Battery compatibility across power tool brands

[katiexoxo]

Do you think 18V batteries will ever get standardised so they can work across different power tool brands?

Is there any cross-comatibility at the moment considering some brands are owned by the same companies?

The most annoying thing with power tools is that once you buy one you are kind of forced to buy other types of tools from the same brand, otherwise you have to spend much more $$$ and carry more batteries/chargers with you. Another thing to consider is that some brands make better certain type of tools than others, or worse, don't make the other tool you are looking for.

 

[rlitman]

It's called brand "lock in". No, they're not going to become standardized. I'm amazed that most cell phones standardized on micro-usb charger ports.

 

[PelicanPines]

Not gonna happen unless you are skilled in making frankinbatteries. You know... in your laboratory... with spare parts. Seen it done on YouTube... it has to work... it's on YouTube...

Seriously tho... I doubt it will happen.

 

[gdocktor3]

Do you think 18V batteries will ever get standardised so they can work across different power tool brands?

Not likely

Is there any cross-comatibility at the moment considering some brands are owned by the same companies?

The current Mac line of power tools are Dewalt 20v. Everything is cross compatible.

The most annoying thing with power tools is that once you buy one you are kind of forced to buy other types of tools from the same brand, otherwise you have to spend much more $$$ and carry more batteries/chargers with you. Another thing to consider is that some brands make better certain type of tools than others, or worse, don't make the other tool you are looking for.

You just answered your own question. Since these are the most popular two brands, why would Dewalt sell tools that are compatible with Milwaukee batteries? No brand ever wants to leave money on the table or provide sales for the competition. Right now, there are very few tools, if any, Milwaukee makes that Dewalt doesn't.

 

[kythri]

I see now that Dewalt is selling a battery adapter to use their 20V Max batteries in the older style 18V tools.

There was a member here who had rigged up some post-style adapters for the slide-style batteries.

Honestly, I'm really surprised that some third-party hasn't come out with these sooner...

 

[bcradio]

Agree, this won't happen. If the 120v plug hadn't been standardized, every company would have it's own version of corded tool plugs.

 

[ChaseDE]

I was thinking the same thing kythri. One would do well to R&D and manufacture some slim adapters and offer a line of them.

sku1 dewalt to milwaukee adapter
sku2 ryobi to dewalt adapter

and on and on

 

[6PTsocket]

Maybe the market isn't there or there are liability issues. Lithium batteries, for example, are fussy beasts. If you connect it to a device that draws more current than the one it was designed for, there could be problems. Just a thought. I think they will just live in the world of 3D printers and ads on ebay.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[thesilverone]

That's like asking Apple to have more universal accessories

 

[DFB]

Not exactly the same as crossing brands but a lot of users have been left out when their own brand made changes and generally isolated their earlier tools. It is a money making game alright and I am actually surprised that RYOBI has backwards compatibility with their tools and batteries

There has been an aftermarket Makita cross battery adapter for sale for several years now that allows the use of newer Li ion slide type batteries to be used with earlier NiCad/NiMh post style tools.

I still use an older Makita 6 1/2 cordless circular but the earlier Makita batteries have always sucked for me and so I often consider getting one of the adapters. In fact I am running down thru another set of batteries again right now and the best I can get with the older batteries is only 3 ah anyhow and that's aftermarket too. (Replacement Makita are only 2.6ah)

So the adapter itself is not all that expensive but then I would have get a different charger along with the new batteries too. So I feel I am kind of stuck by the time I do all that I just might as well buy a new FUEL 6 1/2 circular saw considering most all my stuff is all Milwaukee.

And at the time I made that brand switch because Milwaukee was releasing the tools and battery packs I wanted long before Makita did

They gotcha

 

[kythri]

Maybe the market isn't there or there are liability issues. Lithium batteries, for example, are fussy beasts. If you connect it to a device that draws more current than the one it was designed for, there could be problems. Just a thought. I think they will just live in the world of 3D printers and ads on ebay.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Discharge isn't an issue, charging is.

 

[buckwheat_la]

Funny because if you think about it they are all standardized already. Open the battery up and all the actual cells are similar/the same.

 

[bcradio]

Discharge isn't an issue, charging is.

Discharge certainly can be an issue.

If the tool is designed to draw a very high current that the battery is not designed to handle, then the battery can overheat and possibly burn up.

 

[Ign]

Discharge isn't an issue, charging is.

Not necessarily. Some batteries protect themselves, some manufacturers put the protection "brain" in the tool. The latter is less expensive I'd think - you're almost always going to produce and sell more batteries than actual tools.

 

[risc]

It's the batteries (pack not cells) responsibility to shutdown in the event of over current, not the load (tool). That's standard industry practice and and any company that fails to do that wont be around long.

I'm actually surprised that TTI doesn't make an adapter to allow Rigid tools to be powered with the Ryobi batteries and vice versa. It would be a great way to bridge those with an investment in Ryobi to step up.

I'm a Ryobi advocate, I'm consistently impressed with what these homeowner grade tools can do (except for the circular saw that can't cut a 2x4) but I'd like a little more power in my drill. I keep drooling over the Fuel stuff but I have a hard time justifying another battery ecosystem. If I could start adding Rigid tools and swap batteries to keep all my Ryobi toys going I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[kythri]

Given the wide range of batteries across all of the tool lines (Ni-Cad and Li-Ion of varying capacities) and that, in general, most of these batteries are pretty much the same (obviously, different cell brands/qualities, but, again, in general, the same cell specs) I really don't think there's going to be an issue with any particular line's 18V or 20V tool running on any other line's 18V or 20V battery.

 

[rice rocket]

I'm actually surprised that TTI doesn't make an adapter to allow Rigid tools to be powered with the Ryobi batteries and vice versa. It would be a great way to bridge those with an investment in Ryobi to step up.

Ridgid is an Emerson-owned brand, not TTI's. TTI just happens to be the chosen manufacturer of late. Not unlike how Google has HTC/Samsung/LG make their phones.

 

[kythri]

Ridgid is an Emerson-owned brand, not TTI's. TTI just happens to be the chosen manufacturer of late. Not unlike how Google has HTC/Samsung/LG make their phones.

True, but they've already established interoperability several years ago with the Ryobi JobPlus and Ridgid JobMax heads, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.

That said, Ridgid's battery packs appear to be the slide-style, rather than post-style, so any adapter that would allow the use of Ryobi batteries on Ridgid tools would be incredibly bulky.

 

[WWheeler]

I see now that Dewalt is selling a battery adapter to use their 20V Max batteries in the older style 18V tools.

There was a member here who had rigged up some post-style adapters for the slide-style batteries.

Honestly, I'm really surprised that some third-party hasn't come out with these sooner...

I'm surprised I hadn't seen that before. Just ordered one. Thanks!

Now I can better bridge the gap between my old set and my new.

 

[6PTsocket]

It's the batteries (pack not cells) responsibility to shutdown in the event of over current, not the load (tool). That's standard industry practice and and any company that fails to do that wont be around long.

I'm actually surprised that TTI doesn't make an adapter to allow Rigid tools to be powered with the Ryobi batteries and vice versa. It would be a great way to bridge those with an investment in Ryobi to step up.

I'm a Ryobi advocate, I'm consistently impressed with what these homeowner grade tools can do (except for the circular saw that can't cut a 2x4) but I'd like a little more power in my drill. I keep drooling over the Fuel stuff but I have a hard time justifying another battery ecosystem. If I could start adding Rigid tools and swap batteries to keep all my Ryobi toys going I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Why wouldHD want to let you do that? There is no money in letting you use less expensive Ryobi batteries on your Rigid tools In the early days of cordless tools Porter Cable made some 12 volt and 14.4 volt drills that were otherwise identical but the battery packs were modified so they wouldn't swap.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[kythri]

Why wouldHD want to let you do that? There is no money in letting you use less expensive Ryobi batteries on your Rigid tools In the early days of cordless tools Porter Cable made some 12 volt and 14.4 volt drills that were otherwise identical but the battery packs were modified so they wouldn't swap.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

HD doesn't have any say in the matter, since they don't own either brand.

 

[Danglerb]

As a consumer, its great, but I don't see what value it offers to a manufacturer or brand as long as they can get away with it. I give it maybe one more generation before the profit from selling the tool far exceeds the profit from selling replacement batteries, then some standard may emerge

OTOH proprietary batteries tend to make people brand loyal and sell related tools..

 

[risc]

As a consumer, its great, but I don't see what value it offers to a manufacturer or brand as long as they can get away with it. I give it maybe one more generation before the profit from selling the tool far exceeds the profit from selling replacement batteries, then some standard may emerge

OTOH proprietary batteries tend to make people brand loyal and sell related tools..

It's lock-in not loyalty that keeps people tied to an ecosystem.

Rigid tool owner - Hypothetical and I don't know any and I've never actually seen their battery powered tools being used in the real world. But let's assume he exists, there's a hole bunch of gadgets in the Ryobi ecosystem that have no equivalent in Rigid he could buy. I'm guessing he just does without rather than buying into Ryobi.

Ryobi tool owner - Likes the tools and the price and/or gets gifted a set. Could really use a brushless impact or drill. He has to buy new batteries anyway so he either goes without or jumps to Red/Yellow/Blue.

Just my $0.02 as a Ryobi guy. The stuff works pretty well and I can just pull out a cord or air hose instead of getting yet another set of batteries on the occasion that I need more power.

 

[N_Jay]

It's called brand "lock in". No, they're not going to become standardized. I'm amazed that most cell phones standardized on micro-usb charger ports.

That was pushed by the carriers (Against the wishes of the phone manufacturers)

 

[Showkey]

On the cell phone charger........Europe mandates the change...

http://www.geek.com/apple/apple-will-be-forced-to-use-micro-usb-chargers-by-2017-1587862/

 

[viikinki]

Only which i know is Bosch and Wurth, but but basically they are the same brand, only different colours and labels

 

[viikinki]

Something new, maybe this is not much, but it's a start anyways.

Cordless Alliance System, nine tool manufacturer using the same battery platform.

https://www.cordless-alliance-system.com

 

[AA/FC]

Do you think 18V batteries will ever get standardised so they can work across different power tool brands?

No, I don't.

That would be like thinking car manufacturers should standardize one engine across all brands.