experience with "off-brand"/generic cordless tool batteries

[BTL-A4]

Has anyone bought the "off-brand" batteries available for their cordless tools? For example, you can get B&D compatible batteries on Amazon that look like the OEM ones, but they are not; they are stated to be an exact fit/compatible/etc. I'm leery of off-brand/generic stuff, but I thought I might ask anyway because it occurs to me that the OEM factory probably makes them and just doesn't put the brand name on them, even though they are the same color, etc.

 

[The Cobbler]

it depends on whether they are using good quality cells or el cheapo garbage cells .

 

[RTM]

I bought a Knock off DeWalt 14,4 off EBay, it sucked big time. Bought a Li-Ion someone recommended here, works much better, but needs a dedicated charger.

 

[Kuma601]

If you have a battery shop they may be able to rebuild using quality cells. The nicad rebuild was $30.
When it comes to camera batteries, the generic ****. I only buy the manufacturer packs.

 

[kythri]

Nothing but heartache.

 

[dchawk81]

As long as the generic "brand" name sounds vaguely ******, you're good.

I mean it's right there in the name how pleased you'll be.

 

[david3921]

I have about 6 of them for my PC cordless tools. When they die, I check the purchase date on Amazon. So far I'm getting about 5 years out of a battery. I'm not using the same one over and over however. I also bring them in the house during the cold months. As a side note, by cutting a notch in the opposite side, my PC batteries can be used in the B&D tools I have.

 

[BTL-A4]

So it appears the answer is to stay far away from these. Or, if you insist on getting one, to have low expectations. Thanks!

 

[dchawk81]

So it appears the answer is to stay far away from these. Or, if you insist on getting one, to have low expectations. Thanks!

Serious answer is yes. Avoid.

 

[RonRock]

Any experience with this particular brand? Shows up at the top of a Google search for M18 batteries if that means anything. Probably don't mean much, but maybe worth something. The price of M18 batteries is ridicules. Love the tools, but damn.

For Milwaukee 18V 6.0Ah Battery Replacement | M18 Li-ion Battery 4 Pack

Perfect compatible with all Milwaukee 18V battery！ Clearance pricing & limited inventory, today only! Free Shipping Within 24 Hours Replacement Part Numbers: For Milwaukee 48-11-1811, 48-11-1815, 48-11-1820, 48-11-1822, 48-11-1828 , 48-11-1840, 48-11-1841, 48-11-1850, 48-11-1852, 48-59-181...

www.batterybatterybattery.com

 

[IndyGarage]

I had some makita's. Supposedly 6 AH. They didn't have as much power delivery the genuine Makita 5.0AH's, but they worked OK for a couple years, then one by one my makita chargers stopped charging them - flashed an error.

They will still charge with a generic 18V charger, but I don't have time to mess with them.

 

[dnschmidt]

They ****. Accept the fact that cordless tools are like Gillette razors. They give you the razor and kill you on the blades. Life in the fast lane.

 

[Odd-job]

Any experience with this particular brand? Shows up at the top of a Google search for M18 batteries if that means anything. Probably don't mean much, but maybe worth something. The price of M18 batteries is ridicules. Love the tools, but damn.

For Milwaukee 18V 6.0Ah Battery Replacement | M18 Li-ion Battery 4 Pack

Perfect compatible with all Milwaukee 18V battery！ Clearance pricing & limited inventory, today only! Free Shipping Within 24 Hours Replacement Part Numbers: For Milwaukee 48-11-1811, 48-11-1815, 48-11-1820, 48-11-1822, 48-11-1828 , 48-11-1840, 48-11-1841, 48-11-1850, 48-11-1852, 48-59-181...

www.batterybatterybattery.com

No direct experience, but would not recommend it for M18's. Have had much better luck with off brand M12s.

 

[subroc]

I have had luck with the Waitley M12s. But, they are cheap enough. I am only using them in the 2 lanterns and the work light. The handful I bought have left me with a good impression of Waitley. That said, I am not looking for any 20v max batteries.

I an nursing a couple older pod style 18v Dewalt tools. Hoping to use them for years to come. I am using them with adapters and 20v max batteries. I did pick up a couple NI-MH aftermarkets from Amazon. Cheap enough. They seem to work well enough.

 

[RonRock]

They ****. Accept the fact that cordless tools are like Gillette razors. They give you the razor and kill you on the blades. Life in the fast lane.

Yeah I get it. Are you saying that the ones I asked about ****? Or is this a general statement?

I understand that the aftermarket is likely not the same quality as OEM. But I'm not out making a living with my tools so I can deal with less than perfect. I also accept that I may have to replace the aftermarket sooner (probably much sooner) than OEM. For the money I can deal with that. But I don't want to drop a dime on a POS if I can avoid it.

 

[Walkers]

I have bought some no name batteries for my Makita. They were okay. A little less power than factory batteries, and their lives were a little shorter. For the price they were great. In excess of a hundred bucks vs $14. I bought them off eBay.

 

[Formula]

I’ve bought a few off brand M12 batteries from Amazon. While they seem to work just fine, the plastic outer case is brittle. I’ve dropped them and the plastic cracks easily. The Milwaukee batteries I’ve dropped many times and they never crack like the off brands.

 

[RonRock]

I have a milwauke battery with a broken case. Drill caught and spun around and crashed. Maybe I can use the shell of a cheapo after the cells go bad.

 

[rust in the eye]

My own experience with the aftermarket ones for a Milwaukee tool bought on-line(cheapest available) is I got what I paid for, weak battery with short run time. Whatever Ah they claim is BS. Pretty common practice among "distant" sellers.
Had some Ryobi packs rebuilt locally and they outperformed the originals.
The local guy has to look you in the eye when taking your money

 

[cherokee]

I have used cheapo Amazon M12's in quite a few things, no issues so far. I thought I had a picture of one but guess not, looks close to the real deal just different labels. The person that said it is all in the cells is spot on. I have not tried the M18 batteries yet, want one of the "good" ones for my impact but good night, darn near half the price of the bare tool. I will try one sooner or later. But the 12's, I would go for.

These are what I bought and have had good luck with.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TD9QCQF/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[dnschmidt]

One poster mentioned Waitley. These apparently are the "Name Brand" of el cheapo batteries. I've never used anything but the real deal Milwaukee in either M12 or M18 but, if I did, Waitley might be the one Chinese knock-off I would consider.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I had a broken xc6.0 m12 battery, case locking tabs were cracked, replaced the case with an Amazon generic with good reviews. It feels like cheaper plastic than Milwaukee, but for 12 bucks im happy and the batteries lock in properly.

I reused the legitimate m12 internals, so no experience there.

 

[toyotadriver]

I have generic M12 and M18 batteries. They DO have a higher failure rate than my actual Milwaukee batteries. That said, they are so much cheaper than the actual Milwaukee batteries I put up with the failure rate. I can buy and have more of the aftermarket batteries and just toss them when they fail. I write the dates on them so I can keep track of how long they last. I buy the 6.0ah and the 3.0 ah batteries.

 

[ArcReactorKC]

I have approximately 10 m18 and 8 m12 batteries that are generic. It's a complete grab bag of random brands from amazon. I bet half of them are half what the advertised AH is but the other half is very good. I have cracked open a handful here and there over the last few years and found cells from a ton of different companies, some reputable some with no brand at all. I think most of these "generic" companies are using whatever cells are on hand that day and doing some quick math to get the advertised rating with no testing.

 

[Odd-job]

I have a milwauke battery with a broken case. Drill caught and spun around and crashed. Maybe I can use the shell of a cheapo after the cells go bad.

What size?

 

[johninct]

Is there an aftermarket for a Snap-On 18 volt NICad battery? New, they are like $220. I had one rebuilt once with bad results so I am looking for other options.

 

[RonRock]

What size?

I'll have to check to be certain. But I think that it is a 6.0 M18. I know that it is M18 of course. It is the taller battery case seems like about 2 1/2 inches tall. Back before the really big ones available now.

 

[nadogail]

Back when i used a 9.6 volt Makita with the long battery, the generic batteries from Cashway Electric in San Diego worked well.

 

[Odd-job]

I'll have to check to be certain. But I think that it is a 6.0 M18. I know that it is M18 of course. It is the taller battery case seems like about 2 1/2 inches tall. Back before the really big ones available now.

ping me back if its a 5.0 or 9.0 have some duds with good casings.

 

[milkovich]

Can't cheat the lithium Gods. Samsung, LG, MAT (Sony) are the cream of the crop in my opinion, there are some other decent suppliers but it all comes down to scale and battery quality. It looks like the first Bauer packs used good cells, but now they are cheapening them to offer lower priced batteries so buyer beware. There are battery rebuild shops, but it costs just as much or more than new when you find batteries on sale or in combos. I was going to rebuild my wife's dyson battery but the loose cells cost just as much as the battery so it's not really worth it. I just **** it up and buy name brand replacements.

 

[dchawk81]

I tried to build my own battery pack and ended up burning my rug.

 

[RonRock]

I have also considered rebuilding my own. Might have to spend some more time studying up on that.

 

[71goldss]

Since the OP used “B&D compatible batteries“ as an example to his question...
I purchased a B&D 40 volt hedge trimmer on Amazon 4 or 5 years ago, and btw, I love that thing! At the time it came with one battery and charger. Feeling I would need a second battery for larger trimming jobs, I also ordered a second battery to go along with it. Not paying close attention to what I was ordering, the second battery turned out to be generic. So far, I’ve used both batteries equally and have noticed no difference in performance or charge longevity. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to order another generic B&D battery when the time comes! Not sure why, but I doubt I would consider doing the same for my M12 and M18 tools though!

 

[P0234]

None of the aftermarket batteries I've tried have been better than OEM. Some are almost as good but that has been rare. Most seem to have about 75% their rated capacity and only last about half what the OEM battery lasts. Then there is the fire risk of a crappy BMS, I mean if they cheaped out on the battery, you know they did on the BMS.

One of the reasons I really like the Ryobi One system is there are always deals on OEM batteries.

 

[engineer2]

I bought some knock-off Makita 18V 5.0 batteries about 5 years ago. I mainly use them for my 36V leaf blower which I use year-round. The knock-offs are bigger than the genuine ones, and one randomly takes two charging cycles to top up. Other than that, they are fine. I'd probably buy genuine Makita's going forward since they often include extras in package deals and they last for a decade of use or more.

 

[dnschmidt]

None of the aftermarket batteries I've tried have been better than OEM. Some are almost as good but that has been rare. Most seem to have about 75% their rated capacity and only last about half what the OEM battery lasts. Then there is the fire risk of a crappy BMS, I mean if they cheaped out on the battery, you know they did on the BMS.

One of the reasons I really like the Ryobi One system is there are always deals on OEM batteries.

That's a fact. HD has Milwaukee batteries on sale about once a year. They have Ryobi batteries on sale about once a week.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I have bought a few knock-off Makita 18V batteries off amazon.

I just always set my search to "Highest Rated" and see if any of them get 4 1/2 stars or above and start there.

I have been doing this for years and haven't had any issues.

 

[tak1313]

I got a couple off-brand M12 batteries off Amazon to try. I specifically got ones (don't remember the "brand") that did NOT try to counterfeit real Mil batteries.

They have been fine in everything EXCEPT my M12 inflator. For whatever reason, they trigger the "temperature fault" indicator on the inflator when I initially connect it to the tire. I can clear it just by turning the unit off then back on. It does not happen with any of the OEM batteries.

I don't know if it's something to a broader range of generics, or just this particular brand - I have two that I bought as a set at the same time.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I've had good luck with Dewalt 20v no names off Ebay... they look like they probably come out of same factory.

 

[Packard V8]

One of the reasons I really like the Ryobi One system is there are always deals on OEM batteries.

That's a fact. HD has Milwaukee batteries on sale about once a year. They have Ryobi batteries on sale about once a week.

That's because you'll need Ryobi batteries and chargers that often. I got stuck in the Ryobi "system" both 18-v and 40-v, through gifts from family and friends. The batteries aren't used hard, are always parked on chargers, but I've lost count of the number of failed batteries and chargers.

jack vines