Rebuilding power tool battery packs

[Chuck H]

FWIW: This is not an endorsement and results may vary. I've rebuilt some battery packs with good success. I will always check eBay first. Many times, I've been able to find aftermarket battery packs cheaper than buying separates to rebuild. I've not had any bad luck with them. They seem to last as well as the factory originals.

I think a key element to this would be if the seller has a site where you can research their process or if they actually specify what cells were used on the listing. There are some cheap offerings with little information and can't be back checked because there's no site for additional information. To be honest I would never buy these thinking to save money. some confirmed reference to the quality of the rebuild and materials should be present. Otherwise there's the possibility that it isn't quality.

That said I have seen several offerings that use the same cells as the manufacturers and their rebuilds are a little over half the price of the branded units. Maybe they're buying the cells in enough bulk to make this work? I know I can't buy good cells for a one off rebuild at much less than half the price of a branded unit.

[The Dude]

I usually read seller/product reviews before buying and it gives you at least a general idea of quality. I ALWAYS check "US only" when I search eBay to avoid buying Chinese fake junk. The problem with that is that there are sellers now that import garbage and resell in the US. But, again, reading reviews will USUALLY give you the scoop on what you are buying. Lots of the brand name stuff is just imported junk with their name stamped on it these days anyway, so you have to wonder if it's any better than aftermarket goods.

Edit: Just for the hell of it, I Googled where are ____ tools made. I tried most of the major tool companies. Almost all of them have at least some components made by "questionable sources". So again, I have to wonder if the "real deal" is any better than aftermarket. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

[mozz]

Hardest part is getting the old battery pack apart, if no screws most likely plastic welded.

[Chuck H]

I usually read seller/product reviews before buying and it gives you at least a general idea of quality. I ALWAYS check "US only" when I search eBay to avoid buying Chinese fake junk. The problem with that is that there are sellers now that import garbage and resell in the US. But, again, reading reviews will USUALLY give you the scoop on what you are buying. Lots of the brand name stuff is just imported junk with their name stamped on it these days anyway, so you have to wonder if it's any better than aftermarket goods.

Edit: Just for the hell of it, I Googled where are ____ tools made. I tried most of the major tool companies. Almost all of them have at least some components made by "questionable sources". So again, I have to wonder if the "real deal" is any better than aftermarket. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Yes, the rebranding thing is very real. And it applies to almost every market. Even some food items... And guitar amplifiers. I saw this first hand in 2009. DMS was looking to release another line of guitar amps and I was on board as a consultant/designer. The plan was to go with the most affordable builder that offered the quality mark DMS was after. This builder out of east Asia offered "boiler plate" amps that could be spec modified somewhat so my job was to take one of these models and futz with component values and such until it sounded good enough to compete in the existing market. We did ok, but never quite got there so the plan ended up changing. Ultimately DMS released a reissue of the old CD series based on their 80's line from Spectra instead and on my suggestion.

But the point is that if the initial plan had gone through the amp DMS released would have been basically the same as couple of other brands but with a DMS badge on it and a higher markup. Ick. It felt dirty and I didn't like it.

[Mick Bailey]

I took one of the batteries apart and the construction is really tightly put together and also noticed the SMD electrolytics are bulging on the PCB , so that's another unexpected fault. I put together an order for cells but then came up against a steep minimum order charge so need to look around at prices and quality.

[Chuck H]

I took one of the batteries apart and the construction is really tightly put together and also noticed the SMD electrolytics are bulging on the PCB , so that's another unexpected fault. I put together an order for cells but then came up against a steep minimum order charge so need to look around at prices and quality.

I've been looking around a little since this thread started. I think most of the tool makers are using good cells at this point (though there may have been/will be a period of bean counting?) that are of good quality. Samsung cells specifically have been spec'd oem and approved of by several review sites. Hopefully these would be the most affordable and available.

[x-pro]

Turns out you're having trouble with the elements, too...
Above your member wrote that it is quite possible to convert to mains power with an additional unit. You all have hands, the tool will still serve.

[g1]

Yes, and if running off AC line is inconvenient, you can power an inverter off a car battery.

[big_teee]

It would simplify things if the battery powered tool industry, came up with a universal battery.
Where one 20v battery fits all brands of tools.
There is talk of it, but not happened yet!
T

[mozz]

Universal battery would not be good. First, they are going to lose or drop sales of their replacement batteries. Then they would all be making universal replacements and it would be a fight for the cheapest version to retain sales and quality would go downhill. I'm sure right now it is like buying toner cartridges. Some manufacturers are putting special chips in there so you have to buy their brand or it won't work.

[John_H]

I did commercial door and hardware work for decades before retiring. Everything I did involved drilling holes and turning screws. Lots of them. For a very long period, I preferred Panasonic cordless drill/drivers. They were superior to all others when introduced. This is 20-25 years ago. They were 12v Ni-Cad. 10 x 1.2v cells. When the model went out of production and batteries were unavailable. I replaced cells for years to keep my tools running. At the end of my career I was using Hitachi tools with mostly lifetime warranty batteries.

[Tom Phillips]

... At the end of my career I was using Hitachi tools with mostly lifetime warranty batteries.

WOW! I had no idea that any company would provide such a warranty. Did you ever need to use that warranty?

[John_H]

WOW! I had no idea that any company would provide such a warranty. Did you ever need to use that warranty?

Not once. They don't offer lifetime on them anymore. The batteries held up great though.