If the latest gear and Li-ion isn’t a must, cashing in on an older frontrunner like the DeWalt 18v combo kit might prove pretty handy. Sure, it’s 4-year-old tech, but in the end, a $250 kit (marked down from $375) from Lowe’s gets you a lot of functionality.
A drill, recip, impact driver, and light will get a ton of work done even if it’s NiCad-powered. The only catch is two years from now, when the packs start to wane and the performance goes from full charge to spitting in a few minutes, you might be eyeing the Li-ion combo kits at every jaunt to the big box.
Regardless, it’s marked down and free shipping or free in-store pick up from Lowe’s till the 20th, so speedy ordering might be advisable.
DeWalt 18v Combo Kit [Lowe's]
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14 Responses to Dealmonger: DeWalt Old Guard on Sale – $250
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I am still amazed no one makes retrofit lion batteries for older equipment. You would think that would be a no brainer…
Craftsman does just that for the C3 19.2v line. That is on my wish-list for Xmas, since all 4 of my nicads are failing & I have 8 of the tools!
My (reaching) guess is that people would then be able to put the lithium-ion battery in the standard NiCad-only charger which, at best, isn’t good for the battery.
Keep in mind on the DeWalt tools that their new lithium-ion, 18 Volt battery will work in the older tools. Remember though that you cannot charge the LI’s in the old chargers. So, if you had a LI charger and a couple batteries, you could use them in your older stuff. I’m glad to see this as I own a lot of 18-volt DeWalt tools.
No, when the battery dies, I won’t be looking to buy a fancy new drill. I’ll just get my battery packs rebuilt at the local battery place for about half the cost of replacements.
I’m not too worried about my 18V nicad DeWalt drill being “old tech”. I’m pretty sure the holes I drill with it are indistinguishable from even the latest futuristic drill with laser-beams and satellite TV built in.
I keep all my dewalt nicad batteries on the charger at all times unless i’m using them of course.
With four chargers and five batteries I always have plenty of battery left for any job and try to cycle through them, but they always stay in the charger as storage and this seems to be a good solution for keeping nicad batteries in top shape.
Depends on the charger, the dewalt charger is very smart but some chargers aren’t.
NiCad batteries can suffer from hysteresis if left in a charger continually without being significantly discharged. They should also be discharged to a 40% or less level for long term storage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93cadmium_battery
I keep my LiIon fully charged (and on the charger) all the time, but try to discharge the NiCad before recharging usually just before use.
It’s a shame everyone is going to Lithium based batteries. In these kinds of applications, Nickle based batteries are superior.
LiPo batteries lose capacity and gain internal resistance with time (not only uses). After 3 years it’s not uncommon for a lithium based battery to only have 40% of the work potential as it was when new. They do not have ‘born on’ dates, so you might be buying a two year old battery.
With a good charger, NiCDs are a little heavier, but better in almost every aspect. Can be used in lower temperatures with significantly less power loss, more full charge/discharge cycles, more rugged, can be used in hotter climates with fewer negative effects, etc.
It’s just a shame manufacturers cut corners when it comes to chargers.
@ Ray, I just did that with a 12 volt drill that is perfectly good, the originals lasted almost 18 years(yeah I know, but I do use them everyday), and I just got two new ones for less than $80.00, so I figure if the motor, and gears are still alright, why not?
I should add that it is a about 20 year old DeWalt, that I have used commercially, and it’s still going strong with replacement batteries, YMMV.
Cordless drills are the best. I have eight, yes eight may favs are my dewalt 18v, millwalkee 12v lith ion. and my drill master. I’ll admit that’s way too many but I just plain love these tools.
I have a Porter-Cable 12 volt ni-cad driver and you can upgrade to lith-ion.
Do a search, there are several companies that rebuild older batteries. They give a higher rated battery for the same price as new. There are also ways of rejuvenating dead batteries using a welder or capacitor, check you tube.