Everyone wants to save money, and the easiest way to lower your expenditure is to buy a battery that works in multiple tools, regardless of the brand.
Are Ryobi 40V Batteries Interchangeable With Other Brands?
Ryobi does not make interchangeable batteries. However, some of their batteries can work with other brands like Kobalt.
Most experts you consult will tell you to dismiss the idea of compatibility and interchangeability between Ryobi battery packs and other brands.
If this revelation threatens to turn you against Ryobi, other brands have the same problem. Most manufacturers don’t offer interchangeable batteries.
For example, Irwin, DeWalt, and Craftsman – all three batteries are owned by Stanley Black and Decker. And yet, all three battery packs have different styles. You can’t interchange them. The market has several cases of this ilk. Many brands come out of the same factory but are completely different.
To be clear, some 40V batteries are interchangeable. However, this is more of a coincidence than an official attempt to create interchangeable batteries. The absence of interchangeable batteries is not an accident.
Manufacturers have no interest in encouraging compatibility between brands because interchangeability kills their profits. Even if the same company owns multiple brands, they want you to buy a different battery pack for each brand.
If the same battery pack worked with multiple brands, that company would make less money. Therefore, these manufacturers do not have an incentive to make interchangeable batteries.
Even when you encounter interchangeable batteries from different brands, their manufacturers will threaten to void your warranty if you interchange their batteries because they want to discourage the practice.
It doesn’t serve their financial objectives to push you towards another brand. In that regard, it won’t do you any good to abandon Ryobi in favor of other brands. The other brands have the same limitations.
You can interchange batteries within the same brand. For instance, a Ryobi battery from one range of Ryobi tools can work with Ryobi tools from a different range.
But as you can see, interchangeability only exists because you’re still in the same brand. However, this is not a guarantee. Some Ryobi batteries can only work with particular Ryobi tools.
Age is another important consideration. That is to say, older Ryobi batteries and tools may reject newer Ryobi batteries and devices. This is hardly surprising. The company is constantly making changes to its products.
Therefore, an alteration in a new tool or battery could make it incompatible with older devices and batteries even though the brand is the same.
There is one solution to use different brands of batteries. You can use an adapter to bridge the gap between different brands. However, adapters are not universal. They typically work between two specific brands.
You must find an adapter that allows Ryobi batteries to work with the brand you have in mind. Some technicians make customized adapters for consumers, but some are so expensive that you are better off buying a new battery.
Ryobi 40V Battery Compatibility Chart
| Brand | Compatibility |
| Harts | Not Compatible |
| Greenworks | Not Compatible |
| Kobalt | Compatible |
| Atlas | Not Compatible |
Harts – Is It Compatible?
Ryobi and Hart 40V batteries look similar and have the same manufacturer. But they are unlikely to fit within one another’s tools.
Try experimenting. Slide a Ryobi 40V battery into a Hart tool. Does it fit? Do the battery’s features match the specs recommended by Hart? Is the Hart tool working?
You can swap some of these batteries and tools without causing significant damage.
Greenworks – Is It Compatible?
Interchanging Ryobi and Greenworks batteries won’t work. They are not compatible with one another. But again, that shouldn’t stop you from trying.
There is no significant drawback to experimentation of this sort so long as you don’t force the battery into a slot where it can’t fit. If the battery is too big, or if it has a physical component that won’t allow the item to enter the slot of the tool, forcing the battery into the device will damage both of them.
Kobalt – Is It Compatible?
Ryobi and Kobalt are interchangeable because they have the same owner (Lowe’s). Again, your best option is to experiment with the brands.
Atlas – Is It Compatible?
Atlas and Ryobi are not compatible unless you secure an adapter that bridges the gap between the two.
Things To Consider Before Checking Compatibility With Ryobi & Other Batteries
You can’t swap batteries randomly. Some models are simply incompatible with one another for various reasons. Try to keep the following in mind:
1). Does Voltage Matter – Are Ryobi 18V And 40 Volt Batteries Interchangeable?
You cannot interchange 18V and 40V batteries. A 40V battery will probably overwhelm an 18V tool. On the other hand, you cannot expect an 18V battery to give a 40V tool the power it needs to operate efficiently.
The voltage is a vital consideration. You cannot swap batteries with different voltages. Many laypeople ignore this factor. They think that you can swap any two batteries if they look alike. But a battery with the wrong voltage can damage your tools.
2). Does ah Matter – Are Ryobi 40V 6ah and 4ah Interchangeable?
The ah doesn’t matter. It tells you how long the battery will last. But it is not as important as the voltage. At the very least, it cannot prevent a 40V 6ah battery from interchanging with a 40V 4ah battery.
3). Does The Battery Type Matter – Can You Interchange 40V NiCad Battery with a 40V Li-Ion Battery?
The battery type is even more important than the voltage. You cannot mix battery types. A tool that uses NiCad batteries will only accept and accommodate that battery type. This is also true for chargers. You can interchange chargers if the battery type is the same. Otherwise, don’t take any unnecessary chances.
Ryobi offers batteries in every style and format you need, including Pb and NiMH.
4). Do The Shape and Size Matter?
This is probably the biggest obstacle to compatibility. You cannot interchange batteries if one of them has a different shape and size. The battery with the wrong form won’t fit the power tool you want to use, even though the voltage is the same.
If you’ve ever wondered why many batteries have different shapes and sizes, it is partly because no one expects the manufacturers to follow a particular standard.
However, manufacturers will also make a deliberate decision to give their battery packs unique designs to prevent compatibility. The goal is to protect their profits.
If their batteries have a similar shape, size, and voltage to batteries from other cheaper brands, consumers may prioritize those more inexpensive brands.
5). What Do the Manufacturers Say?
Believe it or not, the manufacturer’s opinion on this issue is important. Obviously, their documentation will discourage you from interchanging their batteries.
That is not a surprise. They would never condone interchangeability because doing so would push their customers towards their competitors. However, the manufacturer’s language matters.
If they’ve simply discouraged interchangeability, you can experiment with batteries from different brands. However, if they threaten to void your warranty, you should think twice.
Warranties are immensely useful because they provide cheap repairs and free replacements when your tools and batteries malfunction. The last thing you want is for Ryobi to reject your claim because they think your tools only malfunctioned after you inserted the wrong battery.
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