Li-ion Batteries

[Leon]

And just another observation, HD probably would not be selling replacement batteries for Ridgid tools if the process of free warranty replacement was quick and easy.

[nailshooter41]

I think the big difference is how the tools are designed and manufactured. I love to see how business changes and how they are run. It seems these d ays that most really large companies have little to do with some of their o wn products, other than to make sure the numbers "work". An outside engine ering firm brings a design for a new sander to a Big Box Store, and their t eam evaluates the service life, the usablility, the design, and the most im portant aspect, cost to manufacture. There is no doubt that some of the BB Ss have an interest in the companies they choose, but don't own them. They do however, own all other aspects of their product including the engineeri ng designs, distribution, etc.

Distributing a mass produced name friendly product across many channels jus t makes sense. For the most part, the higher the count of manufactured wid gets goes, the less price per widget results. So why not sell a mediocre br and like Sears anywhere you can? Same with Ridgid; they sell Ridgid tools (in a limited selection) at our largest plumbing supplier here, and now I s ee they have Ridgid recon items, brand new batteries and other Ridgid neces saries at CPO Outlets.

At once time, HD had a licensing deal with Ryobi. I think I read that Ryob i has since been purchased in whole or part by HD but don't know. So, 20+ years ago I wanted a new, powerful 14.4 drill. Ryobi was the only affordab le one out there, and I got a tip from a guy working there at HD that their other brands had been coming back as returns, but not the Ryobi. It was m arked "Ryobi Industrial" on the box. He assured me that the brand was big everywhere but here in the USA.

As much in their infancy as USABLE battery powered tools were in those days , that drill was a winner and lasted about 5 years on the job as my only co rdless drill. When I decided to retire it, it was because of the price of replacing two batteries (think 15 years ago). Now Ryobi is quite different and is now a name like so many others. Look halfway down the page and see if you recognize any of the brands owned by this investment group:

I think most tools these days are designed not with long term usability lik e Festool does, but more for a guy looking for utility value. Personally, I am somewhere in the middle. I love using a really nice tool, but find it hard to let go of the cash these days. And for the most part, unless you jump all the way up to a Festool type brand, I am not so sure we get much d ifference in our tools these days regardless of what we spend.

Robert

[dpb]

On 09/02/2014 1:54 PM, [e-mail] wrote: ...

Slightly different w/ Craftsman. Sears (now called the Sears Holding Company) OWNS the Craftsman trademark (TM) and marketed it exclusively until got into so much trouble financially they decided to try to glom onto anything they could get out of it from licensing arrangements.

[krw]

Two things, the cells the rebuilders use are better than those in the OEM tools and they will rebuild batteries that I can no longer buy. FFOr some tools, the tools with the charger and batteries can be cheaper, on sale, than the replacement batteries alone.

[dpb]

Which is only a prelude to the comment I really intended to make...this proliferation of Craftsman probably has no real disadvantage in large markets but in small ones like here where the Sears store is just one of the affiliate catalog/small store ones, when the Ace Hardware is allowed to sell Craftsman, too, that seems to me to be patently unfair to the Sears franchise owners just on the other end of town a mile or two away...

While don't do much at Sears, (they're also the only GE appliance outlet in town just as an aside) it's another problem with keeping any variety at all in a small town; it would be an option gone if it can't/doesn't survive and this ploy by their parent can't be helping.

[Morgans]

"Leon" wrote

I used the Kobalt battery packs to rebuild my old NiCad packs, and they appear to cycle through the batteries as they charge.

The same lights that are the fuel gauge blink one at a time, progressively as a normal charge takes place. I think I also read that the charger equalizes the batteries, also. They will not charge they are too hot, I know. They will not charge if you fry the onboard chip circuitry. Unfortunately, I know that to be true after a blob of hot solder dropped onto the chip. The battery does stoop putting out juice when the demands on it are too high. If the voltage is getting low, it will put out fairly high amps. After the voltage gets lower, it will not put out hardly any amps before it turns off.

I tend to charge often. If I have been using a fair amount of battery power, I put it on charge when I quit for the night. If you believe what you read, it does not hurt the battery in life or output to charge often, so that works for me.

[clare]

Make that MOST - like almost all.

[Puckdropper]

"Morgans" wrote in news:lu5l8d$4iu$ [e-mail]:

*snip*

How old are your batteries? I've been getting 3-5 years out of my Li-Ion batteries before I notice a big drop off in charging capacity. I usually wait until the tool is slowing down or starts impacting early, so it'd be interesting to see if your method is any different.

Admittedly, I probably did kill the 18V screwdriver batteries by using them in the circular saw. But I've got Lithium Ion laptop batteries that are all dieing in that same time frame.

Puckdropper

[Morgans]

"Puckdropper" wrote

I am just now changing over, so I am not deep enough into the age curve to have any data.

Yes, it is true that the lower amp hour batteries like are to be found in screwdrivers and other entry level tools do not much like an extremely high drain user like a circular saw. I am not getting any low capacity batteries, to extend run times in drills and drivers, and to always have a high capacity cell ready for saws and such. I am using the Kobalt 4.0 amp hour battery as my rebuilding stock, so far. It has to be ordered online from Lowes in many areas, but is a deal for that capacity for around 89 bucks. Much better value than any other brand I am aware of.

I did do an experiment by ordering ultra high capacity cells the next size larger online. Extreme caution on this. The Chinese suppliers will stamp most any capacity on a cell to make the sale. Many test out at only 15% of the stamped capacity. Do research before buying cells by reading reviews of someone who has bought the cells and tested the capacity.

Anyway, I order 6 cells of 4.5 amp hour cells (1860 size?) and got them, and checked each cell's capacity on my hobby charger, and they did pretty well averaging around 4350 milliamp hours. Put them together and used them, and they lasted forever per charge. Then they started fading, so I took the pack apart to check it. One cell had gone to a near complete dead short. No problem, says I, I only used 5 of the 6 cells I ordered, so I can just switch out the bad one. Problem is that I put the extra cell somewhere safe and can't find it! I was using the hobby charger without the balancer, but when I find the missing cell, I will put it back together with a charging plug to accommodate the balancer.

By the way, do you all know that the larger capacity packs are simply a doubled up smaller pack. They are 10 cells for the 18 to 20 volt pack, hooked in two by five.

[Brewster]

Yep. A friend went through the process after the cells died in a few months after purchase. He had to find a repair shop in our semi-remote area (90 mile round trip) and drop off the batteries. After a 3 week wait he went to pick them up. The 'warranty' is legit, but a pain to execute.

-BR

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