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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Right. I was going to launch into a lengthy but well-reasoned argument for replaceable batteries over built-in, when it occurred to me that Stuart is right, some built-in batteries last a LONG time. For example, my old Sonicare electric toothbrush. NiCad battery, but each use consumed less than 5% of its capacity (because they claim it will last two weeks without being recharged), and it was topped off every night. In that situation, a battery will have almost unlimited lifespan. And indeed, my toothbrush lasted for more than ten years. The power switch, the only moving part that wasn’t replaced regularly, wore out.
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.
frobo
Yep, I remember the days when cellphones had user-replaceable batteries. They went away purely because of corporate greed (the manufacturers count on their customers upgrading to a new phone instead of keeping the old one going). That, and Steve Jobs’ obsession with making phones thinner and thinner, which makes no sense since everyone I know puts their phone in a case to protect them and make them easier to handle.
Jordan
Exactly! I have no idea why folks are obsessed with thin phones.
I like a chonky device! Make it durable, easy to grip, with a hefty battery.
Bonnie
It wasn’t just the corporations. Customers by and large didn’t care about replaceable batteries, and preferred the thinner designs. Both were available for a long time and sales numbers made it clear that removing it wasn’t a problem. The same thing applies to physical keyboard, and my personal bugaboo: the quickly disappearing headphone jacks.
Personally, my smartphones with replaceable batteries pretty much all ended up dying, or becoming painfully obsolete before the battery died, and I keep my phones for 3 years at a minimum if they don’t break due to shoddy QA (cough Google Pixel 4A).
Plus, for phones with non-user-replacable batteries, there are enough kiosks and services that’ll do it anyways that the once a decade you might actually want to the extra hassle is fairly minimal.
When replaceable batteries were more common, and more needed with the less reliable formulations, a lot of people still took their phone into a store to get the battery swapped, despite being easy as changing a remote.
Jordan
Many of the newer devices won’t let you swap the battery unless you get it done via an “authorized” service center with an “authorized” battery.
Everything has an encrypted (DMCA protected) chip on it…so that you can’t swap out stolen parts (to break down devices for parts when a phone is stolen). Or so they claim.
Vards Uzvards
Pixel 4A was a nice phone, but Google provided system updates only for three years. With newer models this term was extended to seven years. So this year we replaced 4A with the 9A model, and now hope to use it through the rest of this decade.
fred
I grew up in a house that had a telephone. Not all of our neighbors did. Our phone was on a private line – many others were serviced by “party lines”. We had neighbors who would come by and ask my mom to use the phone – offering to pay for the call. The phones themselves were made by Western Electric (a Ma Bell Company) – were heavy, reliable, powered off the telephone line and if you could get one (WWII was going on) it came in any color of black. It’s amazing that we all got by.
Now, cellphones and many folks buying decisions about them give me a chuckle. We seem to not be able to function without them. My wife recently wanted a smart watch. I bought an Apple Series 11 – not realizing that it would not work with her older iPhone 6. So, the iPhone that she found to be perfectly acceptable had to be replaced. I bought the larger screen model of the iPhone 16. Both were bought online from Apple and paid for in full. When I took the 2 phones to Verizon to have the new one activated – I was lectured about the bad deal I got for having bought the items outright (although neither item was in stock at the Verizon Store.) Overhearing a nearby customer being sold a new iPhone 17 – for her daughter – and inquiring about how much more a month it would add to her plan (not what it would cost) – I concluded that my outright purchase was perhaps more of a bad deal for Verizon than it was for me.
Troy H.
Waterproofing is another reason that replaceable batteries went away. It isn’t impossible, but it is significantly more difficult to seal against water ingress while also allowing something as large as a battery to be user serviceable.
Gluing the bodies closed just makes that significantly easier. I’d be interested to see an estimation of how many phones were saved from the dumpster because they were waterproof versus how many die because of battery life before they would be replaced for a newer model.
David.A
I was thinking the same thing after reading g the article ie laptops and cell phones that used to have user replaceable batteries! Nothing more than manufacturers wanting more 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.
Stuart
My first smartphone was the Motorola Droid. Sliding it into its dock activated a special display mode. The phone also had a built-in keyboard.
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 proprietary battery configurations in obsolete battery technology are likely in a landfill somewhere (e.g. NiCad and later NiMH.)
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…
Scott F
But if you have no power after the storm takes out those trees, will you be toting a generator or portable power pack around to run the corded saw? At that point what is the value to corded vs cordless other than unlimited runtime? I’ve not found my recip to be super power hungry (M18 Fuel circa 2019), but I’m also not a very demanding user.
Wayne R.
The area we live in now has all its suburban power distribution underground, so the generator we have from living in more dense tree coverage and aerial power isn’t used anymore, really.
If we were back in that situation, a chainsaw would be the better alternative, I think, than batteries.
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?
rick
Regarding your preference for incandescent bulbs over LED lights, from the government’s energy.gov website: “Residential LEDs…use at least 75% less energy, and last up to 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting”.
Yes, your LED light will die eventually, but there is a fair chance that you will die first.
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.
———-
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.
———-
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.
Stuart
It’s not a matter of opinion. If you’re a mass market manufacturer, the two choices are built-in battery or proprietary replaceable battery.
You’ll find exceptions in niche product categories and some online markets. But you’re not going to walk into Walmart or Home Depot and find a pack of plain 18650 cells in the battery aisle, or any tools that can work with them in the same manner as alkaline cells.
Jordan
Not to be that “actually, you’re wrong” meme…but I literally buy Westinghouse 18650 2000mah batteries at Walmart. Usually in the home and garden center, as they’re commonly used in outdoor solar-powered lights.
No, they’re not the “best” cells…but they’re at Walmart. I can grab them alongside a loaf of bread and a tshirt. And they’re not the worst either.
I’ve walked into Ace Hardware, and they too have 18650 batteries on the shelf (some store-brand I’ve never heard of)…right alongside their AA, AAA, and 9v batteries.
They’re becoming much more common — and sadly, it’s thanks to those who vape. Not to praise a form of addiction…but it’s a positive unintended side effect.
Now as for common tools, we haven’t gotten to that point yet where 18650 devices are in stores. Maybe someday.
Jeff
Not many tools take 18650 batteries directly, but flashlights are one exception thankfully. One of my favorite small worklights is Harbor Freight’s Braun magnetic folding bar light which has a replaceable 18650 battery internally: https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lumen-led-rechargeable-magnetic-handheld-foldable-slim-bar-work-light-59536.html
Saulac
I cannot afford to have a tool that can die in the middle of a something. And for that, I am out.
TomD
USB C has made this much less painful than it used to be.
I can count the number of tools with working batteries built in I’ve given away or tossed.
Only one or two that I can recall the battery actually dying.
fwc
Some of Bosch and Dremel can be swapped by a little prying on some tabs
Bonnie
I’ve been burned enough by crappy replaceable batteries, and still have a sealed-battery Dremel Stylus going strong probably 15 years on, that I stopped leaning one way or the other. Seems neither approach is reliably better in the end.
But I’m also not that reticent to crack open a tool if needed. I’ve rehabbed old nimh battery packs, and just got done hardwiring a label maker after it ate the second stupidly overpriced replaceable battery. So now that tool has a soldered DC jack instead.
David.A
I’m in the age bracket of NiCads being the rechargeable batteries, hence I have had to throw away many tools that worked perfectly fine but the battery would no longer take a charge. Yes lithium is 10x better in longevity but those scars may never heal with us older guys. I rarely purchase any tool that I plan to use more frequently and want more than 3 years lifespan unless I can replace the batteries.
Joellikestools
I think I have seen Fanttik appear at Costco, and Hoto at a physical Walmart store. I consider those to be on at least the same plane as HF Bauer for legitimacy.
Reflector
“All that is to say that swapping in loose 18650 cells is out of the question.”
This isn’t true of all devices. I have a milk foamer wand that has a loose 14500 li-ion inside. The manufacturer intentionally made it user accessible and provides a video on how to replace it. Because of this I picked it over other ones that had built in batteries. It is still USB-C rechargable (but removing the battery and placing it in an external charger is faster) and it has a degree of splash sealing.
I’ll take my replacable batteries any day.
This is intentionally a move from some manufacturers to make highly disposable devices that are not end user serviceable unless the user is of a “sufficiently high” technical background. The really nasty ones ultrasonically weld the battery and electronics inside, making massive amounts of e-waste when the consumer electronics dies.
David
First – I’d love to see a review of the Fanntik rotary tool. The slim design seems handy, particularly for my costume, model maker, and gaming mini focused friends. I think that something like the Pinecil soldering iron and similar tools might be fun to look at as a group for makers who are building modern toolkits.
Second – battery ecosystem and longevity are something I specifically shop for. I dislike built-in batteries in most cases, but for things like the Wuben flashlight the cost to replace it won’t be too bad. For tools that cost more, I care a lot more – in fact, that’s a concern for me for major OPT things like a 2 stage snowblower. My current gas powered snowblower is running at close to a 20 year lifespan. I’d like a battery powered unit to have a similar supported life with replacement batteries available at some point when I need them. Ego seems like one of the more solid bets there for now.
Jerry
For me, a user replaceable battery is a big consideration when I buy anything battery powered. Even better if it is a fairly common cell. I have thrown away many a useful item because the battery was not replacable, or if it was, it was a propriety battery that cost more to replace than the tool.
Even in smaller tools, I like a replaceable battery. I have several of the Ryobi USB tools and lights, and I really like being able to just swap out a battery anytime I need to, and Ryobi did a pretty decent job of making it convenient being able to charte it with just a USB cord. I like the Milwaukee USB for the same reasons, as well.
Oarman
Agreeing with other commenters, if you want to replace Li-ion battery cells, the parts are obtainable and the know-how is all over the internet, just as it is for repairing dead cells in proprietary replaceable batteries. At worst you’ll need to know which end of a soldering iron is the hot end.
The question is, is it worth it? The Fanttik cutter above is just over $40 on Amazon right now. Is the difference between a whole new unit vs the bits and bobs of a new cell going to be worth your time? If Fanttik engineered a removable battery enclosure would it raise the unit cost to where it wouldn’t be worth buying? How many charge / discharge cycles is a cardboard cutter going to last before a modern Li-ion battery’s performance degrades unacceptably? Many of these cells are rated for several hundred cycles – is the bulk and cost of a separate enclosed battery justified over that lifetime? Is the tool going to mechanically wear out by then anyway? Is it worth paying extra for the privilege of being “locked in” to the battery platform?
I think this is a different discussion if you’re talking a seriously built and high power tool like a track saw, that you could expect significant long term use out of. For little things like a box cutter I would just assume the entire assembly is inevitably disposable. Other good examples of this are the myriad 3-4v screwdrivers, where some plurality of the cost is packaging and shipping, and a version with replaceable battery + a spare battery would likely cost more than just buying two screwdrivers.
Jp
I’ve had worse luck with built in batteries. To each their own, but I’ve lost too much much money for that fraud. There should be zero presumption that such decisions affect, or encourage quality control. My most recent painful failure was an arrow max precision drill. Failed right after the warranty. Never again….I don’t need a compact wallet or bank account from losing money on built in battery products. I hope phones go back too. Headphones are the one category I’ve not had issues.
S
I’ve actually avoided many of the replaceable battery variants like the Ryobi or Milwaukee red lithium versions, specifically because it’s Yet Another Platform for me to support.
In a lot of ways, I feel this discussion is creeping very close to the “manual transmissions in every car” debate among car enthusiasts.
I like Milwaukee. I’ve got a lot of M12 and M18 tools. Too many even. But the thought of a 3rd variant of battery, irregardless of brand, exhausts me.
Specifically, the Milwaukee version might actually be the longest running compact replaceable battery type of all time. But most come and go every few years, making buying into the smaller form factor a significant risk to the future if I end up really liking the tool. My grandfather had the craftsman V4 line. He loved it for his tinkering stuff as a powered screwdriver.
We all like the idea of end-user replaceable/rechargeable batteries in tools… But in all reality, how many cordless tools do most of us have from 20-30 years ago and are still in use? Back then, Makita was a big name. How many are still using the ever-popular 9.6v pistol style drills every day? My dad had 5 of them at one point.
To get back to your question, I think the better question to pose is “for those that insist on replaceable batteries, what expectations do you have for the tools lifespan?”. And the follow up “how many tools do you still maintain that meet that lifespan expectation?”
I think many of us love the idea of a serviceable tool. I keep Ereplacement-parts as a favorite in my browser.
But many times, due to much larger forces– engineering/manufacturing defects causing failure, our usage exceeding the limitations of the tool to breaking it, and/or, the ever present march of technology, most tools being used every day from even 5-10 years old have a high likelihood of being scrapped, regardless of brand, or product support availability.
I know I’ve been through my fair share of M12 and M18 tools in the last 20 years that met the requirements all the comments are saying they want. but at the time of failure, some are not repairable, due to breakage, and many more are not cost-effective to repair. I’ve been through at least 6 different ‘Fuel’ tools that the brushless motor stops working. And a new motor assembly costs more than a non-sale new tool with a free battery.
For the most part, built-in battery tools have their place. As you said, many have a shape that is incompatible with a replaceable battery, and many replaceable battery tools are bulkier in general.
I’ve fully migrated to all of my novelty and daily use lights to be USB rechargeable. The compact form factor puts light where I need it. And the lights are cheap enough, if runtime is an issue, I buy a second, or 4. I also far less concerned if any of my $5-30 lights get damaged or otherwise lost, where Heads Will Roll if my $200 M18 search light goes missing, or gets a scratch in the lens.
I bought a small cordless vac from Aldi of all places, and it’s literally become a shop staple, with a number of people asking to borrow it, and later, where they can buy their own. It was $15, and fits in any drawer of my tool box. I use it to touch up vehicle interiors after work is performed, and charge it once every month or three, whenever it goes dead. No Milwaukee cordless vac is that cheap, or that compact, nor am I that willing to carelessly loan it out to others.