Battery support for power tools

[Nessism]

I've enjoyed both my Makita 12V drill and Dewalt 18V hammer drill for several years now, but I can't seem to find any decent batteries for these tools anymore. In the past I've had excellent success buying generic batteries from Amazon, but lately, every battery I've bought has been pure junk. I'm seriously thinking that I'll have to scrap these tools, for lack of decent batteries. Very frustrating...

[Rich82GS750TZ]

For what most of them charge for new replacement batteries, you can usually get a new drill with battery. I’ve been through a few Craftsmans, and a Dewalt. I’v been happy with the Porter Cable Drill and Driver set I got about 4 years ago. I also bought the oscillator to use the same batteries. This is a great tool.

[dorkburger]

Not sure if they still do, but Batteries Plus (a chain store) used to rerurbish old power tool batteries. I never tried though, as work just replaces mine as needed.

[rphillips]

Just say'in, a few yrs. back I was surprised to find batts. for my "old" Makita, 9.6V, stuff was available from Interstate batteries. worked and lasted as OEM.

[Baatfam]

Just say'in, a few yrs. back I was surprised to find batts. for my "old" Makita, 9.6V, stuff was available from Interstate batteries. worked and lasted as OEM.

6-7 years ago I got a set of 9.6V batteries from Amazon, for my very old Makita. Still working as good or better than the originals every did.

Found them. Purchased in 2016, but appears Amazon still carries them. Upgraded Powerextra 9.6v 3600mAh Replacement Battery
Maybe the same vendor has the ones you need, Ed.

[Nessism]

6-7 years ago I got a set of 9.6V batteries from Amazon, for my very old Makita. Still working as good or better than the originals every did.

Found them. Purchased in 2016, but appears Amazon still carries them. Upgraded Powerextra 9.6v 3600mAh Replacement Battery
Maybe the same vendor has the ones you need, Ed.

Battery reviews for the Powerextra Dewalt size battery is very spotty. Several recent reviews showing bad batteries, however Powerextra replaced them. This is a common problem, it seems, quite possibly due to the batteries being old.

I'm thinking about rebuilding my Dewalt battery, since the case opens easily with screws. The Makita doesn't open.

While searching batteries last night I came across a new Makita w/LI battery for $100 + tax shipped, so I ordered one. The new tools seem to have better battery support than the old stuff, so the new tool should reset the clock.

[Cipher]

There are forums on this type of thing. You can actually make your own packs if you buy a small spot welder that's marketed for such work.
That way you pick the cells you want and keep the OEM electronics of the battery. If I was a working pro id certainly go down that road especially if I had friends in the same boat.

[Grimly]

I'm kind of in the same boat, with a raft of 14.4V Makita drills and impacts.
I bought an adapter to allow me to run the later 14V lion batteries, since one of my chargers already does them.

[rphillips]

Just from me being nosey, I went to Interstate Batt. web site, It took a lot of punching but finally found they do sell batt. and chargers for most major brand hand tools as well as refurbishing your old hand tool batt. and give a 1 yr warranty. I never found any listing for their hand tool batt's or chargers they had, or info. on rebuilding, nor any prices.... Finally called Interstate Customer service, and the lady couldn't tell me if Interstate Batt. sold replacement batt's for hand tools, Didn't know what Makita, DeWalt, nor Porter Cable were. The Customer service lady told me to call my local Interstate dealer to see if they had them. I said no, I just wanted to know if "The Interstate Battery Co." sells batts. for cordless hand tools like drills, saws, and sanders... Hard to believe, She had no clue... Crazy, I've always been well satisfied with their products and service, now wondering.

[Laker]

Hi Nessim. You can get a DeWALT adaptor to convert your 18v to the new 20v. The new DeWALT 20v powerstack batteries are way better then the old 18v and you can keep using your old tools

[Suzukian]

Hi Nessim. You can get a DeWALT adaptor to convert your 18v to the new 20v. The new DeWALT 20v powerstack batteries are way better then the old 18v and you can keep using your old tools

That's some good info, had no idea that was available. Thanks!!

[Nessism]

Hi Nessim. You can get a DeWALT adaptor to convert your 18v to the new 20v. The new DeWALT 20v powerstack batteries are way better then the old 18v and you can keep using your old tools

I believe you, however, the cost to convert is similar to the cost of buying a new power tool w/battery and charger. If I had a bunch of Dewalt tools, I think that would be the play, though.

Anyway, the $99 Makita arrived and she's a beauty! The charger is rated for both Li and Ni-Mh batteries, so, hopefully, that will give me a long run path down the road for batteries!

[Laker]

That’s good Nessism. The batteries for these tools are expensive to buy. I work for the firm so luckily get them discounted. Now it is prudent to have one platform, yellow, red or blue tools so you can interchange the batteries and chargers for your tools. Until they change the batteries like your old 18v!

[Nessism]

As I often do, I'm second guessing the Makita purchase. What concerns me is the chuck; it seems quite cheap. Definitely not as robust as my old Makita drill chuck, which in of itself, required a firm hand to get properly tight. I've had issues with keyless drill chucks before, not getting tight enough, and sure enough, there are poor reviews on Amazon for just this thing for this particular drill. So what to do? Why spend $$$ on a high-end Milwaukee of course! It comes with two 5 Ah batteries, instead of one 3 Ah. Gotta pay to play. I got my shorts in a twist because of my garage/lathe/wiring project has shown a need for a more reliable setup. Spend once, cry once. Hopefully, this thing will hold up for years to come...

[rphillips]

Life would be much simpler without all the dang decisions... Especially when all their ad's say theirs is the best.... Hope the Makita serves better than expected.