Replies

1. 
   MarkH | Oct 12, 2013 07:04am | #1

   Generally buying 2 batteries and a charger will be more expensive or nearly so than buying a kit with the tool.  Also, the manufacturer will not make batteries interchange unless they are compatible.  So you have to know if the Li-ion batteries are a drop in.  I'd just buy a new kit myself, and then you have 2 drills which is useful sonmetimes.

1. 
   calvin | Oct 12, 2013 07:23am | #2

   Mark

   would you do as I and just contact the manufacturer?  Internet forums are fine, but so is the horses mouth.

   or

   is there a chance that you could be led wrong by the makers of the tools?

1. 
   MarkH | Oct 12, 2013 09:10am | #3

   I actually looked up the Hitachi website and the li-ion are backwards compatible.  Hitachi drill +flashlight  kit with the 1.5ah 14.4v batteries are around a $100 on amazon.com, store prices may be a bit higher.  Those are small batteries.  They are kits available with 4ah batteries, which would be pretty long lasting, of course much more money.  We all know the prices for batteries and chargers are fairly high in comparison to a kit, so that was my reasoning for just buying a new kit.

   I don't see how a manufacturer would produce batteries that are incompatible with a tool, yet allow them to fit and connect to the tool.  Of course that could happen.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 12, 2013 10:22am | #4

   I have seen batteries that were compatible yet DIDN'T fit, due to a lug on the battery that needed to fit a slot in the tool.  I had an old Craftsman drill that I ran on a different brand batteries (that were obviously from the same manufacturer) for about 10 years, after doing a little surgery.

1. 
   Norman | Oct 16, 2013 04:10pm | #6

   I always wonder if the Ryobi batteries would fit Crapsman.

   I have numerous Crapsman 19.2 volt tools that came with Nicads. They all work just fine with the Sears Li-Ion batteries. Good thing, as all the Nicads have since died. The LI-ion is a much better battery on these tools.

   Good luck.

2. 
   DanH | Oct 16, 2013 09:07pm | #7

   Yeah, it was Ryobi (NiMH) batteries I used in my Craftsman.  Junked the thing when the charger died.  Got my money's worth out of it several times over.

2. 
   DanH | Oct 12, 2013 06:40pm | #5

   Probably in the contract with the manufacturer was that the batteries could not be interchangeable with other brands (of what was essentially the identical tool).