Battery rebuild

[Jim Evatt]

What kind of batteries do I buy to rebuild a lithium cordless? Can I just buy just plain ole rechargeable lithium batteries,or do I need special one? Can I get them at WalMart of some place like that? Thanks!

[Van Huskey]

You need to do a lot of research on rebuilding Li cordless batteries and then ask yourself if it is worth the time, effort and potential danger. Keep in mind companies don't rebuild them for a reason.

[Frank Pratt]

Seconded. There could be fire and explosions. For real.

[Ben Rivel]

Just look for good deals on replacement ones or buy a new tool/system that comes with batteries. LiIon packs are not really easy to repair and can be very dangerous.

[John McClanahan]

I've done it a couple of times BUT, I agree with Van's reply.


John

[Wes Ramsey]

I looked into rebuilding batteries a while back as a side business, but there's just not much profit to be had unless you can buy materials in bulk and have a capacitant discharge welder handy. I've heard good reports of folks using a quality soldering iron on NiCad and NimH batteries, but a CD welder is pretty much the only way to weld the tabs on lithium batteries - if they get too hot they will explode so it has to be a quick weld. There are many places online to buy the sub-C cell batteries that are normally in packs, but lithiums seem to come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can probably still find them easy enough, but if you want to try it I would find someone with a CD welder that would let you use it for a few minutes. Check with your local heat and air shops. They use them to weld sheet metal for ducting.

[Lee Schierer]

MTO battery (https://www.mtobattery.com/) rebuilds some lithium batteries as well as other types. I've had batteries rebuilt by them and am very satisfied with the results.