In the world of power tools, efficiency is king. And when you’re in your shop, the last thing you need is a truckload of batteries for every brand of tool you’ve got. Enter the Bosch AMPShare Battery Platform – a game-changer for the power tool user.
This isn’t just another battery; it’s a bold statement by Bosch, teaming up with other brand powerhouses to streamline your toolkit.
QUICK ANSWER:
Yes, Bosch batteries fit other brands. Specifically, they’re compatible with the POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE brands. This includes notable names like Wagner, Rapid, and PerfectPro.
Bosch 18V Battery Compatibility Chart
| 🟢 Compatible Brands (POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE) | ❌ Non-Compatible Brands |
|---|---|
| 🟢 GLORIA House and Garden | 🔴 Dewalt |
| 🟢 Flymo | 🔴 Craftsman |
| 🟢 GARDENA | 🔴 Milwaukee |
| 🟢 Husqvarna | 🔴 Stanley |
| 🟢 Ledvance | 🔴 Black+Decker |
| 🟢 Kübler Workwear | 🔴 Makita |
| 🟢 PerfectPro | 🔴 Ridgid |
| 🟢 Rapid | 🔴 Festool |
| 🟢 STEINEL | 🔴 Ryobi |
| 🟢 Wagner | 🔴 Kobalt |
Lithium Ion Batteries Replace Old Technology
Those of us who have been working with wood remember the old technology of nickel-cadmium batteries. Today, though, we’re accustomed to the newer battery technology of lithium-ion.
They are easily rechargeable and are built with power cells of varying voltage ratings from 1.2v to 3.6v. These cells are then combined in battery packs to create batteries of different voltage ratings up to 48V. The most common is the 18V battery that powers all of our 18V power tools.
By combining five 3.6V power cells, 5 x 3.6 = 18, we have our 18V battery pack. Power tool manufacturers do not make the power cells; they are sourced outside and combined by the power tool manufacturer in their own battery packs. The battery packs have their own slots that are configured to fit tightly and securely in their chargers and their own power tools.
There is no standardized 18V battery size or configuration among all lithium-ion batteries. Each manufacturer makes its own battery packs specifically designed to fit its own power tools and chargers.
The battery slots are compatible with the slots on the charger and are made to fit tightly both for recharge and for powering tools efficiently and effectively. Battery packs are also manufactured to communicate with the motors with the tools when in operation to enhance that efficiency.
This is to ensure battery compatibility throughout the entire product line of cordless power tools in a manufacturer’s portfolio of tools.
Bosch Batteries – Color-Coded Green and Blue
In Bosch’s Power For All 18V system, its 18V battery works with every 18V tool in the Power For All 18V green power tool line. Bosch estimates there are over 20M of its batteries in the market.
Bosch Green also referred to as Bosch DIY, is aimed toward the home DIYers and presumably smaller jobs and projects, and less use than the Bosch Blue, or Bosch Professional, a line that targets professional tradesmen for the more heavy-duty worksites rather than the home woodworking shop. Bosch Green and Bosch Blue batteries are not interchangeable.
In the Power For All Alliance, though, the Bosch Green batteries can be used with other member brands and their tools. These include:
- Bardena
- Bosch Home Appliances
- Husqvarna
- Gloria home and garden tools
- Wagner
- Rapid
- Stinel
- Kubler Workwear
- PerfectPro
Notice, though, that you do not see any of the power tool manufacturers we mentioned earlier, like DEWALT, Makita, Ridgid, Ryobi, or others like Milwaukee, Porter Cable, or Black & Decker. There’s a reason.
Power Tool Battery Interchangeability
As we said, Bosch makes its own batteries, and its 18V batteries are compatible with all Bosch green power tools. They are also compatible with the Power For All Alliance members and the brands on the list above.
But the case is not the same when it comes to other power tool manufacturers for the home DIY woodworker. Each of those manufacturers also makes its own battery packs and chargers. The slots of their batteries are designed and built to fit their own power tools and chargers and to communicate with the motors of their own power tools.
They will not fit tightly or well with any other manufacturer’s power tool brands or chargers. While there are adapters that are made for specific battery brands to make them fit with another brand’s power tools, the batteries themselves will not fit without modification.
You can find numerous workaround videos online telling you how to modify one brand’s battery to fit another brand’s power tools, but the question is whether you should.
Should You Modify Power Tool Batteries to Fit Your Power Tools?
We suggest you should not.
When you purchase a power tool, you are also purchasing a warranty for its operation and lifespan. While it may be limited in duration, it is not limited to manufacturing defects, and it is possible to exercise warranty rights to obtain a replacement for faulty workmanship.
However, the warranty applies only when the power tool has been used as the manufacturer intended for it to be used. If you use it in a way it was not made to be used, the warranty could be voided, and you’re out of luck. Your only remedy would be to purchase a replacement tool.
Using an adapter, a workaround not made by the battery pack’s manufacturer, could very well void the tool’s warranty. Since manufacturers would not make their own adapter, the use of any adapter with some other brand’s power will void that power tool’s warranty.
You paid for the warranty and will have paid for the adapter, too. Voiding the warranty if the power tool fails means you’re out both the cost of the tool and the cost of the adapter. Why would you want to take that chance?
Why Is There No Standardized Lithium Ion Battery Size and Slot?
The answer is simple: money.
Lithium-ion batteries have an expected lifespan of 3 – 5 years; power tools have a much longer expected lifespan if they are used, cared for, and stored properly. This means you will need to purchase several new battery packs during the lifetime of the tool they power. Each power tool manufacturer makes their own battery packs and chargers, and they don’t want to give up those ongoing sales.
During a 15 – 20 year life of an 18V power tool that you use, care for, and store properly, you will need to purchase perhaps as many as 4 – 5 batteries, a good source of revenue for the brands.
Yes, there are workarounds, but the cost of voiding your power tool warranties might just be too great. It’s a value judgment for you, but we recommend you play it safe.
Pick a brand of power tool that fits your needs and your budget, and stay with it. Keep a spare battery handy so there’s no disruption of work while the first battery is being recharged. Every brand’s 18V battery will be compatible with its line of power tools (be aware of the difference between Bosch Green and Bosch Blue mentioned earlier), and if you stay with that one brand you chose when you began your power tool purchases, you have the convenience of knowing the batteries will work with all of them.
In that regard, we wrote an earlier piece on the tools a beginner should have in their shop, including power tools. You can find that piece and our list of recommended purchases here.
We believe the safest bet is to stay within a brand and keep a couple of battery packs handy so your work progress is not slowed down.
However, we also understand there are many who like to find workarounds in an effort to save money. While we think this is a bad idea, we’ll show you one video that mixes and matches a Bosch battery with a Dremel tool. It’s only a 12V battery, and the workaround is not technically challenging, as you will see.
Again, your best bet is to pick a tool brand and stay within its family of battery packs and tools. Keep a spare battery handy, and understand you’ll be needing to purchase several batteries for your tools before you need to replace the tools. It’s a fact of life in the home woodworking shop, and we all have to accept it.
Comments are closed.