DeWalt 12v & 18v adapters

[yeldogt]

Is there any solution/ alternative/ adapter for the old style 12v DeWalt battery (XRP) ? Have a right angle 12 DeWalt drill that I use infrequently --- once or twice a year. The batteries are dead .... have bought the OE replacement for it a couple of times ... the aftermarket don't last very long. It's a nice tool when you need it. I'm not even seeing the OE 12v being sold?

Just bought a new DeWalt 20v flex hammer drill (kit) due to the battery problem. Someone mentioned getting an adapter for my old 18v hammer drill kit .. buying just new batteries/ adapter and charger cost close to getting a took kit. Have the Makita drill kit with the impact and I thought of getting the Makita hammer ... but it seems the DeWalt gets the best reviews. Over the Milwaukee as well. So I bought the DeWalt ...... I also bought the DeWalt adapter so I can use my other old 18v DeWalt tools with the 20v batteries .. that I don't really like or use (Jig and small circular). So for the want of batteries it's $400 bucks and now I have two hammers ! The kit comes with two 5ah and a free 4ah ...

Maybe the solution is just to get the 20v right angle for $150 more and toss the old one

 

[southalabama]

I scrapped all my 18v batteries and put adapters on a drill, jig saw, circular saw and now run 20v.

 

[KenC]

Adapters are available to use your 20v on the 18 starting at 10 bucks on eBay. Chinese but what isn’t.

 

[KnurledNut]

Ive seen some guys mod the old 12v stuff to run off automotive batteries for offroad kits, etc.

 

[yeldogt]

Adapters are available to use your 20v on the 18 starting at 10 bucks on eBay. Chinese but what isn’t.

I did pick one of them up and with the third battery in the kit is will be good for my old hammer drill

 

[yeldogt]

Ive seen some guys mod the old 12v stuff to run off automotive batteries for offroad kits, etc.

I did see some adapters to run 12v off the 20v .... but, not the dewalt. Some sort of voltage control

 

[yeldogt]

Update ..... I like the 20v hammer drill .... looks very well made. The impact is smaller than expected and very well made as well. I bought the battery adapter for the old tools to use the new type batteries ... 5ah batteries that came with the kit are a bit big when attached w/ the adapter to the drill .... I think the small circular saw will be fine for what I ever use it for. Same with the jig saw

There was a rebate with the new kit for a free 4ah battery ... maybe that smaller battery will be better with the old drill.

 

[woody 73]

Dewalt don't get me started.

I bought those adaptors for all my useless 18-volt batteries, and darn if those suckers weigh a ton. I am getting even though; Milwaukee was running a sale about 5 months ago in that you take in your tool with a battery, and they took off $100.00 and applied it to a new Milwaukee tool.

Take that Dewalt and stick it where the sun does not shine!

 

[ItsNemo]

Update ..... I like the 20v hammer drill .... looks very well made. The impact is smaller than expected and very well made as well. I bought the battery adapter for the old tools to use the new type batteries ... 5ah batteries that came with the kit are a bit big when attached w/ the adapter to the drill .... I think the small circular saw will be fine for what I ever use it for. Same with the jig saw

There was a rebate with the new kit for a free 4ah battery ... maybe that smaller battery will be better with the old drill.

Somewhere they say the adapter is only really for the 2ah packs.

 

[yeldogt]

Somewhere they say the adapter is only really for the 2ah packs.

I can see how that may be true ..... The 18v hammer drill is larger and w/ the old style battery does balance better than one would think. It's strange with the 5ah on it.

18v was a good general all around drill for the time .... mine has to be 20+ years old. When the second set of batteries died I bought the small Makita drill/ impact set as my need for the hammer was limited. I ended up buying another set of the 18v batteries when I needed the hammer for a project. The newer batteries are so much better --- my Makita is at least 10 years old. The 18v batteries started to die at around 4 years.

With brick and stone houses I need a small hammer drill on occasion --- for general around the house work the smaller Makita type are nicer. I'm not even going to bother with old 12v angle drill. When I need one for a project I will just get the 20v Dewalt

 

[legenddc]

They sell right angle attachments for drills and impacts for $20-$25 that might work for you. It's a bit harder to hold steady compared to a right angle drill but works for the rare times you need it.

 

[mike93lx]

For drill and impact use, the xr 2.0's are my favorite. Lot sof run time and light weight. I generally save the 4-6's for my big impact and saw, unless I am really heavily using the drill or impact

 

[sk farmer]

Dewalt don't get me started.

I bought those adaptors for all my useless 18-volt batteries, and darn if those suckers weigh a ton. I am getting even though; Milwaukee was running a sale about 5 months ago in that you take in your tool with a battery, and they took off $100.00 and applied it to a new Milwaukee tool.

Take that Dewalt and stick it where the sun does not shine!

go ahead and bash dewalt but then tell the full story. the cordless tool market is full of old, abandoned battery platforms. i would venture to say there could be hundreds of them between all of the brands over the last 30 or 40 years. dewalt, milwaukee, makita, black and decker, hitachi, porter cable. the list could go on for pages.

at the end of the day i know of only one brand, dewalt that has offered an authorized adapter. i have used them, they are not the best and they came out with them far too late but they work. it can be easily found here in more than one topic how much i have hammered dewalt for it.

it is just completely odd how people bash dewalt for developing a much improved battery platform and for at least trying to be backwards compatable while every mfg, including milwaukee have abandoned platforms and done absolutely nothing to make them compatable with the newer ones.

 

[yeldogt]

They sell right angle attachments for drills and impacts for $20-$25 that might work for you. It's a bit harder to hold steady compared to a right angle drill but works for the rare times you need it.

I do have one of them .... fine for a one or two holes in a pinch

 

[yeldogt]

For drill and impact use, the xr 2.0's are my favorite. Lot sof run time and light weight. I generally save the 4-6's for my big impact and saw, unless I am really heavily using the drill or impact

I was wondering why the drill/ impact kits have 2 of the 5AH's ..... the free one they sent is a 4AH. Maybe the guys working with them need that run time. I agree the smaller are fine for most work .... I think my Makita are only the 2AH.

For the amount I use the hammer drill had I other 20V tools -- the adapter for the 18v would have been fine. But -- once you need the battery .... you need the charger and down the road you go.

 

[kbeefy]

I have an 18v kit I bought used in 2007. Still my only cordless hammer drill, circle saw and sawzall. I have the 20v adapter and use 20v if my 18v are dead or not handy.

I now also have 10+ 20v tools, I reallly like the smaller batteries most of the time. I think I even have a couple 1.5aH batteries that came in a package.

 

[yeldogt]

I have an 18v kit I bought used in 2007. Still my only cordless hammer drill, circle saw and sawzall. I have the 20v adapter and use 20v if my 18v are dead or not handy.

I now also have 10+ 20v tools, I reallly like the smaller batteries most of the time. I think I even have a couple 1.5aH batteries that came in a package.

The cost of the bigger batteries is a bit crazy

 

[mike93lx]

The cost of the bigger batteries is a bit crazy

Nothing special about Dewalt there...my 7.5ah 56v ego batteries are something like $350 on their own.

 

[kbeefy]

The cost of the bigger batteries is a bit crazy

All my bigger batteries came in kits. I think I have 2 5aH, and a dozen smaller ones. The only time I've ever bought a battery on it's own was some 2aH batteries on sale during black friday (2 for $50 IIRC).

I thought one of my 40v batteries died, when I found out it wasn't under warranty I asked the price. $250 comes to mind. Pretty sure I bought the tool, charger and battery for not much more than that.

 

[yeldogt]

All my bigger batteries came in kits. I think I have 2 5aH, and a dozen smaller ones. The only time I've ever bought a battery on it's own was some 2aH batteries on sale during black friday (2 for $50 IIRC).

I thought one of my 40v batteries died, when I found out it wasn't under warranty I asked the price. $250 comes to mind. Pretty sure I bought the tool, charger and battery for not much more than that.

Nothing special about Dewalt there...my 7.5ah 56v ego batteries are something like $350 on their own.

The large format batteries were not as much of surprise ... Have the Stilh leaf blower and did check into the various battery cost when I was looking at hand leaf blowers. The battery died after about a years of use and Stilh replaced it.

What did surprise me was the cost of the the larger Dewalt 20v's .... I was seeing prices around $250 for the two packs.

 

[like2wheel]

I'm in the same position as the op. I have mostly switched over to the Dewalt 20v line, but I have many 12v XRP tools that I have not replaced (r/a drill, drywall gun etc).

There was a guy on ebay selling a 3D printed adapter for the 12v nicad platform, I think you had to transfer some terminals from an existing battery or something. I hesitated because of the overdrain problems with Lithium batteries. Not sure how Dewalt handled that on the 18v adapter.
I can no longer find the listing.