Black and Decker PS140 FireStorm 14.4-Volt 1.4 Amp Hour NiCad Pod Style Battery Reviews

• great tools -- bad charger

  
  By AUWV5NQVFEPW3 on 2004-05-07
  I won't go into great detail since others have already stated my problem, but the point is well taken that a cordless tool is only as good as the charger. My charger died and finding a replacement seems impossible. I'll stay away from Black and Decker tools in the future for this reason.
  
  UPDATE -- I took the advice of one of the other reviewers, bought a new B&D charger at a reasonable price, and had that charger go bad within weeks of my purchase. Never again!
  
  

• For J. Jackson "climaction"

  
  By A3GJTK2G587BA8 on 2006-03-25
  Buy a Dewalt charger like the DW9116. You can find them for $21 on Amazon.com, and they charge the B&D 12v and 14.4 v batteries just fine!
  
  

• Replacement Battery Recharger for PS140

  
  By A3MO740VVPCIAU on 2005-11-17
  I've been using the Dewalt DW9116 recharger since I burned out two Firestorm rechargers. It works great-recharges in an hour or less and has a "tuneup mode" that helps battery life. It also takes stem type batteries from 7.2-18volt. Also the Dewalt DC9091 battery is a identical to the B&D PS140
  
  

• Cough up the bucks for a good charger

  
  By AOZR2MHTSG8ET on 2005-02-28
  The PS140 is a perfectly good battery - you can get those at auction sites for about $30. I just got 3 brand new in the package for $100 and that included shipping!
  
  My tools get tons of usage daily. They are the Black and Decker 14.4v "Firestorm" drill; circular saw and reciprocating saw.
  
  To reviewer J. Jackson, you get what you pay for. The PS180 charger, that came with the above mentioned tools, is the lowest quality, piece of #@&* charger you can get for the B&D PS140 (post style) 14.4v battery. I wouldn't give $5 for one of them. And yes, I too burned them out in no time at all.
  
  The PS180 does not turn off after the battery is charged which is why the battery is always hot when you pull it out and that's just not good for the battery or the charger.
  
  (By the way, shouldn't use the battery `til it cools down & always unplug the charger when you're done with it and bad batteries will kill the charger).
  
  I bought a couple of PS1514BU B&D chargers a couple of years ago but can't find them anymore. They have a red indicator while charging, green when charged and stop operating when the battery is charged. You can leave it in there all night and the battery is cool when removed. Chargers and batteries are still in great shape and get charged about every three days!
  
  I am VERY interested in B&D's PS1MVC. It is a multi-voltage unit that charges 8.4v, 9.6v, 12.0v and 14.4v B&D batteries. Among other things, it indicates when the battery is charged and if the battery has gone bad and needs to be replaced.
  
  Check out the reviews on Amazon but go elsewhere to buy it. Some auction sites have them brand new for about $30.
  
  

• people that need chargers

  
  By on 2003-11-22
  You can purchase the inexpensive B&D 1 hour charger online ( I have two, one for each style battery) from www.reliablepowertools.com. Or you can also use the Dewalt 1 hour chargers, the batteries fit with no modifications. These chargers have charge indicator lights that tell you when the pack is fully charged so there's no guessing. This is a simple problem to cure, I hope this helps everyone....
  
  
• Charger is weak link
  By on 2003-09-26
  I have to agree with the other reviewers. The Fire Storm battery charger is certainly a problem with this product. I have two Fire Storm products, a cordless drill and a hedge trimmer. I like both of them but the chargers quit working within a month of purchase. A replacement from Black and Decker does not seem to be available however I did find a charger from DeWalt that seems to be working just find. The product number is DW9116. I hope this helps some of you frustrated Fire Storm owners.
  
  
• Perfect For Anything
  By A28DRF9CC1QV07 on 2000-06-12
  I work construction, and got the 14.4 v drill/saw combo for Christmas. I thought I was missing something because it wasn't 18 v. But this puppy does EVERYTHING. I am amazed this is as powerful as it is. I suggest buying this voltage simply because it's powerful but not pricey like the 18 v models.
  
  
• SOME FACTS ABOUT FIRESTORM POST BATTERIES
  By A3RPT0QJ22LFQA on 2004-09-17
  Remember you get what you pay for. I have been told that a battery which goes bad can destroy a charger. Some of the previous comments indicate this may have taken place when they switched a non-charging battery to a new charger and burned out both chargers.
  
  The 14.4 post charger can be found on ebay, and reliabletools.com where I bought mine.
  Dewalt 14.4 batteries will work in OLD STYLE - post type (not the new slide type) tools.
  Batteries must be fully drained each time to avoid imprinting.
  Charge for full time requirement, usually 3 hrs., for the old style firestorm charger.
  Unplug charging unit when not in use to extend life of charger.
  I have seen Dewalt batteries, Firstorm batteries (post style) and dewalt chargers at Lowes hardware.
  I have aquired these rules from destroying my own tools and searching for replacement tools. Hope this helps.
  
  
  
• Battery Charger
  By A3S75S99BUD9AM on 2003-02-23
  I have the Drill And the saw and was pleased with them both until my charger went bad. I cannot find another charger and do not feel I should have to buy another kit to obtain a charger. From the other reviews I see that I am not the only one with this problem. I have worked construction for 25 years and I would still rate the old 12 volt Dewalt slightly above this because battery life seemed longer.
  
  
• just keeps working...
  By on 2003-12-22
  I have 14.4v Makita, Ryobi, and Black and Decker tools. As far as the actual tools go, the B&D always seem unfinished and kind of crude. (My drill has always sounded like it was full of sand; I also have one of the first rushed-to-market models w/ the bad chuck (a problem they have since fixed)) In spite of these problems, I have more hours on the B&D than on the Makita and Ryobi combined. Some really rough use, too. I have already had to buy replacement batteries for the Makita (expensive!) and Ryobi (very hard to find) and the B&D batteries still work as well as the day I got them. I did have to replace the charger almost immediately after the warranty expired but found one at Wally quite reasonably priced. In my opinion, the batteries are the best part of the Firestorm line.
  
  
• Best price for replacement batteries
  By A3MU3FT6WZFR3N on 2006-03-19
  Needed new batteries for my old firestorm drill. Amazon had the best price for hard to find older batteries! Bought two, they work great!
  
  
  
• cannot find no listing for ps140 battery rechargeri
  By A1DLAW44I8GOVJ on 2002-11-05
  I was unable to find any entry for the recharger for the ps140 battery. I cannot understand why it should be so difficult to find!
  
  
• Charger is no good!
  By on 2003-07-07
  My charger went out and I cannot find a replacement... makes it pretty tough to use if you can't charge the batteries!
  
  
• Unfortunate
  By on 2002-04-11
  This is an excellent item for the occational user. I really like the drill time for for the volt capacity. I have been looking around, and at a glance it appears that B&D is changing their battery format for this series to a slide-on pack. This might be an item that is hard to come by in the future.
  
  
• dissapointed
  By ADAX0GMH752VC on 2002-12-04
  your page says it fits all Firestorm 14.4 volt tools, however I havea B&D firestorm reciprocating 14.4 volt saw and uses adofferent battery although the number is the same ie PS140. When I returned it yolu said it was not your fault and i had to pay shipping charges. I don`t think it was my fault either.
  
  
• Satisfaction with product
  By A11YIGMKUHAD5Y on 2005-09-29
  We have enjoyed our Black and Decker Firestorm tool kit. The batteries lasted over three years before needing replaced. The battery charger needed replaced after two years. This all purpose tool set has received a lot of use. We have no complaint about this product.
  
  
• Great Product
  By A1FTJFWNCOIBKL on 2007-05-14
  This product fit my Black & Decker cordless trimmer perfectly. Of course I had the old battery to make sure I purchased the right one. I was unable to find the battery at my local Home Depot and Lowes. I checked several places on the internet but Amazon had the best price and they are so quick (it took about 5 days to receive). Thanks AMAZON!!!!!
  
  
• Chargers
  By A1GCVXAHYGK1PF on 2002-10-04
  My charging unit went to crap, so I go to the local Bi-Mart where I bought my Fire Storm kit, and they tell me they cant order the charger! I called the B&D 1-800 # and it's all automated good luck! Checked the web site and they refer me to hardware stores and well they dont have the way to get the re-charger...... Review good battery if charged!!!
  
  
• Charger
  By AWSJ4HR5RYE8J on 2003-10-11
  I had a PS140 charger recently die on me. However, the local B&D Outlet store took my old drill/battery/charger and replaced the whole set at NO COST and without question. It did not even matter that I had bought it elsewhere and had no receipt.

  I can't complain about service like that. B&D does have a two year warranty. I'm still a happy customer.
  
  

• My second purchase
  By A3GYBY08ENKJ8Z on 2006-01-15
  I was in need of a second battery for my drill and needed it quick. I received my order in a very timely fashion. It works better than I expected. I am very pleased with order system and quality of merchandise. I will always consider your website first in ordering any needed items.
  Thank you very much for your service.
  
  
• Better than the Original!
  By A2OIK6MYTVHK89 on 2007-05-12
  I originally bought a 14.4v Firestorm tool set that has 5 tools and 2 battery packs. One of the original packs lasted about half as long as the other one. Neither pack would last long enough to saw very much lumber with the circular saw. These new packs last 2X as long as the best original pack! I'm glad I bought 2, because these packs are getting scarce and expensive. I wish manufacturers would settle on a common pack design so that all 14.4v, 19.2v etc. would fit all others. Its ridiculous to throw away a perfectly good set of tools because you can't find a battery pack or a pair of packs cost more than the original tools including 2 packs!
  
  
• Its not the battery, but the charger
  By A35N4LGZTYPJMF on 2003-11-19
  The battery may be good, but it is useless if it can not be charged. I have three Black and Decker 14.4 volt tools and four batteries. That much battery power was enough to keep the sawdust flying until the charger went south. No problem, I had a second charger at the ready. But it too went dead within minutes of the first one. I am now searching for a replacement charger. I certainly will not buy another tool that uses this type of battery and may have to replace what I have. But it will not be Black and Decker.
  
  
• B&D Battery
  By A2HHPB6YYK6525 on 2006-01-15
  This was a second battery for a drill so one would always be ready to go when the other one ran down. Is a great time saver.
  
  
• Displeasure
  By A70YLKRS4YZYH on 2007-01-09
  I'm not able to tell whether it works or not, as the charger for this system died. The replacement charger I ordered direct from B&D was the wrong one, and the replacement for that apparently isn't working either. I'm having such fun with this.
  
  
• Great price and delivery
  By ANRM3L2GB8PYK on 2007-01-11
  I needed replacement batteries for my cordless hedge trimmer. The local Ace hardware store price was $45. I was able to buy 2 for $50 through Amazon. I had previously purchased several power tools from Amazon and each time the price and delivery have been very good.
  
  
• Portable Tool Battery
  By A3LLWA17RCI0UJ on 2007-01-15
  We ordered two of the Black and Decker 14.4 Volt Battery Packs Model PS140 and they are brand new and perfect. They charge fine and work fine in the old tools.
  
  
• Excellent! Quick service, too
  By A18B79XB8ZQJM8 on 2007-08-23
  I had no luck finding this item at Lowes or Home Depot, so on a whim, I did an internet search.
  Thanks Amazon!
  
  
• Great battery, and cheap!
  By A15EY1S6YRG57L on 2006-03-05
  I've searched locally and online for a replacement battery for my older cordless drill, and was suprised to find the exact one I needed at Amazon of all places, at an incredible price. Know what? I bought two!! Thanks Amazon!
  
  
• New battery pack works great
  By A1QEBQOYOR91CE on 2006-07-07
  Got my new battery pack and successfully charged it. It retained the charge for several weeks before I actually used the battery pack with my cordless drill. Good deal for the cost!
  
  
• Price is right
  By A1TQMHOU3CTJGC on 2006-08-08
  Couldn't find a spare part in regular store. Thanks. This does the job.
  
  

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