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Bsst 18 volt dewalt battery

jrsavoie

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Where can I find the best 18 volt Battery for our 18 volt Dewalt shop vac?

Links would be appreciated.

I don't see a way of using an 18v to 20 volt adapter.

I don't have a clue what's out there for 18 volt batteries. I have one 18 volt lithium that seems to be OK.

The vac has a cover that snaps over the battery

 
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danfromsyr

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dewalt discontinued the 18v battery line up and very few actual dewalt mfg'd batteries are left
the knock offs may work well, may not..
you can goto a place that rebuilds battery packs and have your old cells swapped out.
this would assure you have the best battery cells available for your 18v cartridge.
 

danfromsyr

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iirc the majority of the dewalt 18v were a old battery chemistry
and that new knock-offs would be lithium and could actually be superior in life and power output
 

Fixr

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I have tried 3 different aftermarket nicad or nimh batteries for my DeWalt 18v stuff over the years. Each of them were the highest-rated on Amazon at the time. None of them had more than half the actual runtime of the originals. I'm debating whether to try lithiums from Amazon or take my dead packs to Batteries Plus for a rebuild.
 
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jrsavoie

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I have tried 3 different aftermarket nicad or nimh batteries for my DeWalt 18v stuff over the years. Each of them were the highest-rated on Amazon at the time. None of them had more than half the actual runtime of the originals. I'm debating whether to try lithiums from Amazon or take my dead packs to Batteries Plus for a rebuild.
The replacement batteries should put the originals to shame. Key word is should.

I guess I’ll try the twin pack of Amazon batteries.

My biggest fear on those batteries is fire.

I really need an outdoor, fire resistant, charging station
 

no704

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Recently got a 2 pack on Amazon. Want to say like $35. No complaints or fires yet!
 

sgrammel

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My experience with the knock off 18v batteries is they don't last worth a damn. You sure the 18v to 20v adaptor won't work on the vac? 20v is kinda a marketing scheme..it's more of a peak voltage..it is really 18v working power..so if you can get the adaptor to fit there are always deals on real DeWalt 20v batteries...
 

WWheeler

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NiCad batteries sucked.

Lithium batteries solved so many of those issues and now I get many years of use out of batteries. I'm still using some 20V batteries from 2013 when I bought my first Dewalt 20V Max tools. I have several of the little 2aH batteries from back then that I don't use often but they still work just fine. I never was able to get a NiCad battery to make it to two years before the max amount of charge it would take would yield single digit minutes of use.

NiCads were really pissy about when you charged them and for how long. They didn't like charging an only half-drained battery nor did they like putting a partially charged battery to use, and they really didn't like letting one set for long periods after being fully charged on the charger. all things I regularly do with my lithium batteries.

tldr: if my 18V Dewalt tool wouldn't work with a 20V adapter, in the bin it would go. It would be MUCH better money spent just trashing it and getting a new 20V tool than to waste time trying to mess with any aftermarket or NOS NiCad battery.
 
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jrsavoie

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NiCad batteries sucked.

Lithium batteries solved so many of those issues and now I get many years of use out of batteries. I'm still using some 20V batteries from 2013 when I bought my first Dewalt 20V Max tools. I have several of the little 2aH batteries from back then that I don't use often but they still work just fine. I never was able to get a NiCad battery to make it to two years before the max amount of charge it would take would yield single digit minutes of use.

NiCads were really pissy about when you charged them and for how long. They didn't like charging an only half-drained battery nor did they like putting a partially charged battery to use, and they really didn't like letting one set for long periods after being fully charged on the charger. all things I regularly do with my lithium batteries.

tldr: if my 18V Dewalt tool wouldn't work with a 20V adapter, in the bin it would go. It would be MUCH better money spent just trashing it and getting a new 20V tool than to waste time trying to mess with any aftermarket or NOS NiCad battery.
Main thing is shop vacs
We don't care for their newer style shop vacs. I was wrong. They changed the 20 volt shop vac from the 20 volt shop vac we have now.
I should have bought that instead of $100 in batteries and chargers.

 
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jrsavoie

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My experience with the knock off 18v batteries is they don't last worth a damn. You sure the 18v to 20v adaptor won't work on the vac? 20v is kinda a marketing scheme..it's more of a peak voltage..it is really 18v working power..so if you can get the adaptor to fit there are always deals on real DeWalt 20v batteries...
I have adapters for our other tools. The shop vac has a door that holds the battery in
 

WWheeler

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Main thing is shop vacs
We don't care for their newer style shop vacs. I was wrong. They changed the 20 volt shop vac from the 20 volt shop vac we have now.
I should have bought that instead of $100 in batteries and chargers.


If you're talking about the DCV581H, I have that shop vac and it's been great to me so far. I'm thinking about getting another one so I don't have to keep carrying it back and forth so much between work and home jobs.
 

dnschmidt

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Another example of every time I try to save money it cost me more money. When Milwaukee discontinued their 14.4V line I threw out about $3000 of virtually new tools. The batteries became more expensive than simply buying a new tool during the Christmas shopping season when they often give you a free battery. You can complain that the system *****, which it does, but you can either swim against the tide or go with the flow. Spending more to update old technology never works out.
 
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Cruzan80

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If you're talking about the DCV581H, I have that shop vac and it's been great to me so far. I'm thinking about getting another one so I don't have to keep carrying it back and forth so much between work and home jobs.
For the OP, if you are saying that you don't like the DCV581H design, I might check out Porter Cable. A lot of their earlier stuff was from DeWalt, just re-packaged (usually either old 18V models like the impact wrench, or lower end DeWalt 20V stuff). I have the shop vac from PC, and it seems to work well enough for what I need. Not the most powerful, smaller hose, but does what it needs.

If you go through PC route, be aware the largest battery that I know they make (OEM) is a 4AH. The new 20V CM stuff looks identical for most tools, but the batteries do not interchange (they swapped the +/- tabs on the connection).
 
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jrsavoie

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If you're talking about the DCV581H, I have that shop vac and it's been great to me so far. I'm thinking about getting another one so I don't have to keep carrying it back and forth so much between work and home jobs.
The DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless/Corded Wet-Dry Vacuum DCV581H. Is the newer vacuum that we like
I don't know what the number is for the other 20 volt shop vac that we didn't like. In my chemo brain Fog I don't always think things through.

I was able to cancel the 18 volt batteries.
Currently we have 2 18 volt shop vacs and a DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless/Corded Wet-Dry Vacuum DCV581H.

Do they have anything better yet? A 40 volt?

We don't want bigger just more suction.
 
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