Does anyone use any of the third party batteries for DeWalt cordless tools? The last two batteries I bought, 18v XRPs (both in FEB13) have just now both pretty much failed and are good for about 5 minutes after a charge. Interestingly one of the original batteries that came with one of my tools is still going strong and is two years older.
I use the tools a decent bit, so maybe I'm griping about a lifespan that's perfectly reasonable, but I was thinking of trying some of the cheaper third party batteries and wondered if anyone has had luck with them.
Additionally, we may have had this conversation before, but is it safe to use the L-ion batteries in tools that were sold with the NiCads? That might be another route I'd take, even for the extra expense.