Cordless Tool Batteries

[Snagglefoot]

Dewalt 5.0 Ah 20 V lithium batteries for just over $60 USD equivalent each at Canadian Tire.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I left a couple of Dewalt batteries in the trunk and then put them on their chargers. The chargers have a low temp guard on them and the light flashed for a while before the batteries warmed up and the charging commenced.

 

[Pablo]

I'm starting to wonder if 10 to 14 year old batteries were of better quality than the crap that's being sold today. A few years ago I discovered that I had left several Duracell AA Alkaline batteries in an old 35 MM Cannon Power Winder.

The batteries were dead, and had been in the unit since the mid 80's. They had swelled slightly. But they did not leak. Last year I purchased a 72 Pack of Ray-O-Vac AA Alkaline batteries, only to have well over half of them start leaking in the package in less than 6 months.

You are correct. Duracell does NOW suck.

I cannot speak for Ray-o-Vac

I only buy Energizer now.

 

[Trav]

And yet in this thread we've got Trav stating he's got a set of 14 year old Makita batteries that still work. If they're in regular use he could easily have 1000 cycles.

jeff

The 2008 batteries are 3A and are only used over the last few years in the least used tools (mostly drills), they last a long time. The newer 5A are used in the impacts and see a lot of use.
I use the Makita charger that takes 30-45 min depending on the battery A and are always allowed to attain room temp overnight before charging them if I use them outside in the winter. I don't baby them just replace the low battery with another and put the other on the bench till tomorrow then charge it. With a lot of batteries it really breaks up their use and charge cycles.

I bought these in Jan 09 and prior to that a couple from another seller the year before. All are still working well except the flashlight which I tossed (not led).

 

[JHZR2]

Building quality battery packs takes some forethought.

There is an assumption first that no name packs aren’t being made with cell rejects or used cells from other items.

Quality pack manufacturers track voltage, voltage drop, 1kHz impedance, and often try to track cell characteristics over time. This costs people, cycles, floor space, etc.

Well made packs get well matched cells. Cheaper packs don’t. You squeeze cost out through that sort of stuff, as well as quality laser welds, other protective components, etc.

 

[Lapham3]

So why do OEM's charge so much? (no pun intended)

It reminds of the Polaroid instant cameras of 50-60 years ago. The cameras were fairly inexpensive and the film packs were very expensive-also copiers and ink cartridges

 

[billt460]

It reminds of the Polaroid instant cameras of 50-60 years ago. The cameras were fairly inexpensive and the film packs were very expensive-also copiers and ink cartridges

HP isn't in the printer business. They're in the paper and ink business.

 

[spasm3]

May I humbly suggest Makita if Milwaukee doesn’t have what you need?

Makita was a pioneer in cordless tools. They have a long history of developing and improving battery technology, as well as quality construction and durability in hard use. My 40 year old Makita corded drill is still going strong. My 30 year old Makita cordless is still going strong.

Ryobi is consumer grade. Decent, but not the top of the line. They sell at a lower price point than Milwaukee or Makita (or Dewalt, or Bosch). Fine for infrequent use, but not what I would recommend for a serious, or professional, user.

That's about right. The newer Ryobi is really pretty good,( the old blue Ryobi was really crummy ) but nowhere near pro/commercial quality. I'm thinking of giving my Ryobi tools to my son, who just got his first home.

I'm thinking about Makita as a replacement. Trying to decide I'd I should go for the 40v system!