Dewalt read my post on the Festool Wish List

[jbasen]

Well, sort of.

I own a T18 and wanted a Festool TI15 but wasn't willing to invest in 15v batteries.  I wished that Festool batteries were downward compatible so I could use my 18v batteries in the TI15 even if it only meant additional run time and not more power. 

Dewalt just came out with an adapter that allows you to use their latest and greatest 20v Max Li batteries on all their old tools.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/dewalt-20v-max-battery-adapter/

 

[johnleve]

I think it is a brilliant device as well but I think it only changes the battery style.  It is my understanding that the DeWalt 20v are actually 18v in disguise!  What I really want is for some completely separate company to make an adapter so a Festool 18v battery can be used on a Milwaukee tool, one that makes a Fein battery usable on a DeWalt, etc.

 

[Cheese]

What I really want is for some completely separate company to make an adapter so a Festool 18v battery can be used on a Milwaukee tool, one that makes a Fein battery usable on a DeWalt, etc.

Far be it for me to rain on your parade...but as the saying goes, "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

My take on this is about 10 years ago this could have been accomplished, however in the current situation where we have smart batteries, smart tools and smart battery chargers, all communicating with each other, it would be a huge undertaking for an outside firm to ensure correct and proper communication between every battery and every tool their "adapter" would fit.

On top of that, most of this communication is proprietary information and the manufacturers will not divulge this info to a 3rd party.

From my perspective, I think it would be far easier and more profitable for the same 3rd party to manufacture steel from taconite tailings...

 

[#Tee]

cool device if youre in a pinch..but dam thats an ugly thing to do to your drill lol. it looks like your drill grew another limb

 

[johnleve]

Far be it for me to rain on your parade...

Fear not, I like to bring up the idea but am resolved to the fact that it won't be happening.

 

[Shane Holland]

I think the hurdle in developing a universal battery adapter would be the electronics in most modern day lithium ion batteries.

 

[jbasen]

but I would think that given the intelligence that exists in Festool's batteries they would be able to create batteries where a 18v battery plugged into a 15v tool could detect that, lower the voltage being supplied.  This would have allowed me to use my existing 18v batteries on a TI15. 

I guess since the TI15 is now discontinued this is somewhat of a moot point. 

However, for people that do have various Festool battery powered tools it would be a great convenience to be able to plug whatever battery they have charged into the tool, even if that battery was a higher voltage battery.

 

[irishman]

I agree that in theory it sounds nice, but I think it's a limited market of people that would want to use all one style battery across multiple platforms.

Think about it...you'd have to have enough of one battery to be able to support all those, plus an adapter or two.  By the time you buy all those extra batteries...why not just buy the same brand of tool, and sync them all up on one battery.

It's not in a company's interest to encourage you to use their batteries with another tool.  Imagine if everyone could use ryobi batteries in Milwaukee, Dewalt, Bosch, etc...  That's all you'd use, because they're cheaper.  Loss of sales would be huge!

Seems to me the solution that would be better is to come up with one charger that would charge them all, and then it wouldn't matter what your batteries were.

 

[anthonyz]

That adapter is about the same price as a 15V Festool battery. http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-499848-Battery-15-Volt-Lithium-Ion-4-2-A-p/499848.htm $40.

I would skip it and stick with the Festool and just pick up a 15V battery. Besides in a pinch you could use the 15V Battery on your T18.

 

[Throwback7r]

OR, the other solution is to you know just make a 18v impact. I bought some Milwaukee Fuel stuff last week and I am not impressed at all with them.

 

[AlexThePalex]

As far as I can tell that adapter only changes the mounting mechanism, not the voltage. It is meant to make current batteries work on older drills of the same voltage. It is not a magical solution that suddenly makes every battery work on every drill.

 

[chris s]

Wouldn't it be nice if batteries were standardized so they would be universal.  Right and then I woke up !!

 

[TelcoRandy]

cool device if youre in a pinch..but dam thats an ugly thing to do to your drill lol. it looks like your drill grew another limb

+1