Milwaukee 18v Sawszall

[James Baldwin]

This my first post to this group and I have a question. I recently picked up an 18v Milwaukee Sawzall at an Estate Sale for $10 with one battery but no charger. Picked up the charger off Craigslist for $20. Charged the battery and it works good. It uses Nicd batteries (V18) and I was wondering if it's worth the expense of buying a adapter for going from M18 to V18 the Lithium Ion batteries and battery charger or just buying a couple more after market Nicd batteries. I did notice that you can get higher amp hour batteries in Lithium ion. The Power Plus batteries seem to be limited to 2 amp hour. Thoughts? Thanks, Jim

[Steve Rozmiarek]

You saw the big advantage of the new batteries, many more AH. They also pack the power into a lighter package. Odds are pretty good that the NiCad battery you got does not have all the power it used to either. That all being said, I don't know what the adapter costs vs the batteries, so no educated opinion on that. I did switch some 18 volt Dewalts over with the 20 volt adapter, and was pleasantly surprised with the performance increase as I was expecting the same. Still have an impact on an adapter, it's a valid way to squeeze some more life out of a tool.

[Frank Pratt]

M18 batteries have higher power density and a much longer lifespan.

[Tom Bender]

How much will you use it and will it be for short duration or longer? When the battery you have lets you down then it's time to spend more on it.

[James Baldwin]

Will be occasional use. For prolong use I have a corded Sawzall. They are the greatest remodeling tool invented by far. I'll probably just pick up a couple of after market batteries for spares. Jim

[Andy D Jones]

I think I'd be inclined to buy M18 batteries and the adapter for spares, rather than more NiCads.

With the M18 batteries, you may not need the corded saw anymore.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Alex Zeller]

Do you plan on owning any other Milwaukee cordless tools? If not then it probably doesn't make sense as long as you can get batteries for the one you have. A new tool will need the new style batteries and having common batteries is always nice. But just for one tool that you may not use that much, two packs so you can swap when one dies is really all you'll need.

[James Baldwin]

All the my other cordless tools are DeWalt and Ridgid and I have plenty of batteries for them. I don’t mind using corded tools because they don’t quit in the middle of the project. I probably won’t get any more Milwaukee tools unless I find them really cheap at an Estate Sale and I mean really cheap and my conscience stays home. Jim

[Ron Selzer]

might want to try something like this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Adapter-For-Dewalt-18V-20V-max-Convert-to-Milwaukee-M18-Power-DIY-USA/264911793586?hash=item3dadf92db2%3Ag%3A1qgAAOSwgut fkp9v&LH_BIN=1
Ron

[James Baldwin]

My DeWalt drill and inpact drive all use Nicd batteries. My Ridgid 18 volt use either Nicd or Lithion. A couple of the Ridgid tools I have are 24 volt and batteries are not available any more. They're probably going away since one of them is a Ridgid reciprocating saw and doesn't work very well on 18 volts. The Milwaukee is replacing it. Jim

[Frank Pratt]

Given how long it's been since any of those guys sold NiCad batteries, it's likely that none of your batteries are long for this world, so you may be looking at replacing a bunch of batteries anyway.

[James Baldwin]

There are still plenty of after market batteries out there and there's also Batteries Plus who I've had batteries rebuilt by. They have done a good job and have a years warranty. Just ordered two new Nicd's off Evil-bay. The saw won't get used that much. Jim

[Carroll Courtney]

Ok, the suspense is killing me.How do you like the Sawzall?