectly. Note that there are either two modes, it works or it doesn't work. I took the dead battery to a "Batteries Plus" store, where for a fee somewhat above what a new battery would have cost, they replaced the dead cells with more robust models of same, resulting in a battery with 150% of the power of the OEM item. Re the flashlights, the original bulbs were replaced by a 1w LED unit, just as bright as the original bulb. I asked the fellow at the battery place what procedure to follow re charging the batteries, especially ones that are not used every day. Result: give each battery a several-hour charge once a month.
I got this charger to replace an identical one that stopped working. There's a light on the cover, but when I attached the battery to it and plugged in the unit it gave no evidence of working . . . until the battery was fully charged a few hours later. Only then did the diode light show. But if the battery is a dud, the charger light will never come on. Then too, if the charger fails and the battery is good, the light will never come on. This is a confusing operation, hence the low score for this item. Other reviewers have commented on the short life span of this charger. Sadly, Black & Decker is not what it used to be.
My charger died for my drill, I looked it up on Amazon it was exactly what I needed and Amazon had the best price. It arrived quickly and I was able to charge my drill and move forward with my project without running around to different stores.
The item works as it should but the wall wart is considerably smaller and lighter than the OEM product. Since that is what failed on the original unit, I don't know how long this one will last. Also this unit takes noticeably longer to charge than the original. Better for the batteries but if you are in a project then this could be a problem. - Battery - Black And Decker - Chargers - Black Decker Battery'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
