# after-market non OEM batteries for DeWalt - worthwhile?



## TimeTurnsElastic (May 4, 2015)

I am in the market for an additional post type DeWalt 18v XRP battery. The generic off-brands are cheap (all over Ebay for about $26 inc. shipping) and most come with a 30-day money back, 1-year warranty. 

I should add I'm not usually one to skimp and never would on any sort of equipment with the potential to compromise safety. In this case, wondering if there's any risk in going cheap -- like potential damage to the tool? It would be for my cordless 18v Brad Nailer (a fantastic tool). Main reason I'm even considering this is, all my cordless tools except said nailer are Bosch. So unless I cross over or start acquiring more DW tools I don't see the sense in putting a lot of $ into OEM batteries.

Any one have experience with the after-market cheap-o's on Ebay? Thanks in advance!


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

my knowledge of lithium batteries tells me that they are really not that special...

The price that you pay for a battery from an OEM has a huge markup on it. 

As for risk. Generally speaking, the only way to harm a tool would be to overload it, which a battery cannot do. The potential to exceed "18" volts does not exist in the cells.

As long as the shell is properly formed and does not bind in the tool or become easily damaged, that should be obvious by user reviews.


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## Chamfer (Sep 6, 2014)

This is from one of my WOOD mags from last year and I tend to agree with them...


*"It may be tempting to buy a lower cost generic replacement battery pack when yours dies, we've had the best results over the years using replacement packs from the maker of the tool. This is especially true with Li-ion packs, which contain certain electronic chips that optimize each brands technology. They cost 20-40% more, but you can trust them without worry of failure or overheating because they were made specifically for those tools."*


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## tvman44 (Dec 8, 2011)

In the case of the Dewalt 18 volt packs they are ni-cad batteries & not li-ion. I just bought 4 of these packs from fle-bay so cannot tell you anything much about them yet. But look at it this way, 10 to 1 the OEM probably uses cells from china which is where these come from only no Dewalt label on them. My 3 Dewalt tools run just fine with the 3rd party batteries that are less than half the price of OEM. :thumbsup: Definitely worth a try. :thumbsup:


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

there is an 18v li-ion line of tools from dewalt.


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## rcp612 (Mar 25, 2008)

When my Bosch battery gave up on me I ordered a replacement from http://www.ebatts.com/.
It was listed as having a higher mAh rating, and a 1 year warranty for much less money. If, and when I need another, that's where I'll go.:thumbsup:


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Chamfer said:


> This is from one of my WOOD mags from last year and I tend to agree with them...
> 
> 
> *"It may be tempting to buy a lower cost generic replacement battery pack when yours dies, we've had the best results over the years using replacement packs from the maker of the tool. This is especially true with Li-ion packs, which contain certain electronic chips that optimize each brands technology. They cost 20-40% more, but you can trust them without worry of failure or overheating because they were made specifically for those tools."*


I agree as well, if you have more than one battery it is easy put a battery on the charger and forget about it, lock up the shop and who knows what will happen.


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## peridigm (Dec 29, 2014)

FrankC said:


> I agree as well, if you have more than one battery it is easy put a battery on the charger and forget about it, lock up the shop and who knows what will happen.


I've had a DeWalt 18v battery swell up to the point it was going to burst while on a charger. This happened over night. The smell was what tipped me off when I entered the shop. The charger and the battery were too hot to touch. I threw both away because I could not know what was faulty without risking another battery.

With that said, I'm an IT guy by day and use aftermarket batteries for laptops and APC battery backup units for servers and desktops. I've seen the original OEM battery swell on more than one occasion in those units as well. I think the risk is there for any battery to fail and potentially burst. If using an OEM battery you may have recourse with the OEM if the tool is damaged, if not, you get what you pay for if no warranty. And one would assume, the warranty provided by aftermarket batteries would be for the battery and not the tool it could possibly damage.

I only buy refurbished DeWalt cordless drills and impact guns now. The batteries are also marked refurbished. I don't know if OEM refurbished batteries exist separately. That would be a cheaper alternative to buying new OEM and still has the OEM warranty.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

FrankC said:


> I agree as well, if you have more than one battery it is easy put a battery on the charger and forget about it, lock up the shop and who knows what will happen.


it probably would not be a bad idea to keep your batteries away from walls on something non flammable, a tile or glass. I think that would be a good practice for any lithium ion battery. Even if it is incredibly unlikely for them to fail without physical damage.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

I've got two 12v xrp guns i've had for 10yrs bought out of a pawn shop lightly used. I assume because they sat on the charger for months without out use I think I killed 3 of the 4 batteries. 

With this in mind the 12v xrp I believe costs more than the 18v xrp and as the current guns offer more gizmos and look cool after searching Ebay for what seemed like months I broke down and bought One $71 battery from Home Depot. Love my gun once again and have had the battery for atleast a year. Now if I would only break down and buy the other three for $200 I'd be king of the shop again:icon_smile:.

Bottom line. Check the date and make sure there current when and if you decide to buy from the big box and enjoy the refreshed gun:yes:. There might be a deal but to me its not worth the gamble:huh:


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## Timbok (Apr 7, 2015)

Aftermarket batteries are the way to go!! I have successfully rebuilt my batteries using kits from www.battrx.com they have a higher mah rating and an even greater mah rating in NIMH.


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## tewitt1949 (Nov 26, 2013)

I've had cordless drill battarys go bad and since I radio control airplanes we use lipo battarys for your planes. They are in my opinion much better than factory battarys. You can get different voltages and different mah. Different shapes to fit your needs and much much cheaper.


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