Replacement Batteries for Cordless Drills

Steve in VA

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Does anyone have experience buying the knockoff replacement batteries for cordless drills that are available on Amazon? Brands / vendors such as FHYBAT, OHYES BAT, etc. My gut is they're all the same company or minimally manufactured in the same place.

My battery is dying a very slow death and there are some good deals right now on new drills, but when the battery is freshly charged my drill runs great. And a new battery is $18 vs. $100 for a new drill.

Many of these replacement batteries have hundreds of reviews with 4+ stars, but my concern is really around the longer term satisfaction. Do they hold a charge well? Do they work well after 6 months, after a year?

Part of me wants to use this as a means to justify a new drill......wouldn't you?.....but on the other hand for $18 it seems like a no brainer if I can get a year out of the battery.

What experiences do you all have?
 

barry richardson

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I got one for my 20v dewalt, a 5amp hour. It is some Chinese brand but colored like a dewalt, it was about half the price of a comparable Dewalt battery. Have had it for a couple of years, am very happy with it and would buy another without hesitation.... I will check the brand when I go out to the shop....
 

Tony

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:popcorn: I'm having the same issue with my Porter Cable.
 

barry richardson

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The name on mine is "Enegitech" I don't see them on Amazon anymore, but found them here,
https://www.sears.com/enegitech-2pa...FoNxMvHSVs-wq1P7vkBoCuQ4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
about the same deal, I think I paid something like $35 for one. I got tired of the 2 amp hour batteries that came with my drill going dead so fast, so I bought one, the battery life on a 5 amp is waaaay better. So in my limited experience, i'm a fan of knock-off batteries...
 

Schroedc

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My $o.02... I tried the aftermarkets for the Milwaukee drills, bought a pair, one gave me about 18 months before going belly up, the other lasted two charges. I finally bought a pair of the Milwaukee branded ones. But then, for only 18.00 you probably don;t have a lot to loose plus if it goes dead fairly quickly, raise heck with Amazon and probably get your money back.

Another thing to consider, with the holiday season, right now both DeWalt and Milwaukee are running deals where you get a drill, an impact driver, two batteries and a charger for about 150.00 so it might just be time to upgrade.... :sarcastic:
 

Steve in VA

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My $o.02... I tried the aftermarkets for the Milwaukee drills, bought a pair, one gave me about 18 months before going belly up, the other lasted two charges. I finally bought a pair of the Milwaukee branded ones. But then, for only 18.00 you probably don;t have a lot to loose plus if it goes dead fairly quickly, raise heck with Amazon and probably get your money back.

Another thing to consider, with the holiday season, right now both DeWalt and Milwaukee are running deals where you get a drill, an impact driver, two batteries and a charger for about 150.00 so it might just be time to upgrade.... :sarcastic:

Love how I just went from an $18 battery to a $150 combo set!

I've seen those deals and you're right, for $50 more you get the extra tool. Very tempting!

I went ahead and just ordered a single battery last night. Took your two cents and figured I've got nothing to lose buying through Amazon. I've been upgrading too much already this year!
 

Mr. Peet

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I wasted hours watching guys "rejuvenate" Nicad batteries. So, I tried it. One of 4 batteries seamed to respond. I ordered the 2 knockoffs for $40, Amazon deal for the DeWalt. Should arrive this week.

As for the old batteries, thinking about breakdown and checking each cell in the link of each battery for "fun". Might be able to cob 2 more from the 3 duds....
 

Steve in VA

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I've now had the $18 replacement battery for 2 weeks and used it extensively over the holidays. It's been nothing but fantastic, so far. Great power and holds a charge just like new. It fits both the drill and the charger perfectly, which was one of the main complaints I read about in all the reviews on Amazon. Time will tell, but thus far I'm a very happy camper.
 

ripjack13

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I'm late to the show, but, I use the cheapie batteries for my makita and my bosch kits. The cheapie bosch have lasted for over 5 years. 2 of the 4 makita ones though have died in 3. It's worth it for me because the real makita batteries are stupid expensive.
 

Mr. Peet

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Well, my generic DeWalt knock-offs came today. DeWalt weighs 2 pounds 6 ounces, the generic 1 pound 11 ounces. That is an 11 once difference, so I wonder how long they will last (run time). The Dewalt was listed for 3 amp hour, and the replacement as 3.8 amp hour. Should be interesting.
 

ripjack13

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My cheapie makitas came in today too....

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djg

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I had the same problem with my Craftsman and Makita drills. I opted to upgrade to Rigid brand. They have free lifetime replacement on their batteries (and tools).
I've used their service several times and no problems. Hated to throw away the Craftsman, but I've got enough useless stuff around.
 

KrashKing

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It does work to zap ni-cad's, but only for a band-aid. Rebuilding them by purchasing individual cells is a lot of soldering finesse, but buying any "on sale" replacement battery pack and re-using it's cells to rebuild yours, saves lots of time and soldering to the cell cases, and lasts as long again as a new pack. I'm sure there's lots of youTube videos on that. I've kept my DeWalt kit running strong since I bought it about 15 years ago. With my mobility issues, I should open a service to do just that, and never have to leave the cabin.
Good Luck, and don't forget safety glasses.
Safety First..., Unless it interferes with production.
 

Patrude

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I got one for my 20v dewalt, a 5amp hour. It is some Chinese brand but colored like a dewalt, it was about half the price of a comparable Dewalt battery. Have had it for a couple of years, am very happy with it and would buy another without hesitation.... I will check the brand when I go out to the shop....

This is great news. Typically the replacement batteries are so pricey I just end up chucking the tool and buying a new tool
 
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Mr. Peet

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This is great news. Typically the replacement batteries are so pricey I just end up chucking the tool and buying a new tool

That just sounds sad. Most working folks in our area post either the old tool or the new one for sale on line to recoup some of their investment. Some people trade with others, and some tools are donated to Salvation Army or other thrift places.
 

barry richardson

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That just sounds sad. Most working folks in our area post either the old tool or the new one for sale on line to recoup some of their investment. Some people trade with others, and some tools are donated to Salvation Army or other thrift places.
I see em posted here a lot as well, but Who the neck would buy a cordless tool with spent, or unknown status batteries is a mystery...
 

Mr. Peet

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I see em posted here a lot as well, but Who the neck would buy a cordless tool with spent, or unknown status batteries is a mystery...

Most are posted without the battery. Some say, upgraded from 18 to 20volt, and so on. Actually, they almost all lack a battery.
 

Mr. Peet

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So we had the new "generic" DeWalt replacements for over 2 weeks. Last week I charged them and put them away. Hadn't used them all week (5 or 6 days). Yesterday, get them out to use the 18v skilsaw to cut up some smaller branches that came down since Christmas. My wife was so excited that she was able to make 3 or 4 passes with each battery before they were dead.

So, I'd say that the NiCad generic 3.8 Ahr for sure do not hold a charge. Fresh off the charger they are fine but do not last as long as actual DeWalt batteries, guessing a third less run time.

So got a FARMER math question: Since the 3.8 Ahr generic runs like a 2.2 Ahr DeWalt would the 4 Ahr generic run close to the 3 Ahr DeWalt?

Similar but different question: I see they offer a 5 Ahr lithium generic battery that looks just like a Nicad 18V in shape and size. Lithium hold storage charge better than Nicad. DeWalt charger is good for both Lithium and Nicad. Do you think the 5 Ahr generic lithium would likely match up with a 3 Ahr lithium from DeWalt?

The 5 Ahr lithium has a battery gauge on it like some of the other higher volt DeWalts. I kind of like that option...
 
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