The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning to stop using cordless drills sold on Amazon under the AILUKI brand name immediately.
According to the bulletin, the CPSC cites nine reports that defective drills have exploded, ignited, melted, smoked, or overheated. Among those reports, three properties sustained damage, and there was one instance of a burn injury. The CPSC is warning that there is a risk of serious injury or death in connection with these tools.
The cordless drills in question were sold over a period of four years, from September 2020 to September 2024. Between the length of time and the low cost ($26 – $51), there are likely a large number of these tools in homes around the country.
In addition to Amazon, these drills were also sold on DesertCart and SnapKlik. Shenzhen Nuoyafangzhou Dianzishangwu Youxiangongsi from China is the original manufacturer of the brand.
Making things worse, the CPCS reached out to the manufacturer for product information and to conduct a recall but did not get a response.
After seeing the report, I checked Amazon, and the AILUKI brand is currently not available for any type of tool.
If you have had an incident involving one of these drills, please report it to the CPCS by clicking here.
What You Should Do
If you own one of these drills, the first step to protect yourself and your property is to remove the battery from the tool or charger and unplug the charger.
Do not throw the batteries in the trash or drop them in battery recycling bins at retail stores!
Because these batteries are potentially defective, they have to be handled differently from quality batteries. Check with your local recycling center for guidance on where to take them, and be sure to let them know they’re potentially hazardous.
Takeaways
Unfortunately, these incidents happen, and that’s one reason we encourage you to avoid buying off-brand power tools on Amazon or knock-off tools and batteries. Yes, there may be thousands of tools that work fine, but it only takes the one in your house to have a catastrophic failure to create a nightmare.
Lithium fires aren’t like other fires you might have to deal with in and around your home. Once one cell ignites in a thermal runaway event, the others usually follow. They’re chemical fires, and water won’t put them out. Worse, many local fire departments don’t have what they need for lithium fires—something that also affects electric vehicle drivers.
Even if the tool doesn’t fail, the inconvenience of having to dispose of a poorly-designed tool and battery is inconvenient, and your chances of getting a refund are slim.
That doesn’t mean everything manufactured in China is poor quality. Clint and I toured Chervon’s manufacturing facility in Nanjing. It was one of the most modern, clean facilities we’ve seen, and it’s capable of producing extremely high-quality, precise components. (Chervon makes EGO, Skil, Flex, and other brands).
So, stick to name brands sold from authorized retailers and don’t put yourself in a position to risk property damage or injury.
Be sure to check out our buying guides, where we’ll let you know the best value to help you save money and various other priorities you might be interested in.
