This isn’t really an amateur radio story, but it does have a battery in it, so it could be. :)
About six months ago, I noticed that my battery-powered shaver wasn’t holding a charge as well as it used to. Recently, I’ve had to just use it with that AC adapter to shave down my beard properly.
I cracked it open and found that it was powered by a single NiMH, AA cell, very much like the one shown in the photo. The kicker is that it’s not a standard battery, but one with solder tabs.
My first response was to search for it on Amazon, and, of course, there are many choices for this kind of battery. Then, I remembered that we have a Batteries Plus store here in Ann Arbor. I’d had a Kenwood battery pack rebuilt there many years ago, and it seemed reasonably priced. I decided that even though the batteries were pretty cheap on Amazon that I’d buy one of these batteries from Batteries Plus, if it cost less than $10.
I couldn’t find the right battery on the Batteries Plus website, though, which I thought was kind of puzzling. I phoned the store on Thursday morning, explained what I was looking for, and the guy I talked to, said that they would be able to put some tabs on a battery for me. Since I was headed that way to meet some friends for lunch, I said that I would stop by later.
After lunch, I went to the store and showed a different guy what I wanted. He played around on his computer for about ten minutes, then said, “Sorry, we don’t have anything like that.” ARRRRGGH!!! What a complete waste of time.
When I got home, I ordered two batteries with solder tabs from Amazon for $7.50, shipping included because I’m a Prime member. They arrived yesterday, I put one in, and now my shaver is up to full power. And, I’m no longer a Batteries Plus customer.
John KD8MKE says
In the past, the guys would check the computer, come up empty and then offer to fabricate something. They rebuilt a black and Decker hand vacuum and Toro lawn mower battery for me.
Rick K8BMA says
I have an old Yaesu 70cm ht with nicad batteries, same story. One guy says “no problem” and when I get to the store, “we don’t have anything like that”. Batteries Plus = Batteries Minus!
Dave New, N8SBE says
The B&D 24V yard tool battery pack I carry around when I want a 7AH 12V SLA pack was rebuilt for me at the local BatteriesPlus. I bought a couple of the packs at the B&D outlet in Howell, MI for $10 each, and found the batteries were bad. I took one to the BatteriesPlus in Ann Arbor, and they replaced the two cells with new ones for less than $30, work included. I’ve never done the other pack, and the one they fixed has worked for me ever since (many years, now, I’ve lost count).
The trick with those 24V packs is that they have a big slide switch on the top. In one position the SLAs are in series and the pack produces 24V at 3.5AH for B&D yard tools with a proprietary 2-pin connector. In the other position, it exposes a standard 12V outlet, and the batteries are connected in parallel for 12V at 7AH. I have an SLA bench charger I got at a flea market that someone had built from a kit, and keep the pack on float.
Works like a charm, as long as you want to carry something that big and heavy. It does have a shoulder strap, though.
I’m looking seriously for a LiFePO4 pack (like the Bioenno) at Dayton/Xenia this year. You can get a nice 1.4 lb 6AH pack with 2A charger for under $100, and Bioenno had Dayton Specials in the flea market last year. Also, LiFePO4’s give you almost full measure of their rated capacity, near 6AH, in this case.
SLAs poop out at about 1/2C, so my 7AH B&D SLA pack really only gives about 3.5AH before it needs re-charging. So LiFePO4 batteries give you a lot more bang for the size/weight than SLAs, and don’t really cost that much more.
Laurin Cavender WB4IVG says
What I have learned is it is not Batteries Plus it is the quality or lack thereof of employees on hand. If you ask for the Manager or Franchise owner they will almost always get the job done. The company has almost any conceivable battery or cell available however most store employees are lazy and if it is not on the shelf then you can forget it. Only once have I ever had a Manager refuse to sell me what I wanted. {But I Got it anyway!!} The Mgr refused to build a pack of Lion cells telling me it was illegal and could not be transported on an airplane. I didn’t ask them to ship it or even mention it would ever be shipped. No doubt this came from some far fetched TV program where McGyver Blew up an airplane or some such crap. Anyway I went to another store across town and bought singles and had the worker put solder tabs on them. As soon as I got home, I promptly soldered them into the pack that I wanted and Low and Behold to my knowledge it the last four years of my use I have not brought down a single Air Craft!!!!! LOL