I have a fair bit of construction tools (DeWalt brand) but the batteries are damn expensive
Is it unethical to buy the cheaper compatible batteries
I have a fair bit of construction tools (DeWalt brand) but the batteries are damn expensive
Is it unethical to buy the cheaper compatible batteries
It’s unethical for companies to force you to buy overpriced essential parts. If you find a compatible battery for cheaper, there’s no reason not to buy it. Unless the company prevents third-party batteries from working in their products…
Nothing unethical about finding a better price.
Are the cheaper batteries better than the expensive ones? If not, dewalt is charging you for a superior product, which is fair IMO. Is the difference big enough to justify the difference? That’s up to the customer to decide. If the difference is not worth it, just buy the cheaper one instead.
Is any of this ethical? Probably not. I suspect both manufacturers have poor labor practices and a negative environmental impact. The way I see it, consumers are destroying the planet through indirect means for the most part. Directly, if you’re burning gasoline, and indirectly, when you’re buying stuff from various companies. Those companies are directly destroying the planet buy burning stuff, leaking toxic chemicals into the groundwater etc. If you’re worried about ethics, you might want to look into the environmental impact these two companies have. If you’re serious about this, you might need to do a proper life cycle analysis of the entire production chain, but that’s a topic for another thesis.
You have to keep in mind that power tool batteries are kind of the worst case scenario when it comes to lithium battery safety because they get knocked around, shoved into tool boxes, crushed, etc. of all the consumer products most at risk of fire, tool batteries are up there. That’s part of the reason they are so expensive. At the same time, knock off 18650 cells are generally well known fire hazards on their own.
I think it’s up to you what your risk tolerances are, but if a DeWalt battery burns my house down, at least you have a company to sue. If the Temu battery does the same thing, you are going to be SoL. I’ve been building and repairing various kinds of packs for more than a decade and am quite wary of random bootleg cells. I’ve never had a real Panasonic or Samsung cell fail, only knockoffs.
Well that would be a valid reason to spend more on nicer batteries. Only very few people know enough to appreciate that feature though. Most people would just evaluate the situation based on price and performance.
The cheaper batteries may have a lower true Wh capacity.
But given the cost difference, I’ve found they have a much higher value - I get 80% of the capacity for 30%-50% of the cost.
And you always want to have at least 2 or more batteries to ensure sufficient runtime.
Sounds like a very reasonable compromise.
I’m no kind of expert, but as I understand it, lithium-ion batteries are something to be treated with significant care & caution. Poorly-constructed ones for example are evidently more prone to developing filament damage and becoming exposed out of their protective cases, with the fire risk (in the presence of O2) scaling up by size. Actively charging from AC seems to boost that risk.
So it seems pretty clear to me-- research that sucker when you’re buying replacement cells / batteries, or simply dealing with an old, poorly-performing one. Even if the risk of an Li+ cell event is less than 1% (or whatever), avoiding the disaster of that seems pretty wise to me. Personally, I charge my Android devices and my DeWalt module in a metal container, just in case. Also, old cells are stored in steel baking pans & similar.
This sounds like it was written by a bot. My local recycling center has a huge bin of old lithium power tool batteries and in 8 years, I have never seen a burnt one.
You guys are delusional if you think brand = higher quality.
Okaaayyy… I guess I’d be interested to hear how that’s working in your mind. Care to explain?
Really, were you expecting them to keep the remains of the few that created dangerous fires around for you to examine? Were you hoping to see a little pile of melted plastic and ashes, is that it?
And you lack reading comprehension if you think that’s what I said. Want to try again, boss?
No seriously, matey-- got something useful to reply upon there, mate?
@savethetuahawk@lemmy.ca,
That’s YOU, right?
He is right though, a lot of offbrand power tool batteries have dangerous construction
https://youtu.be/Xf0qqsRMKpM