I use the Bosch 18 volt stuff – very happy with it overall. But have to admit to being envious of all the tool choices that Dewalt offers.
So I see this slick little handheld wet-dry vac that they offer at Lowes, with an XRP battery and charger for $99. Wishing to myself that Bosch made something like that for when you are just drilling a few holes or installing some anchors, etc., and don’t want to bring in the corded vac.
So I bought it thinking I’d see if there was any way to convert it to use with my Bosch batteries… it became clear from the start that I’d have to commit – so I decided I’d give it a try and it ended up working out very well IMO – it’s something I’ll now use on just about every job for quick cleanup.
Had to open up the battery “hole” a bit and more importantly make a new battery contact plate because the Dewalt’s battery tabs are oriented the reverse of the Bosch’s.
The battery could not sit flush with the vac so I attached a tapered cleat to the vac that interfaces with the groove on the battery and that keeps it from rotating. Then I attached tiny bungie straps to the body of the vac and those hold the battery on very secure.
May seem like a lot of work, but I really didn’t want to start using diff kinds of batteries and this modification will last forever and be durable and dependable and I’ve got the new battery and charger listed on CL for $75 – so maybe the vac will end up costing me $25-45 total plus my time, but it was a challenge for me to figure out and I enjoy that kind of stuff.
Anyone want a yellow and black battery and charger…..?
Julian
Replies
You sir, are completely insane and should be destroyed.
http://grantlogan.net/
I may just have too much time on my hands, but I will be using this vac every day so it was time well spent.At least I'm not painting it blue...JT
Gonna paint it pink, are you ?Not........ that there's anything wrong with that...;o)
A man, convinced against his will... Is of his own opinion, still. ~Anne McCaffrey
What effect does it have on Chrome?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
It won't suck the chrome of your trailer ball, and I haven't tried it on anything else "non-traditional" items...JT
Thats good, there is little if any, use for used chrome.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I think you should paint it that nice Festool green.
Doug
I love it. We would all be better off with one size fits all, like standard D-cell batteries. Instead the tool manufacturers have gone out of their way to insure that batteries can’t cross platforms. While it will always be awkward to adapt a Bosch battery to a Dewalt tool, some wily person should be able to buy a nice shack in the woods by selling cross-platform adapters for chargers.
You should try out for the next season of Monster Garage! That is some serious jury rigging there. Hey, It works, right?