Cordless tools- battery life

Bret4207

Well-known Member
Does anyone have any stellar recommendations to make as far as cordless battery brands? I currently have 2 out of 6 Porter Cable 18v batteries that will take or hold a charge. Bought this set up maybe 5-6 years back and the only 2 that hold a charge I got on sale at Lowes a couple years back. Yet, I have 7.2, 9.6 and 12 volt Makita batteries that are pushing at least 30 years old or more that still take and hold a charge like new. I admit, their life is limited and power isn't what you get with the 18v stuff, but I can still drive a lot of sheetrock screws in an afternoon with the old stuff.

I know I'm not alone in this. Is it just planned obsolescence, poor quality or what???????

BTW- My 60 year old Millers Falls corded drill still works every time!
 

I use the 18 volt Black and Decker. Some of them have exceptional long life, and some are dead after only 1 or 2 years.
 
I too have a porter cable 18v lithium drill and driver.
Probably 4 or 5 years old. Not impressed. I only have two
batteries and they charge up ok, but don't last long. After I
bought mine I read an article in s handyman magazine where they
rated the new cordless drill. Porter cable lithium
drills/drivers did not do that well. It was their first try at
the lithium batteries, and they didn't last as long as others.
I wish I would have known that ! I was going to buy a DeWalt or
a Milwaukee, and I should have. Just my experience.
 
I started out a long time ago with a Crapspman I got on sale Saw drill something else batts and charger junk, thats long gone. Then Porter Cable bought it because I have several corded PC tools that are great. On the PC the batteries gave out. Tried rebuilding the battery packs guess I wasn't smart enough to do that. Grandsons kept laughing at me and telling me to get Dewalt with Lithium Ion batteries so when the "Kit" came on sale I bought it They were right, but still laughing at Gramp Worst part of the deal, 2 weeks later it was on sale at another place a lot cheaper.
 
I recently got a rigid combo of drill, hammer drill driver, charger,
and three batteries and when registered for warranty got lifetime replacement on all. purchased from home depot online.
 
I have never gotten more than 4-5 years out of batteries, less on the ones I rebuilt myself, probably because I bought cheap
outdated batteries off ebay! I just bought a complete battery of ebay for my 14.4 Hitachi, seems good so far, less than
$20.
 
Your main issue is the brand name of tool. Porter Cable is on pare or even below Harbor freight in quality. I have Dewalt, Craftsman, and Makita batteries and I usually get 5-10 years out of them.
 
Iam still using the same batteries I got with my Dewalt 12yrs, ago. The drill does spark when I first turn it on and has the burnt electric smell when running. I guess the batteries will outlive the drill. Always used at home and not in work
 
I have all Milwaukee cordless in 18 volt.
The fuel brushless drills and drivers will
amaze you. I have probably have 12 different
tools and never had a problem. I borrowed my
neighbors Milwaukee compound miter saw and
that thing was amazing, I will be getting me
one soon. Another good one is the metal
cutting circular saw, cuts 1/4 plate like it
plywood!
 
I got into DeWalt 18v cordless tools around 2006 or 2007. I've probably got 20 or so "good" 18v batteries currently. Some lasted a decade or so, others seem to die off around the 5 year mark. I haven't bought an 18v battery in a couple years (every new tool I've bought for the last few years has been 20v Max...adapter makes the 20v batteries work in most of the 18v tools). I put my name and date on each battery when I get it...amazing how old some of them are.

Biggest thing with the batteries for me is not leaving them out in pickup, tool box, etc in the winter time. Seems to murder them. Also, we use them very frequently so they get run down and charged regularly.

I'd say I've had more of them walk off (in-laws, hired help, etc) then die.

When they do die (provided they aren't held together entirely with duct tape and jb-weld), there is a local place that will rebuild them fairly cheap.
 
I can't make heads or tails out of those batts., got one 7.2 volt Makita batt. that must be 20 years old and just started to get tired. Have a 9.6 volt Makita impact that ate about 4 batts. in 10 years, bought a cheap replacement that's still like new after 4 years although I had to do some filing and sanding to get the batt. in to start with. My first 2 Dewalt batts. lasted close to 12/14 years and the next 2 didn't go half that far. Had one Dewalt rebuilt for 38 bucks and it's tired after 3 years. Tools still work good but tired of buying batts.
 
Bret4207,
No battery will last forever. It's not planned obsolescence, it
the nature of all batteries. Some people think their old batteries are still good and they may be good enough to power some things. If you really want to load test a battery use them in a cordless circular saw or right angle grinder.

I don't think any brand is better. Good chance they are all
made in China. Also a good chance they are not made in the USA.

I realized 25 years ago batteries are the weak link in cordless
tools. So I decided to buy one brand of tool so they all use
the same battery.

If 25 years ago rigid had all the cordless tools I have, I
would have bought them from Home depot and cash in on their
lifetime warranty.

The way I see it, buying a new battery is relative cheap
compared to all the money I've spent on my cordless tools. My
tools have lasted me many years. I also have a second set of
tools in my truck. Love to grab a cordless tool to do a small
job vs grabbing an extension cord. And sometimes where I work,
there is no power.
 

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I'd go buy more Makita stuff but no one seems to carry Makita anymore. Not sure what happened there. Makita was THE BRAND for many years, but seems to have out priced itself or maybe people got bored with reliable, well made power tools? I bought Porter Cable before realizing todays PC isn't the PC of 30-40 years ago. I thought I was buying a quality tool..... my bad. I agree with George on the cordless circular saw. The little cordless PC saw I got int he kit is useless for anything outside of 1/4" Luan or maybe some light trim. Try it on a sheet of wet 3/4" treated plywood and you'll be there for years!

I don't expect batteries to last forever, but 2-3 years seems terribly short compared to the luck I've had with Makita. Maybe it's time to look into Milwaukee or Dewalt. But- aren't both owned by the same company that owns PC, Skil, Etc? Doesn't the company that we knew as Black and Decker back in the day own them all now?
 
Black and Decker is the parent company to many other brands.

As far as I know, Rigid form home depot is the only one with a
life time warranty of everything, including batteries which are
Li-ion. I think it's a Home depot warranty, not a rigid
warranty.

If I were to give up on Dewalt, I would consider Rigid life
time warranty. Not sure if they have a cordless grease gun,
which is my favorite cordless. Also have a cordless caulking
gun. My most used cordless is the 1/4 impact to set screws,
love it.

BIL gave up on his dewalt. Bought the 4 pack ridid from HD. He
ripped a 2x12 ft piece of treated lumber on one battery. I
think they are 4 amp-hour, not sure about capacity.
geo
 
Dewalt mostly 18v here, 4 14.4 drills and 1 Makita 9.6volt drill
fastest way I have found to kill a battery is to use it in a saw until totally dead then throw it in the charger hot
drills don't seem to have this problem
this is why i don't let other people use my battery saws not even my wife
stop when saw slows down, let the battery cool down before charging and batteries last
like the DeWalt LiOn because it will stop before you can hurt it
use LiOn at work and NiMh at home
probably will not step up to 20v as I am slowing way down
 
I buy Ridgid tools because of the lifetime battery warranty. You do need to register the tools with Ridgid within 90 days of purchase to get the lifetime warranty. If you dont register the tools the warranty is 3 years from the date of manufacture regardless of when you bought it.
 
Don't know how you fellers get so lucky. 7 years is the longest i've had any battery to last in over six decades and that only happened once.

If you're looking for the cream of the crop go with Milwaukee fuel 18v. 5 year warranty on tools and three years on the batterys. They are great. If you just want a good
tool with reasonable power go with Rigid from home depo. Lifetime warranty on tools and battery's BUT you have to register them quickly or there is no warranty.
 
Milwaukee has a 9 amp-hr 18 volt battery.
They are owned by and made in china. China
can make quality tools, but they cost as
much as quality tools made here.

Stanley owns b&d, Dewalt, craftsman, skil,
and bostitch. Among other hand tool brands.
 

I hadn't considered Rigid. I've only been in a Home Depot once I can recall, we're heavy on Lowes around here. I wonder if Lowes Kobalt stuff is warrantied like Rigid? Have to check.

For kicks I looked up Makita cordless sets on Ebay. I didn't go through all 1800 hits, but a drill, flashlight, sawzall, 4 1/2" (IIRC) circular saw combo was over $750.00!!!! I think I paid $79.00 for my PC set! I guess quality costs.
 
I have a pc set and they are the same as yours, they charge fine but the run time is no where near the same as the dewalt i use at work. They also don't weigh any where near the same. The case is approximately the same size but there isn't nearly the same stuff inside.

Steven
 
I don't want to steal the thread, but I would like advice on storing batteries (for cordless tools) in a garage that gets down to freezing a few times each winter (I am in W. Tennessee). I don't recall whether any of the modern batteries have warnings about freezing. Thanks for any advice!

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.
 

I firmly believe that extreme cold kills them. I've left batteries (ni-cad and lith-ion) in my truck toolbox overnight during the winter and they won't run a tool until they warm up. Even if you take your batteries from inside, their run time is significantly reduced in extreme cold.

Just like your lead acid or AGM car battery, extreme heat and extreme cold seem to murder tool batteries. If taking them inside isn't possible, I'd think leaving them on the charger is probably your best bet.
 
I agree with you. Read instructions, all batteries are like
people, they don't like it when it very cold or very warm.

I took an old cooler. Put a 9w LED bulb inside. Store my
batteries in pole barn. I have two chargers inside. Batteries
will stay about 30+ degrees warmer. I keep batteries in cab of
truck to stay warmer too.

I don't charge by batteries after use until they have time to
cool off. Don't charge them if they are very cold either.

No battery will last forever. Lucky to last 5 years and still
power a circular saw very long.

That's why I would look for a Rigid life time battery from Home
depot. They won't last any longer, but it won't cost you to
replace it.
 
I was a slow convert to battery tools thus my 18V Dewalt tool collection is only about 5 years old. They get used a LOT. I have yet to have any battery problems but if I did I would say well done my friend as I tossed it in in the trash. Maybe I am easy to please? I bought some generic batteries on Ebay for less than half of the box store price and they have also worked flawlessly.
 

FYI- Nope, Lowes Kobalt cordless stuff doesn't have anything like the Rigid warranty.

Looking the various brands over today, the big new thing seems to be "BRUSHLESS!!!!!" tools. ????? When did they come out and what's all the hoopla about?
 
They have a microprocessor that switches
the voltage in place of the brushes and
commutator (right part?).

Less friction, better conductivity, longer
tool and battery life.
 
(quoted from post at 15:41:20 08/16/17) They have a microprocessor that switches
the voltage in place of the brushes and
commutator (right part?).

Less friction, better conductivity, longer
tool and battery life.

Thanks. Doesn't sound like something that can be fixed in my garage!
 
Thanks. Doesn't sound like something that can be fixed in my garage!(reply to post at 15:09:30 08/16/17)

No, I suppose if the microprocessor or whatever goes out they are probably shot. The brush-less motors do seem significantly more powerful and the same batteries last longer in the brush-less tools.

I've rebuilt a couple of the 18v DeWalt tools, mainly 5/8" drills (chucks, trigger, brushes, bearing, etc). We use the drills to mix milk replacer in a 5 gallon bucket with a cement mixing paddle so we are really rough on them. Chucks and rear bearing take a beating spinning the heavy cement paddle. Honestly though, for the price of the tool I should just start to replace them when on sale or buy some on Craigslist. Never tore into any of the 20v brush-less tools yet...but I'm sure I'll need to eventually.
 

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