Knockoff Dewlat Batteries won't take a charge

[Diggin It]

And now you're finding out why some hesitate to make the change from corded or gas tools. Convenience is fine, but for the cost, you want longevity which is proving to be troublesome.

 

[RandyT]

@Diggin It And as of March 31 2022 Makita will no longer make gas powered tools, Electric or battery operated only. No more gas blowers or chainsaws.

 

[Diggin It]

I don't buy Makita.

And for them, this would be a future sales gimmick .... tools won't last as long and will need to be replaced/upgraded more often. Even if the tools still work, they won't sell batteries for them any more, so you'll have to buy a new version .... that won't last very long.

Planned Obsolescence.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I can still buy 18v name brand Dewalt batteries brand new every place that I see Dewalt tools for sale.

I mean how hard are you even looking? Can't be very hard.

I also bought the 20v adapters and battery kit, as those were on sale here locally a couple years ago for less money than the 18v batteries.

Between the 2 or 3 "new" 18v batteries I bought a couple years ago, and the 20v adapters and batteries I bought a year or so later, I can keep my 18v tools running for the foreseeable future. If they start to discontinue the 20v batteries (I'm sure it will happen eventually), I'll stock up on a few more sets of batteries before they're gone. By then I'll probably need new tools anyway. As my 18v tools die off, I'll just replace them with 20v (or whatever the flavor of the day is) tools as they drop off.

My original 18v drill died a couple years ago. I got a ton of service life out of it, 10 years + anyway (probably closer to 15). I was satisfied with that life span. Replaced it with the basic 20v drill, and so far it's been fine.

 

[3930dave]

Update,

I went ahead and purchased one of the knockoff chargers from e-bay and it works! I don't know why but the factory dewalt chargers will not charge these new knockoff batteries.

May or may not apply to your specific Dewalt chargers..... I remember seeing a Charger table (data) from Dewalt a number of years back. At the time, some of their 120Vac chargers were rated to run off inverters, some were not.

I don't know if the issue was charge performance or actual damage to the chargers, but that distinction stuck in my mind as I'd never seen that factory spec before.

Again..... a number of years back, so may not still be the case. Some voltages of Dewalt would physically accept Black and Decker batteries. Likely a little lower capacity, but if you can still find some new B&D batteries, that may give you another option.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

@Diggin It And as of March 31 2022 Makita will no longer make gas powered tools, Electric or battery operated only. No more gas blowers or chainsaws.

Federal certification is creeping into smaller and smaller IC engines..... having been involved in other types of manufacturing, I can say that additional overhead/work/paperwork is non-trivial.

Green Marketing (real or perceived) is top of mind for many corporations today, but the additional costs are enough to kill off many product lines.

You'd almost think that was The Plan......

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I don't buy Makita.

And for them, this would be a future sales gimmick .... tools won't last as long and will need to be replaced/upgraded more often. Even if the tools still work, they won't sell batteries for them any more, so you'll have to buy a new version .... that won't last very long.

Planned Obsolescence.

Tech is the best/worst at this.

Many companies look at the Trillions of $ that Apple has made, and said "Gonna get me Some Too".

Not hating on Makita...... I have a # of their corded tools that I really like, and a lot of years ago, I bought their smallest drill that had a replaceable battery when I was almost in the Middle of Nowhere on a company job. It was perfect for the interior metal cabinet retrofits we were doing.

I talked to a mechanic a few years back, he was not happy with his Snap On branded cordless drill - the battery packs went Obsolete really fast - like 2-3 years after production start.

Somebody like Dewalt or Makita should have a bit more influence over battery pack Lifecycle/Obsolescence than a player who is late to the game...... but the bottom line is if it's not your own factory, you don't 100% control what happens.

If we are going to really get serious about All this Greeness going on flipping things to electric...... it would be interesting to see the Pack Recovery (re-cycling) stats broken down by Manufacturer.

Safe Bet - all these modern tool and EV battery packs are way behind the recycling %'s on 12v FLA Pb batteries.....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I’ve bought numerous knockoff batteries that are the newer style flat top ones and my service hasn’t been that great from them. They seem to last 1-2 years.

IF I had a cordless tool that I really liked, AND had a battery pack rebuilder that I really trusted, I might consider throwing the $ at upgrading the pack.

Other than basic mechanical and soldering skills, the pack really only comes down to the quality of the cells chosen.

For tools that I really like and use a lot, I don't mind throwing some extra money at upgrades if I'm not happy with the existing options.

Rgds, D.

 

[RandyT]

I talked to a mechanic a few years back, he was not happy with his Snap On branded cordless drill - the battery packs went Obsolete really fast - like 2-3 years after production start.



Rgds, D.

I have filed warranty claims for handheld battery powered products for different replacement unit or full refunds to customers because the battery packs were no longer available within 1 year of production of the product.

 

[4570Man]

And now you're finding out why some hesitate to make the change from corded or gas tools. Convenience is fine, but for the cost, you want longevity which is proving to be troublesome.

You realize the OPs tools are a decade old or more. Dewalt has been using the flat top lithium batteries for a long time. And there’s been a LOT of advancement in that time.