David Croyle · 55w NiCd, the worst battery technology since the potato... I celebrated when I dumped my last NiCd device (a dust buster.) Jim Hubbell @Jim Hubbell 1749242289 @nprofile1q... The makita drill i bought in 1984 used ni-cads and worked fine. The battery pack has long since been replaced with better tech. The drill still works fine.