Rebuild NiCd batteries or replace with Ryobi

[MyHybridBurnsGasandTires]

So I bought an Ingersoll Rand 1/2" Cordless Impact gun, about 8 years ago and the batteries are NiCd and no longer hold a charge.
Specs: 350ft-lbs; 0-1,650 RPM

Since then, I have bought into the Ryobi 18v one+ system and they offer a impact wrench, P261 with 300ft-lb of torque and a variable speed trigger.

It looks like rebuilding the batteries is 40-60 per battery, but will likely have at best, a 5 year lifespan, plus all the negatives of NiCd charging/maintenance.

The P261 is about $119+tax but I can't decide if rebuilding battery packs every 5-7 years is better than the Ryobi battery lifespan.

Thoughts?

 

[jd_1138]

The Ryobi batteries are pretty cheap. They have the 2 pack of compact ones for like $50 now. I'd probably just go with Ryobi since you're in the system. Mine haven't let me down yet.

You can buy that P261 refurbished for like $60 online.

Are you a professional tradesperson?

 

[tvfd911]

So I bought an Ingersoll Rand 1/2" Cordless Impact gun, about 8 years ago and the batteries are NiCd and no longer hold a charge.
Specs: 350ft-lbs; 0-1,650 RPM

Since then, I have bought into the Ryobi 18v one+ system and they offer a impact wrench, P261 with 300ft-lb of torque and a variable speed trigger.

It looks like rebuilding the batteries is 40-60 per battery, but will likely have at best, a 5 year lifespan, plus all the negatives of NiCd charging/maintenance.

The P261 is about $119+tax but I can't decide if rebuilding battery packs every 5-7 years is better than the Ryobi battery lifespan.

Thoughts?

How many volt is this? I'd assume 18v or so. I just rebuilt three 14.4v NiCd for about $24/battery. I'd suggest taking a deeper look into places to source the NiCd cells. Mine were from all-battery.com. I don't regret the rebuild but I always liked that kit. Not enough to buy new battery assemplies @$100/ea though.

 

[eric_koski]

Go to your local HF. Buy a 18v nicad battery for about $12 bucks with coupon. Take the cells out and install into your old one.

 

[kctyphoon]

So I bought an Ingersoll Rand 1/2" Cordless Impact gun, about 8 years ago and the batteries are NiCd and no longer hold a charge.
Specs: 350ft-lbs; 0-1,650 RPM

Since then, I have bought into the Ryobi 18v one+ system and they offer a impact wrench, P261 with 300ft-lb of torque and a variable speed trigger.

It looks like rebuilding the batteries is 40-60 per battery, but will likely have at best, a 5 year lifespan, plus all the negatives of NiCd charging/maintenance.

The P261 is about $119+tax but I can't decide if rebuilding battery packs every 5-7 years is better than the Ryobi battery lifespan.

Thoughts?

this is basically the same boat many of us were in when we took the leap from Nicad to Lithium tools.. its simply not worth the money to keep investing in something so old, when you can upgrade for a bit more.. i wouldnt rebuild batteries on an old Nicad anymore. you can spend the money on batteries, and the tool can break a week later. better now you take the hit, spend a little more and get a new tool and new batteries. this would be true for any brand you choose to buy into, be it Ryobi, Dewalt, Ridgid or Milwaukee.

i just wanted a few basic power tools when i started buying Milwaukee, and switched from dewalt.. i cant even begin to tell you how much **** i have now cause i keep inventing reasons why its a good idea to get more. that said, i dont have one purchase from Milwaukee im not happy with, or feel like the tool doesn't perform as well as it should.. usually its a nice surprise for when EVERYTHING is better than i expected.

 

[Elginz]

Just went to Makita so I would not have so many different battery platforms, I had some miwaukee, dewalt and ridged. I would do the same with Ryobi if that is what you have. I no longer have to wait for a battery to charge.

 

[Lump]

Go to your local HF. Buy a 18v nicad battery for about $12 bucks with coupon. Take the cells out and install into your old one.

Wow, Eric. That is a fascinating idea. Have you ever done this? I would LOVE to see step-by-step photos of the process. I'm one of those guys who fears I would damage the battery taking it apart, or lose tiny parts. I know very, VERY little about electronic stuff.

Wonder if I can find anything like that on YouTube?

 

[mrvm]

I would LOVE to see step-by-step photos of the process. I'm one of those guys who fears I would damage the battery taking it apart, or lose tiny parts. I know very, VERY little about electronic stuff. Wonder if I can find anything like that on YouTube?

You can find u-tube videos on battery rebuilding but strongly recommend sticking only with DIY nicad rebuilds only.

The 18V Ryobi 4.0 Ah battery gives more umph to every Ryobi power tool I use them on (impact/blower/trimmer). Generally the bigger battery increases the run time but IME the Ryobi power tools sound different and perform much better

 

[mingus2112]

I LOVE my Rypbi P261. Where have you seen them for $60 refurbished? I've seen the older version refurbished, but it doesn't have as much torque.

-James

 

[kctyphoon]

Wow, Eric. That is a fascinating idea. Have you ever done this? I would LOVE to see step-by-step photos of the process. I'm one of those guys who fears I would damage the battery taking it apart, or lose tiny parts. I know very, VERY little about electronic stuff.

Wonder if I can find anything like that on YouTube?

i cant speak from experience, but when i looked into building my own packs for my old 18v dewalt stuff, i dont think i remember finding any cell's that were under $3 a piece, and its not like they were samsung's or panasonic's either.. HF isnt really known for its cordless tool options, so i cant imagine it being worth canabalizing one of their batteries. (and i LIKE HF)

this should give you an idea of what you'd have to do, and what a hf battery is like. -

 

[uart]

you can spend the money on batteries, and the tool can break a week later.

Yeah this is definitely something to keep in mind when thinking about rebuilding.

I rebuilt my old 14.4V drill a few years back and it's been pretty successful. Only cost me about $18 for the cells and it's still working great.

But then last year I decided to rebuild my 24V drill and the price of the cells had gone up. I couldn't get any good deals on them and I needed a lot more. Ended up costing about $40 and a bunch of time, more than the old POS drill was worth TBH, but I got her going. Unfortunately however, I only ended up using it once or twice before the drill threw in the towel. The battery was still fine but the drill itself stopped working.

That old drill sat broken for about 6 months until last week when I finally got around to putting a new trigger in it. I wasn't even sure if I was throwing good money after bad to do that, but luckily it did work out and I now have it back up and running. All in all though, it wasn't really worth the time and effort I put into fixing it, as it's a pretty ordinary "off brand" NiCad drill that doesn't even a two speed gearbox or anything. It is my only cordless with a 13mm chuck though, so I am still glad to have it back in action.

 

[Packard V8]

No, in the larger scope of things, rebuilding battery packs is seldom a good payback on time and effort.

Yes, if anyone else is like me, I buy good tools and keep them forever; for we old guys who've been using the same AC powered tools for fifty years, it is difficult to accept battery packs are a consumable item and one should just expect to buy new ones every few years.

Maybe, I'm going to have to accept the eight or so old yellow/black Ryobi batteries I bought as part of used tool deals are just going to have to be replaced. The only one I bought new and always put on the charger after use is still sorta working after eight years of light use.

jack vines

 

[MyHybridBurnsGasandTires]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I think I'm still leaning towards the ryobi for the time being and I'll keep the older IR impact and possibly rebuild it in the future.

 

[jd_1138]

Maybe, I'm going to have to accept the eight or so old yellow/black Ryobi batteries I bought as part of used tool deals are just going to have to be replaced. The only one I bought new and always put on the charger after use is still sorta working after eight years of light use.

jack vines

The Ryobi lithiums are pretty cheap. $59 for a 2 pack of the compact ones -- at Home Depot. That's cheap in the large scheme of things. Heck they sell a one pack for $49. May as well get the double pack for $10 more.

And a lot of guys get the batteries when they buy a new set of power tools. I've bought 2 or 3 sets of Ryobi tools and haven't had to buy separate batteries yet.

 

[Packard V8]

The Ryobi lithiums are pretty cheap. $59 for a 2 pack of the compact ones -- at Home Depot. That's cheap in the large scheme of things. Heck they sell a one pack for $49. May as well get the double pack for $10 more.

And a lot of guys get the batteries when they buy a new set of power tools. I've bought 2 or 3 sets of Ryobi tools and haven't had to buy separate batteries yet.

I did some research and here's one popular how-to which popped up.

Remove the cluster of batteries and identify the number and type of cells are contained in the pack. In this case, there are 15 Nickel Cadmium C cells.
From here we have some options. Since they're C cells, we can replace them with any popular battery chemistry. We can use NiCad, NiMh or Lithium Ion.
NiCad or Nickel Cadmium are the least expensive and least powerful at $2.70 for each 2400 mAh cell. This gives us a material cost of $40.50 plus tax and shipping.

NiMh or Nickel Metal hydride is next up in cost and power. At $4.85 for each 5000 mAh cell. Replacement of the cells would be $72.75.
Finally, Lithium ion cells are $10.99 each for 3.6 volt 8500 mAh cells. Granted, you would only need 5 to get to the desired 18 volts, but then they're going to rattle around in the case.

With the cost of cells alone exceeding the cost of a replacement battery pack, I think it's time to pack this project up and go buy a battery pack.
Seriously, with brand new Ryobi NiCd packs available for as little as $30 and their new Lithium Ion pack for as little as $40, this is not a worthwhile project.
Don't forget to properly dispose of the old batteries.

jack vines

 

[zhaddock]

I wouldnt waste money or time replacing Nicad with Nicad. I have the craftsman C3 system which is almost identical to the ryobi stuff. I started replacing my Nicads with the lithiums. It's night and day. One of the XPC heavy duty lithium replaced four Nicads with ease. It made the impact actualy practical.

 

[Lump]

Ok, so now let me ask this...
A few years back I bought a new Craftsman 19.2 drill and mini-circular saw set. The clerk pointed out the tools would work with either NiCad (which is came with), or Lithium/Ion, which I preferred. But recently when I went to Sears to get Lithium Ion batteries, this clerk said I must also buy a lith-Ion charger. Is that true?

 

[kctyphoon]

Ok, so now let me ask this...
A few years back I bought a new Craftsman 19.2 drill and mini-circular saw set. The clerk pointed out the tools would work with either NiCad (which is came with), or Lithium/Ion, which I preferred. But recently when I went to Sears to get Lithium Ion batteries, this clerk said I must also buy a lith-Ion charger. Is that true?

umm.. yea. unless you have a charger that specefically says itll do both.. another reason why its not worth just buying batteries for old tools..

 

[mrvm]

Ok, so now let me ask this...
A few years back I bought a new Craftsman 19.2 drill and mini-circular saw set. The clerk pointed out the tools would work with either NiCad (which is came with), or Lithium/Ion, which I preferred. But recently when I went to Sears to get Lithium Ion batteries, this clerk said I must also buy a lith-Ion charger. Is that true?

Always a great thing when cordless power tools are backwards compatible with new battery upgrades. The clerk provided you great accurate information about making sure you always use the right lithium charger that can properly charge lithium and older style NiCad batteries. Just because it fits doesn't necessarily make it right.

 

[uart]

I did some research and here's one popular how-to which popped up.

NiMh or Nickel Metal hydride is next up in cost and power. At $4.85 for each 5000 mAh cell. Replacement of the cells would be $72.75.

Cost aside, I definitely wouldn't choose NiMH as an upgrade for NiCd. Yes they have higher capacity, but they don't seem to hold up to the abuse that power tool batteries often get. I've used a lot of NiMH for various things, but they do tend to dies a bit more readily than NiCd.

With the cost of cells alone exceeding the cost of a replacement battery pack, I think it's time to pack this project up and go buy a battery pack.
Seriously, with brand new Ryobi NiCd packs available for as little as $30 and their new Lithium Ion pack for as little as $40, this is not a worthwhile project.

Yep. Sad but true.

 

[mrvm]

No, in the larger scope of things, rebuilding battery packs is seldom a good payback on time and effort

When I get to this point of rebuild or not to rebuild the batteries it's probably time to sell the tools on CL or donate them. Usually I find a good deal on another kit to sell off the tools and keep the batteries. Only use a lithium charger for the replacement lithium batteries for best results and leave rebuilding lithium battery packs to the pros.

 

[Packard V8]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm picking up like-new Ryobi circular saw/drill/recip saw/lights with dead batteries for less than $5 each. They were such a bargain, I bought them just because they were less than the cost of new 9-volt batteries for my large portable lanterns.

FWIW, what I'm finding, now that I have two single and one double charger and about ten batteries, for most zip-pop-quick jobs, if I take a battery warm off the charger, it will last long enough to git 'er done. They fade fast if used on something continuous duty like the string trimmer.

It's long been my practice to use battery powered hand tools only for quick-and-easy. If it's a project and I'll be at it a while, I string the extension cord and get out the professional machinery or fire up the gas powered weed whacker.

I thought the 40-volt stuff might be the answer, but the Ryobi hedge trimmer is too heavy to hold at arms length for very long.

jack vines

 

[zhaddock]

=Lump;5049378]Ok, so now let me ask this...
A few years back I bought a new Craftsman 19.2 drill and mini-circular saw set. The clerk pointed out the tools would work with either NiCad (which is came with), or Lithium/Ion, which I preferred. But recently when I went to Sears to get Lithium Ion batteries, this clerk said I must also buy a lith-Ion charger. Is that true?

Yes you need to have one of the new multi chemistry chargers. Still completely worth it.

 

[Lump]

Let me explain why I've asked the above questions in this thread: Frankly, I've grown frustrated with cordless tools, and Sears, and the high cost of replacement batteries.

Years ago I had an 18-volt Craftsman set, with drill and mini circular saw. When the batteries died, I went to Sears to get new ones. But the cost for 2 batteries was really high, so I stood by the battery display in shock. A helpful clerk saw the frown on my face, and suggested I should buy the "new and improved" 19.2 volt drill and saw set, because this set could use the Lithium-Ion batteries whenever the included NiCad batteries died. This seemed like a viable solution, since Lithium-Ion batteries were still pretty new then, and very pricey. So I bought the new set.

Then with the NiCad units gave up, I went to Sears again, looking to buy Lithium-Ion batteries this time. Wow, nearly $70 apiece, and I needed two.

Once again, a "helpful clerk" came over and pointed out that, when you added up two Lithium batteries AND the cost of the required new charger, I might as well go ahead and buy a new drill-and-saw set, which comes with a Lithium battery and charger. Then all I would have to do was buy an additional battery.

It seems like it might be time to break this frustrating pattern. Maybe I'll buy some other brand.

 

[Packard V8]

Maybe I'll buy some other brand.

Fuggedaboudit, Lump, they seen you coming. Every brand plays the same forku with the voltages, batteries and charger.

FWIW, the Ryobi lithium charger will also handle the NiCads, but I haven't tested the possibility the NiCad chargers will pump up a Lithium without a nuclear meltdown.

jack vines