Refurbishing (or re-celling) batteries - Is there a demand?

Kav · 4 May 2009

Hi Guys

I want to start to refurbish batteries for Power Tools (Dewalt, Makita, Ryobi, Bosch etc..)

This would basically consist of getting knackered battery packs and putting new cells into them of higher or same capacity for a small cost, saving of between 30% to 50% from buying a new battery pack

Do you guys think there is a market for this? - How many of you would actually use the service.

Thanks.

ColJack · 4 May 2009

you'd have the problem of properly disposing of the used cells.. and of aquiring suitable replacement cells..

to be honest unless you can give a similar guarantee as the new ones, then I'll stick with cheap ones from e-bay..

wotan · 5 May 2009

Most local authorities have a battery recycling bin at their yards, disposal is no problem.

Wotan

ColJack · 5 May 2009

that's for domestic use.. if he's making a profit then it's a business and would surely need to get a license or pay to dispose of them.. they make the rest of us if we have to ditch "trade waste"... ( there's another thread on here somewhere about it.. )

disinfo · 5 May 2009

At the right price, i'd be interested.

The battery on my Hilti TE6A is nearly dead, there is a seller doing the refurbs on eBay, but at the price he's charging i'd rather DIY or buy new.

mattylad · 5 May 2009

I think you will find that at the low quantities you will be needing, replacement cells are quite expensive.

You also have the problem of getting the cell manufacturers to supply you low quantities.

Also many battery modules are ultrasonically sealed and opening them is really hard & they look a mess when resealed.

We tried this a few times at work (when I still had a job anyway) where we had ready suppliers of these batteries falling over themselves to give them to us. didn't go too well.

Mind you, one of the technical managers came up with a bodge solution, he got a 12v 3ah NICAD battery & stuck that on the bottom of his drill instead, similar size & weight & worked a treat

Kav · 5 May 2009

Hi Guys

Thanks for your replys, a few answers to your questions:

- I would be willing to give a 1 year warranty on packs that I refurbish.

- Yes I will need to dispose the cells, safely and in an env. friendly manner. I have done some research and a company in France would take the used cells for a small fee that would cover shipping. (depending on quantity)

- If I bought good quality cells in low quantities (i.e Japanese Sanyo) they would be more expensive and initially I would either have to do the job at cost or at very little margin, however as orders progressed economy of scale would make better margins.

- Yes some packs are ultrasonically sealed and breaking them is difficult without messing them up, however It can be done neatly if done slowly with care and with the right tools. Also quite a large number of packs can be opened via clips or screws which makes life a little easier.

Disinfo: Is your Hilti TE6A battery Li-ion or is it NiCad/NiMah? - let me know (if possible give me a part number for the battery you have) and I may be able to do it a a good price.

All, Please keep giving me your feedback on whether you would want your battery refrubished - I'd like to see if its a worth doing it.

Cheers.

ColJack · 5 May 2009

ok, what's your best price for 2 x DeWalt 18v 2.0Ah NiCd batteries?

upgrade to higher Ah if you want..

price each new = £48.93 ( screwfix )
price each iffy = £26.95 ( "new" on e-bay ) + £6.95 delivery ( £3.00 each additional )

fattony · 9 Jul 2009

I'd be interested in a price for the 18v dewault batteries as well

Bodgeit and scarper ltd · 14 Jul 2009

I rebuild my own

fattony · 25 Jul 2009

mmm interesting, where do you buy your battery packs from?

davelx · 17 Sep 2009

I buy mine ready made here:

http://www.batterytrader.com/power-tool-batteries-c-21.html?language=en

very quick delivery, product seems fine

Refurbishing (or re-celling) batteries - Is there a demand?

Bodgeit and scarper ltd

Similar threads