Lifetime Battery Replacement (Including Li-Ion 24V Packs with Charger)

[Email]

For those of you not familiar with the manufacturer, Ridgid gives a lifetime warranty on all their products including battery packs, you just have to register within a certain time period (90 days - with receipt), and returns goto their service center (reported replacement time is 7 days).

They also have the 24V Lithium, which some HomeDepot stores put on clearance for ~$90 (with charger), sometimes on sale for $300 - see this post. The battery pack is 3AH and the charger gives it a full charge in about 1hr.

If you luck up on them at that price, you could easily afford 3 (maybe 6-6AH, or 9-9AH for a nice 72v system). I do not know what the discharge rate is for these, but they do run power tools. There is a button on each of the batteries that allows you to check the charge levels at any time.

 

[darwin]

Theres noway in heck a bizz can offer a lifetime warranty on batteries and stay in business and be legit. I smell a scam!

 

[Email]

Theres noway in heck a bizz can offer a lifetime warranty on batteries and stay in business and be legit. I smell a scam!

Nope, it's not a scam. Ridgid does this for all their power tools, corded & cordless. Ridgid is to Home Depot, what Craftsman is to Kmart / Sears - though Craftsman does not offer this kind of lifetime replacement on their power tools or batteries. This was Ridgid's one-up-manship of the tool business a few years ago, and they have stayed to the letter of their warranty - 90 day replacement without registering & lifetime replacement with registering. I kept that locked away in the back of my mind and when I realized that some folks were building their battery setups out of DeWalt battery packs I thought how silly, cause if you're spending any money on them at least get the ones with a lifetime replacement warranty.

I bought my "corded" drill cause I wanted the extra power that only a cord could provide, but was real close to getting their cordless (was about 2 years ago). The registration process for my drill only took me a few minutes. It only costs a few minutes of time to fill out, plus you have to send in info via snail mail.

I have yet to start on my electric bike, but I have decided that electric is the best way for me (less than 7 miles from work). In the long run, I would like to do an electric recumbent with a shell (so I could ride it 5 days a week). I want to go with the ridgid battery packs (for the lifetime replacement warranty), and build the battery pack array so I can easily remove it (perhaps wheels and a handle), and plug it in when I arrive at work. The recumbent would be too big and bothersome to bring in (unlike an electric bike, which would be a good alternative - and probably what I start out with in the short term). I would like to experiment with a slip gear chain setup (distant future) where the chain is held in place and gears are changed by moving the front or back gear side to side (this permits a wider selection of gears). Anyways, I'm going to dream and plot and plan on these boards, and eventually spend some money towards it. I'm not stingy and want to share the best ideas (and lifetime replacement of batteries is one of them).

LOL - next thing you know people will be building electric bikes using Ridgid cordless tools (like a cordless saw with a gear versus blade). Though I'm leaning heavily towards the crystalyte hubs since it's more stealty (and I live in a backwards state that does not believe in assist motors for bicycles).

 

[acronn]

Read the fine print on the guarantee. I bet it says if the battery is used in any way not for it's intended use, there is no guarantee.

As far as backwards states, isn't there a Federal law about electric bikes? I'm no expert but if there is a Federal law then that is above the state law.

I've decided to use the heavy, bulky Sealed Lead Acid batteries, got 3 at 51 bucks each
12v 22 AMP and they are not that large, so I can make a wiring harness and test them at 24 volts and also 36 volt. Got them from Batterystuff.com . . They will last a long time, but not as long as the much more expensive types.