Dewalt brushless tool battery life and maint.?

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Hey guys, I own several of the Dewalt burshless tools (drill, driver, cicrular saw, reciprocating saw, angle grinder, etc...) that share batteries. I bought these as bare tools that came with one battery for the most part, and I have 2 single battery chargers. When not in use, I most often keep the batteries on the charger, swapping them out when fully charged and I have one the needs juice.

IME, these very expensive batteries may last one or two years of light/normal use, and I'm pretty disapppointed given their cost. Do you have any tips for maintaining these batteries, and are there any aftermarket options that are any good?

 

[Paul B]

I have read several articles where dewalt warranty covers them. The article I read said they just called them up and had new ones at there door in a couple days. I’d give them a call

 

[hunterjmj]

I run all Makita stuff and I'm sure it's the same but I charge them then put them on the work bench. I'm running on 2 years with most of my batteries. I probably have 14 batteries so maybe each one isn't ran is hard. Don't know. I had a Rigid set years ago and the batteries lasted maybe a year. Swapped them out and those only lasted a year.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't sure if these things can develop memory if you don't run them all the way down a few times and then charge 100% or if they should always be on the charger if not in use. I will give Dewalt a call and see if they will do anything.

 

[KurtR]

I got some that a 5 years old and i just charge when needed and most the time they are on the work bench. I make sure to never let them freeze. I had a 60 volt shit the bed and called and they had a new one mailed out in a day

 

[hunterjmj]

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't sure if these things can develop memory if you don't run them all the way down a few times and then charge 100% or if they should always be on the charger if not in use. I will give Dewalt a call and see if they will do anything.

Let us know what they say. I've never really given it much thought.

 

[Luked]

I have a bunch of the Dewalt stuff also, pretty much same as you. A couple of the drivers, Drill, Flashlight and even a 1/2" Impact. Think I have 8 battries and 4 chargers.
I have had some of them over 3-4 years and have never had a single battery go bad yet.
I would call Dewalt and see what they will do. They stand behind their stuff pretty well.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I never leave them on the charger once they are fully charged but not sure that matters. Can buy replacment authentic 20 volt dewalt batteries for cheap on ebay.

2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I never leave them on the charger once they are fully charged but not sure that matters. Can buy replacment authentic 20 volt dewalt batteries for cheap on ebay.

2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

That's a pretty slamming deal right there, usually at local Bomgaars where I get all my Dewalt stuff they're over $100 each for the 5s

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I make sure to never let them freeze.

Bingo. Mine live in my uneated machine shed. I'm guessing that's contributed to the poor life. I will bring them in for sure this fall.

 

[Geewhiz]

I never leave them on the charger once they are fully charged but not sure that matters. Can buy replacment authentic 20 volt dewalt batteries for cheap on ebay.

2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2Pack Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah Compact Power Tool Battery NEW SEALED at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I bought one of those 2 packs of 5ah. They said they were legit dewalt batteries and after inspection they are identical to the ones I bought from murdochs, but they are crap. Only had them for a couple months with light use and they will not charge past 1 bar. Contacting the seller about them today actually. Maybe they were frozen or something?

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I bought one of those 2 packs of 5ah. They said they were legit dewalt batteries and after inspection they are identical to the ones I bought from murdochs, but they are crap. Only had them for a couple months with light use and they will not charge past 1 bar. Contacting the seller about them today actually. Maybe they were frozen or something?

Please let us know what you find out!

 

[ChrisS]

charging lithium batteries in freezing weather will definitely shorten their lifespan. They're fine just sitting or even being used when it's cold, but charging them frozen damages them.

When attempting to charge a Lithium battery below 0°C / 32°F a chemical reaction called “Lithium Plating” occurs which is caused by the charge current forcing the lithium ions to move at a faster reaction rate than usual and accumulate on the surface of the anode.

When this chemical reaction occurs the internal resistance of the battery increases, which can have big consequences when linked in series or parallel connections. As well as this, another side effect to the chemical reaction is it reduces the rate of the chemical metabolism and causes a permanent reduction of the battery’s capacity. This will continue to reduce further each time this reaction occurs.

I've had the same 6aH batteries for three years now and I use them and my hammer drill for an ice auger. No issues.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

charging lithium batteries in freezing weather will definitely shorten their lifespan. They're fine just sitting or even being used when it's cold, but charging them frozen damages them.

I've had the same 6aH batteries for three years now and I use them and my hammer drill for an ice auger. No issues.

This is why I love this place. Thanks for the information and my bad on not taking care of them.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I bought one of those 2 packs of 5ah. They said they were legit dewalt batteries and after inspection they are identical to the ones I bought from murdochs, but they are crap. Only had them for a couple months with light use and they will not charge past 1 bar. Contacting the seller about them today actually. Maybe they were frozen or something?

I have bought multiple packs of them and have had zero issues. We just built a new addition to our shop at the farm that was 16'x45' and they worked just fine (including drilling all the concrete anchors with hammer drill). Also bought a couple packs of these exact ones before we started haying first crop & a couple of these have lived on our 20v grease gun & have no problems at all. Also used these batteries on my klein 7/16" impact to change all the knifes on our disc Bine.
Maybe you got a bad set or i am just lucky.

 

[Geewhiz]

I have bought multiple packs of them and have had zero issues. We just built a new addition to our shop at the farm that was 16'x45' and they worked just fine (including drilling all the concrete anchors with hammer drill). Also bought a couple packs of these exact ones before we started haying first crop & a couple of these have lived on our 20v grease gun & have no problems at all. Also used these batteries on my klein 7/16" impact to change all the knifes on our disc Bine.
Maybe you got a bad set or i am just lucky.

Maybe I did just get a bad pack. I just reached out to the seller, will be interested to see what they say. I bought mine from a different seller than in the link above, I think I paid like $70 for a 2 pack which obviously seams suspiciously cheap. Figured I'd take a gamble for that price, but they did claim they were brand new legitimate dewalt products so

 

[BigSkyHntr]

Yep the cold kills Dewalt batteries! I do construction in MT and we used them for awhile but since it’s nearly impossible to keep them above freezing all the time they never lasted more than a year or 2. Nice tools but we have much better luck with Milwaukee and Makita batteries…

 

[Kenn]

I never leave them on the charger once they are fully charged but not sure that matters. Can buy replacment authentic 20 volt dewalt batteries for cheap on ebay.

I've bought them on eBay too but I think they are likely stolen so I don't buy them there any more. If they're legit, how can they sell them so much cheaper than any other website?

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I never leave them on the charger once they are fully charged but not sure that matters. Can buy replacment authentic 20 volt dewalt batteries for cheap on ebay.

Sounds ironic doesn't it. Should've made it more clear but at our farm we still have a pile of working 18v dewalt tools and the batteries for them are starting to go to hell. So we've been slowly purchasing 20v tools to repalce all our old 18 volt ones when they go to hell. But a bunch of the 18volt tools still work so we have purchased a bunch of 20v batteries & 20v-18v adapters.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Sounds ironic doesn't it. Should've made it more clear but at our farm we still have a pile of working 18v dewalt tools and the batteries for them are starting to go to hell. So we've been slowly purchasing 20v tools to repalce all our old 18 volt ones when they go to hell. But a bunch of the 18volt tools still work so we have purchased a bunch of 20v batteries & 20v-18v adapters.

Roger that, I have a couple of the adapters for my 18v hammer drill and an old grinder. They work well, but are a pain in the a$$ to remove the adapter.