Time for an upgrade

[MM54]

After a decade (crap I'm getting old) of use and definite abuse, my Dewalt 18V batteries were really showing their age. While the tools work fine, it was time to take advantage of some pre-black-friday sales and move into the modern lithium/brushless world.

I have a handful of other 18V tools accumulated, and the appropriate adapter for the new batteries on the old tools. The trusty old drill (they put a ton of smoke in those based on how much I've let out of it over the years, and it keeps on going!) and impact will go onto the shelf as spares now.

[frinesi2]

A word of warning with the adapters - don't keep the lithium batteries attached to them. Only hook them up when you're using them. The new tools can have a battery hooked up and sit for weeks and not lose charge but the old tools with the adapter, the lithium battery drains in a day or so.

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

I've gone down the adaptor route for now but even that is not going that well due to either non genuine batteries or the lack of lithium battery management tech in the old brushed motors. I've damaged or destroyed both a genuine and a non genuine battery...

[MM54]

@frinesi2 said in Time for an upgrade:

A word of warning with the adapters - don't keep the lithium batteries attached to them. Only hook them up when you're using them. The new tools can have a battery hooked up and sit for weeks and not lose charge but the old tools with the adapter, the lithium battery drains in a day or so.

I picked up on that from the literature with the adapter - seems that the protection circuitry in the 20V tools is after the trigger but in the adapter it's on all the time and will run the battery down over time.

[FTTOHG]

The adapters are pretty handy. I have an old originally NiMH leaf blower that I use a modern lithium battery with and it seems to work well. I actually just bought my first personal Dewalt tool earlier this week - a corded miter saw - because after years of abusing Dewalt stuff at work I finally realized it just isn't worth buying the cheaper stuff at home either.

[MM54]

@fttohg said in Time for an upgrade:

The adapters are pretty handy. I have an old originally NiMH leaf blower that I use a modern lithium battery with and it seems to work well. I actually just bought my first personal Dewalt tool earlier this week - a corded miter saw - because after years of abusing Dewalt stuff at work I finally realized it just isn't worth buying the cheaper stuff at home either.

When I did construction/remodeling the abuse we put on those tools was enough that I was convinced and got my own. Run a drill until it smokes, throw it back in the truck where it gets rained on overnight, and do it again the next day. I'd much rather pay more now and have a tool that lasts a long time than cheap out and have to buy another one later (and end up trapped in the cheaper battery ecosystem!)

[pos_camaro]

It's good stuff. I retired my old 18V Craftsman stuff after getting an XR drill/driver/circ saw combo for Christmas. It's magnitudes better. I've since added the 1/2" impact and compact recip saw, along with a 5A battery to power them. It's really nice not having to wait for the compressor to build up pressure before using the impact.

[A Former User]

I'll chime in and say their new lithium ion stuff is just as good as the old stuff. I still have a 12v driver and impact that saw daily use in repair shops, despite even being drenched in fluids, they're still going strong. Even eight years on, the batteries still work, but I finally replaced them.

Also, pro tip: check sites like acmetools for promos during the holidays. DeWalt runs some of the best promos on their stuff and you can accumulate a shit ton of batteries for pennies on the dollar. And once you accumulate tools, you can take advantage of their bare tool sales.

[Wacko]

@mm54
I got the same XR set this summer to replace my brushless makita set that the drill went up in smoke.
I went with the XR set cause of the metal chuck and the 2.0 ah batteries. I had 1.5 with the makita, but they wouldn’t last to long.
My makita impact stays in the garage now with 4.0 ah battery and with socket adapters on it.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

@mm54 Careful with the Dewalt 20V with fine tasks. There is no "chill" setting. I switched to 12V. Not nearly as versatile but actually does 99% of what I need and an unskilled laborer and fits in tight spaces.

[A Former User]

@mm54 Yeah those will show their age against the new stuff. I got the black Makita compact 18v and they are amazing. The impact has settings instead of just being a blunt instrument, thanks to the brushless motors. I still have three generations of functioning Makitas but I wanted to get my tool kit as small as I could for shows.

[MM54]

@dr-zoidberg said in Time for an upgrade:

@mm54 Careful with the Dewalt 20V with fine tasks. There is no "chill" setting. I switched to 12V. Not nearly as versatile but actually does 99% of what I need and an unskilled laborer and fits in tight spaces.

I know the 20V batteries in my 18V sawzall makes it actually-useful speed. The impact has three settings (old one had none) and the drill is the usual 2-speed gear selection so it should be fine... but it'll take some getting used to for sure.

[Shop-Teacher]

@his_stigness I was wondering about Acme tools. A buddy of mine an I are looking to go halvsies on a Honda generator, and they have the best price.

[Shop-Teacher]

@mm54 Nice choice! I love my DeWalt stuff. It's amazing how long the modern batteries last.

[A Former User]

@shop-teacher

I've had pretty good luck with them. Sort of. They ship out quickly and have good prices, but I did have one issue.

They generally ship FedEx Ground, and for a while I wasn't getting stuff. So I contacted them and asked them to fix it, and they told me to just contact PayPal (I had used PayPal to purchase the stuff), which was odd. Going through PayPal is the same as filing a dispute with your credit card company, and it's not good for companies. But I did, and PayPal of course gave me a refund because Acme never responded.

But that was one order out of a dozen and it wasn't actually Acme's fault. And maybe I just got someone on a shitty day.

[MidEngine]

I've accumulated 42 DeWalt 20V tools so far, I love the freedom and light weight. Most electricians and plumbers swear by Milwaukee.. a little more money and I'm not sold on any alleged performance differences. I buy the tools when they're on sale, or on OfferUp. Oh, Home Depot is running pretty good Black Friday sales right now on some of the Dewalt stuff (I'm waiting on a good deal on a caulking gun and a cordless miter saw).

[rctothefuture]

I'm looking to buy some drills and other tools. I live near a Factory Direct Outlet, so I usually buy cheap Ryobi stuff. I'd like to upgrade to Milwaukee/De Walt but haven't decided yet. Will need to watch some more Project Farm.

[Roundbadge]

@mm54 Hartville Hardware (not sure quite where you live, but being in NE Ohio, I think the one in Middlefield isn't terribly far from you) has some pretty great sales on DeWalt this season. I was looking through their ad on Friday, thinking of expanding my arsenal.

They were selling a planer/stand combo for $500 the other day (in store only)...the planer by itself lists at $600 on most sites, and the stand $160. By the time I'd checked their website, they showed it only having been available in-store at Hartville, and that it was already out of stock. I nearly wept.

I've also added a new 18v to my workbench to fill in for my first-gen 18v drill/driver. Saw the adapters while looking at another website recently, got to thinking I should probably invest in one of those so I can keep using my old drill.

[Shop-Teacher]

@his_stigness Good to know, thanks. I've had bad experiences with the way companies interact with Paypal, so I avoid that anymore.