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DeWalt batteries

Discussion in 'The Antiquated' started by verde742, Sep 13, 2023.

  1. verde742
    Joined: Aug 11, 2010
    Posts: 6,452

    verde742
    Member

    Does ANYONE understand HOW to make them last longer????????

    Or BETTER YET, Does anyone know how to rebuild them?

    THEY !!!! get you use to cordless drills, price, ...... etc, then scald you for the batteries

    IMO
    verde742
     
  2. alanp561
    Joined: Oct 1, 2017
    Posts: 4,998

    alanp561
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    tractorguy and Joe Blow like this.
  3. Joe Blow
    Joined: Oct 29, 2016
    Posts: 1,501

    Joe Blow
    Member

    Another thing to try: I have two jumper wires made up and do this all the time. Cordless battery chargers are like newer car battery chargers, the battery has to have a minimum charge threshold on it for the charger to pick it up and start charging. If the battery has a lower charge than that threshold, it will just show dead on the charger. Sometimes it is.....but many times it just doesn't have enough charge for the charger to kick in.
    Edit: One thing I forgot to add and the video doesn't mention.....don't walk off and leave the two batteries jumpered - they'll get hotter than hell.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2023
  4. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 10,505

    BJR
    Member

    Joe, thanks for posting that, it could save us Hambers a bunch of money.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2023
  5. Mike Lawless
    Joined: Sep 20, 2021
    Posts: 576

    Mike Lawless

    For myself, the best solution was to quit buying DeWalts crap ever since it has been made overseas. My brand new DeWalt battery drill (Bought in 2012) lasted all of 6 months before the batteries would no longer take a charge. I paid a good chunk of money to buy "quality" too.
    I figure if all I can get is chinese quality, I'm not gonna pay American made prices.
    The Ryobi stuff I have now is working really well.
    I wish you the best of luck
     
  6. Bentrodder
    Joined: Aug 10, 2010
    Posts: 249

    Bentrodder
    Member
    from Cotati

    Joe Blow likes this.
  7. TexasHardcore
    Joined: May 30, 2003
    Posts: 5,267

    TexasHardcore
    Member
    from Austin-ish

    We only use DeWalt 20v cordless tools at work, and they are company owned. Our tools are beat, dropped from heights, used outdoor everyday, in all weather conditions. This is just the nature of our business' working environment. I've literally purchased $12,000 worth of DeWalt cordless tools so far in 2023, most due to typical wear and tear so they get replaced, and some due to a break-in at our yard where the thief went through 6 of my work trucks, focusing on all the cordless tools he could carry.

    Prolonging the life is all about keeping them from getting too hot, and keeping them charged. Continuous use like hammer drills, saws, & grinders will heat up a battery and drain the charge from it. Don't throw a hot battery on the charger, allow it to cool down before charging. The DeWalt chargers, and I'd assume most other brands, stop charging when the battery is full, so you could technically leave the battery on the charger for a year and it wouldn't have an affect on the battery.

    I prefer the 6ah batteries for the power hungry tools like hammer drills, band saws, grinders, and some drills. They have more juice, so they last longer on those big tools. But for our 1/4" impact drivers that get the most use in our line of work, but only used in short bursts, I prefer to use the smaller 2ah batteries. When the battery indicator light is only showing 1 bar, it's time to pull that battery off the tool, let it cool, and toss a fresh battery on.

    I emphasize the importance of the charging procedures, as well as what batteries work with what tools to my employees since we are a small company, and buying $1000 worth of batteries every few months isn't good for a small business.
     
    alanp561, tractorguy and Joe Blow like this.
  8. I switched to Milwaukee a few years ago because Dewalt batteries weren't lasting that long. I did a little research back then and found a place you could buy the batteries from (slightly smaller then a "C" battery), problem was you needed to spot weld the connecting tabs onto the battery. You couldn't solder it, had to be spot welded on, I did find out how to make a spot welded out of a microwave also.
     
    little red 50 likes this.
  9. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 57,467

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    stainless is really difficult to solder! that's why they spot weld them.
     
    Hellbentrodder likes this.
  10. Bob Lowry
    Joined: Jan 19, 2020
    Posts: 1,573

    Bob Lowry

    Same story on printer cartridges...I always check the price of the refills before I decide on a printer.
    The manufacturers finally got wise, as you could buy a new printer with full cartridges for less than the
    refill price.
     
    JNKYARDDOG_1 and X38 like this.
  11. finn
    Joined: Jan 25, 2006
    Posts: 1,336

    finn
    Member

    I have M18 Milwaukee and 2v Dewalt, plus the 12 v from each. Don’t really see any difference in battery life between the two, unless you’re talking about the ancient 18v Dewalt NiCad batteries.

    The solution for those old tools is to get the adapter that allows you to run the lithium 20 v batteries in the old 18v tools.
     
  12. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 14,441

    Budget36
    Member

    When the building opened where I work, all cordless tools were Dewalt. We still have many of them since June of 2018.
    The last few years they are being replaced with Milwaukee, Fusion?, I don’t use them much and more, so can’t make a comparison.
    I can say the Red tools look much better than the Yellow ones after a few years of use;)
     
  13. Bentrodder
    Joined: Aug 10, 2010
    Posts: 249

    Bentrodder
    Member
    from Cotati

    I have used a few Milwaukee tools and I liked them. If I were to start over again I would probably go the Milwaukee route but I have so many Dewalt tools, batteries and chargers, I cant justify buying all new and the mixing would annoy me.
     
    210superair likes this.
  14. 51504bat
    Joined: May 22, 2010
    Posts: 5,154

    51504bat
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    It seems like at least around here anyways, all the contractor types use DeWalt. But I have a friend who owns a cabinet shop where everyone who worked there had DeWalt cordless. Until a new guy showed up with Ryobi cordless tools. The old guys immediately gave the new guy a ration of shit about cheap ass Ryobi tools. That was until the new guy explained. He said as a general rule the main issue with cordless tools was they either got dropped off a ladder and broke or got left at a job site or got stolen. That said the cost of replacing Ryobi tools was a hell of a lot less than DeWalt especially for batteries. And it turned out they performed as well and lasted just as long as the higher priced DeWalt versions. Something to think about.
     
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  15. 210superair
    Joined: Jun 23, 2020
    Posts: 1,952

    210superair
    Member
    from Michigan

    All my Dewalt stuff has been rock solid for years and years, no complaints. I'd buy it all again.
     
  16. little red 50
    Joined: Feb 19, 2011
    Posts: 235

    little red 50
    Member

    I've used cordless drills in my business everyday for thirty years. I like dewalt tools but hate their batteries, they just don't last. I switched to Milwaukee drills twenty years ago and am much happier. Their batteries last as long as the tool.
     
  17. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 15,974

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I threw away my dewalt “junk”years ago. We used only Milwaukee at work and I moved to them. You tube does have videos to replace individual cells. My yard tools are Craftsman and at least 10 years old along with the batteries. The leaf blower gets used almost every day.
     
    little red 50 likes this.
  18. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,969

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    First battery tools I bought were Porter Cable. After a short stint with a Black and Decker drill, I went back to PC and have stayed there. A little harder to find now, I think Tractor Supply still sells them. They’ve done what I needed them to do…
     
  19. panhead_pete
    Joined: Feb 22, 2006
    Posts: 3,497

    panhead_pete
    Member

    Love my Makita tools!
     
    Outback likes this.
  20. studebakerjoe
    Joined: Jul 7, 2015
    Posts: 1,153

    studebakerjoe
    Member

  21. It was the NiCad battery version, after that I switched. Reason I couldn't adapt the battery was I ran over my stupid tool with a large truck. 1st tool I broke that way, I'm super anal about my tools, I can count on one hand the amount of tools I lost or damaged (dropped or ran over...wore out is another story).
     
  22. inthweedz
    Joined: Mar 29, 2011
    Posts: 607

    inthweedz
    Member

    The spot welders used in the battery repairs are available on the internet from ''Ali Express" (cost around $60 - $70 from memory, would be cheaper in US$)
     
  23. T. Turtle
    Joined: May 20, 2018
    Posts: 529

    T. Turtle

    Indeed, I used the same logic on electric tools before. Different thing for such tools as spray guns or ratchets/spanners where bad quality=ruined paint jobs or skinned knuckles (and worse) but for sanders etc I realized that even if it lasted for one job it paid for itself many times over. And some of the supposedly inferior stuff lasted for YEARS.
     
  24. I’ve used DeWalt at work and home for at least the last 12-14 years. Started with 18 volt tools and upgraded to 20 volt Lithium Ion when they came out. I have had a couple of 18 volt batteries die, but I have yet to kill any 20 volt batteries yet. I use mine every day, all day long at work. I practically live with my 20 volt 3/8” impact in my left hand. I also have the 1/2” impact, drill, nut runner, and 3/8” ratchet. I use them constantly and really don’t have to charge the batteries very much.
     
    tractorguy likes this.
  25. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,657

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Battery tools have been around for somewhere near 40 years , the damn things are always dead when you need them & run out of juice before you finish , the 1/4" all metal case B&D drill my grandfather bought in 1954 works every time I plug it in & pull the trigger , likewise the 3/8" version I bought in 1978 .
     
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  26. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 15,974

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Sounds like us Dewalt haters all had a problem with the early batteries…..but it left a sour taste for sure..
     
    ekimneirbo likes this.
  27. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,717

    ekimneirbo

    Yes, another X- DeWalt customer here. Too many dead batteries immediately after the 2 year warranty expired. Admittedly this was prior to Li-Ion. When I swithed to LI-Ion, I went with Kobalt and never looked back. Got some 6 year old ones still going strong.....and much cheaper to buy them and their tools.
     
  28. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,717

    ekimneirbo

    I have a few of the older plug in drills and they do a good job when/if I need them. I have one 1'2" drill with reduction gearing and I guarantee you if it bites while drilling it will wrap your arms up or knock your teeth out if you have the part you are drilling at/near eye level. I never use it without making it brace against my body.. When I want to drill really slow and big (hole saw), its great.

    That said, the Li-Ion tools are a WHOLE lot better than the first non-Li-Ion tools. The drills come with a secondary handle to help control the torque they produce and the ones I have .....the batteries have lasted a long time. You might want to try one and see how you like it. Its a totally different animal.
     
    tractorguy likes this.
  29. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,657

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Bought my last bat. Op. tool in 2017 , @75 , I don't plan on buying more .LOL
     
  30. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,717

    ekimneirbo

    I'm 78 and I plan/hope to buy a lot more. Why not buy a Kobalt drill/Battery/Charger combo on sale the next Holiday. Try it for 30 days and if you don't like it, you can take it back........no questions asked. You have nothing to lose by just trying one. You will find they are a lot more powerful. The point here is that they make a bunch of neat tools that are really helpful in our hobby, and they are compact. They make a little handheld cutoff saw that uses small blades. Great for cutting anything from sheetmetal to shrubs to drywall etc but very compact and reasonably priced. Easy to handle and no cord. I think you would find that you like them if you just give it a try.....nothing to lose.;)
     
    tractorguy likes this.

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