18V DeWalt Sawzall busted shell

[dnschmidt]

Time to give it up. Nothing lasts forever. I threw out a shitload of almost new Milwaukee 14V Ni-Cd tools when Li-Ion came out. I don't fight progress.

 

[rharman]

I'll add that I have a number of 18v tools still but use the adapter sled for the 20v batteries, they work great.

Just don't leave the battery in the adapter and locked on the tool. It WILL drain the battery completely to where you'll worry about damaging the battery. Maybe newer versions of the adapter prevent this, mine was bought a year or two after release. Using the adapter is pretty clunky and obstructive.

Once you switch to the 20v platform you'll be amazed how you ever used those big, weak, heavy 18v tools. Back then I hated the brick 18v drills so much I went out and bought a 14.4 to use as a driver. I will post a pic later to compare sizes. The newest 20v driver is even smaller than my previous 20v driver.

Home Depot has some great deals sometimes on Dewalt, especially around the holidays.

I'll second both of these. I bought a couple of the adapters long ago and found some killer deals on batteries a couple of times on Amazon. I'm not buying a new 20V tool unless one of my 18V becomes unusable.

Like @JRC3 mentioned, don't leave a battery in the adapter.

If you look around, you can usually find a deal on the adapter with a battery or two - Check Acme Tools and Amazon. I got mine at Rockler - they had a $50 gift card offer when you bought the adapter with two batteries - limit 1 kit per customer. I bought mine, handed the gift card to my wife in line behind me, and she bought another kit and got another gift card! The Rockler guy got a big grin and said "Well played, sir.... Well played."

 

[penright]

I thought I would bring closure to the thread. I found an adapter on eBay that took Bauer 20v batteries to 18v Dewalt. Works pretty well. There was a sale; buy a battery/charger and get the tool for free. They have two sawzall, one brushless and the other not. Of course, the brushless was not part of the deal. So I picked up a 1/4" impact and used a 15% off coupon. I had a 30% but I needed a pole saw for some tree trimming, so I used it for that. Of course needed another battery, so got a second starter kit, this time got 4" grinder with it. Since I had to go to a second store to use the free tool with a battery coupon, I used the 30% one on a fast charger. Using the Bauer battery on the Dewalt 1/4" hex impact worked better and lasted longer than the 18v batteries. I loved it. This was in June of 2024. I figured I was done with buying tools till the Dewalts wore out. Then Christmas/New Year 2025, finishing my lights installation after 7 years, long story. I dropped the 1/4" hex impact from about 15' high and broke the adapter. To get a new one takes a few days shipping, it was Christmas, and had another 15% off no limit on any single item. So I got the 6-tool combo kit. So much for not duplicating any tools. Only have 4 duplicates. 1/4" hex impact, 1/2" drill, circular saw, and light. Hardly ever used the saw and light since they would eat batteries. The new light is LED so might start using it more. What I wanted was the hex impact and leaf blower. I have a Worx for the lawn, but I steal it from time to time to "sweep" out the shop. Now I have one dedicated to it. Plus extra batteries and charger.
I did glue the broken adapter back together, I don't know how long it will last pulling it off, also the clips did not hold as well. I think I will put it on my 1/2" impact and just leave it on. So I bought one more adapter to move it around.

My Christmas gift to myself. I did have a $20 gift card from my daughter, so she helped.



The haul back in June


The adapter


I made this charging sation, there are two more chargers now.

 

[finn]

Until a new battery chemistry tech comes out, I doubt Dewalt will get rid of the 20v line

The 20v labeling is 100% marketing. It's the max pack voltage, but it's a nominal 18v. The major difference is the switch to lithium

Sort of like the Milwaukee M12, which is actually 10.8 volts nominal, correct?

 

[mike93lx]

Sort of like the Milwaukee M12, which is actually 10.8 volts nominal, correct?

Yes