I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good
job for you?

Thanks.

Bob

bob wrote:

I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good
job for you?

Thanks.

Bob


I got quoted a higher price for a rebuild on a Makita 18v than a brand
new Makita (not a fake one) battery sold through another supplier I
found on line.

Dave

I rebuild my own after all it is NOT rocket science.
Sad thing is though, if you wait a month or so, you can probably buy a
new,complete drill/batts/charger/case for LESS than just one battery.And
Nobody wants the old stuff,just the landfill,ugh.
Greensville Jay

Bob,

I had our local batteries plus store rebuild my bosch 14.4 volt battery.
They were $15 to $20 less than a new battery. The owner of the store said it
will last longer than a new battery because they use better cells. The
battery was rebuilt about 8 months ago and still works fine.

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"bob" wrote in message
...
I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a
good job for you?

Thanks.

Bob

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:44:52 -0600, "bob"
wrote:

What has your experience been with rebuilding these batteries?

Rebuilding batteries works fine and is fairly easy to do - so long as
you buy decent cells that are already tagged. As a dirt-cheap cordless
drill typically has a good chuck, a good motor , a useful gearbox and is
let down by poor cells and a terrible charger, then rebuilding cheap
tool batteries and replacing their charger makes a lot of sense.

For DeWalt and Makita though, the standard cells are usually pretty
good. Check the cost of re-cell vs. replace and then it's up to you.

"bob" wrote in message
I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a
good
job for you?


Most of the DeWalts seem to be worth rebuilding and are generally returned
unrecognizable, in both power and depth of charge, from when they were
purchased with the tool.

www.primecell.com

IME, well worth checking out.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

David wrote:

bob wrote:

I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a
good job for you?

Thanks.

Bob


I got quoted a higher price for a rebuild on a Makita 18v than a brand
new Makita (not a fake one) battery sold through another supplier I
found on line.

Dave
I've found the same thing with my 9.6V batteries. Right now its cheaper to
buy new, so I'm just storing the old ones until such time I can't get them
anymore then I can rebuild a few.

Swingman wrote:

Most of the DeWalts seem to be worth rebuilding and are generally
returned
unrecognizable, in both power and depth of charge, from when they were

purchased with the tool.

Do you mean this in a good way or bad? By the time the batteries are
completely dead on my DeWalts, they are usually just about worn out
anyway so I don't rebuild. I sell them, then catch a sale or recon
tool with a warranty.

Robert

I have a 10 year old Freud 13.2v cordless whose batteries died a few years
ago. Since then I have tried different new cordless drills, and none of
them have the balance or the chuck quality (it's a rohm) of the freud. I
really missed using that drill.

So, a couple weeks ago I finally had two battery packs rebuilt. They were $35
each from voltman batteries. http://www.voltmanbatteries.com

Got them back a week or so ago, and so far so good, but I have no idea on
the longevity. But I am happy I can use that drill again, and I'm happy I
didn't throw a perfectly good drill away - that just seems wrong to me.

LMS

bob I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools,
bob including 7 batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a
bob charge for 4 or 5 minutes. It's time to do something about that.
bob What has your experience been with rebuilding these batteries?
bob There is a plethora of websites of companies that do battery
bob rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good job for you?

bob Thanks.

bob Bob



--
================================================== ====================
Larry Strollo
================================================== ====================

I might try that. Where do you get the internal batteries??


"j.b. miller" wrote in message
...
I rebuild my own after all it is NOT rocket science.
Sad thing is though, if you wait a month or so, you can probably buy a
new,complete drill/batts/charger/case for LESS than just one battery.And
Nobody wants the old stuff,just the landfill,ugh.
Greensville Jay

Hey, thanks!

I never gave a thought to Batteries plus. There's one 2 miles from my
house!

Bob

"cm" wrote in message
...
Bob,

I had our local batteries plus store rebuild my bosch 14.4 volt battery.
They were $15 to $20 less than a new battery. The owner of the store said
it will last longer than a new battery because they use better cells. The
battery was rebuilt about 8 months ago and still works fine.

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"bob" wrote in message
...
I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a
good job for you?

Thanks.

Bob

bob wrote:

I might try that. Where do you get the internal batteries??


Places like digikey and mouser sell them

bob wrote:
Hey, thanks!

I never gave a thought to Batteries plus. There's one 2 miles from my
house!

Bob

"cm" wrote in message
...

Bob,

I had our local batteries plus store rebuild my bosch 14.4 volt battery.
They were $15 to $20 less than a new battery. The owner of the store said
it will last longer than a new battery because they use better cells. The
battery was rebuilt about 8 months ago and still works fine.

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"bob" wrote in message
. ..

I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a
good job for you?

Thanks.

Bob





They are still in business?? All of them in the Bay Area went kaput a
couple years ago to the best of my knowledge. I went in once; high
prices, poor selection, and nobody shopped them.

Dave

In article , bob
wrote:

I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good
job for you?

Thanks.

Bob


I'm facing the same problem with 2 P-C 14.4s. Pricegrabber said the
cheapest new ones were about $55.00 each.

I searched around and found a rebuilder that looks reputable and
reasonable -- Voltman Batteries, http://www.voltmanbatteries.com .
Their price for rebuilding them was $35.00 each. You pay shipping to
them, they pay return shipping.

Bob, the quote for 12V batteries is also $35.00

I'll report back when they're returned.

--
Vince Heuring To email, remove the Vince.

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:44:52 -0600, "bob"
wrote:

I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good
job for you?

It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message

It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.

That depends. A new DeWalt 18v XRP is in the range of $75 - $85 ... for $48
you can rebuild/upgrade and increase the capacity considerably, and for $72
you can further upgrade the cells for twice the runtime, either option
giving you a stronger, longer lasting battery than any new one you can buy.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

Brian Henderson wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:44:52 -0600, "bob"
wrote:


I've got quite a collection of DeWalt 12V cordless tools, including 7
batteries. Some of the batteries will only hold a charge for 4 or 5
minutes. It's time to do something about that. What has your experience
been with rebuilding these batteries? There is a plethora of websites of
companies that do battery rebuilding. Any one in particular that did a good
job for you?


It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.
Actually, most batteries are in the range of $50 - $85. In my book,
that's not inexpensive. When a battery rebuild costs $50 and new one
costs the same, with shipping, I'll buy the new one. AAMOF, I recently
did just that for an 18V Makita Ni-Cad.

dave

"Mike M" wrote in message

I think Swingman was pointing out that it wasn't just a rebuild. For
about the cost or less then a new battery you could have a battery
rebuilt that had higher amp hour cells, and sometimes higher
performance as in being able to deliver more amps at stated voltage
for longer. This is important to people doing production work in the
field.

You're correct. In most situations experience makes for much better advice
than just doing math. It's fuzzy thinking when folks only look at dollar
signs and don't take all the factors into account. Anyone who has had a
factory 18v XRP upgraded by primecell.com would never buy a new battery from
DeWalt even if it were cheaper.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:20:49 -0600, "Swingman" wrote:

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message

It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.

That depends. A new DeWalt 18v XRP is in the range of $75 - $85 ... for $48
you can rebuild/upgrade and increase the capacity considerably, and for $72
you can further upgrade the cells for twice the runtime, either option
giving you a stronger, longer lasting battery than any new one you can buy.

But you're not figuring in the cost of your time to do it. I don't
know about you, but my time is worth at least as much as the raw
materials.

Besides, how much do you have to use a battery before it completely
fails, especially on a new tool? Most of the time, by the time the
batteries are failing, the tool is out of date and you'd probably do
better to just buy a new tool.

Brian Henderson wrote:

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:20:49 -0600, "Swingman" wrote:


"Brian Henderson" wrote in message


It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.

That depends. A new DeWalt 18v XRP is in the range of $75 - $85 ... for $48
you can rebuild/upgrade and increase the capacity considerably, and for $72
you can further upgrade the cells for twice the runtime, either option
giving you a stronger, longer lasting battery than any new one you can buy.


But you're not figuring in the cost of your time to do it. I don't
know about you, but my time is worth at least as much as the raw
materials.

Besides, how much do you have to use a battery before it completely
fails, especially on a new tool? Most of the time, by the time the
batteries are failing, the tool is out of date and you'd probably do
better to just buy a new tool.

sorry, Brian but I must disagree about it being time for a new tool when
the battery fails. I've got 4 cordless Makitas that are all in perfect
shape. I've had 2 batteries die over the past year and just replaced
one. 2 tools share that same type battery-18v. The cost of those 4
tools would be well in excess of $600. I'll be buying batteries every
now and then as they fail. Now if I had DeWalt cordless tools, I'd be
itching to move up to something better. Been there, done that already.

Dave

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message
...
But you're not figuring in the cost of your time to do it. I don't
know about you, but my time is worth at least as much as the raw
materials.


Well, if you are working the time would be valuable but I only work at most
40 hours a week. The rest of the 128 hours in the week I can spend saving
money.



Besides, how much do you have to use a battery before it completely
fails, especially on a new tool?

Well I have a Mikita battery that should probably be replaced and it is 12
months old.


Most of the time, by the time the batteries are failing, the tool is out of
date and you'd probably do
better to just buy a new tool.

This is not software that we are talking about. A tool does not go out of
date.
If you are an occasional user then I can see perhaps replacing the whole
thing.

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:12:21 GMT, Brian Henderson
wrote:

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:20:49 -0600, "Swingman" wrote:

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message

It's usually not worth the time or trouble to rebuild unless you're
using bottom-of-the-barrel replacement parts, and then why bother
doing it at all? Most batteries aren't that expensive and they last
quite a while, just dispose of the old ones and get new.

That depends. A new DeWalt 18v XRP is in the range of $75 - $85 ... for $48
you can rebuild/upgrade and increase the capacity considerably, and for $72
you can further upgrade the cells for twice the runtime, either option
giving you a stronger, longer lasting battery than any new one you can buy.

But you're not figuring in the cost of your time to do it. I don't
know about you, but my time is worth at least as much as the raw
materials.

Besides, how much do you have to use a battery before it completely
fails, especially on a new tool? Most of the time, by the time the
batteries are failing, the tool is out of date and you'd probably do
better to just buy a new tool.

The batteries on my barely 2 year-old Milwaukee drill are already
failing. The drill is in barely broken-in condition so the idea of
replacing it just because the batteries are failing is quite repugnant.
OTOH, the idea of having to replace barely 2 year old batteries is equally
frustrating. At least my PC drill went for about 4 years before the
batteries died. On that one, replacing the drill made sense because I had
shaken plastic pieces out of the drill (it had never been dropped or
mistreated) at about 2 years old, so I didn't know how long the drill would
last if I replaced the batteries.



+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message

But you're not figuring in the cost of your time to do it. I don't
know about you, but my time is worth at least as much as the raw
materials.

The time I spend saving money always increases the bottom line ... if it
doesn't, you're not using your head.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05