Suddenly, after a brief time period where I had gone back to school and wasn’t using my drill regularly anymore, the batteries just sort of gave up the ghost and couldn’t be recovered. Long-gone were the days of using my drill at the shop for a week at a time without needing a charge. Actually, I never thought I’d have to–until the dreaded day came when its Ni-Cd batteries played out. Love of our tools’ performance is a beautiful thing, and as I became more and more accustomed to my B&D drill, I was less and less interested in giving it up. All in all, I was quite proud of this cordless beast and it was one of the coolest purchases I ever made for myself. However, there were indeed times when my drill was the savior and shocked the other guys, and not only that, but I am also a big guy so I didn’t mind the heavier-than-normal weight of it. They commented often about the size and weight of the thing, as well as how ridiculously overpowered it was for the tasks we generally needed drills for. It not only slaughtered the performance of my colleagues’ older DeWalts, it even one-upped the new 18V Makita that was brought in. If you read some of my posts here on WG, then you’ll sometimes see my nostalgia leak through. I used to use a strong–quite strong, actually–Black & Decker 24v hammer drill for most of my day-to-day work in the cabinet shop and, truth be told, it was stronger and longer-lasting than anything I needed or ever had before. I'm still running them hard.Is Upgrading Your DeWalt Power Tool As Easy As Picking Up a Battery Adapter? The other two are showing signs of age with their full-charge run time declining slightly. One recently decided it was time to retire and refused to take another charge.
![adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zFgAAOSwCPZlZqw6/s-l1600.jpg)
The introduction of this battery adapter is awesome now we can start transitioning towards newer technology, bit by bit, piece by piece. You can go to hardware store, home center, or today and get an 18 volt NiCd battery, or even a brand-new 18 volt tool. That's simply incredible, considering the modern system of 20V MAX tools has been out for 4-5 years. Was it an "engineered obsolescence" sales scheme? Although many people bought new cordless tool sets, lots left to shop elsewhere, swearing off the brand as they went out the door.ĭeWalt on the other hand, has supported tools that last for a seriously long time. People would end up purchasing new tools, rather than ordering older batteries from the factory. It was odd, even though each generation was a same voltage, NiCd battery, there would be a slight change to a a bump or ridge on its case, preventing interchange between versions. It was common that I'd bear the brunt of a shopper's frustration when they learned that each year's version of the store-brand tools had an battery configuration incompatible with the prior model. Years ago, I worked a second job, at a department store selling their popular exclusive brand of tools. They've outlasted and out performed any other brand of cordless tools I've owned by several years, leaving me a bit of a fan-boy. I've had my own set for about 8 years, and all the tools are still going strong. They're certainly the most common brand on the construction sites I've visited. It's been one of the most popular lines of professional-quality cordless tools, for a very long time. I believe DeWalt's 18 volt line of cordless tools has been in the market for about 20 years. I've run it through its paces for a month on a variety of my tools.
![adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61H2becs2IL._AC_SL1000_.jpg)
![adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries adapter for dewalt 18 volt batteries](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xcEAAOSwxpdlsMzK/s-l960.jpg)
When DeWalt gave me an early-bird chance to try out their new battery adapter and bring modern battery technology to my older tools, I couldn't wait to put it in action. Regular readers of this blog know that I've been personally wielding DeWalt 18 volt cordless tools on my projects for years.