There are reasons to buy in quantity - if it lasts
Nov 30, 2020 20:18:03 GMT -6
willc453, 9idrr, and 1 more like this
Post by papaof2 on Nov 30, 2020 20:18:03 GMT -6
Needed two NiCD Sub-C cells for the ancient Wahl Iso-Tip cordless soldering iron in 2016 but the only thing offered at a reasonable price per cell was a 12-pack. I went ahead and bought 12 as the iron needs new batteries every 4 or 5 years and I have perhaps a half dozen different tips for it - from one that's fine enough for soldering multi-pin surface mount chips to one that works for soldering terminals on 16 gauge wire.
The better half mentioned the not-quite-as-ancient-but-no-longer-has-parts-available Shark hand vac was running slow. I checked and the pack of Sub-C NiCD cells needs to be replaced. An hour's search finds that the pack is not sold anywhere online - lots of similar packs but not one that fits in the SV748 vac. Best price I found on new Sub-C NiCD cells was $3.29 each plus shipping. Looking at their multi-packs triggered a memory of "I may have some of those". Sure enough, there are 10 cells left of the original 12 from 2016. Four of those cells are under test on the somewhat expensive NiCD/NiMH/Li-Ion/Li-Poly battery charger/tester. If I don't need to spend $40 or so for 9 new cells, that charger/tester has paid for more than half of itself ;-)
Do I need more Sub-C cells for future use in the soldering iron? Maybe - but I'll check each cell in the pack I'm replacing and there might be a few good ones. If not, I've found several vendors with reasonable prices.
Current production nickel-based cells have a very long shelf life if stored charged at room temperature - two of the first four cells were above 1 volt after being on the shelf in the basement for 4 years (nominal charged NiCD voltage is 1.2 volts/cell). I'll process the others after the first 4 get a charge/discharge/charge cycle. That will take a few hours so I'll know sometime tomorrow whether I have 9 good cells. These cells are labeled with a slightly higher AH capacity than the originals - something which will be verified in the discharge cycle.
The better half mentioned the not-quite-as-ancient-but-no-longer-has-parts-available Shark hand vac was running slow. I checked and the pack of Sub-C NiCD cells needs to be replaced. An hour's search finds that the pack is not sold anywhere online - lots of similar packs but not one that fits in the SV748 vac. Best price I found on new Sub-C NiCD cells was $3.29 each plus shipping. Looking at their multi-packs triggered a memory of "I may have some of those". Sure enough, there are 10 cells left of the original 12 from 2016. Four of those cells are under test on the somewhat expensive NiCD/NiMH/Li-Ion/Li-Poly battery charger/tester. If I don't need to spend $40 or so for 9 new cells, that charger/tester has paid for more than half of itself ;-)
Do I need more Sub-C cells for future use in the soldering iron? Maybe - but I'll check each cell in the pack I'm replacing and there might be a few good ones. If not, I've found several vendors with reasonable prices.
Current production nickel-based cells have a very long shelf life if stored charged at room temperature - two of the first four cells were above 1 volt after being on the shelf in the basement for 4 years (nominal charged NiCD voltage is 1.2 volts/cell). I'll process the others after the first 4 get a charge/discharge/charge cycle. That will take a few hours so I'll know sometime tomorrow whether I have 9 good cells. These cells are labeled with a slightly higher AH capacity than the originals - something which will be verified in the discharge cycle.