An obvious reaction to ALDIs catalogue sale next week :) A great buy so get in quick as they usually sell out fast!
Any questions on Ozito PowerXChange gear please ask as I have most of the range, use it for serious work most weekends and I'm happy to give honest opinions as most of it is excellent yet some tools are just 'so-so'.
Yeah, sorry… typing too fast :) Fixed now!
Good find, was looking for 3Ah for $35 yesterday, none left. 4Ah was $69, 5.2Ah $99
Yeah, I want to buy more but have several already… all purchased in previous sales for this price or less as they have been as low as $30 in previous ALDI price-match sales. Be careful with the 5.2Ah battery though… I have one and I'm not convinced it's as good as it's cracked up to be but need to test it more to know for sure. Far far faaaar better off grabbing 2x 4Ah Batteries and save $20 IMO.
@SteveAndBelle: which mower is the better one?
This is too narrow and looks flimsy but enough for my need, https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-18v-brushle…
This could be better value if you buy 4 Ah *2 + double changer separately, cost ~$15 less. How the quality compares with other brands? https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-2-x-18v-bru…
@Jamesx: I have the Steel Deck mower and although it's an absolute BEAST with loads of power, loads of stamina (runs fine on two but you can put FOUR batteries in if required!) and sits like a tank on the ground I find that it can't trim low enough for my needs. I assume it'll work really well once we get our yard turfed and landscaped and everything's flat, level & even but yeah it can't seem to be adjusted low enough to pickup sticks & leaves and other things when the ground is uneven. No problem with other mowers I've owned, even the eGo did a better job so it's definitely a limitation with this one. Again, should be fine on a normal lawn.
@Maverick-au: Yep and it was excellent apart from it being a little too 'long' making it difficult to manoeuvre around my small yard. Got rid of it and the line trimmer when the 4Ah battery started losing stamina as I wanted to get as much as I could for it all to then put towards the Ozito replacements. I bought the EGO gear before I started building the Ozito collection but decided to stick with an 'all Ozito' eco system so as soon as the EGO battery started to get low that was good enough for me ;) Got very good money for it too and the local buyer wasn't too fussed that the battery was on its way out so win-win for all. They were excellent units though! Pity the replacement battery cost about as much as the high-end Ozito mower and trimmer put together :(
@SteveAndBelle: Butting in - I had an Ego mower too and sold it after a couple of months.
It was very heavy (Ryobi much lighter), very long none cutting area at the front and lack of height adjustability.
I'm sure a large yard, without many tricky / tight corners and where you don't care if the grass is a bit longer it would be fine.
I discovered based on trying my mates Ryobi 36V, The Ego and an Ozito (don't ask me which one) that while battery mowers are very convenient they all seem to not have enough height adjustment and lack in power, such that they don't hoover up leaves, sticks and so on.
My theory on why battery mowers don't cut low enough is that they all have low skirts around the edges to try to improve the suction effect, limiting the height adjust, whereas a petrol mower (which I have gone back to) have many times the power output (ie power to waste) so they can deal with a big gap around the skirt.
I did consider the steel decked 72V which seemed like it would have more power and had 7 or 8 height adjust levels but it was very heavy and expensive.
Cheers
@Jamesx: I bought the bigger model that looks like your first link ($399 bundled with two 4ah batteries). I was not too impressed. As luck would have it, a small plastic thing broke quickly and they refunded the whole package.
I then bought your second link. It's heavier of course, but much much better. Compared to the one you linked, it would be night and day. Buying it now in combination with the battery sale would be a great purchase.
However, if you are saying that the first one is enough for your needs, you might want to consider what your needs are. Because they are very different mowers. If you have a 20 square metre courtyard, the first one is probably fine. Weights nothing. If you need a mower that behaves like an actual petrol mower though, I'd definitely get the second one.
Edit: as mentioned, the only flaw is that it cuts quite high, and the metal guard sits low. Not a huge problem for me, but I can see how it's a potential hassle for some.
@fruxo: We have owned the $399 2 batteries mower mentioned since release and it has been great on our ~690m block, the grass is kept reasonably short and it does the whole place in a single charge. The wife does the mowing and she loves it.
@geebee: Each to their own :) It was very light and handy, it was just a bit too flimsy for me (and it took forever to cut with). It's already much bigger and better than the one James linked though.
@Jamesx: We got the steel deck just before Christmas, and as SteveandBelle says, it's a brute.
It's been fairly dry here, so it hasn't been working hard on the lawns, but I've been doing bulk pruning of gum trees around our block, and I use it as a mulcher on the leaves and twigs - half a charge makes around 50-100 l of high grade mulch!
3.0Ah with fast charger same price too
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-18v-3-0ah-b…
prove that the charger is just one hours worth
I'd prefer that but no stock anywhere near me. thanks anyway.
plenty of ozbargainer's snapping up and chucking them on ebay…
What Aldi catalogue sale?
O wow thanks mate! Appreciate it. Need some of those tools lol.
are these the ones with the 18650 cells everyone harvests for other things? or is that the aldi one?
Either or. They both contain 10x 18650 cells but the ALDI has actual Samsungs. I've done both however many people comment here that you can find equally decent loose cells on eBay for about the same cost and without the need to disassemble anything to get them. Maybe someone in the know can post a link?
Here's pic of me disassembling an ALDI pack and the finished products after only about 5mins of limited effort. The Ozito pack (& many others) are basically the same but it's best to try to get brand name cells so maybe just stick with the ALDI as I'm pretty sure they still use Samsungs… but I'm not 100% sure as that was a while ago.
Great explanation. Thanks for your hard work!
Sadly this kinda stuff is enjoyable to me :) Yeah I know, I know!
@SteveAndBelle: Sadly? Nah, be proud!
I might be doing something similar sometime this year to make an eBike battery.
@banana365: Yep, been there done that a few years ago… but I used RC LiPo packs from HobbyKing instead as they provided better energy density to create the smallest size pack I could build and were SO cheap at only about $6 per 2S pack. I had seven packs in series packed in a box only about the size of a stack of 4x DVDs and it was amazing… but the big problem was charging. Had to buy a VERY expensive 14S charger (approx. $400) to ensure they charged properly as they didn't have their own BMSs but all in all the final product was amazing. Only ended up using the finished bike for a couple of months then went pure pedal power and haven't looked back for the last 3 years. Was fun to build and ride but very expensive and I really didn't end up needing it anyway. So, do you really need an eBike? Some do for many different reasons but have a hard think before going down that route as a basic & inexpensive self-powered bike may be all you need.
@SteveAndBelle: The cost is a major factor against them, but it's for my wife who has a dodgy knee and hasn't been able to keep up with the rest of us on family rides (5km is the absolute max she can handle and that's at a very gentle pace). She tried an eBike a few weeks ago on a school camp she helped with and was almost in tears when she realised she was able to keep up with everyone. I won loads of points when I brought in an unused eBike wheel (bought from a deal on here a few years ago for a project that went nowhere) from the shed. All I need now is the battery.
Neat. How did you remove the soldered plates? That's a very clean removal
Thanks :) They just cleanly snapped off their spot welds when gently tugged with pliers then I think I may have used some flush cut wire cutters to clean up any remaining burrs but don't remember there being too many anyway so it was pretty quick & easy.
Pardon my ignorance, but what do you use the 10x 18650 cells for?
I was lucky enough to grab a few high powered Thorfire Q8 LED torches in this deal when they were a silly low price. Each torch needed 4x 18650s so I just harvested them from the 4Ah ALDI packs when they were down at $30ea a while ago. They work perfectly too but aren't supposed to as they really need button top cells however I did end up modding the torch and cells very slightly to give a rock solid connection. I also dabble in other silly nerdy electronics so it's always handy to have decent cells laying around.
@SteveAndBelle: That's a really great torch. I got one in that deal too and use it for SES searches. Handy on cold nights too as it will keep one hand rather warm!
@SteveAndBelle: Thanks for the reply. I did a bit of Googling and found out that people are powering their homes with these things!
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/kzz7zm/diy-powerw…
@RedHab: Yep, 18650s are basically the standard cell in everything including Tesla cars, Powerwalls and the massive battery in SA as well as $5 solar lights and nearly everything else.
@pinkybrain: Yes however it's a lot of mucking around especially as you can usually get generic Laptop batteries for pretty low prices from Chinese eBay sellers. Just punch the Laptop brand & model into eBay, click 'Worldwide' then sort by price low-high and pick one of the lowest prices but from a seller with a reasonable Feedback score. I've bought many generics Laptop batteries this way for around $30-$40 in the past and they've all worked really well but don't expect them to last as long as the originals ie. they should last 3+ years versus the 4-5+ years of the original genuine battery supplied with the Laptop when new. Most of the time that's acceptable as by then the Laptop is usually 8+ years old and well out of date anyway. Oh and prepare to wait 4-6 weeks for it to arrive from China too.
@SteveAndBelle: yes I regularly buy from ebay china sellers, so 1 month wait is normal for me now..
I was interested in using aldi 18650s which are reported to be samsung batteries so they should hold the charge longer and last longer than generic batteries..
Also you get a total of 10 batteries in the 4ah model at $40 is a good deal.
In regards to the laptop batteries, how many 18650s is normally needed to power the laptop?
also how do you tell which end is +ve and -ve?
@pinkybrain: Few issues here… just because they're Samsung branded doesn't necessarily mean they'll last longer! Samsung make many different capacity 18650 cells and the ones in the ALDI packs are the lowest in the range at 2000mAh. They parallel them to make 4000mAh (aka: 4Ah). Most (not all) Laptops run at a similar voltage, around 20V so sure they're similar but I still think you'd be far better off just buying a generic pack from China. Most modern laptops now run non-removable flat Lithium packs now anyway so it all really depends on the Brand, Model & Age of your Laptop anyway. So, what have you got?
@pinkybrain: The cells in the Bunnings and the Ozito batteries are designed to be high drain, the trade off with high drain batteries is that they aren't as high a capacity as normal batteries.
As Steve and Bell said you would be better off with a generic battery, pulling apart batteries to get the cells is one thing, having to reassemble them would be a several magnitudes more difficult
@tryagain: Get some 20700 or 21700 no trade off, designed for high current and high capacity applications. Branded power tools manufacturers are moving on to these cells. A 21700 4Ah battery pack almost same size as 18650 1.5Ah pack.
@SteveAndBelle: Yep I recently replace my MSI gaming laptop battery doing exactly this and had no issues.
10 cells probably cost more than $40 even on ebay. The Aldi one is very good value to get some genuine Samsung li-ion batteries. I did the same with my Samsung laptop battery when it refused to charge. While 2 cells can't be salvaged, 4 cells are still in good condition, each showing a capacity of more than 2000mAh when fully charged.
so can we take the aldi 18650s batteries to replace the dying batteries in a laptop?
@pinkybrain: You certainly can. They just need to be soldered onto the metal connector to form a pack
Hi Steve, thx for the details. Does this batteries have the button on the positive end? Can’t tell from the photo.
Thx.
Nope. Most if not all pack cells are tabbed flat tops.
Would you be able to take some specs of the individual cells?
I'm unsure of the makeup of 18650 cells (for example, all AA/AAAs are they same) but I was looking to revive a few dead makita batteries of mine by merging the best cells out of 4 dead 3ah batteries. If the cells are the same I might buy 1 or 2 of the aldi/bunnings batteries to use in mine.
What specs are you after exactly?
@SteveAndBelle: Haha, no no no. I'll pull one of my (dead) makita batteries apart to confirm specs of those.
@SteveAndBelle: K, so I have zero idea about these 18650 cells, what dictates they're Ah seeing as I'd be using them to revive my makita 3Ah batteries (10x18650 cells).
I suppose the only part I'm uncertain of, is that 10x 18650s can make up a 4Ah battery as well as my makita 10x 18650s coming in at 3Ah.
Please educate me as I'd love to revive all of my batteries and not just salvage the best cells and end up with 1 or 2 good batteries out of the 5 that I have!
My makitas have SE US18650V, T V112WRG27M printed on them if that means anything. A little google tells me they are 1600mAh batteries.
My own assumption would be if I take all 10 cells out of the aldi/bunnings batteries, could I effectively turn my makita batteries into 4Ah batteries? A much cheaper option than buying new 3 or 4Ah makita batteries anyway.
@db87: So each Makita pack contains 10x 18650s, correct? If so they're probably just 1500mAh cells instead of 2000mAh as per in the ALDI or Bunnings pack. They will be in a series-parallel config ie. 5 cells in series to create the 20-ish volts at 2000mAh linked in parallel to the other 5 cells joined the same way which doubles the capacity to 4000mAh (or 4Ah). This means you should be able to simply replace each of the cells in the Makita pack like-for-like with the cells from the ALDI pack and job done! The new pack will be 4Ah instead of the original 3Ah which wont cause any problems but will give you more run time. Nice bonus!
NOTE: Please perform the repack at your own risk. I cannot stress that enough! If you are unsure on the basics eg. how to identify the positive end from the negative end of the cells then you may want to reconsider this project. You will also need a decent hot & powerful soldering iron for fast, one-shot soldering plus of course you will also need the metal straps/tabs to join the cells together the way they were originally. Take lots of pics and even draw a basic diagram how each cell is joined to the next before you start tearing the original pack apart as you may need to refer to these when building the new pack up. Get it wrong and you risk shorting cells out, destroying cells and/or the BMS PCB or worse injuring yourself!
@SteveAndBelle: All over that part of it! It was more the makeup of these cells as per my original comment RE the sizing of them given they also don't have any markings on them.
I pretty much answered all of my own questions along the way with each new comment! Haha
I've been sitting on these batteries for a while knowing I could salvage the good cells out of the dead batteries to make 1 or however many good batteries out of the best cells. I was just never aware of them obviously being fairly generic across the brands so now I'm thinking I'll just buy a couple of aldi batteries and do a full transplant into the spare casings I have left over!
All the gear is covered (I'm a sparky by day and tinkerer by night!).
Cheers for the help.
@db87: OK cool. Just be sure to measure the Makita cells before buying the new packs to confirm they are in fact 18650s as they may be something slightly smaller.
@SteveAndBelle: Can you measure one of your cells.
My verniers tell me the makita cells are ~65mm(L) x 18mm (diameter). Might save me destroying a $40 battery.
Pulled my first aldi battery apart the other day and can confirm they are Samsung's. 👍 For anybody that was curious to know if they had changed.
Maybe finally pickup a hammer drill.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-18v-brushle… - skin $99
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-18v-3-0ah-b… - 3aH battery with charger $39.89
Still cheaper than their kit with 1.5aH battery and charger for $159
PS: My bad. The kit has 2x1.5aH batteries
I would like to see discounted 5.2ah, id grab 2 if they were, they would go well with my 2 x 4ah and 1 x 2ah.
Things like the grinder and circular saw really need, at a minimum, the 4ah packs.
Plus I would also like to see the dual fast charger go on sale..
From my understanding - the cells are not protected (aldi ones at least) once you remove them from the battery pack.
While good cells, they are unprotected and need to be used with appropriate caution.
This is one reason why people will also search for good cells that are the protected type.
Protected cells are a good idea but they're not the be-all-end-all as most chargers and devices have protection built-in nowadays anyway. I suppose it all depends on what you plan to use the cells for but sometimes the protection circuit can limit the current output which isn't ideal in some applications. Also, please refer to my comment above regarding the 5.2Ah batteries. Still not convinced they're as good as their asking price reflects but I still need to perform more testing.
the cells are not protected (aldi ones at least) once you remove them
of course!! The "protection" must be applied to the whole battery, not the cell.
The protected cells are for use alone, e.g. in a torch, not be be soldered together into a multi-cell battery.
Though a single-cell LED torch does not really need protected cells, as the current will drop to almost zero before the cell voltage is low enough to damage it.
BTW, if you just want cheap cells, the ALDI batteries are often available discounted between catalogue appearances.
many thanks for info on the 5.2,
I also do not think they are worth the asking price..
also, I really do not know anything about batteries, just little bits that ive read, so all extra info is always appreciated..
Is the ozito multi tool good? My brother has Bosch skins and batteries so I was going to go down that track to share but might be cheaper to go ozito if you reckon they go alright.
Oh man, I LOVE the multi-tool! Probably one of the handiest tools in the entire collection and in fact I used it on Sunday to trim up some cornice but have also used it in the past to cut some hard-to-reach bolts during the demo stage and for loads of other problems that other tools just can't solve along the way. Highly recommended.
I used mine for about 6 hours straight (twice) on 2 showers to remove all the grout, worked a charm.
Just bought the multitool myself last weekend so can't comment on performance since I haven't used it for any jobs yet however it seems to be a step up in quality, speed control and quieter than my old 12V Ozito model. My only issue with the Power-X tool is that the attachment head seems to be a non-standard (smaller) size. They supply an adapter that looks like a pressed washer to adapt it to other typical tool attachments. Works fine but is another another piece to go missing and a bit fiddly when changing tool attachments.
Smaller head, really? Hmm. I assumed it was the same size as I use generic attachments on mine without any dramas. Maybe we're not talking about the same thing?
You are… The adaptor allows you to use any multitool blade… But if the adaptor goes missing you'd be in trouble
@Megahowler: Interesting! Here's a pic of mine with the original silver attachment as supplied in the kit plus some of the generic extra attachments (Craftright from memory) I've purchased since. They look different but all fit and work fine and I can't see an adaptor anywhere. I assume I'm missing something… or could it be that they've changed design and I have a newer or older model to yours? Would be good to get to the bottom of it either way.
@SteveAndBelle: Refer page 2 showing the accessory adapter (Item 13) and page 4 of the manual explaining the need to use it for 'non-Ozito multi function tool compatible accessories'. From my experience so far you need the adapter for any accessory that didn't come with the tool.
@anthonaut: Ah yes, the manual! :) Never read it but just read the section where it says "When using other non-Ozito multi function tool compatible
accessories, the accessory adapter may need to be fitted to secure correctly." I guess I've just been lucky but now know that I may need to use it in the future. Cheers Anthonaut, good info.
Do you have the newly released line trimmer? And if so thoughts on it? Thanks.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-power-x-change-2-x-18v-cor…
Yep, got mine within days of its release last December and really like it! Only a single line which I thought would cause a balance issue but it definitely doesn't and easily performed as well as the twin-line EGO lithium battery trimmer I used to have worth many times more. The plastic guard on the Ozito looks like something you'd want to remove the moment you pull it out of its box but it's perfectly OK and is needed as it holds the blade to keep the line trimmed. So yeah, very highly recommended and possibly only ever trumped if they ever decide to release the straight shaft model
Oh and something I do like about the Ozito Line Trimmer is the variable trigger so you can run it at different speeds for different tasks ie. full speed for long, thick and/or woody grass/weeds or slower for one-off things here & there as you're walking around with it.
Thanks for the excellent information. While the entry level line trimmer with the plastic blades has served me well I think it's time for a much-deserved upgrade. The straight shaft model would be ideal but no matter.
Awesome, the patience has paid off. Thanks for sharing OP.
Yeah, it's been a while hey :) You're welcome… but RUN to your local Bunnings as my three closest stores sold out on the first day last time!!
Heading there right away =)
Managed to grab two 4ah for the mower. They still had the old price tags at the store. About 6-8 at the Crossroads NSW store. Don't imagine they will last once marked as reduced.
Are they compatible with WORX PowerShare?
I don't think so… at least not without an adaptor. People can 3D print them so maybe do a Gumtree or even an eBay search.
Any recommendations for best / cheapest line trimmer / whipper snipper and Hedger. I can get by borrowing a mower during winter but current place has garden beds and hedges that this would be handy for. I was going to go into Bunnings on the weekend but if this is a good deal might order online.
Maybe look at getting the proper Line Trimmer kit(bunnings.com.au) and the Hedge Trimmer Skin(bunnings.com.au) and just use the batteries from the Line Trimmer kit for both. $318 and you've solved your immediate problem but have also given you a very good base to begin building an Ozito PowerXChange eco system with other tools when required.
Would these have enough grunt to take off wheel nuts?
the aldi impact wrench has 350nm vs ozito 215nm so i guess for wheel nuts better the aldi model.
Any opinions on the Ozito plunge router?
No sorry. It's not a PowerXChange tool, it's mains powered.
Ah, skimmed over the PowerXXhange bit, my bad! It's only a 1/4inch bit, so might splash out a little more and get a 1/2 inch.
Thanks for the reply though.
I had 3 Telstra routers plunging into the dark…
sorry not meant to troll but do we discuss batteries here?
Thanks for your post. Thoughts on the impact driver?
The Brushless model has done everything I've needed it to do!
Awesome, thanks!
Plenty left at Edwardstown (SA) just now.
Thanks for posting, OP!
sell your fast? just joking…