DeWalt older battery replacement question

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
19,160
Location
Los Gatos, CA
I have an older DeWalt cordless set: drill driver (poor condition), sawsall, small circular saw. It came with the 18v batteries; they're deader than a doornail.
I get a little use out of the sawsall and circ saw. I have Makita cordless driver and impact which are great.

Can you recommend replacement batteries for the DeWalt stuff or should I just move on from the tools?
Thanks in advance!
EMzqUFB1usMGtYJAXRHMNNnltrTI_njERvVOLdGgGhJ6E68pdpgdh2C-9uuQGEJRLbLcmA4PEWIxu5fhqTRnLyre6HY16xh3ygJcpBOAa24Cl0P3NFp9-cUvhTt2co4UJkVfNF0LKX5PwJx-bAASjlboSwK6bJKU37rPMrX94ij7YHcktguz8zYQoWHY68Q7I6HWnOge3Dt0JFFyQ1dSNTfeh6jcjOwBEGyBmfMACuwuqas3Mn43uwLNk3ZARWeNKvPKQP7gTfP4u0kz-gPPsk_3hi03-L4smvAOyr1AWkSvFzPYApgJuZ8P3CmnmiehfzokQhsdYdPUB6LXsPtyxSZPPtJPY_PMiKdVcY7JmLNzajkfR7VtCtL-juQR4QypPBiDXLdceNBliP-dWqlUg9bkRo9gQifI4YnnspGWSn9ia6ea8nIjJCQzvM3N9zeflY-CxJ9o2p293D2B6nRl6stZxnOyDQlpbh9OrJrF2oDOVlpnxJNI2NaXC_2lkqvSlSCuuiVzFnto-QsaWM6iy8ppBKkeOxeKI7IHPgfqtQ84nhyCsqG1wIC7RyBZpa5vJFQL9Vy2lJ-Xzou_zfZ2fVk5glRSc6OPp4Me_p81Lasy9aFSRhfZ8cGnr0395HXnPeGeZfmU9JZOpXzneMoFTwbGbrYhw7IdeVinEKi_Any68lAOgY7ixPsS-DfnOFbYnw_biaObS6X_io-f1TafstrU=w715-h953-no
 
they make adapter to use new style 20v max batteries.

Although it probably makes more sense to move to makita if that is your chosen brand.
 
Move on! I had some old Dewalt 14.4v tools which were good, but you couldn't get decent batteries at a reasonable price anymore so I ditched 'em. Switched to Makita 12v for the around the house stuff.
 
they make adapter to use new style 20v max batteries.

Although it probably makes more sense to move to makita if that is your chosen brand.

Agree on both counts... One or two DeWalt batteries and an adapter may be lower cost than buying a new Makita set... I had 18V tools, liked them very much, used them a lot. I sold and traded them when the US made 20V sets came out... But there was nothing wrong with them, they were great tools. So no reason to get rid of them unless OP is interested in a change..... Or a super black friday type sale comes up.

There may also be some cheap knockoff batteries available, but the safety will be suspect... Dont leave them on a charger!
 
I had the 18v Dewalt drill, 1/4 impact, and 6.5 circular saw for a number of years and really liked them. After about ten years I only had one Li-ion battery (out of five) that would still hold a charge. Along the way I had also purchased a few knockoff batteries but they were actually worse than the dead branded ones. A few years ago I finally decided to move to the Ryobi line, as they have nearly every tool imaginable and the quality meets my homeowner/DIY needs. If I used them more often (or for work) I would have gone with DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Makita; more powerful and available at places other than HD.

I therefore agree with @Rand that it makes sense to move to the Makita line, given that you already have the drill and impact.
 
I'm in the same boat deciding whether to buy a couple new 18v batteries or this setup. I have read some not so favorable reviews on using the 20v adapter and batteries on 18v tools. Anyone here have experiences they can share?
 
can't the cells be replaced in the dewalt batteries?
Of course, but rebuilding packs isn't everyones' cup of tea. Like greenjp, I have a 14.4V Dewalt, still lying around and did rebuild the packs years ago, but they've failed again and I can't bring myself to do it again due to their being NiCd, since they're no longer my primary use cordless tools.

I'd research whether anyone makes a Makita to Dewalt adapter so he can use same batteries he already has. Would this one work? I lost track of all the Dewalt battery formats:

 
Last edited:
Back
Top