LiOn - is NiCad making a comback?

[Fender1325]

Guys I swear I saw at home depot the other day dewalt drill/driver kit with NiCad batteries.

My father in law had a lithium ion battery go bad just recently after 2-3 years of moderate use. (Makita). He was saying how his old nicad makita lasted him over 10 years of professional use.

I like how quick LiOn batteries charge but if you have to spend 100 bucks on a battery every 2 or 3 years thats a bit of a pain.

Thoughts? (Please dont mention rigid, I hate them lol)

 

[djdaredevil]

I think dewalt is just trying to rid themselves of old stock NiCad stuff.
The old NiCad batteries would only last a couple of years to and back in their day
they were quite expensive if I remember right.
I would check with Makita for him about the battery warranty.

 

[nevertoomanytools]

yea.. i don't see nicad making comeback... liions hold more, are smaller, and lighter. I have some m12's that have been used every day for 2 years that are still going strong. Even if they failed tomorrow I think I've more than got my money out of them.

 

[99LeCouch]

I've seen that DeWalt 18v Ni-Cad stuff there too. I think it's to meet a price point. Folks who don't know better see the 18v Ni-Cad set and miss that it's Ni-Cad. A 12v Li-ion set has the same power as that DeWalt set without the bulk, and certain brands have pretty darned good warranties to back up the batteries.

Then again, the 12v Li-ion sets sometimes have the look and feel of Fisher Price toys, while a big old 18v Ni-Cad set "feels like a real tool".

 

[Fordman7795]

Ni cad is not making a comeback. There is still a market for dewalt nicads because they previously so sooo many tools. There are a lot of people that would rather replace one or two batteries than 10 tools.

 

[Fender1325]

I mean Im with ya on the lightness and everything. Love mine compared to the old nicad. But I have heard nicads are rebuildable where as Li-ion is trash when it breaks.

 

[monkeyspanners]

Still using a 12 year old makita combi drill, 14 year old makita sds drill, 15 year old makita 1/2 impact driver and think i got a planner somewhere too, all 12v but a mix of NiCad and NiMH batteries, probably on the third set of batteries.

Probably end up upgrading to Li-ion just as it goes out of fashion....

 

[KnurledNut]

Benefits i have experienced of in-the-field-use (and abuse) of NiCad:
They have worked better in temperatures below freezing.
They slowly lose power, instead of cutting out all at once, giving you no warning.
Minimal circuitry, so less worry about exposure to rain, moisture.
They hang right with the lithiums in power and, i dare say, excel in durability, when used everyday professionally and charged correctly.
The extra weight of NiCad can be beneficial...i.e. In a rotary hammer or reciprocating saw, where the weigh helps.

Again, this is only from my experience. YMMV.
However, these dont outweigh the benefits of Li-Ion in my book. I own both.

 

[99LeCouch]

I mean Im with ya on the lightness and everything. Love mine compared to the old nicad. But I have heard nicads are rebuildable where as Li-ion is trash when it breaks.

True, Ni-Cad can be rebuilt. Realistically, for the cost and time, it's generally more efficient these days to buy new for things like drills and impact drivers than rebuild. For the odd tool where it's not cost-effective to buy new such as a cordless impact used for junkyarding, spending the time/money to rebuild a pack would be worth it.

 

[kctyphoon]

Dewalt is the only big name in power tools still selling nicad sets.. They are probably doing so because the average first time home buyer that's never fixed anything in their lives but just wants a way to hang blinds and make a few shelves, doesn't know the difference and just sees a price tag..

Dewalt calls it "supporting their customers", but as long as money is still coming in from an outdated platform - I'd expect they will stay active in this little niche they have found themselves in..

 

[SantaAna12]

My Dewalt nicads are working just fine. I am aware and appreciate the newer battery options ( I had German Prevailers when nobody had a clue). I use the conditioning mode like Dewalt suggests. And I do not baby them.
Nicads were, and are, an option.

 

[Ign]

I've said it a dozen times on the board - if you're truly paying around $100 for a battery you're just not shopping right. There are so many sales, promotions and rebates that batteries can be quite cheap, but YES, you often need to buy other tools at the same time. If you're JUST shopping for batteries, well, you're just not doing it right.

And there would have to be incredibly compelling reasons for me to ever look at ni-cad again. Price would not be one.

 

[The Cobbler]

Benefits i have experienced of in-the-field-use (and abuse) of NiCad:
They have worked better in temperatures below freezing.
They slowly lose power, instead of cutting out all at once, giving you no warning.
Minimal circuitry, so less worry about exposure to rain, moisture.
They hang right with the lithiums in power and, i dare say, excel in durability, when used everyday professionally and charged correctly.
The extra weight of NiCad can be beneficial...i.e. In a rotary hammer or reciprocating saw, where the weigh helps.

Again, this is only from my experience. YMMV.
However, these dont outweigh the benefits of Li-Ion in my book. I own both.

I prefer Ni Cad for above reasons

 

[shamrock12]

I have a 14.4v Ni-Cad powered DeWalt XRP drill/driver that I bought about ten years ago. I don't use it daily but quite often. Then about a couple years ago both of original batteries would not hold charge anymore. Since the drill/driver is still in great shape and have alot of life left, I decided to buy a pair of aftermarket (Sayno) Ni-Cad batteries. It was much more economical and environmental friendly to keep and "fix" whatever is still working rather than to dispose a good tool in the trash.

 

[nevertoomanytools]

I have a 14.4v Ni-Cad powered DeWalt XRP drill/driver that I bought about ten years ago. I don't use it daily but quite often. Then about a couple years ago both of original batteries would not hold charge anymore. Since the drill/driver is still in great shape and have alot of life left, I decided to buy a pair of aftermarket (Sayno) Ni-Cad batteries. It was much more economical and environmental friendly to keep and "fix" whatever is still working rather than to dispose a good tool in the trash.

How are the batteries treating you and what'd you pay?

I've got a few 14.4v dewalts laying around with dead batteries.

 

[shamrock12]

How are the batteries treating you and what'd you pay?

I've got a few 14.4v dewalts laying around with dead batteries.

They've bee holding up very well so far for me. This is the battery I bought a couple years ago but it appears to have been discontinued now

DC9091 - 2000mAh Ni-Cad

 

[mrvm]

Guys I swear I saw at home depot the other day dewalt drill/driver kit with NiCad batteries.
My father in law had a lithium ion battery go bad just recently after 2-3 years of moderate use. (Makita). He was saying how his old nicad makita lasted him over 10 years of professional use.
I like how quick LiOn batteries charge but if you have to spend 100 bucks on a battery every 2 or 3 years thats a bit of a pain.

My lithium battery experience has been great....all Bosch 10.8/12V lithium from as far as 2006 are still active and 6 of 8 Makita 18V LXT batteries from 2008 are still performing. Ryobi 18V 4 Ah batteries rejuvenated old 18V NiCad blue power tools that used to have barely adequate power with NiCad

Going NiCad is going the wrong way. As much as I avoid compact lithium batteries for endurance, they are better than most Nicad batteries

 

[firworks]

If you're wanting cheaper batteries check eBay for people splitting up combo kits. Brand new M12 batteries can be had for as low as 22$ on eBay and sometimes even on Amazon. Also it's definitely possible to rebuild Lithium Ion batteries. They all use standard cells and in a lot of cases you can just cut open the case, find the type of cells used, buy replacements on eBay and solder them back together and epoxy the battery back shut. Good as new.

 

[MikeF2316]

I remember the Ni-Cad days. The bad old days. When I hadn't used my drill in a couple of months, the batteries were always dead. Now I have 6 M12/M18 battery packs, and if they've been sitting a few months, they always still have charge when I go to use them.

 

[hautpot]

Ni-cad is a thing of the past. I see wish ful thinkers on Craig'sList and eBay selling ni-cad Snap-on the same as lithium!