Ridgid’s new 18V 6.0Ah “Octane” battery packs have recently hit the market, boasting power boost and runtime benefits.
The new battery packs have not yet been officially announced, but we sent over some quick questions to our Ridgid contact anyway, to get some answers for the questions readers have been emailing in with.
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What size battery cells are the new 6.0Ah battery packs built with? 18650.
Huh?
But aren’t the larger 5.0Ah battery packs built with 20700 or 21700 cells?
I mean, the packs are physically larger than the 4.0Ah battery packs.
When I reported about the new Ridgid 18V cordless miter saw, I posted added details about the 5.0Ah battery pack.
There, I mentioned larger cells in the 5.0Ah battery pack. Was that something that I was told, or did I just make the assumption?
Well, I was WRONG.
After a few late night and early morning emails, Ridgid informed me that the 5.0Ah battery pack is larger to accommodate a monitoring board and different cell spacing for pack efficiency.
I wasn’t completely convinced, so I opened up a battery pack to see what’s inside.
Yep, those are definitely 18650 cells. LG HE2 cells, to be more precise. The battery cells are staggered.
From the spec sheets I found, they’re rated to 20A continuous discharge, which is about as high as 18650-sized 2.5Ah capacity cells can go.
Most 10-cell battery packs have the cells stacked vertically.
15-cell packs have a staggered orientation, making them longer, but they save on space.
Ridgid’s 18V 5.0Ah battery pack might just be the only 10-cell battery pack that is larger or longer than lower capacity 10-cell battery packs of the same product family.
It’ll be interesting to know exactly how this changes battery pack performance. Ridgid’s 4.0Ah battery packs are built with 2.0Ah cells, which in my experience have higher on-paper power delivery specs.
There’s a big heat sink at the end, placed over large (power?) transistors that I don’t recall seeing in many other battery packs.
What all this also means is that the new Ridgid 18V 6.0Ah Bluetooth OCTANE battery pack is engineered with 18650 cells, despite what seems to be a larger 5.0Ah-like size, unlike the Dewalt 6.0Ah battery pack and Milwaukee M18 High Output 6.0Ah battery pack.
Milwaukee announced a 6.0Ah battery pack a few years ago, at the same time their 9.0Ah HD battery pack was announced but I don’t think I have ever seen it released. Now, their newer 6.0Ah battery pack sports larger 21700 cells and “High Output” distinction.
The new Ridgid Octane battery pack is said to deliver “up to 65%” more power” when connected to their 18V Octane power tools, although it’s unclear what this is in comparison to.
I asked Ridgid about this briefly, and they said:
You will have a noticeable performance increase with non-Octane tools and even greater with Octane tools. The range will always vary based the amp draw and usage.
I don’t know how Ridgid is able to deliver extra power from a 6.0Ah 18650-cell battery, at least compared to say their 5.0Ah battery pack, but it could just be that new Octane tools are designed to squeeze every bit of available power performance, while treating older 18V battery packs more conservatively.
It’s going to be a challenge, to go through my older posts for any and all instances where I might have included the Ridgid 5.0Ah battery pack in discussions about Li-ion battery packs with cell form factors larger than 18650.
Doresoom says
Wow, I just assumed the Ridgid 5Ah was 20700 cells too, because of the larger size. I’ve got one of the older M18 6Ah packs, and it’s the same size as the 5Ah ones. I think they mainly got overlooked since the release of the 9Ah at the same time just overshadowed them. It’s possible they offer slightly less current output than the 5Ah packs due to the step up to 3Ah 18650 cells without adding an extra row like the High Demand batteries, so Milwaukee just never advertised them much.
rmkilc says
For what it’s worth, I have two of the 9.0 Milwaukee battery packs and one has LG HG2 cells (build date 02/27/17) and one has Samsung INR18650-30Q cells (build date 07/25/17). The one with the LG HG2 cells is far superior in anecdotal usage.
Jalopy_J says
That’s surprising for sure. The Ryobi 6.0 that’s been “just around the corner” for 2 years now is using 18650s and is the same size as the 4.0ah.
mattd says
they have the ryobi 6ah batteries on the shelf at my local HD, saw them the other day.
Jalopy_J says
hmmmm. The Home Depot website shows them not available, and the Ryobi website says “coming soon.” I think you are mistaken. In any case it turns out I was mistaken as well in my comment. The 6.0 does use 18650s, but it is NOT the same size as the 4.0 as I stated. If the pictures are accurate, it is much taller, meaning all Ryobi did is use the same 2.0 cells that are in the 4.0, but added a third row of them. 3.0ah 18650s with a 20amp discharge rate have been out for three years now. Continuing to use circa 2008 lithium cells and just making your battery bigger, heavier, and unable to fit in many of your tools?!? That’s insane. The 4.0ah that’s been around for 10 years will still be the best battery they offer. The one+ line has suddenly become very uncompelling. This new Ridgid battery is in the failboat as well, but at least Ridgid has a good 5.0ah battery. Ryobi is apparently going to be stuck where they are for even more years.
David Zeller says
Don’t rely on their website… I wanted the Ryobi 4 gallon sprayer. Home Depot site said nope. Store said nope. None outside of Florida. I’m in NJ. For the heck of it, I checked Connecticut. Nope, but they said their were some in…. NJ. Sure enough, there were some 15 miles from me, but neither the website or store knew that when searching within NJ. I also reached out to Ryobi, and they said they weren’t available yet…
David Zeller says
Sorry, Ryobi didn’t know, check with HD.
Blythe says
I saw them in store a few days ago, 2 pack for $119
Doresoom says
I’m not sure if it’s a whole row of cells taller than the 4Ah. I opened mine up and it’s definitely 18650 cells though – I just couldn’t figure out how to get the pack of cells out of the housing without destroying it, so I just measured the width to confirm they were indeed 18650s.
Doresoom says
The new 6Ah are definitely using 10 cells rated at 3Ah, not 15 cells rated at 2Ah each. The SDS attached to the product page on HD lists the individual cells used as Sony US18650VTC6, which are 3000 mAh cells.
Jason says
Yea 9.0ah and 6.0ah Ryobi packs have been in the works forever!! I think they wanted the cell cost to get down as low as possible.
Dale says
The new AEG Force 6.0Ah batteries use Sony VTC6 cells and the Ridgid Octane should be the same.
Anthony P. Mascolo says
Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!!
I think that’s our answer right there.
LG HG2 can supply 20amps of power
Samsung 30Q can supply 15 amps as well
If the Sony VTC6 is anything like its VTC4 and VTC5 predcecssor’s I believe it should be able to handle a higher amp draw, hence the “noticeable difference in power”
John S says
I thought part of the shift to 20700 and 21700 from 18650 was the lifetime increase. Doesn’t this mean these will have a shorter life than the manufacturers that moved on?
Stuart says
Compared to 18650 cells, 20700 and 21700 are larger and can achieve higher charge capacities at greater performance.
The number of charges depends on lots of different things. The move to larger cells is more about being able to supply higher performance tools with longer runtime, while also being able to keep up with the higher power demands.
Ignoring any real-world details, an 18V 6.0Ah battery pack equipped with 21700 cells will power a heavy duty tool for longer than a battery pack equipped with 18650 cells. The 18650 battery pack might trigger over-temp safety shutdown, or might simply run hotter, which can result in lower runtime.
The market, or rather manufacturers, have been shifting more towards 21700 cells. Due to supply and demand, this means that new higher capacity battery packs built with these cells might enjoy better cost-per-amp-hour ratios. But 18650s are still in high demand, and so I don’t foresee a near-future situation where supply lines run dry.
Austin says
Ridgid batteries are crap. I have a cordless shop vac and with a “4ah” battery it lasted 15 minutes tops. I modified the vac to be able to use my Bosch batteries in and a 4ah Bosch battery will last 30 minutes in it.
Jim Premo says
That Rigid vac is the baddest on the market. Corded power. I wish that Rigid would upgrade to brushless motor but 15 minutes of corded power out of a 4ah battery is what it is.
Chip says
Ridgid and Ryobi make great niche tools!
Besides eBay Australia,does anyone have Links on where to buy Milwaukee to Ryobi/Ridgid battery adapters.
I don’t have the technology to make my own.
Would pay up to $50 each.
David Corder says
Going which way?
Milwaukee battery to Ryobi tools: $28 shipped athttps://www.amazon.com/MIL-18V-Ryobi-Milwaukee-Battery-Adapter/dp/B075SLPC6D or https://surebonder.com/products/mil-18v-ryobi-to-milwaukee-battery-adapter-converts-ryobi-tools-to-milwaukee
Other way around? Not sure.
Chip says
Thanks, placing an order now!
Chip says
Thanks so much!
Received my Makita to Ryobi adapter in 4 days for just under $30!
Chris says
Aren’t 18650 cells 3.7 volts? Why do they call them 4V here?
Do you think they will ever produce a battery with replaceable cells? I have a ton of these 18650s around. I know it’s not in their interests to do so, but I would love to be able to take out and condition individual cells, even mix different values to balance out cost and performance.
Doresoom says
Probably not, from both a warranty and liability perspective. Manufacturers don’t want just anyone messing around with the internals of their battery packs, especially the high capacity ones. There are quite a few end users who would be capable of doing it safely, but a whole larger population that wouldn’t be. Plus it would cut down on their spare battery sales.
Jim Premo says
Most users know just enough to duck up.
Chris says
As long as you know what you are doing all cells are replaceable. It’s just a matter of taking the battery apart and putting it back together.
Stuart says
Nope.
Brands strive for predictable performance. It’s the same reason we won’t see universal battery adapters.
You can bet that if it were possible to pair cheap entry-level battery packs with high powered tools, a lot of people would do it, and then blame the tools for not working properly.
jcb says
Local HD now has 1.3Ah, 1.5Ah, 2.0Ah, 2.6Ah, 3.0Ah, 4.0Ah and 6.0Ah Ryobi batteries. Having worked for a large manufacturing company if they would simplify their line up seems likely they could charge less for the models they keep and still make the same profit.
I’m sure they still use 18650 cells because it’s cheaper for them to produce a given advertised capacity with them.
Josh The Tooldude says
I took one of my Ridgid 5ah batteries apart and did some measurements. Looks like they could fit 20700 cells on the casing with little to no external size increase, which will be a potential benefit when they eventually move to higher capacity than 6ah and 9ah. Ridgid’s Hyper Octane batteries have an extra 2 contact points on the battery that connect with Octane tools to communicate. Not sure what they’re saying but that’s the main difference in the new Octane line. In terms of spacing the cells are spaced about the same as in their 3.0 and 4.0 batteries but there’s more air space now which allows better cooling. The new batteries also have much better water/dust protection and where the 3.0 and 4.0 cell frame was part of the housing, the newer batteries have a cell frame that sits inside the fully enclosed case. I would take apart my 6.0 but I want to keep the warranty in tact so I’m gonna leave it as is.