Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
Has anybody had any experience with cheaper batteries for cordless tools?
For example, buying a flagpower battery for a ryobi drill instead of a ryobi battery.
Are any of these battery brands (flagpower, dosctt, creabest…) worth buying?
They are a lot cheaper (sometimes only a third of the price) so they wouldn’t have to perform as well as the proper batteries to be worth it.
the only thing I have heard is most recommend getting genuine batteries over cheap. I would agree. Safety could be of concern with cheaper electronics.
There have been lots of posts on this topic, so I don’t want to rehash everything. However to sum up:
Can knock off batteries work with your power tools: yes
Will they perform as well as the branded battery packs: no
Will they destroy your tools: not likely – but it is possible I guess
Are cheaply made Lithium Ion battery packs responsible for fires: yes – (hoverboards were particularly bad)
Everyone has to make their own call – is the savings worth the small chance of losing your tools and/or having the thing smoke and go up in flames in your house / garage / truck?
Thanks.
I guess if the reviews on a product sound too good to be true, they probably are.
I’d recommend one of two things to bring down the cost of factory batteries: a sale/promo event or buying a kit and selling the unwanted tools. I recently bought two Ridgid 9.0Ah batteries for $99 apiece, approximately half the regular price. Similarly, I built up my M12 batteries by getting the free 2.0Ah battery with various bare tools.
In theory one would like to think even a lot of knock-off brands would be using reasonably high-grade cells from the same oem manufacturers that the tool makers source from, which would sidestep much of the potential risks associated with lithium-based electrical fires. Such may even be true for most. But you can’t really take chances with lithium batteries the way you could with NiCad etc. The energy densities are too great and the fire hazard if a cell goes bunk is extremely real.
I’ll admit it’s very possible I may take the risk for a couple of extremely narrow applications. After substantial research into the track records of the companies. And no shortage of extra safety precautions regarding fire hazards that are possible. And only because some of these companies offer battery arrangements that simply don’t exist from the tool manufacturers themselves yet.
I have most of the newer Ridgid 18v power tools with (Ridgid) 9/6/4 ah batteries, but I’ve also got two non-Ridgid 4 ah batteries purchased on Amazon. I use these for small jobs around the house with my drill/driver, lights (Light Canon and Panel Light), and the USB charging adapter.
My impression is they seem to discharge a little quicker than the equivalent Ridgid battery (haven’t tested that), but don’t notice any performance issues. I wouldn’t use them on higher amp tools, like my compressor or sds drill.
The Creabest batteries are absolute junk – mine died in less than three months and they would not honor their 3 month warranty. Felt like a scam to me.