Cordless tools batteries

[69 OUR/TEA]

I have a Ridgid 18v kit from 2004,it had 2 batteries,when i let one sit in the drill for a long time,it ran it dead so hard,it would'nt come back to charge,the charger even shows it being a defective battery.So I was carefull with the one I had left,always taking it out of a tool when not in use.It sat for about a week or two,then that one now is not taking a charge,and flashing defective.Basically,is the whole kit worthless now as the batts are roughly $90 a piece,wtf,I paid $299 for the whole kit with the 2 batteries.
Is there a place that can repair them,or are they junk,look for some on ebay,but those might not have much life in them also?What have you guys done or do when this happens to you?

[bill440rt]

I have a Ryobi set of multiple tools that use the same batteries. I'm on the second set of batteries now, close to going on a third. Last time I bought batteries was maybe 3 years ago? 
Yep, just had to run to Home Depot to buy two of them. They were not cheap, but still cheaper than buying another set of cordless tools & throwing the ones I have away. I'm just wondering how long they will keep making this style of battery before they are obsolete, too? There does not seem to be a "standard" fitting battery among tools. Have a Dewalt? Craftsman? Stuck with those manufacturer's batteries!

You could try other online sources such as eBay, etc.
On a similar yet unrelated note, my son's Power Wheels ride-on needed a new battery. I found a seller online that sold brand new ones at a fraction of what the local stores wanted for them.

[bakerhillpins]

I am on my 3rd set of cordless drills over the 12yrs I have been remodeling my house. Typically I use them hard for the summer and then over the winter they don't get as much abuse. 4 yrs ago I gave up buying cordless tools because of exactly what you mention. I picked up a corded drill and started using it full time. No hassle with crapping out batteries and overpriced replacements. Realize that they are in the business of selling TOOLS, not batteries, so why sell the batteries cheap when you can keep your tool business flush.    Anyhow, last summer I just got tired of dragging the F'in cord around everywhere and just bought the cheapest I could get at HD.  An 18v Ryobi drill for $68. Both batteries are still running well. I now look at the entire tool as disposable.  Also, I believe that if you read the docs with the batteries most say that it is NOT advisable to drain them completely.

The GC that I used for some work said that he has had the same experience and also treats them as disposable and just gets the cheapest stuff he can find.  

I recall seeing something out there on the interwebs about breaking open the batteries and replacing the cells with rechargeable batteries.  

YMMV.

[69 OUR/TEA]

I had a Craftsman 19.2v kit last just as long and was 1/2 the price.Checked sears tonight,they still sell the exact same kit for $158.00,thats a drill,circular saw,sawzall and flourescant light.not bad IMO,might buy another one of those as their batteries are only $29.00 last time I checked.

[69 OUR/TEA]

But am watching Ebay on a couple auctions with Ridgid batts,if they go cheap enough I'll buy them.

[33yeartoy]

    try to find a battery place that rebuilds them. alot cheaper than buying battery. tool store or interstate battery dealer might know, they rebuild where i live.

[A383Wing]

yea..my Interstate Battery tool guy took mine and rebuilt it for me...was about half the price of a new one

Bryan

[stripedelete]

Find someone with a new set and when no one is around swap batteries. 

That's what some rat-effer' just did to me.

Ain't people wonderful?

[sunfire69]

I've used these guys to rebuild some Ryobi 9.6 and a set of 12s.....I just can't say enough good about them....not the cheapest route but in the case of the 9.6 they out lasted the drill.....used them for 5 years and the clutches in the drill died...still using the 12v it's been about 4 years so far.....

http://www.primecell.com/index.html

[hemigeno]

One of the guys at work here (commercial/industrial contractor) saw a YouTube video where a guy used a welder to rejuvenate a dead cordless battery by shocking it.  He tried it, and said so far his formerly dead batteries are working fine and will take a charge again.  Kinda tricky to get everything set just right, but he said it appears to have worked.  I'm not a YouTube expert, so perhaps someone else can find & post a link to the vid.

[moparstuart]

One of the guys at work here (commercial/industrial contractor) saw a YouTube video where a guy used a welder to rejuvenate a dead cordless battery by shocking it.  He tried it, and said so far his formerly dead batteries are working fine and will take a charge again.  Kinda tricky to get everything set just right, but he said it appears to have worked.  I'm not a YouTube expert, so perhaps someone else can find & post a link to the vid.

i just googled it

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0JbNX4K4fQ

[Domino]

Yeah, I saw those videos and I've been trying to get up the courage to try it ever since!  
Seems simple enough, arc the battery once opposite it's polarity then several arcs with polarity, then put it on the batt charger.  Only works on NiCad batts.

[71green go]

When Upgrading try buying the Lithium batteries.....more money but last longer and keep a charge a lot longer to

[kab69440]

You can indeed replace the cells. If you're handy with a soldering iron, go for it. Get cells from a local hobby shop. The radio control industry buys every sub-C (the predominant cell type found inside those packs) cell manufactured, checks, matches and keeps the best cells for resale. Medical devices get the second best cells, and what's left gets dumped on the open market. If you want the cells to last, pick up a good automatic charger while you are there. I have an Apex Infinity that I use to recharge everything. It is fully programmable for any type of battery profile up to 24 cells. The recycle function works miracles with abused cells as it can heat them enough to force the Nickel and Cadmium back apart without the danger factor of a welding transformer.

If you are not already aware of it, recharging a dry cell before it is completely and utterly dead is the primary cause of premature failure. Run the tool without a load until it absolutely will not try to budge and then recharge the battery. This is extremely important during the first 50 or so recharge cycles. When the new battery comes out of the box, put it in the tool and suck out every last milliamp left in it before charging for the first time. Same rule applies to Li- ion cells for computers an cell phones too.

[RIDELIKEHELL]

So what is a good brand to buy if I were in the market for a kit?

[bakerhillpins]

If you are not already aware of it, recharging a dry cell before it is completely and utterly dead is the primary cause of premature failure. Run the tool without a load until it absolutely will not try to budge and then recharge the battery. This is extremely important during the first 50 or so recharge cycles. When the new battery comes out of the box, put it in the tool and suck out every last milliamp left in it before charging for the first time. Same rule applies to Li- ion cells for computers an cell phones too.

Could you please provide a bit of background information on this comment. All the information I have ever read says that shallow discharge cycles are best for preserving the life of a Li-ion battery. Unless I am completely misunderstanding the manuals/documents I have read???

For example:

The Li-ion batteries prefer a shallow discharge. Partial discharges produce less wear than a full discharge and the capacity loss per cycle is reduced. A periodic full discharge is not required because the lithium-based battery has no memory.

http://www.buchmann.ca/Chap10-page6.asp

[b5blue]

Home Depot 2 battery pack for Ryobi 86 bucks, Ryobi drill with 2 battery and a charger 68 bucks. Go figure!  My guys on the R/C helicopter forum say storing any battery @ 30 to 50% charge is best.

[Bobs69]

I always thought that it was good for the batteries to be completely drained once and a while so they wouldn't develop a memory.  Is this not so!!!!??

[kab69440]

Could you please provide a bit of background information on this comment. All the information I have ever read says that shallow discharge cycles are best for preserving the life of a Li-ion battery. Unless I am completely misunderstanding the manuals/documents I have read???

For example:

The Li-ion batteries prefer a shallow discharge. Partial discharges produce less wear than a full discharge and the capacity loss per cycle is reduced. A periodic full discharge is not required because the lithium-based battery has no memory.

http://www.buchmann.ca/Chap10-page6.asp

Not true. The memory effect of a Li-ion battery is significantly less than that of a Ni-Cd or NiMH but it does indeed still exist. I run my laptop and smartphone until they shutdown and then recharge. I even go so far as to charge the phone from my laptop which provides a only a fraction of the milliamps from the USB that are available from the wall charger. The charge takes longer but is deeper and causes less heat buildup. Heat is the real enemy. I also have an ancient Virgin Mobile Pay-as-you -go phone. It was a cheap POS to begin with and is still on it's original Li-ion battery after what? 5 years?  That phone stays on standby for two weeks and spare change if I'm not on it yapping. My old laptop, bought in 02(?) still has it's original battery (granted, I also have two spares) and I still use it on occasion as XP has programs that I prefer to this Vista computer. I can still run that old power hog for an hour and a half on a charge.  Drain them dry, then recharge. Dry cells hate partial discharges. I suspect the manufacturer's literature is geared toward selling more batteries.

Now, on the other side of the coin, you would not believe how many people think a golf cart should be run until it dies before recharging and you cannot convince them otherwise. They can't fathom why these new junk batteries only last for a season. Flooded cells are the polar opposite of dry cells. The closer to full capacity the battery remains, the longer it lasts and the more charge cycles you can get.

[NHCharger]

So what is a good brand to buy if I were in the market for a kit?

I bought a Makita 18volt lithium. They sell for around $250. for a kit includes drill and impact driver. I love it, very light, well balanced. My son who's an electrician has the same kit. Says more and more of the contractors he works with are ditching the Dewalts for the Makita.

[440]

What is the battery chemistry of the batteries you have now ? NiMh I'm assuming. If NiCd or NiMh you can rebuild them yourself, if they are Lipo or Li-ion better to have professionally replaced.

You can zap them with a 12v car battery but the success is hit or miss. The zapping breaks up cristalization in the cell.

[RIDELIKEHELL]

So what is a good brand to buy if I were in the market for a kit?

I bought a Makita 18volt lithium. They sell for around $250. for a kit includes drill and impact driver. I love it, very light, well balanced. My son who's an electrician has the same kit. Says more and more of the contractors he works with are ditching the Dewalts for the Makita.

cool! I need to stock the garage..thx

[kokxville]

So what is a good brand to buy if I were in the market for a kit?

I bought a Makita 18volt lithium. They sell for around $250. for a kit includes drill and impact driver. I love it, very light, well balanced. My son who's an electrician has the same kit. Says more and more of the contractors he works with are ditching the Dewalts for the Makita.

:iagree:I use nothing else.Very nice an strong to work with.Have them for 7 years,and still work like i bought them yesterday 

[cavemanno1]

We are using Panasonic 18v Lithium,have 14 of them!They are very durable,strong and last for a long time!We use them hard gets droped accidently used in the rain but still work great!

[Silver R/T]

Whole reason I don't like cordless tools

[Bobs69]

We are using Panasonic 18v Lithium,have 14 of them!They are very durable,strong and last for a long time!We use them hard gets droped accidently used in the rain but still work great!

Battle tested!  Good enough for me.  So you can buy a panasonic battery to use with a dewalt?

[Mopar440+6]

Heat is the real enemy...

Kenny speaks the truth in more ways than one. Heat buildup during charge/discharge cycles is extremely damaging to dry-cell batteries. The deeper the discharge and recharge the better.

Also, temperature fluctuation will kill batteries just as quickly. When you grab a tool out of the back of the truck in the middle of the winter and start using it or drop it on the charger, the temperature in the battery spikes. Just being exposed to major temperature changes (like being kept in a garden shed that goes from 50F overnight to 120F during the day) can severely damage the cells.

My dad bought a new Dewalt cordless drill sometime in 2000. By late 2001 or early 2002 we had replaced both batteries with the "upgraded" Dewalt batteries. Those lasted until sometime in 2004. Around then someone told us about problems temperature change can cause. For Christmas that year I bought him a Milwaukee drill/worklight set. We started storing it inside and making sure that the batteries were completely discharged. To this day, that drill will still run for a couple hours of solid use. My cordless tools (all Milwaukee) get discharged as far as they will go before a recharge and get stored in the house. It's inconvenient sometimes but I have yet to notice a change in the life of the batteries...

[Chryco Psycho]

I have always used Makita over Black & Dewalt , Makita are simply better tools

[69 OUR/TEA]

The Ridgid set I speak of that I have ,has lasted me since 2003-4,very durable tools,the drill,sawzall,and circular saw are real great.After looking at new sets lately,and asking here,I think I'll roll the dice and buy a battery off Ebay and see where it gets me.I don't use the set as much as I used to as my addition on myhouse is done,so it's just used here and there for small projects now.

[sunfire69]

I highly recommond getting them rebuilt.....Primcell does a great job....what you get back is better than new.

[Patronus]

I have always used Makita over Black & Dewalt , Makita are simply better tools

I beg to differ sir. I have made my living with Dewalt tools for the past 25 years, almost exclusively. I am able to try any brand of tool prior to use. I depend on Dewalt.