When it comes to compact power tools, you sometimes have the choice between selecting a brand or model with a replaceable battery, or with a non-replaceable built-in battery.
For Ryobi USB Lithium tools, such as with the cutting tool shown above, the battery is proprietary and can be charged via USB-C. This means you can swap batteries to keep working without much interruption, or replace worn batteries in time.
There’s a downside. Ryobi used to have a line of Tek4 cordless power tools, and it doesn’t look like you can buy batteries for that anymore. There’s no guarantee the benefits of a replaceable battery system will hold 5 or 10 years from now.
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Then there are tools with built-in batteries such as the Fanttik cutting tool shown above. The benefit there is that you can often have a more compact tool with built-in charging. But if you have a lot of work to do and forgot to charge the tool, or it ran out of charge while you’re working, you’re stuck for a while.
Besides that, once the battery wears down with time or repeated use and recharge cycles, the entire tool needs to be reccycled.
“Why can’t I just replace the batteries myself?” Because consumer safety and protection standards frown upon the handling of loose Li-ion cells. That’s why you see battery packs and proprietary encased cells rather than loose rechargeable battery cells.
Built-in batteries allow for a more streamlined user experience. Replaceable batteries allow for heavier use and replaceability for a time.
Some brands do allow for replacement of built-in batteries, but it’s rare.
This is the battery replacement kit for a Tentacle Sync, a small video device that retails for around $200.
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This is the replacement battery kit for the latest generation Tentacle Sync E device.
While it’s not the same class of product as consumer cordless power tools, replacement batteries could be possible.
Consumer cordless power tools with built-in batteries often have permanent installations via soldered tabs or similar, because it’s more compact and less expensive than building in a replaceable cell holder. And because loose batteries are not readily available at retail stores, users are not expected to attempt to replace the batteries themselves.
Consider this Bosch iXO cordless drill that I purchased from Europe. There are 18650 battery cell holders, but they won’t easily fit into slimmer too handles. Besides that, what happens if the tool is dropped? Permanent installation tends to be the better engineering decision.
All that is to say that swapping in loose 18650 cells is out of the question.
I find myself preferring battery systems like Ryobi’s, because it allows the same batteries to be used in different tools. This lets me exercise the batteries a bit more than if each compact tool had its own built-in battery.
But with respect to replaceability, I’ve had tools with built-in batteries last a long time.
The idea that “it’ll end up in a landfill when the battery wears down” is a valid one, but the same could happen to tools with replaceable batteries.
I hesitate to buy – or post about – tools with built-in batteries because I’m not yet sure I can trust the brands.
Brands like Hoto and Fanttik seem to have gained good reputations, but I still have yet to see them at retail stores sporting UL or NRTL (national recognized testing laboratory) safety marks.
It doesn’t look like the industry is moving towards any new standards.
In the flashlight industry, brands are introducing more models with non-replaceable built-in batteries.
This allows for smaller flashlight sizes and different form factors.
Here too, you have new options.
I don’t see cordless power tool brands launching new battery systems. They could, but it doesn’t seem to be in the works.
Even Milwaukee, which regularly expands their line of RedLithium USB battery-powered lighting and accessory products, doesn’t seem interested in moving towards actual tools – not even a cordless screwdriver.
I have been working on my content plans for 2026, and am debating whether it’s worth posting about more tools with built-in batteries.
Some, like the Fanttik M2 mini rotary tool, seem really special and worth buying to investigate.
Compact tool systems with replaceable batteries – the few there are – don’t seem to be going anywhere, but the built-in battery tool category seems to be growing at a fast rate.
As a tool user, I think I’ve been missing out, leading me to rethink my strong preference for mainstream brands and traditional design approaches.
Jared
It’s annoying when a still-useful tool wears out the built-in batteries, but you make a good point about the benefits. The aversion to such tools seems a bit over-the-top sometimes.
I keep a Dremel cordless screwdriver in my portable tool bag. I don’t want extra batteries, an external charger or more bulk in a tool like that. I like that I only need a micro-usb cord in the bag to keep it going. I don’t remember when I got it, but I suspect it’s already been a decade and it still works fine. I would be annoyed if it stopped working tomorrow, but I would buy a replacement knowing I appreciated those benefits in the interim rather than worry that maybe I could have swapped in a new battery.
That doesn’t mean I want a cordless drill or impact with built-in batteries. That’s a different use case. It’s only that there ARE benefits to the alternative and it’s worth considering that sometimes.
fred
This is the stuff that makes for buying angst. Most of us hate spending more – particularly when it’s for items that will get infrequent use. Low price seems to favor built-in batteries.
We have more and more become aware of the evils associated with our throw-away economy. That’s compounded when we are forced to trash items (like those containing batteries) that will pollute the environment or survive for millennia in our landfills. These considerations seem to favor rechargeable batteries.
Then there is the repair vs. replace considerations. Born as the Great Depression was ending and WWII was beginning – my ethic favors repair to like new condition – or sometimes patch it up to make it useful. That philosophy can make one rail at the thought that a dead battery should not be replaced – even though logic, fire hazards etc. suggest that it is better not attempted.
Finally, we have come to expect that what we buy will have more than just a modicum of safety built into its design and manufacture. After all – we no longer live in the Gilded Age – when robber barons were free to do as they saw fit – and the charlatans in our society sold both good and some dangerous products. While UL, FM and other certifications processes are not absolute guarantees of safety – the proliferation of power tools being sold on the internet that lack such certifications is alarming.
Wayne R.
“We no longer live in the Gilded Age.” I dunno about that.
frobo
Whenever possible, I always opt for replaceable batteries, even at the expense of a little extra bulk. Like Fred, I was raised in a time when repairing was the norm, and I lament the current throwaway philosophy with its planned obsolescence and general waste.
While we’re on the subject, give me an iPhone with a replaceable battery! I’ve replaced batteries in iPhones, but it’s a PITA for sure.
Jordan
Phones and laptops used to have user-replaceable batteries.
Many Windows CE phones…Blackberries…even the Samsung Galaxy S5. You could literally carry spares in your bag.
Laptops too. Press two levels, and the battery popped out. Toss in another one. Some were pouch batteries inside a slim case, some were tubular attachments that stuck out behind the laptop — 18650s in disguise.
Now, a replacement phone battery might require “authorized” service + “authorized” replacements…and depending on the age of the device, it might not be financially viable to service. It’s deeply sad, since it’s only done to encourage new sales.
Wayne R.
In my experience, replacing an 18650 cell is the lesser problem in relation to purchasing one.
Just like household appliances that “need an app” to operate, or other things like cars that need subscriptions to use purchased options, I try to avoid things with sealed cases.
If a device can be opened with a screwdriver, I know I have a good chance of replacing a dead battery, but I really want to avoid having to crack them open – so I just don’t purchase them in the first place. Of course, that fails with things like cell phones & tablets, but I learn to deal with it. But I sure don’t like it.
Remember when you could just drop a phone into a cradle for a charge? Now, even with wireless charging, you gotta make sure it’s lined up right and working…
EBT
OMG. This, I nudged my phone on Qi charger and it never charged.
Badger12345
I have often thought a blended solution would be ideal. For instance, the infrequently used tool uses an embedded battery (e.g. 18650 ) that can be charged externally. The overall tool can be made compact, strong, and perhaps even moisture and dustproof at lower manufacturing cost than externally swappable batteries. However, the tool is also easily disassembled by removing a few screws and the battery of standard design can be replaced easily without permanent connections. The tool is then reassembled. In other words, go ahead and manufacture for lower cost while also supporting repairability.
I’ll go beyond the point of your article by saying that for some larger, infrequently used tools I still prefer corded. I have several saws, drills, and sanders that I purchased over 30 years ago. Other than replacing some wear components (like brushes) they still work fantastic and I never have to worry that my 120V cord will become technologically obsolete. The cordless tools I purchased back in the early years with property battery configurations in obsolete battery technology are likely in a landfill somewhere (e.g. NiCad and later NiMH.)
Badger12345
Typo…should be “…proprietary…”
Wayne R.
After a storm came and brought down a lot of tree parts, I opted for a corded recip saw to break it all down, since that’ll likely be the only times I’ll use it. No batteries to deal with. It can sit in its box for years and still be ready to go…
Derek
I hate things with non-replaceable batteries, not just tools. My father in law loves things with permanent batteries so sadly we’ve received a lot of things with them. The amount of toys, especially remote control cars, where the batteries have died is infuriating. Buying a new battery is typically over half the price to just buy a new one.
It’s so much easier to just have some rechargeable batteries you can swap out, especially when you want to use something now, not hours from now.
I’m also the same way with lights. I don’t want a light fixture, freestanding or installed, with built in LEDs. When it goes the whole thing is trash. It’s so easy to replace a light bulb. The recessed lights without a bulb seem bad too. When it inevitably dies, I now have to replace a fixture? Or likely the whole rooms worth because the old one isn’t sold anymore?
Jordan
“All that is to say that swapping in loose 18650 cells is out of the question.”
Hard (yet polite) disagree there. I have several misc things that take 18650 batteries — flashlights, lanterns, fans, etc — which if done right, they’re just as easy as swapping out a AA battery.
Just look at the vaping industry — they’ve pretty much paved the way with those batteries being used casually. Typically, protected button-top 18650 batteries are the “safest” to use. The fact that people use poorly made cells and rechargers — along with poor handling practices leading to fires — doesn’t bolster consumer confidence.
True story. I’ve had two different AA-powered closet lights catch fire. Short within the unit, and they were in the WORST possible spot with the clothing as immediate fuel. So no battery tech is without sin.
Just look at AA batteries. You can get some dodgy junk from the dollar store…or splurge on Eneloops. Same goes for 18650s, except there aren’t any brands that are consumer friendly yet like Eneloop.
The ryobi and milwaukee 18650 batteries in a custom shell only add to the problem. And if people commonly realized that their 12v-18v-20v tools are just rows of properly-sourced 18650s, they’d be demanding battery packs they can “build themselves”…instead of dropping hundreds on high-capacity batteries. Get a 8ah shell and pop in high end cells, no different than a flashlight.
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Integrated non-replaceable batteries are a hard no from me. I have a handful of tools that are dead…no way to resuscitate them unless I want to solder a non-labeled foil-pouch battery. That’s asking for a highly toxic fire. Those foil pouch batteries are notorious for being mislabeled — voltage, capacity, and most importantly…polarity. I only buy them from 100% trusted sources, and only if they have a pre-soldered JST-style connector.
I wanted to get one of those newer handheld air blowers this past Black Friday — but I full-stopped after realizing they’re a high draw, high cycle device with a non-replaceable battery. They’ll be ewaste in a few years, guaranteed. I stuck with my wired air blower I got nearly 20 years ago….it worked great then, still works great now, and it’ll continue to work great for many more years. No degradation sitting on the shelf.
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And anything that uses a “proprietary” battery standard is “dealing with yet another battery system”. Doesn’t matter the size of the battery.
If I’m Milwaukee M12, I’m probably not going to get Ryobi 12v AND Bosch 12v AND Dremel 12v and Ridgid 12v systems. I’m going to stick with just one, unless there’s a business-justifiable reason to get an individual tool elsewhere. Multiple battery systems are a pain at best….financially nonviable at worst.
I’m already dealing with Milwaukee M12, Ridgid 18v, AAA, AA, 9v, some Dewalt 12v stuff gifted to me (which is now a mostly dead platform YAY! /s), protected 18650, unprotected flat top 18650 (zebralights). Some 2032 and 2025 coin cell battery items. Plus random misc coin cell items like car remotes. Plus every sealed-battery unit with planned obsolescence — like laptops, mobile phones, video game controllers, etc.
I’m -just flat out done- dealing with another battery system and sealed batteries. 100% fatigue. If it doesn’t have a justifiable reason to be in my tool bag (aka someone else is buying it for me or it makes me money)…or it doesn’t fit into an existing & established system, I’m just going to ignore the tool.
Jordan
Oh, camera batteries — totally forgot those! They’re some of the WORST too. Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. All different sizes, powers, etc. Sometimes unique to that specific model of camera! Good luck getting those years after the camera was released….dodgy third party knockoffs sitting on the shelf might be the only option.
At least cameras have a culture of batteries being replaceable, instead of an integrated foil-pouch battery. I just couldn’t deal with that.