Hello all, so here my situation ; I bought a bulk of tools as I do here and there. In this lot I got a snap-on 3/8" impact and flash light with charger and 1 battery. To my surprise the ni-cad platform is not only still supported by snap-on. It's still considered relevant by many in the community. The battery tested with 1/12 cell as good lol. Now I've replaced more than a few cells in my time, so this isn't about that. My question is about cell quality. Harbor freight apparently just recently stopped selling the 18v ni-cad they normally have. To my luck in the clearance rack they had a sole ni-cad drill with built in battery 18v. So that gives me 5 cells to spare. Being I paid $6 for this I'm doing OK. Now my question, snap-ons replacement battery is $230, $200 off a truck. Are the cells they use better by a margin of almost 40x? I'm less concerned with duration it holds charge, opposed to its power output. I will be selling this, without the light they are getting $150 consistently. I'll probably ask 150 and take 125. However I don't want to rip anyone off, saying it's good and it's not as it should be. Since this wasn't mine, I have no means of comparison myself. Nor testing equipment to see if it meets specs. Or the desire to create a whole elaborate test with torque wrenches, etc. I will inform in the post the cells are after market replacement, but new never used cells. Still I'm not looking to screw anyone over. Like I say, if it loses charge 50% quicker, I don't care really, but I just want it to be with in "normal wear and tear" power loss from being new. @$200thr battery better offer a daily reach around or something. Can it deliver that much more be it time between charges, or power, or is this just the pinnacle of snap on mark up? Sorry for the long read, and thank you in advance for any responses.
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Snap-on ni-cad cell replacement
- Thread starter erikohio
- Start date
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Mto batteries will rebuild snap on packs. They did the nicad batteries in my modis.
I dont have the background to guess whether the snap on tools will work well with the aftermarket cells in a DIY rebuild.
I dont have the background to guess whether the snap on tools will work well with the aftermarket cells in a DIY rebuild.
They will be doing the same thing I am. In the case of lithium I know if you can score laptop cells they are far superior to normal lithium cells. But I'm just not versed firstly in ni-cad levels of quality, second how that equates to power output. Interstate battery and a place called batteries plus locally are both fairly cheap on cell replacements. I've used both in the past, they charge about $40 a battery. But once I took the time to learn how to do it, it's not bad. It takes about a hour I'd say. But if you buy a cheap solder gun anyone can do it.Mto batteries will rebuild snap on packs. They did the nicad batteries in my modis.
I dont have the background to guess whether the snap on tools will work well with the aftermarket cells in a DIY rebuild.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
I would think the only problem might be different discharge rates. Back in the day when RC cars used ni-cads, there were sce and scr type cells. The scr cells dumped quick for maximum power, and the sce cells lasted longer.
Who knows which type of cell you have? I would guess the longer lasting/slower discharge rate, but that’s just a guess.
I do remember battery packs that had matched cells were more powerful for longer. All the cells on the matched packs had similar charge and discharge rates.
Who knows which type of cell you have? I would guess the longer lasting/slower discharge rate, but that’s just a guess.
I do remember battery packs that had matched cells were more powerful for longer. All the cells on the matched packs had similar charge and discharge rates.