Power drills can come in handy on many projects, and there are also so many different brands out there. What if you had a drill from one brand but couldn’t find the batteries that fit?
Hercules batteries will not fit a DeWalt power drill. The DeWalt and Hercules brands are similar, but their designs are just different enough that they do not allow for a smooth transfer.
Below we will look at the similarities and differences between these two batteries. We will also look at the different brands, like Milwaukee and Ryoki, that do allow a way to fit on a DeWalt.
Why Don’t Hercules Batteries Fit on a DeWalt?
You will see no inherent difference when looking at both a Hercules battery and a DeWalt battery side by side. This holds with other brands as well,
They may seem to have the same number of slots, holds, and locking clips, but their differences lie deeper than that. Let’s take a look:
| Hercules | DeWalt | |
| Slots | 5 slots, but the middle slot has no power contact. | 5 slots with contact |
| Holds | 3 holds | 3 holds |
| Locking Clips | One slide release locking clip | One slide release locking clip |
| Sliding Rails & Contacts | Sliding rail has no obstacle for sliding onto the drill. Allowing for smooth contact. | Sliding rail has a stop on the side which fits perfectly on the groove of a DeWalt drill. This allows it to fit snugly with its drills. |
The above chart will show that subtle changes to each battery make it impossible to fit a Hercules battery onto a DeWalt power tool.
You might also be considering how the battery chargers are and if they go bad, especially if you’re looking to use a different brand’s battery.
Safety Features
Because of curiosity, several people have even altered the battery. This is not recommended. Yet, it still doesn’t work. This is because most of these batteries and power tools have a safety feature.
So, even if the contacts, for some reason, matched up, you still wouldn’t be able to use them because of the electronic chips inside the tools.
These electronic chips would alert the battery and tool that they are not of the same brand and not compatible.
The safety features are also in place to make sure you don’t overload your power tool by using the wrong voltage to charge your power tool.
You might even be looking to use a different battery because you’re working on a big project and don’t want to wait for your DeWalt battery to recharge.
It is best to charge your DeWalt battery instead of trying to use a different brand’s battery.
What are Badaptors?
So, while a Hercules cannot fit a DeWalt, certain brands use a “Badaptor” with the DeWalt.
A badaptor is a battery adaptor. They allow for different brands of batteries to power different brands of power tools. They can be compatible with multiple batteries and tools.
So far, only three brands have adapters that can be used to power a DeWalt: the Ryobi, Milwaukee, and Makita. Still, most of these won’t adapt to a DeWalt, only the other way around.
Let’s take a look at what these items can do. They can also be found on Amazon, and they will be linked in the chart below.
| Item | Features |
| Ecarke Battery Convert Adapter | converts from DeWalt to Milwaukee18 voltsRechargeableCompatible with DeWalt 18/20V batteriesCompatible with Milwaukee M18 18v power tools |
| Battery Adapter with USB Port | Converts from DeWalt to Ryobi18 voltsMaximum battery voltage is 20Recommended for DeWalt 18V batteriesUSB can be used as a phone chargerRechargableNot to be used to recharge DeWalt battery. |
You may notice that even with the battery adapters, they will still sync up the same voltage amount. There is a very important reason for this.
Using a Different Voltage Battery to Charge your Power Tool
First, let’s understand what voltage is when it comes to your battery.
The voltage looks at the amount of strength your battery sends out those electric currents to your power tool.
If you are moving a table across the room versus a kitchen chair. The kitchen chair is substantially smaller and weighs less than the table. What will happen if you use the same strength to push each object?
If you push the chair with the same strength as the table, you are probably going to do the equivalent of throwing the poor chair across the room.
On the other hand, if you use the same amount as the chair, that table won’t move much.
So how does this equate to power tools?
Using a higher voltage battery than your power tool recommends could cause it to overcharge, and a lower voltage battery could make your power tool have to work extra hard.
Either of these things can cause the warranty on your power tool to go invalid and could harm your power tool.
Can you Switch up Brand Batteries and Power Tools?
To put it simply, the Hercules battery will not fit on a DeWalt power tool. There are adapters for certain brands, but you must use the same ballpark voltage.
Even changing the voltage between batteries and power tools is not recommended for the overall life of your power tool.
Power tools generally come with a rechargeable battery. Just try to keep everything together, and if all else fails, you can probably find the battery on Amazon.
