I have 2 20 volt 1/2 cordless Dewalt drills, one is at least 10 years old. Because I already own a couple, my son bought one for himself. Unfortunately, his drill came with a single battery, I have already had to buy a pair to replace junk ones.

My question: the drill my son bought has a 2 amp/hour battery, the replacement batteries I bought are 4 amp/hour, I didn’t bother to look at the other 2 I have, as they no longer accept or hold a charge. I see replacement batteries with ratings up to 5 amp/hour. While I’m not an electrical engineer, I do know the battery will only supply what the motor draws, up to its current limit. So what’s the advantage of a higher amp/hour battery? I assume longer run time?

It really chaps my *** that the batteries are more expensive than buying a drill that comes with them.

 

Matt, should we assume they are 20V lithium batteries ? I know I have bought 18V Ni-Cad batteries online from an offshore manufacturer because DeWalt stopped making them. "I think" the higher Amp/hour batteries will power "higher amp draw" tools. You may also get a little longer run time.

 

The higher amp hours are for longer run time. See how many holes you can drill with your son's 2 Ah batteries vs. your 4 Ah batteries and you will notice the difference pretty quick. You will probably notice some reduced power as the batteries get closer to needing a recharge, but the 20 amp tools do a pretty good job of shutting down (stop working and flashing light) before fully dis-charging the battery. The difference will be even more obvious in someting like a cordless sawzaw, router, or circular saw

 

^^this.
The 2 Ah batteries are garbage regardless of the brand. I've gotten less than 15 minutes out of the Milwaukee battery but we'll over an hour from the 5 Ah versions.

Tool batteries are such a scam these days, they way they are packaged and priced reminds me of the way inkjet printers used to be sold. This is a market ripe for aftermarket sellers.

 

Be aware that there are plenty of vendors selling cheap imported batteries that are counterfeit. It's probably worth it buying the batteries directly from the manufacturer 🤑 or better yet have old batteries rebuilt.

 

All this is the reason that all the power tools I use have a CORD.

 

Charlie, HAHAHA, you are correct. I use corded tools for longer jobs and battery powered for a quick convenience. The corded tools run forever as long as you pay the electric bill.

 

I bought a cordless Makita chainsaw and it's a champ. I much prefer it to the Pullin' Pro I bought from Horrible Freight.

 

Be aware lithium batteries can drop to such a small voltage that the dewalt chargers won’t recognize or charge them. I apply 12v from a power supply to the correct terminals with alligator clips and wires. After a few minutes they read a few volts, and then charge normally

 

I have had to do this a couple times, unfortunately I have a couple that no longer respond to this trick. Can’t complain, I have definitely worked them pretty hard.

 

kinda what I figured.

I agree, it infuriates me the batteries are more than the tool kit.

 

I’m in process of changing over to battery powered tools. Higher amp hours generally means more run time for whatever the battery is applied to. There are some tricks to revivify depleted batteries, check YouTube for those.

Corded is great, but I’m extremely happy with my dual battery Milwaukee leaf blower. My yard and driveway have never been cleaner. It’s so easy to just grab the blower when you have a little time to kill - like if you’re driving and waiting for a passenger to be ready to go….

It’s even kind of fun. I put on noise cancelling headphones and some cool tunes then just blow the leaves away. I hate noise, so headphones are a good trick for me with noisy tools.

I’m settling in on the Milwaukee M12 series for small tools for a lightweight electric screwdriver (aka the “Makita), the one I got has a helpful light pointed at whatever you’re driving the screw into. The light is a nice feature. I’m using the M18 series for heavier duty stuff like my leaf blower. For small stuff the lightweight M12 tools are very convenient.

I’m sticking with OEM branded batteries on the theory that offshore knockoffs will not be as safe. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling offshore. I trust US made stuff more. I don’t need a cheapo knock off battery causing a garage fire. For the extra $30 or whatever, I choose to sleep better. But yeah, the batteries cost as much/more than the tools.

I have no affiliation with brand, just my experience. The tools I’ve got thus far have only encouraged me to consider more tools now that I’ve invested in the batteries. This, of course, is their business strategy…

Cheers
cf

 

I am running the Ryobi 18 volt batteries in drills, impacts and even a lawn mower, our yard is small. You notice a slight power upgrade going larger and agree my 2 amp batteries barely work. I am glad for having the Ryobi. Not only do they have the worthless 2 amp, they have 4, 6, 9 and even massive 12 amp batteries. The 2 amp, I basically use in my small flashlite or a drill if desperate, otherwise useless, the 4 amp are basically drill/driver, tire inflator, 1 gallon air compressor or maybe the leaf blower for a small area. I find the 6 amp better and only slightly heavier. Now the 9 amp, needed two plus a couple of 4 or 6 amp to do my lawn. I need 1, yes only 1 12 amp to do the lawn. The 9 amp is big and heavy but 12 amp is ridiculously huge and heavy but boy does it last a long time. You basically pick the battery for size of the job or how much extra weight you want to carry around.

 

Interesting ? I just looked at the batteries for my 20V Dewalt drill I have here at the shop. They are 1.7 AH and are from 2020. They have done everything I have asked of them and simply seem to hold up forever. I have used it to pre-oil engines, hone blocks etc etc. And drilled plenty of holes.

I think the ones on the drill I have at home are the same size and have also been fine. I have tried the "plain wrapper" batteries for an old 12Volt Dewalt I used to have. They were pretty much useless.

I think the key is to get name brand batteries and they will be just fine. I used my drill at home this weekend the first time in at least a few months and the battery that was in it worked just fine.

 

I’m still using 18v Dewalt tools, the amz clone batteries work good so far..

 

Check out number 8 on this list.

Older Adults Are Sharing The "Outdated" Tech They Still Use Today Because They Cannot Stand The Modern Versions

 

Since we are on the subject, and many may already know this....

I started with Ryobi cordless and changed over to Milwaukee...
Found an adapter, and there are many, that will let you use one mfg batt with another mfg tool.

 

Neat! I had no idea those existed.

I've had good luck with the Li-ion Ding How replacement for my old DeWalt 14.4v, right up until I dropped it. All the charge lights came on, so I put it outside in case it caught fire. Those lights stayed on for months! The 2nd one has been working fine.

 

I had a snap on..battery was more expensive than a new impact...batteries plus rebuilt my good housing for $30 a piece and I updated them...I don't know what that meant at the time..but wow what a diff..and 8 time the battery life took 1 day to get them back..that was 10 years ago with no issues and running strong today