A few people have asked about whether or not I have ever used replacement battery packs, such as these “Gerit” branded packs.
They’re far less expensive than genuine Dewalt packs.
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A 2-pack of Dewalt 20V Max battery packs is $129 via Amazon.
A 2-pack of Gerit 20V Max battery packs is $62 via Amazon.
That’s a HUGE price difference. Gerit says that they use “high quality original Samsung or LG 18650 cells.”
Some brands offer even better prices. This Enegitech 2x 5.0Ah battery pack is $75 via Amazon.
You can call me skeptical, naive, or maybe even dumb, but I am extremely hesitant to use anything other than official battery packs. The same is true whether we’re talking about power tool battery packs or camera battery packs.
Non-branded replacement Li-ion battery packs for my camera are high rated, but I’m still skeptical. If I had a $150 camera, okay, I might give it a shot, rather than paying $65 for a spare battery. But these days I’m not using a $150 point and shoot camera.
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With power tools, where cordless packs need to be capable of delivering a huge amount of power to heavy duty tools, I’m even more distrustful of generic replacement battery brands.
Okay, let’s say these packs are indeed built with high quality Samsung cells. And let’s say they duplicated Dewalt’s electronics perfectly. That doesn’t mean they use the same Samsung cells.
The high performance cells that are in Dewalt’s 4.0Ah packs? There’s no way you could buy 20 of them for $62. Given the per-cell prices I’ve seen online, I just don’t see that happening.
So, let’s assume for a moment that lesser cells are used. You might run a low powered tool just fine. You might even run heavier duty tools just fine. But are those cells going to be run at the thresholds they’re designed for?
Do those packs have the same safety circuitry, designed to prevent overloading or overheating the cells?
Do you remember the issue last holiday season, with the hoverboard balancing scooters being mass-recalled because of exploding and burning battery packs? That’s what happens when battery packs are thrown together with price in mind instead of safety and performance.
Maybe there are decent replacement battery packs out there, but for how much we spend on our tools, are they worth it?
Here’s a big problem I’m seeing with all the positive reviews of some of these replacement battery packs being sold on Amazon on elsewhere:
Look at the page of the Enegitech cells. Post of the reviews are less than 2 months old, positive and negative alike. I’ve been seeing this with a lot of no-name-brand stuff, in all kinds of industries. They pop up on Amazon, and loads of reviews are posted up really quickly, many with “I’ve received a discount or free product in exchange for review consideration” mentions.
I don’t see similar mentions with these replacement battery packs, but it just seems odd to see so many positive reviews in just a short time.
Even if they’re all genuine, Day 1 reviews aren’t all that reliable when it comes to battery packs. Put them through a few tool and charger cycles, and then some heavy duty high-draining tool use, and then their true qualities will show.
My hesitation is based on skepticism. Have you been using non-branded replacement batteries for your power tools, and if so have you had mostly positive or negative experiences?
If you’ve never tried non-branded batteries, would you?
And it’s not just replacement Dewalt batteries that are out there. A quick search and you can find them in all shapes, colors, and sizes.
Alex
Nope, I certainly wouldn’t, especially by “generic” brands which don’t even bother with creating a proper website. And reviews at Amazon are fairly useless – it’s been proven many times that A LOT of “generic” brand resellers simply purchase “positive reviews” from certain services which provide them for any online retailer (can Google plenty of such companies, they don’t hide).
Also it’s rather amusing seeing these generic battery resellers claim that their product use “Samsung cells” considering the major issue Samsung is now having with their own branded cells in Galaxy Note 7…
Bremon
M18 red lithium are Samsung cells… there is a huge lineup of options and problems with one type aren’t indicative of problems with another.
jtr165
^Agreed. Smart phones don’t use 18650 or similar ‘standard’ cell sizes, nearly every modern phone uses a proprietary layout and capacity. Comparing what is going to with the Note 7’s battery with all the other li-ion batteries they make/made isn’t a concrete way of determining an off brand PT battery’s performance/safety/etc.
With that said, though, it’s not just the cells being used that are important (or at least, not the only important aspect)…the wiring and/or logic used for charging/controlling the pack is arguably the harder part to get right. Samsung, LG, XJO, and others all make safe reliable cells for high drain applications and are all pretty affordable in bulk for these companies. It’s the wiring them together part that I simply don’t trust…at all.
William Ho
Well, I am so happy to see so many comments on replacement batteries. I have so much that I’d like to share with you all. But forgive my English level is the limit. Be simply I am from China and working in a battery pack manufacturer that is located in Shenzhen China. What we do then? We do replacement batteries. Right. For power tools and vacuum cleaners and other devices! How about the quality of our replacement batteries ? I want to confirm some aspects first. Firstly, the cells being used is important. Yes, we use Samsung cells, and Samsung has problems with the Galaxy Note 7. But the problem can have many reasons, it dose not mean Samsung cells tend to explode. Secondly, the way you assemble the cells together is also an important factor which affects the performance of a battery pack. Thirdly, besides the cells, the other crucial component part is the PCB , it acts somewhat like the brain of the battery packs, which protects the battery packs by communicating with the cells and indicates the status of voltage level and power left in one battery pack. Especially when a battery pack is fully charged the PCB is capable to stop charging it by cutting off the power .So we can not say good or not good if we do not specify the details of it. I hope to have more communication with you all my friends. My English is not so good, please forgive me if I failed to make it claera on some points.
Todd
Your English is much better than some so no worries about that. Here’s my question, you said you work in an “off-brand” battery manufacturing company and you use real Samsung batteries then you went on to talk about how they are made and the wiring and the “brain” of the battery but you never said if your company uses a quality “brain” to regulate charging and discharge or if your company wires the same way. So my question is are the batteries you make comparable head to head with a brand name battery?
ShawnB
I agree, I’ve bought generics with good reviews that ended up being very subpar in performance. I think it says a lot that, for the most part, generic battery brands change frequently and there is no dominant generic brand.
Luke Cool
Many packs have over charge and heat protection circuitry in them. Generic brands may not have identical compatible circuitry. If you purchase a generic type pack, it’s wise to keep this in mind during its charging and use. I do have some generic packs, and have had good luck so far. I know not to put a tool into a bind or extremely high load predicament. And all lipos should be charged on a fireproof surface and closely monitored. Mine, so far, have performed just like the originals at half the price. All in all, few people will take this much care with their packs. For this type of person, it is much safer to stick with OEM.
Scred
I see the point. The other day, I disassembled an old 18-volt Porter Cable Ni-Cd battery pack and it contained two things: 15 Sanyo C-sized cells and one thermistor (thermal resistor) in the heart of the battery cluster. And wires between them all and the terminals. I’ve seen this with other OEM battery packs too, such as DeWalt, Makita, et al.
Although there is indeed overheat protection in OEM packs, it must be pointed out there was no electronic circuitry or PCB per se inside them; it’s clear that said protective circuitry is in the charger itself and the stand-alone thermistor in each battery pack is a detachable component of that protective circuitry, the cheapest and most-efficient way to go. But the way you hear some OEM manufacturers advertise, you’d swear they’re trying to convince us that each and every battery has a complex circuit board inside. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but the way corporations crow, they’d have us swallow such fallacies whole.
At the heart of the discussion are these two things: battery cells and thermistors. In these generic battery packs, are the cells inside of comparable quality to OEM cells? And do these generics have adequate thermistors properly nestled at the core of the packs? Those are the two paramount questions I’d love to see answered.
Alan
Ni-Cad will not have the same circuit protection as Lithium Ion. Lithium Ion batteries are inherently unstable, and are only made safe through careful management via electronics. Almost every pack I have seen (cheap knock-off or otherwise) has to involve some degree of circuit protection because of this. There are a lot of factors that go into Lithium safety, and while I suspect that a brand name pack and generic one are often equivalent, the problem is that there is a risk (however small) that they aren’t. The brand has to stand behind the safety of their product, while the generic can turn around and rebrand if needed (or maybe has no brand at all). That’s why you unfortunately have to pay a huge premium to the brand for what is often (but not always) the same thing. What really annoys me, however, is planned obsolescence which deliberately attempts to force you to throw out an old tool because it’s incompatible with newer batteries (as well as a lack of interoperability between different tool manufacturers). There’s a lot of waste here for no good reason.
Noname googal
Ni-Cad or NIMH battery packs do not need a “balanced” charge-meaning each battery must have the exact same charging rate. Lithiums and lipos are absolutely required to have a balanced charge-thus the additional circuitry, even in the battery caps-some 18650 have no balanced charge battery caps, very dangerous unless you are using one cell at a time. If a group of Lithium 18650’s or similar lithiums do not charge/discharge at the same exact rate-one cell can overcharge or undercharge-and blow up the entire pack. This is called thermal runaway. And if even one 18650 is defective or not the same as the others-bam! why I would be very concerned with these chines copy packs-I’ve learned from buying substandard Chinese laptop batteries-these are often made with used 18650’s-very dangerous.
Ronald D Gorham
Why not use generic batteries? I’ve used several name brand batteries and not had great luck with them. As you said Samsung has had their problems and they supply cells for many brands. I would not pay the insane prices for name brand batteries that may or may not be any better. The only way to get consistent quality batteries is to pay very high prices, this is why EV’s are a bad investment. the batteries have a $5,000 replacement cost when the vehicle is about eight years old. This is crazy for a car that old, and who wants to buy them used knowing you will need to spend that for a battery very soon. I use corded tools where possible and limit cordless tools to the times where it is not practical to get AC power to a site.
Danny
Normally I don’t like to do this but when confronted with the option of buying a new hammerdrill or buying a new NiCd battery I opted to replace the battery. $100 from Dewalt or $25 from a 3rd party. I went ahead with the 3rd party battery with reviews that showed clean after utilizing fakespot.com (there are a lot of not so good ones).
I just couldn’t justify spending $100 into old technology or $200 for a new drill at the time.
Bremon
Tools are too expensive to cheap out on batteries. Similar to burning low quality fuel in an expensive vehicle.
Nathan
sorry but I have to do this. are you a chemist do you have a test kit?
what then in your mind is low quality fuel? non brand name, non high test. or ? as oppsed to knowing for example that all the fuel in your area comes from the same refinery – sold to Exxon, Shell and Kroger from the same tank.
I say this because that is precisely what happens in my area. Valero refining provides the fuel for some 70% of the stations in this area and they do so to alternate name brands. Including Exxon, and Raceway, and Kroger, and Sam’s.
just thought it was worth mentioning.
Matt J
He could have been pointing more to how some premium vehicles require well premium fuel. I had a friend forget this once and a single tank of regular ended the life of her Mercedes.
Jon
That must have been a really old Mercedes because for many years they have had knock sensors that de-tune the engine timing if it detects that you’ve put lower octane gas in the tank.
Nathan
to be fair alcohol rich fuel can smurf up a car hard also.
or you know being a mercedes it might have been a case of someone putting gas in a diesel
anthony iannone
not possible, all cars sold in the us must be able to run on regular gas , albeit with less performance. The cars ECM will protect the engine.
Only Buy Quality
I don’t know where you live, and anything is possible, but generally speaking, gasoline does not come from the “same tank”. It is not all the same. Now, perhaps in your area Valero supplies Kroger, and Raceway and Sams. But they sure as heck don’t supply Shell, or Sunoco, or BP, or Chevron. The additive packages for the name brand fuels are all different. Detergent levels and alcohol content vary among fuels. Techron is one well known additive. Kroger and Sam’s fuel doesn’t come with Techron blended in. That said, some engines are more sensitive to deposit formation. I used to own a particular German vehicle which required either Techron or Shell fuel every few tankfuls, or it started hesitating and missing.
More to the topic at hand – it is quite ironic that I have rebatteried two Panasonic NiMH packs. The original Panasonic cells lasted about two years. The rebattery cells (from eBay !) have lasted about 10 years and are still working fine. Amazing! So, sometimes you can do great with no-brand-name parts. If you get lucky.
Pavel
My father was a Chemical engineer (PHD) who worked for the oil refining industry for half his career (designing refracting towers mostly) and my wife worked for Colonial pipeline in the late nineties. I can surely confirm that the gas stations get delivered the exact same fuel one brand name to another. It is not always the case but most of the time the trucks load up and deliver to multiple brand gas stations from that one load. There are additive differences in some storage tanks but it’s almost all marketing nonsense. Loads also get mixed sometimes because it’s convenient. The greatest difference between premium fuels is the octane rating as everyone knows and at some stations the availability of non ethanol fuels. The cheap gas is identical in every way to the premium fuel except in the case of ethanol free fuels, so if the car does not have high compression requirements don’t waste you money. Poor performance is often from water getting into the fuel (it happens) or mixed up drops by the drivers (it happens a lot).
As far as batteries, I’m looking to purchase my first drill driver combo since the junk I once tried out twenty years ago. Batteries are shockingly expensive but I suspect that this article is correct and as much as it’s going to hurt, I’ll stick to the brand name stuff. My experience with camera batteries over the decades have always shown me that I got worse performance from aftermarket batteries, sometimes a bit but sometimes a large difference. They also seem to die much earlier. The drills are so expensive, I don’t think I’ll chance things.
Bryan VanRiper
I live in Jackson mi and work 1/4 mile dow the road from the gas pipe line hundreds of trucks come down our rd a day to pick up fuel they supply three counties and I talk to a gentleman that has worked there for 20 years and he explained only one level of octane fuel gets pumped in low grade and each tanker that comes in gets a special mix of chemicals for each separate company,he laughed at the idea that every one thinks and is miss informed about this like he said in a pipeline there is only one pipe supplying the fuel why would anyone believe there are all these different brands of fuel its is only one and it gets mixed for each delivery!
Like he said when a tanker pulls in at a gas station to dump its fuel and there is three different octanes being sold at the pump,
It would take three different tankers to fill there tanks but only one truck shows up ,but we as people believe and want to believe what we have been told and think what we know and they would never lie to us one bit!But they do and have been for years because we tend to believe what ever they tell us and we do that pretty well as has been shown in the past and then we turn right around a day later and go back to believing the same company’s that were cought liying to us just the day before!like he said we the people need to start using common sense God gave us do we see three different trucks pull in? No!!! just one, so some believe that tanker has three separate tanks inside the big tank, no they have they just have baffles inside of them the fuel has to be able to move with the motion of the truck or it would wreck because of the fuel would slam in to the sides of the truck without the baffles and the force would push the truck off the road into a accident so I sat back and thought about what I had just been told and he is right yes each gas station gets there unique blend but it is one octane and is sold as three different levels of octane but we are told different so it must be true because they tell us that or the government wouldn’t let that happen but they are and always will be in with big business! So like he said just use some common sense that we have and think for a moment the answer is right in front of us most of the time but we have to open our eyes and stop believing everything we are told!
Scred
‘Low-quality fuel’??? What?
I suppose if you want low-quality fuel, Shell would be tbe #1 culprit in my book. Other than that, you find it more in Mexico. I’m not sure if you are implying that higher tiers of fuel (‘plus’, ‘premium’, ‘supreme’, etc.) are better but they aren’t, as most (if not all) big fuel corporations use additives in non-regular fuels which do boost tbe octane…but also foul plugs faster. Regular fuels have far less of these additives. I run regular remorselessly…and with excellent results.
As for engine-knock: not on today’s vehicles due to engines being computerized and with anti-knock sensors (which they all have)…unless your vehicle is on its last leg or a carbureted ’74 Maverick-type dinosaur with typical run-on, even on the best shut-downs. If your car is ’88 or newer and all-original…there’s nothing to worry about there.
Back to gasoline quality: use regular and perform your maintenance as your carmaker specifies. It pays.
Now that the oranges are sifted from the apples…”game on!”
Matt
I had some pretty decent success with my old NiCad Dewalt batteries being rebuilt with new cells bu Batteries + Bulbs. It cost around $30 and I noticed no difference.
That said, with all the electronics involved in modern Li-Ion battery packs and the risks of overheating, etc. I wouldn’t take the chance.
Ron
I have used off-brand batterys in my Canon SLR camera and they definitely do not last as long as Canon batterys.
Its not worth the safety issue either.
By the way there is a website that claims it can spot fake reviews called fakespot.com.
BonPacific
I have bought an aftermarket battery for a laptop, back in college where I couldn’t afford anything else. It was a pleasant experience, working just fine for the year I had that laptop before upgrading. That pack was 12v (4.4 AmpHours), and laptop batteries are fairly comparable to Tool batteries.
That said, I don’t think I’d ever bother with 3rd-party batteries again, I don’t need 25 batteries like a contractor/company might, so if I ever kill the batteries that came with my tools, I can afford the name-brand.
The yeti
I bought enegitech batteries for my bosch stuff . They work great for my use so far . They even look like they r oem. And feel like it . Enegitech is a newer company and I think that’s why they have recent reviews . Not saying they r better than bosch . Just saying I can’t tell the difference and I own both .
Tom
Batteries are such an essential part of power tool performance, I don’t know why you’d buy into a top brand and not go with their batteries. I’d prefer to downgrade to a lower brand where I could afford the batteries rather than using generics.
That being said, I do use generics as backups for my camera – the camera is much more expensive than my tools, but the demand on the battery is far less and I really don’t run through my primary (name brand) batteries often so it’s more an emergency backup.
Chad
I had thought about buying a few of the Hitachi 3 amp knockoffs for that bigger led work light. I think it would be great for the light but not for my drill, too much demand!
but for a led light like this one
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Hitachi-1-Light-18-Watt-LED-Portable-Work-Light/1000044883
I dont really see an issue with the low amperage draw from a light.
Tom
I agree with you on tool batteries. They seem like the cheapo laptop batteries…. too good to be true.
That being said, I do run a store brand battery in my Nikon SLR (from B&H). I think that it came bundled with the camera. I have never noticed a difference between that and the Nikon-branded one.
JimM
I recently bought two18v 3ah replacement batteries on Amazon for my DeWalt stuff. “eFluky” brand. Complete junk.
They didn’t perform as well as my original 6 year old DeWalt XRP batteries and for probably good reason – they were nearly 8 ounces lighter than the genuine DeWalt. I also noticed that the 5-star reviews all looked like they were written by the vendor’s mother.
To Amazon’s credit they refunded the entire purchase price without hesitation.
If you’re a casual DIY person, maybe you have time to put up with aftermarket junk but, if you are a pro, these aren’t worth the time you’ll waste.
JimM
PS. There is no way I’d buy a Lithium Ion battery from a no-name vendor.
Blake Barber
The weight differential is almost certainly due to fact that many aftermarket sources have been exposed by both professional and amateur product investigators for labeling batteries at one amp strength but actually installing enough batteries to create a much lower amp hour rating than advertised for example four amp hour packs have been shown to only contain 2.amp hour worth of batteries…having said this I own two aftermarket batteries one 4.amp hour for my Milwaukee system and one 4 amp hour for my “odd man out “Dewalt drill…in response to the indignant attitude towards third party equipment I will say this : if upon careful research that includes literally looking inside to see what’s make them tick you find a comparable battery from a third party source and keeping with the idea that any successful business is going to take advantage of any sustainable and viable opportunities to lower its bottom line and increase its profit margin this is especially true in businesss like mine …one man sub contracting operations…I have a local brick and mortar store that has been family owned and operated since the fifties with location all over the south…and I have had zero issues with their batteries and I am planning to purchase more …they have similar cells and wiring /logic /and charge stop protection (PCB)I would only purchase manufacturer original batteries for high capacity 6 amp hour or above but for the more midrange to low range strength batteries if you can find a good source that sells quality products you’d almost be crazy not to use them …but the problem is that most people will not do this they will buy from amazon or eBay and have a bad experience the fault of which is greatly on themselves for ignoring the “buyer be ware” philosophy when something seems too good to be true …amazon reviews work both ways- fake good reviews and ignorant bad reviews are both equally misleading as to the validity and quality of an industry by grouping all participants in said industry (aftermarket battery makers in this instance)in with and holding them Responsible as a collective of trash producing bad guys …and if you approach the issue with a logical mind the odds that there aren’t any reputable and reliable sources making these batteries is probably not even quite possible… be skeptical,I’m skeptical…but I trust my eyes and my experience and my multi meter and the aftermarket batteries I own reproduce the performance of the OEM in every way and if they do not I can walk into the store and look a man in the face when I return it …
Jeff reed
The problem could be solved if other companies would offer lifetime battery replacement like ridged
Ronald D Gorham
I’m an electrical contractor and use drills, compression tools, lights etc. everyday and I don’t have any problems with generic batteries, and many times they are better than the OEM batteries. They also contribute to the bottom line when they cost less than half of OEM. As eveything becomes battery powered it is inevitable that generic batteries will be very common to use as replacements.
Owen Thompson
I have three Makita 14.4 v ni-mh tools that are several years old. The original batteries were becoming very weak, two were dead. I purchased a two pack of Xpert ni-mh replacements two years ago ( I looked on ebay and they are carried by Battnation for $ 43) I have been very pleased. They are not Lithium so there is not the fire danger to consider.
BonPacific
NiMH and NiCd batteries still have a fire danger, there’s a lot of energy inside. The difference is that the interior of the battery is less flammable. So while they can start a fire just the same, they don’t have the scary lithium fuel for that fire inside the battery pack itself. Still, if one goes on it’s charger due to overcharge, there’s just as much danger to your property or house.
You can find some horror stories about older batteries on RC forums.
Blake Barber
They are exponentially less likely to actually catch fire though and are actually far superior to lithium ion batteries from a longevity stand point…lithium batteries are the best rechargeable batteries for the average person in that they are sort of rechargeable for dummies…you don’t actually have to think with lithium batteries… or pay attention to how you use them …but if you do this with no cad batteries they will out last comparable lithiums every time …consider this …there are satellites orbiting the earth that have been in place for around fifty years using ni cad batteries
noman googal
Actually the opposite is true, this is a dangerous comment. If you are careless with lithium batteries-you can burn your house down, and give yourself some serious burns. lithium burns white hot. Try taking a lipo or lithium battery and hitting it with a hammer-you won’t be posting here or anywhere again. I have had to discharge defective or old lithiums myself-by remotely, from a very safe distance- short circuiting these type of batteries, best too neutralize the lithium in a salt bath. They burn like a welding torch-and give off a huge cloud of very noxious gas. Ni-Cads and NIMHs do not fail with this degree of energy but yes can still be dangerous, I’ve never had one blow like a lithium. Remember the old-school flash bulbs and even older envelope flashes-ignited magnesium with electricity-similar to lithium but lithium is hotter. Even magnesium gave a white-hot flash, and there is much more lithium in even a single 18650 than in an old flash bulb.
Jason
I can see it being tempting especially if a brand has a tool you want but your mostly invested in another. Tool companies follow the razor blade model cheap kits and tools but expensive batteries. Its usually cheaper buying a kit than buying replacement batteries if your batteries go bad. Still I would be worried these 3rd party batteries in a garage or house.
Marvin L McConoughey
When one has a light or moderate use single-battery tool, a low-cost third-party battery is attractive as a backup to use when the original battery needs recharging. That said, I’ve not noticed a difference in run-time between my third-party Makita battery and the original. The difference may very well exist, but not to a degree that attracts my attention. Let each consumer decide in light of his or her circumstances. It is good to have choices.
BikerDad
I would only consider non-branded battery packs for my power tools if the branded ones were not available. I have a DeWalt 12v Ni-Cad drill with dead-dead-dayyyyedddd batteries. IF I want to bring the beast back to life, I would need to either rebuild the packs, send ’em out for rebuild, or buy non-branded.
If it were my FIRST cordless, I’d think about it for nostalgia’s sake. Since this one is a replacement for one that was stolen, nah, not worth it. It’s heavier than my 20v Max XR drill, less powerful, bigger, and didna have the run time.
RC Ward
For the right price I would give cheap priced batteries a try. How do you know you can’t get the same product that DeWalt uses for a cheaper price? You really think DeWalt doesn’t jack up the price? Only way to know is to try it, Sounds like a good thing for you to get and do some testing on it. Best way is to let someone else do the testing, Specially when you don’t have to pay for the product.
Blake Barber
It is a fact they they have a massive mark up just as it is a fact they have intentionally attempted to stifle information on how to revitalize batteries that will no longer charge and when it leaked out anyway they have funded huge efforts to convince consumers that using this info to stay off of the battery isle at Home Depot is the single most dangerous activity known to man and while it’s actually highly unlikely to present any danger at all if the proper procedure is followed…idiots will always find a way to make the news …the rest of you could keep quite a bit of your hard earned cash out of corporate coffers with this information
Jim D
I would never because the risk is not worth it.
A local firefighter informed me that 90% of garage fires are caused by cordless tool batteries being left on the charged for an extended period of time and 15% of those fires are with aftermarket batteries.
This means that 10% of garage fires (at least in my area) are cause by aftermarket batteries.
You know that the number of aftermarket batteries out there does not even come close to 15% which means that the percentage of aftermarket batteries starting on fire and causing serious damage is very high.
Jon
I find your story a little bit suspect.
If a fire is caused by leaving batteries on a charger for extended time then it’s the charger that caused the fire, not the batteries.
The charger is responsible for cutting off the charge when the voltage reaches a certain threshold. It wouldn’t matter if the batteries were OEM or aftermarket.
Benjamen
I did a lot of research after buying my latest camera and found that all the aftermarket chargers only had two terminals where as the original Sony one has three so it can monitor both cells (these are 7.2V Li-ion batteries.)
Also the new Sony cameras reject batteries where they can’t monitor the common tap.
As a result, in this case it’s much safer to run an aftermarket battery than an aftermarket charger.
Benjamen
Depending on the actual number of aftermarket batteries out in the wild compared to brand batteries (specifically if the number of after market batteries is greater than 15%) those numbers you quote could also mean that aftermarket batteries are safer.
Scred
Odd…WHY do people leave their batteries on the charger overnight??? People certainly seem lazy and/or indifferent. Ah, middle-classs America…
TomC
We buy no name gas for our cars and trucks, so why not batteries.
Darby
Because “no-name” gasoline doesn’t tend to spontaneously explode. “no-name” LI-ion batteries do.
Nathan
depends on the battery pack and many factors.
FOr example is it a dumb pack or a managed pack. take your camera battery if it’s like mine then it’s a dumb pack – there is no management circuitry on the pack itself. that’s on the charger end and on the camera end. Therefore the only quality issue is the quality of the cells and the insulations. OK so there are some knockoffs that I think would fill that role nicely but I’d need to hold them in hand and inspect them first. IE better be able to get it in a store vs order blindly off ________.com.
However if a managed pack – how managed is it? active cooling, passive cooling. does it swap series or parallel pathways, does it vary voltage output or constant, same with current. The more complex the more I would stay away from generic. but a constant voltage passive cooled managed pack (like say your smartphone) I would be more inclined to consider a quality made alternative.
active cooled, variable voltage pack that has a data connection – hell no..
question what tool battery is managed internal to the pack? I don’t know of one.
provided it was quality made I don’t really care that much where the cells come from but how they are insulated. Samsung, philips, panasonic, ?? – meh. Are the insulated cleanly and sealed – fine – does it spec voltage and current draw? OK. better issue are the lines, insulated well too – is the connections with the tool clean and also quality. then the pack should be fine. If Dewalt used 24 ga wire then the knockoff should too. and yes I’d buy one – take it apart – check it and then I might consider another.
why not for 62 dollars?
Scred
There is no such thing as a battery pack with built-in circuitry. Open one up and all you will find, at best, is a thermistor. It is a resistor which changes resistance value based on temperature of that which it touches. Any circuitry which does all the smart work in regard to battery temperature is in the charger or tool; the thermistor is merely a portable, detachable, disposable component. “Cheaper by the Dozen”.
DP
Lithium Ion packs do have a Battery Management System on board. Thats what causes them to abruptly stop. Voltage hits a cutoff value and it pulls the plug.
David Funk
I’m sitting back here thinking new batteries are a right off on the business why even bother with no name. All of my tools earn their keep and put money in my pocket.
Nathan
for the suburbanite home dweller it makes some sense. especially for non- daily hard use
Jon
Do you mean to say “write off” for the business? Just because you can write off an expense doesn’t make it free.
For example lets say we both have a business and both earned $100 for the year.
If you write off a $100 expense and I only write off a $50 expense then my business made $50 more than yours. I have to pay tax on that $50 so I am left with around $35 but that is more than the $0 you are left with.
Toolboxhero
No. There are safety circuits in these batteries and I’m not just worried about sub-standard cells but sub-standard or nonexistent safeties.
At the very least I would charge them in a Lithium Charging Bag
http://amzn.to/2cBs9Zz
Scred
Again, there are not ‘safety circuits in these batteries’; only thermistors in every battery pack which connect to the chargers as the cells do. All the ‘safety circuits’ are in the chargers, with the thermistor being a detachable component, housed in each pack, of said safety circuits.
fred
I don’t have enough data to make anything like an intelligent decision on this topic. My gut reaction is to stay with batteries from the original manufacturer – hoping that they have done enough – from design through manufacture and shipping – that their batteries, used with their chargers, are less likely to catastrophically fail. I just did a bit of counting – and think I have something like 60 Li-Ion batteries (mostly Milwaukee and Makita) and mostly deployed around my 2 home shops and outdoor equipment storage areas. From time to time – a story about hover-board or cell phone battery catching on fire gives me a bit of anxiety – and I may be way off base – but buying a batch of bargain-basement batteries would not assuage my angst. I also wonder if I should be storing the batteries differently, keeping them separate from their associated tools or in a place where a fire might be better contained or extinguished.
JoeM
I find my rule of thumb for Battery Packs is “Always go for the Original Brand, Unless there’s a Gun to your Head.” But, there’s always going to be one or two exceptions that DO put a Gun to your Head.
I had a 14.4V DeWALT Drill before I went to my 20 Volt system. And, it served me well for a time. But, it was a version of this particular 14.4 that was at the end of DeWALT’s support of it. They were going to come out with a new 14.4V Drill model, AND they were about to replace everything whole-hog with the 12 and 20 Volt families. So, mine was EOL when I bought it.
A Battery Died about… 2 years into using it. So, I thought I could just buy another. Couldn’t find one for any less than $120. I bought the DRILL for that. I wasn’t going to pay that for a SINGLE Battery. So… I went and looked… and I found some Chinese-Made 14.4V model at an Electronics-Supply store, and it was only $20. I bought one, and it, again, served its purpose for the time. It was only about a year that I used it at all, because the 14.4v Drill itself had the trigger switch die on me. $75 repair later (being that it was out of its warranty by this time) and I decided to upgrade to the 20 Volt System after that.
There was a Gun to my Head there. I was early into buying Power Tools at the time, and I knew I was upgrading anyways. The Home Depot recycled the batteries for me, original brand or not, so disposal wasn’t an issue. And the Drill went to a Recycle-Your-Electronics-For-Charity thing. But, that is the only time I would ever buy a “Generic” battery for a Power Tool. I feel, deep in my gut, that that is the only reason to EVER get the Generics. When the Originals are not an option for you, due to either price or discontinuing the line.
ShawnB
I haven’t had much success with generic batteries — whether it is for laptops, cell phones, or power tools. In theory, they should be just as good as OEM, but they always seem to have a shorter life (either run time or how many recharges it lasts). With so many generic brands, and with them coming and going so quickly, it’s nearly impossible to find a “good” brand and stick with them. Not worth the hassle for me.
Koko the Talking Ape
This would be an ideal topic to be covered by Wirecutter or Consumer Reports, both of which typically buy a dozen shovels, for instance, and compare them rigorously. No anecdotal or second-hand reviews. Maybe we should all ask them to do that.
Incidentally, I used to be one of those “I received a discount or free product in exchange for a review” people. It was under Amazon’s Vine program. They did not pressure me or even suggest I give a good review AT ALL. I wouldn’t discount a review just because the reviewer got the tool for free, or whatever, especially if the review is thorough and knowledgeable. I WOULD discount reviews from review mills, though.
Ray
Nope. The savings isn’t worth the risk of being disappointed in an inferior product and having no recourse. If you want fresh clean oats they come at a price. If you want oats that have already passed through the horse, the price is always a little less.
Jay
Yep. Bought one GERIT 18V 4.0Ah Li-ion Replacement Battery for Makita just out of curiosity. Have used it 5 or 6 days a week for about 3 months now. No issues whatsoever. Charge it on a DC18RC charger and use it to run Makita star tools. So far so good.
Bruce
Note to self: Open up spare 20V Max battery to get a look at these ‘expensive’ electronics….
Roger
YES!!! I have a aftermarket no-name-ish brand 2Ahr 20V battery for my DeWalt impact. I wanted a lighter battery, and so as not to put too much wear on my original 4Ahr, without spending a lot. Built-in gauge with VERY bright green LEDs. It fits and works really well with one little hitch. That is, output drops when it reaches 1 bar. Not an issue as the no-name are “lighter use”. Charges just like the regulars. They say the battery regulation/safety stuff is built into the DeWalt tools. So it is worth getting a couple for light usage. Or literally for lights.
Do I believe it’s 2Ahr? No. Would I buy it again? YES, but not anything higher than a 3Ahr. I’d wouldn’t put these in heavy draw stuff like a SDS, saws, or heated jackets.
JARED RICHAEL
I don’t have a problem with generic batteries being available for power tools as long as they’re safe and not a liability when it comes to injury. It does give people options ultimately helping keep prices on all batteries down. If you go to any store who sells batteries for your toys you have a multitude of options. For example Duracell ($9) for a four pack or a store brand ($2.99) for a 30 pack. As long as they don’t hurt your tool than the more options the merrier. As the old adage states, You Get What You Pay For. Now to answer your question would I buy a generic battery for my $199 Bosch hammer drill? NOPE!!
Brian
Dewalt uses Panasonic cells, Milwaukee uses Samsung. I doubt the generics use either.
What I do is either buy in kits or buy new-in-packaging or new from tool kit sellers(guys that buy kits and split them up) batteries from eBay. You save about the same amount and get a new name brand battery.
Frank
Wow, this has been the most frustrating thread of comments I’ve read in a while! I was just the other day looking into buying some generic power tool batteries, and so was excited to see this post, and to see what people had to say on the matter. It looks as though the majority of readers here are strongly against the generics, but not for any substantiated reasons, Instead, all sorts of plausible-yet-wholly-speculated flaws are attributed to the generics as the basis for dismissing them offhandedly. Bunk, the whole lot of it. Even the readers who have tried the generics and had negative experiences refer simply to vague “performance” issues . Meaningless. I suspect that the real root of one’s distrust for generic batteries is the same as for that irrational tendency towards fanatical single-brand loyalty. Both are instilled in us by cleverly insidious marketing campaigns and reinforced by peer pressure when on the job… Anyone else notice that the brand reps at the local big box stores have gradually over the last few years become, especially in the case of a certain red clad brand, more like sleazy high pressure car salesmen and less like people genuinely interested in the tools they’re selling?
Goodnight Johnboy
You know why these “unbranded” batteries were made? It’s because someone had enough sense to offer something reasonable & affordable. I don’t see myself the paying the gouged prices Dewalt is raping people out of. I might pay $100+ for a battery if their tools were built to last. But it’s the same plastic crap they make year after year with the cheapest materials available. And then they add all this lame technology to tools and gouge the price even more. Milwaukee Bosch. Name one tool from any of these companies that you can feel safe about the tool dropping/falling 15-20 feet on asphalt/crete & it still work? Yet your gonna shell out the $ they’re raping people out of for their brand of battery. That is stupid. They’re coming up with all kinds of gimmicks to charge more $ for. Wireless technology, led battery lights, one-key, flexvolt. The list goes on and on. Not one of these companies have ever made a cordless tool that can last 5 to 15+years, but the price keeps going up. That is why unbranded batteries are made & are obviously competing with the overpriced ones.
Rock Hound
I have bought Milwaukee m12 tools that were broken out of multi-tool packs for as low as $20 on eBay. I happen to already have several of their official m12 batteries, but if I didn’t I would buy the knock-off batteries for them.
Lets face it, most of the cordless tool pack pricing is in the batteries, the tools themselves are likely made pretty dirt cheap and can be found for dirt cheap prices if you look hard enough. I would have no problem using knock-off batteries.
Nick
I own a knockoff M12 battery. Seems to be fine. I’ve ran expensive and cheap lithiums in R/c, cell phones, tools and flashlights. Just know most cheap cells get overrated for their storage and C rating. Know your usage and purchase batteries accordingly.
Toolpig
No way not ever no no no!!! I have no idea if they have the same protection as the factory units.
Goodnight Johnboy
Why do you mean by protection? Are you one of those people who pays the extra $20 for the protection plan. I wonder how many of those plans Dewalt has actually honored. Its bad enough they gouge the hell out the price then they got the nerve to charge even more for a warranty. I’m willing to bet that they have honored less than %15 of the warranties on their products that were broken from the factory. As long as its made in China or anywhere else other than America, there’s no quality control. Protection Plan, hah, what a joke.
Stuart
Protection against overcurrent draw, overcharging, and overheating, in the form of sensors and circuits.
woecki
In my neighbourhood there’s a (one-man) company that specialized in refurbishing battery packs, mainly for industry but also for private users. Lucky me, if a battery pack has reached its end i get a refurbishment.
Toolfreak
I don’t buy batteries for the tools other than the brand name stuff, not just because it’s obvious from the pricing that less expensive power cells are used, but the electronics are not the same, at all. Almost all Li-ion batteries for cordless tools have electronics that send data to the tool and the charger when power is flowing one way or the other. That’s a good way to mess up your tool or your charger.
Rather than buying no-name batteries, I save money by buying the brand name batteries when they’re on sale, or stacking sale discounts with coupons. Given the pricing on amazon, Lowe’s, and a lot of other sites, I can get genuine Bosch Li-ion batteries for not much more than the no-names.
You can also just spring for the older or lower-capacity batteries to save money, too. Manufacturers keep coming out with higher and higher capacity batteries, so even though the latest 9.0Ah monster is a huge chunk of change, you can snap up new 1.5Ah batts that are no longer the latest and greatest for not a lot of dough. I’d rather have two 1.5Ah OEM batteries and swap ’em out every so often than have larger capacity batteries that are generic.
Evan
I know that for the Milwaukee tools the use the same batteries that are in the medical equipment for the military and paramedics. That being said you can by these batteries online and they fit Milwaukee tools. They also work great. They hold a charge longer and have never damaged any of my tools while supplying the same performance as the stock Milwaukee batteries.
Evan
Oh and did I mention they are cheaper?
biff
I bought some knock off batteries for my Sony camera and they are genuine certified tried and tested pieces of shite. They are dead from a full charge within 2 days. And that was when they were “new”.
I can only assume they contain some clapped out used cells that fell off the back of a truck in China.
Never again. Better to just pay the money for OEM unless you are really sure the knock offs you are buying are decent.
The yeti
I’m gonna assume all these ppl saying they wouldn’t use a generic battery . Don’t use charger cords or chargers for their iPhone unless it’s a 50 dollar apple one rite ? Just for safety .. also none of u eat fast food drink smoke or gamble . I can think of a few things riskier Than using no name batteries . Yall need to get out and live a little ☺
biff
Apples and oranges comparisons are fun.
Oleg Kuperman
Reminds me of one “conventional motor oil vs. synthetic” that I once saw unfold right in front of me, where one guy used the results of multiple scientific surveys that all have concluded that the best conventional motor oil will never be as good as the synthetic one simply because they’re made differently and because one offers nearly unlimited lifetime… And the other guy kept answering that “as long as you use Mobile 1 or something else just as good it doesn’t matter what type of oil you use, the big motor oil conglomerates are just trying to trick you into buying a more expensive product… Same goes for the battery packs made by the manufacturer of your power tool vs one made by some shady company in Taiwan or China with a very low price tag… I’ve tested dozens of these tools and the results are almost always the same: they don’t recharge nearly as many times as the original ones, the voltage is not constant, especially the nominal voltage and it starts dropping fairly quickly with use, until your tool refuses to accept electricity from it period because it has protection built in. What else… Oh, the quality of the cells is way lower than in packs made by the brand name company. The worst part is that these cheap “nameless” battery packs are often faulty, with no overcharge protection, they tend to get really hot and explore, causing terrible accident a lot more often than the quality ones.
I’m not saying that every single aftermarket battery out there is a potential disaster in the making, all I’m saying is that over the years I’ve learned a simple fact that has been around for ages, it goes like this: “you get what you pay for” and I am happy to pay a little extra for a piece of mind, especially for something I depend on.
Blake Barber
And many (like a hell of a lot ) of house fires are caused by those plug in air fresheners…got any of those???lots of opinions with nothing but more opinions to back up the opinions …I use them daily both OEM and aftermarket,in a professional capacity asking just as much of the aftermarket bass I do the originals and those statistics are not in any way reliable…it’s just like when cnn puts out some sensational report about disparities in pay between whites and blacks or men and women…what they fail to inform you of is that any real and objective statistical analyst will tell you that you will never get an accurate picture or have a result that can be considered substantive enough to form reasonable conclusions when you look at have such a limited field of information that you harvested the data from such as race or gender or in this case only looking at garage fires as the ones caused by cordless batteries even by adding the sub category of aftermarket battery fires…you have failed to address the multitude of other variables that would HAVE to be considered before any results from such an analysis could be considered reasonably true or accurate…how was it stored?in the tool or out…on the charger or off …wiring in home up to code….age of toll and battery…type of battery (lithium or ni cad)time of year day or night and this isn’t in any way a complete list of the things a legitimate investigation would include if conducted by anyone seeking a real and conclusive answer….and I’m not a trained analyst I’m looking at it from the things I’ve read about statistical research and with common sense…oh and just so you know…almost every OEM battery is also made in China look into lithium ion batteries or actually look into the fact of whether or not there are any cordless power tools made in America and you will find the answer to be an overwhelming “No”there is even an article on line where a top executive for Dewalt is quoted speaking about the lack of any real source of American made lithium batteries…so I think maybe Makita’s batteries claim USA production but you will find no such stamps on Milwaukee,Dewalt,I won’t even name anyone else because in my PROFESSIONAL opinion ,going beyond those three you are getting out of pro grade tools anyway and you’re likely to buy a tool that won’t function straight out of the package so battery function is rather irrelevant …with respect…I didn’t catch your qualifications to perform test on electronic equipment….you are an electronic engineer then?????not trying to be contentious just think it’s important to get information from qualified sources…if someone with absolutely no reasonable qualifications is our information source…isn’t that sort of like buying a poorly made battery ?????so just wondering
Blake Barber
Tell me ,have you ever actually known anyone who has had a fire or an explosion from any kind of battery at all??? I’m no professor like you obviously must be ,but real world experience these days produces in most cases a much more qualified commentator than most college classrooms (check number of college grads with no job )but my point is that in 25 years of being an active participant in the construction industry in mostly the same field but branching out a time or two and with every cordless tool I’ve owned and every person I’ve encountered in the industry in that time (hundreds of cordless tool owners with thousands of cordless tools between them all)I’ve known ONE person who had a battery catch fire and it was a known faulty battery that was left in contact with the tool and closed up inside a carrying case and it was an OEM battery …well I mean it was ryobi so I’m not sure if that counts …but that’s my experience I literally associate with directly with dozens of contractors and subcontractors and they each do the same and so forth and so on and that’s it one known bad battery causing a fire in all that time continuing in the present …daily heavy use of my own tools for over two decades…and not even one “almost “fire… I mean do you work for Dewalt or something because you almost seem like some jack operative trying to use scare tactics and misinformation (or unsupportable information in this format anyway)to steer people away from making their own minds up …I mean seriously dude I’ve seen you posting a lot stuff about testing and speaking in absolute terms but I still haven’t seeen anything that proves you are qualified to make any comment at all hell,I haven’t seen anything to prove you aren’t a 14 year old smart kid who gets his kicks from stirring things up on forums like this one and you must be among the super rich elitist in the world that the price point of an off brand versus name brand (which in most cases there isn’t much quality difference…most I said not all)isn’t something you have to consider while trying to navigate your financial ebb and flow must be nice …I mean you’re not only a certified expert on all aspects of battery science but you’re also a very wealthy man …nice job pal I hope I can be as completely awesome as you when I grow up
LordByron
Please
shut
up.
No
one
cares
what
you
have
to
say.
And
a
really
long
post
does
not
make
you
look
smart.
Oleg Kuperman
No matter what anyone says, the unbranded battery packs, as a rule, are almost always short of their advertised run times, they are unreliable, with recharge cycles way less than those made by the tool manufacturer, their build quality is usually shady and, on top of everything else, the fact that they may catch on fire makes me wonder who buys them in the first place. There is a reason why reputable companies that manufacture battery packs charge almost the same price (or higher) than the official tool manufacturers. As I said before: you get what you pay for!
Bill Lutonsky
Yes I sure would use the No-Name brand for a third of the price !
Bill
If you guys that are against them ever get any, send them to me !
dejanc
I have successful restore Makita 3AH , with new battery cells bought in Europe. How, and from where they came into Europe, who cares? Also Samsung bought them from other factories, right! And, just marked them with their logo.
Anyway, before implementetion I have tested them with 3rd party charger/discharger. Also the Samsung, and others legal companies should have some special quality control of batteries, not matter where the factory is…
I’m owner of last model of cord-brushless drill DFF481 (the strongest model from the familiy – 125Nm), and without any problems able to screw several torx screws 8/400mm or 10/400mm. And, the battery capacity lasts very long.
fred j connolly
Yup for a Paslode. All it’s gotta do is deliver a spark. I’m a DIYer, so light use. Saved $$, works fine.
Luke Cool
Many packs have over charge and heat protection in them. Generic brands may not have identical compatible circuitry. If you purchase a generic type pack, it would be wise to keep this in mind during its charging and use. I do have some generic packs and have had good luck so far. I know not to put a tool into a bind or extremely high load predicament. And all Lipos should be charged on a fireproof surface and closely monitored. My generic packs have performed just like the originals, and are half the price. All in all, few people will take this much care with their packs. For this type of person, It is much safer to stick with OEM.
MiterMatt
I have around 9 cordless power drill sets by Makita and when the batteries die i am always sitting at the store in a dilema. Do i buy 2 new batteries for 89.99 Canadian bucks a pop or do i just buy a new drill set that comes with 2 batteries and a charger for 199.99..
Yeah. as you can imagine i just buy the set and end up with a mass amount of drills i dont use.
It is such scam. The whole cordless tool industry is just really crazy,. It makes no sense at all. your literally paying liek 20 bucks for the actual tool and charger when you factor in the cost of the batteries. It really is a nuisance. It’s not really a coincidence either.. Battery eating tools are made like this on purpose. To sell more overpriced battery packs. That is how they make the majority of their money.
I ended up buying a few knock off Hitachi batteries for a drill/flashlight/circular saw combo and they rocked. Got em off amazon. There was really not much of a difference at all. Maybe that is because Hitachi has bad batteries from the start or something? Both sets were made in mexico. Both lasted around 8 months of semi steady use.
But yeah, for the Makita ones i noticed a pretty big difference in knock off batteries. They died a few months sooner. Mind you i work in Construction and all my batteries die eventually. There is no denying that. It is inevitable.. Although i still think they are worth it because i could theoretically buy 6 new no name mexican made batteries for the price of 2 name brand Makita Malasia made ones. Do the math. Those 6 lasted me longer then 2 and were cheaper. I never had a battery explode on me in over 20 years of hardcore construction. I think i had a Milwaukee leak once in the case but thats about it.
I read lots of comments here stating how its bad and “you should stick with OEM” to be safe but i have to question these people. Are they weekend warriors with more money then brains? Old men with shops full of expensive festool machines who never use them? Surely they are not real construction workers busting their ass to make a meager living and beating the shit out of their tools daily.. The bottom line is for someone like me in the trade it is just more economical to buy the knock offs rather then the name brand battery. Almost every carpenter i talk to is always stuck with the dilema. Why buy 2 new batteries when i can just get the set for 20 bucks more… And the cycle continues year after year after year, if they are to fickle and scared to buy the no name brands..
Tis the life of a construction worker. We are getting bent over by these brand name companies and getting reamed. To say otherwise is nonsense.
David B.
I just ordered 2 pack of 4Ahr packs for Ryobi 18v one+ I will let you know how it works out for me. 1 name brand battery in the high capacity costs as much or more than the tool.
Bruce Dong
Not worth risking a Fire, especially when charging the battery in you home.
Some Jerk
You should not charge any battery while you sleep or are away, even OEM. I mean, unless you have good insurance and nothing irreplaceable in the home. Laptops and “devices” have been bursting into flames on and off for decades. Capitalism virtually guarantees it’ll happen for at least as long as we use lithium-chemistry energy storage.
RD
Don’t have any idea about internal components but I can tell the Enegitech replacement batteries work perfectly in my Bosch tools. Been using 6 months with no issues. Sorry to say they seem to have been taken out of the product offering as they were an excellent value.
Arnold Harris
I own a single battery powered nail gun, which has proven useful in mounting t&g carsiding on our recently built garage. Aside from that, all my power tools not only are corded, but all have 3-prong electrical connections to our well-grounded electrical system. I have had no interest whatsoever in so-called double-insulated power tools, with their 2-prong connections.
As for the recently-introduced battery power tools, their single overriding fault, from my perspective, is that connecting them to an electrical power source is as if I had to have special electrical outlets for each of many power tools. Without absolute standardization of the battery connections, Milwaukee Electric, De Walt, and whomever else can count me out permanently.
And yes, you’re all correct in telling me I’m a hard-core conservative.
Joe, Man of Steel
I came here hoping someone had either hard data, or some really convincing anecdotal evidence one way or the other specifically on so-called “20V” DW aftermarket packs like the ones pictured above. Uh…maybe I just missed it. Yeah. That must be it.
Mike
Try youtube or read only the 4 and 3 star reviews on Amazon or ebay. You can order and test them and you don’t think they work right send back to amazon.
Mike
I may self have bought off brand for my porter cable and Worx tools. I agree some of the reviews have to be fake. That’s why I stick with only 4 star and 3 star reviews. I have never noticed a difference in the batteries. I used the non brand worx batters in the trimmer and blower for about a year and the porter cable for the summer. I only used them to test to see how good they were. I will probably do my Amazon review in May or June of this year. I think that’s my issue with Amazon and even more so WISH app reviews. Some people post reviews without even using the product or using it for 2 seconds. Or you get the “I bought it as a gift for someone and I think they like it so I’m giving 5 stars”. The 1 star reviews are worse and I ignore most of them unless the person gives detail or has used the replacement and gives details. I’ve a person give an impact driver a 1 star review because it didn’t remove lug nuts. I think if people have never used them and are giving bad info they’re just fan boys of a name brand. You see that in the tool and car social media.
Bou
Over the several years of usage I have had two generics go bad and one OEM go bad. The OEM seemed to last longer before taking crap. The generics died after few months and never seemed to perform.
Bou
With that being said, no I will not buy generics. My experience is with buying two generics and both performing badly then dying within months, I still have 7 OEM batteries that are still running strong after years of use.
ktash
My first reaction to the question would be to say “no” to generics for my tools. I look for sales. I’ve also gotten new drills because they were just a few dollars more with a couple of batteries than buying them outright.
However, I’ve used generics in my laptops for 10+ years. I tend to keep my laptops for a long time and even reverted to my Windows 7 machine after frustration with Win 10. I’ve also rehabbed really old laptops using Linux and generic batteries. Because old laptops are nearly worthless, I couldn’t see buying an expensive battery for them. Most recently I bought a used laptop very cheap from a local college $125. Much higher end than I’ve bought for myself. It’s a great machine with an added generic battery. I’ll probably never buy a new computer again.
I don’t buy generics from Amazon. There are a couple of laptop battery sellers who have been in business for a relatively long time and I use one of them, Laptop Battery Express. They charge more for their generics than Amazon sellers and have a good website with explanations of various batteries. I once got a battery that didn’t work, but other than that, I’ve had years on these laptop batteries, at least as long as the oem versions.
Interestingly, when I looked at their website just now, I noticed that they also sell power tool batteries. If I needed one, I’d be tempted to purchase one from them unless I could get the oem on sale for a price near what they charge.
Ron Beauchamps
I bought a set of 2 generic 20v 5.0AH batteries for by Dewalt tools and had no issues for about a year. About 2 weeks ago one of the batteries stopped taking a full charge. The light on the charger doesn’t even come on but it does charge a little. The other battery works fine and has loads of power and even outlasts the 4.0 Dewalt battery.
I have also had a Dewalt battery crap out on me after a couple years while the 5 others that were purchased at the same time are still fine.
I don’t think Dewalt or any of the other top brand companies out there are the only ones that know how to make a good battery.
At the end of the day everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Some take risks and others don’t. For half half the price, even if one battery dies I still have another, so I’m still ahead.
Zeke K
You can find good aftermarket battery packs if you know what to look for and you do the research. I recently bought an aftermarket battery pack for my Dyson cordless V6 vacuum. I compared the weight of the battery pack to OEM which was very close. Also the manufacture stated that the pack was built with oem spec Samsung cells with pictures of the pack open to prove it. My only concern was the PCB and so far the battery pack has lasted longer than the OEM. After getting the aftermarket battery pack I opened up the OEM one and testing The 18650 cells with my charger/capacity tester I use for my flashlight the failure was the PCB not the cells. Now I have extra high quality Samsung cells for my flashlight their capacity is still at 90% of the OEM spec. I personally think majority of battery pack failures are caused by PCB problems not batteries cell problems.
Buddy
Can you share the brand of battery you got for your Dyson please?
Dale Chomechko
I have been using Dewalt knock off batteries all year
We are outside, it is cold this time of year & last January when they were purchased
I am a roofing contractor that punishes his tools
Especially the job we were on when I purchased them
20 volt 5 A. We were running them all day long running 6 1/2″ saws for 3.5 months straight
They lasted as long as our Dewalt batteries before charging. I have had 1 out of the 4 since then fail but the others are still in use ( $39 each)
I can send pics of the project so you might better understand what we put these tools through. I am buying knock offs from now on