Lets talk longevity of battery power tools

This is not about brands just wanted info. I have Milwaukee drills for my ice auger the correct size/model. My first kit was bought in 2016 2 batteries and the drill with a K drill. One battery died the last one just gave me the one blink of death attempted to jump it with no luck. Is 7 years for a 5 amp lithium a good run or no? I use them on a leaf blower as well the original drill burned out after 2 years and I got another one under warranty at the time. Having 2 other drills one has a noisy chuck going to use this one till it dies. So with this said there must be a lot of members here using these tools what is your take new batteries last on average how long and the tools?

The battery life depends on the number of time it is charged and discharged and the rate it is done at. The leaf blower discharges the battery very fast and that brings the life down.

I have some Dewalt 20 Volt batteries that are still going strong after I think about 10 years.

I usually bring in rechargeable batteries this time of year – unheated garage – I don’t use them a lot out in the cold anyhow, and if I need them I take them out.

Note to self – bring in batteries…

Baitwaster wrote:

I usually bring in rechargeable batteries this time of year – unheated garage – I don’t use them a lot out in the cold anyhow, and if I need them I take them out

Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I don’t bring mine in at all, they live in my attached but unheated garage all year long.

I don’t know the details about # of recharges, output, and so on but I can say that my Milwaukee batteries have lived up to my expectations. They get dropped, left in the cold, used on every type of tool imaginable, recharged, and so on constantly and they just keep ticking. I think I own 9 batteries of various sizes, and some have to be 8-10 years old and still work for the most part as if new (just beat up)

I dropped a 5AH one from the basket of my father-in-law’s lull last fall when I was fixing the light on top of a shed (which is on a steep hillside). The lull reaches 55′ and the arm was fully extended uphill at an angle from beneath a retaining wall at the steepest extent possible. Without doing the geometry I’d say the battery fell 35-40′ onto hard packed recycled blacktop. It cracked one corner of the release button and still works seamlessly – even the meter on it.

IME 7 years for a battery used on high drain tools is doing very well.

I use a sharpie marker to put dates on all my batteries when I first get them.

With Li Milwaukee M18 batteries, on average, I get 5-6 years and then I’m on borrowed time. I’d consider myself a “pro-sumer”, I think I use this stuff a lot more than an average homeowner, but I’m not in the trades.

Most batteries solider on past 5 years, but I can really start to tell the performance just isn’t there, especially with high drain applications like a circular saw or Sawzall. As soon as I notice this performance decline, it’s time to start looking for deals on replacing the battery.

I’m on about 10-12 years for a Bosch 18v drill/impactor set. One of the original (3) 2ah batteries went a few years ago. Impactor is still going strong, but I replaced the drill a few years ago when I started using it for an auger. I’ve since added high ah batteries to the mix so those original 2ah slim batteries don’t get a lot of use anymore. First few years the impactor got nearly daily use in the carpentry trades. IMO, a homeowner should get at least 6-8 years on both the batteries and the tools with moderate use.

This is a suggestion from an electrician friend of mine. If your battery won’t take a charge anymore, stick it in the freezer for 24 hrs. It worked for me.

nord wrote:

This is a suggestion from an electrician friend of mine. If your battery won’t take a charge anymore, stick it in the freezer for 24 hrs. It worked for me.

Never heard this before but I’ll try to remember next time a battery dies.

Also my plumber friend tells me how you can tell when an electric tool is wore out.
It’s when they run out of smoke.

On my heavily used batteries I get a couple years out of them. But I use them all day everyday. Typically on the charger 1 time per day after they die.
On my auger drill or stuff around my house I have a couple hilti batteries that are 8 maybe 10 years old.