i'm like the Bermuda Triangle for tool batteries..
 

wow. like someone hit my garage with an EMP or something. i have a Milwaukee impact, and my Dewalt drill. both ancient tools. both 18v.

every battery is dead. i cant afford Milwaukee batteries. Dewalt batteries..are ridiculous too. buying the tool is a joke. i think i paid less for the drill, two batteries, and the charger than the cost for two new 18v batteries. best i can find at a store is $130ish. better online. buying the tool is like, "hey kid, the first hit is free!" they set the hooks into you.

today, something happened. i was buying drip irrigation stuff. i saw a new Dewalt battery. i single pack on the bottom shelf. it was not priced. they had two packs for $129. i took the single up to ask the cashier to give me the price. she mumbled." 7mumble,mumble" i said what? she said, "17.99"

i said, "What?"..she flipped the screen to me and it said..$17.99..i said, i'll take it. the manager came over..i said. you sure? he said, if that is what the computer says,,take it!!

i paid for all my irrigation stuff. the battery..and sprinted to the back of they store hoping to find another single battery. NOPE!!

it was pretty awesome. i went to every OSH near me to find the battery..none.

anyone getting them rebuilt? i see the going rate is about $40..any good? know of anyone doing it?

Check, but I think the Millwaukee batteries were recalled. They were on my 18v drill. You get new ones, takes about a week.

Here you go...
Batteries Used with Power Tools Recalled by Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. Due To Laceration Hazard | CPSC.gov

My drill battery died this weekend. Its old, but hasn't lived a hard life. Ive scoured the net, battery is absolete, no apparent replacement. So it looks like Im binning a perfectly good drill, case, charger.

An aspect of modern llfe that I really dislike.

I got tired of death batteries, especially the Milwaukee they're expensive and last nothing..
So I bought Rigid drill, saw and impact because they have lifetime warranty on batteries and tools!

You can't beat that..

You just have to register the tools via mail and takes like 10-12 weeks... and voila!
I'm not going to buy any batteries again.. Yay!

Cliff, they can be rebuilt, or batteries are swapped out for new set within the battery pack. They work ok, but we never seem to do too much of it. When the batteries go, we need it yesterday, so rebuilding becomes a PITA so we get rape and buy new ones. By the time the batteries go, the tool is well worn so a new one makes more sense. The li-on batteries are good stuff. Lots of power in a much smaller package. I love the lightness, that's were it counts IMO.

Laugh all you want, but I have zero cordless tools at this point. Had the batteries go bad in a damn expensive Milwaukee drill. Decided I was over it. Loving my corded, more powerful replacement.

The money I spend on a single Milwaukee battery will go to an air hose spool thing instead. I'm pretty sure my four batteries were exchanged in the recall already. I'm going to us my air impact instead. Those batteries are stupid expensive.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

I buy a cheap battery at Harbor Freight and remove the individual cells and put in my pack.

I take my battery packs to a local Interstate battery shop. They rebuild them for less than the replacements. They last me about 7 years then need to be rebuilt again.

I went through several rounds of replacement Milwaukee batteries, then said eff-it and bought a set of Craftsman 19.2V tools. For the price of two replacement Milwaukee batteries I got a drill, sawzall, circular saw, 1/2 impact wrench, and a light that I'll never use. Thus far I'd rate their performance as equal to the Milwaukee tools that they replaced.

Never bought any Milwaukee tools. I still have my original Makita drill driver from the 80s with 300k miles on it and three functional old-school NiCads. I have replaced two of the batteries in 25 yrs. I got a new lightweight Makita with Li Ion batteries a few years ago and it does most of the heavy lifting now. I use it several times a week and it's small batteries last a long time and recharge quickly. I am never without a power tool. Change tires, repair fences, re-build my wood deck, drill stucco, it is an amazing little tools for dirt cheap.
All my air tools and corded drills are just idling in a tool drawer these days.


Makita 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit (2-Tool)-LCT209W at The Home Depot

I got a pair of 18v DeWalts at HD/Lowes a couple of years ago for ~ $90.
I have a Craftsman 19v impact driver. The batteries for it suk! Only hold a charge for a day or two, only good for maybe 5 lug nuts, if you break them with a four way first. It's only a couple of years old.
A DeWalt battery I have dated 2006 will hold a charge for weeks.
Those Milwaukee cordless tools were always junk.

Carter

I patiently waiting for my last 12v DeWalt pack to die so I can get a new cordless. Those new lithium ion drills are tiny!

I we talking about nicad/nimh or lion?

The lion tools seem to hold up better, and I dont think too many companies bother with new Nicad tools anymore.

I'm finding myself going back to using my corded stuff , more and more. Sure there are a few times when the cordless is just quicker to use, but like others above I'm sick of justifying spending that much $$ on a crappy battery that wont last that long. I have a cabinet of cordless tools that either the batteries became unavailable or are just to much $ to replace.

Those maybe cheaper batteries with lower mAh, so they don't last as long. I take it apart and buy new batteries from places that sell them like Battery Junction and try and repackage them n the box. By the time, you are done with doing it that way, the saving is 5-8 bucks. Why not take it to Interstate and have them put in a new one for 40 dollars.

I just rebuild the packs, I have a lot of cordless devices and I just keep a brick of CCC cells on hand to refurbish them. It's not a lot of effort and kind of fun to do.

All-Battery.com: Combo: 8pcs Tenergy D 10000mAh NiMH Flat Top Rechargeable Battery

We found those older Dewalt cordless tools to be a real POC. Batteries die within the first2-3 months. This is not just one battery, but the replacements also.

I had a '90s vintage Dewalt 14.4V drill that I was really happy with. When the time came I replaced it with a cheap Kawasaki cordless drill that I never liked. The batteries were horrible. Since then I lived with my really old corded Milwaukee drill.

We recently moved and I have a crap ton of projects so I splurged with the latest Bosch 18v LI drill and impact driver set.

Amazon Bosch-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion

I bought mine at Lowes on sale with a coupon for $180. Tools, 2 batteries, charger, and carry case. WOW what a killer setup these are. Lightweight, really powerful, and I can use the tool all darn day on a single battery charge. Amazingly handy. The impact driver makes 2.5" wood screws a one handed affair. And the built in lights are really handy for those low light under counter top situations. Do yourself a favor and upgrade to LI driven tools.