DEWALT 18V to 20V Battery Adapter Kit (DCA2203C)

Thank you Dewalt for making this adapter. This is a great adapter that allows you to use the newer 20V battery in your 18V tool. I purchased this to use on my DC725 Hammer Drill/Driver. All you do is plug this adapter into your 18V tool and insert a 20V battery into the adapter. It’s as easy as that. I was a little hesitant to purchase this at first because I read in some reviews where people had to make modifications to get it to work. One reviewer said he had to grind off some tabs (even showed a picture of the modification) to get it to engage into the tool. I didn't find this necessary for my particular application. Another reviewer said he had to grind off some of the material on the release tabs that holds the adapter into the tool (in the case of an 18V battery, these tabs hold that battery in the tool). Again, I didn't find this necessary. I do have to admit that the first time I tried to remove the adapter it didn't appear to want to release. I moved my fingers closer to the edge where the adapter meets the tool and pushed a little harder and it released. I inserted and removed the adapter five more times and now I can remove it with ease -- maybe it needed to work out some burrs leftover from the molding process. Since the Li-Ion battery/adapter combo is lighter than the Ni-Cd battery that came with my drill, the balance of the tool is a little off -- the tool is a little more top heavy, but not a lot and not enough to be annoying. The produce description says that this adapter is not compatible with all 18V tools, but it doesn't list which ones it's not compatible with. Here's what's currently listed in my instruction manual: all 18V radios, 18V nailers, DC020 or DC022 worklights, and the DCS370 Bandsaw. For the DC500 Vacuum, the DW074 and DW079 Rotary Lasers, the adapter is functional but the tool's battery door will not fully close. It also says to not use the premium Dewalt batteries in the DC970 or DC759 drills. If I had anything negative to say about this adapter, it's that I'm still trying to figure out why Dewalt angled the bottom of it. When I sit the tool down, the chuck end of the drill points up in the air about 10 degrees. Then there's the color difference. The yellow used in the battery matches the tool. The Yellow in the adapter is slightly more orange in color, so it doesn't match the tool or battery. But neither of them are deal breakers. I bought this as a kit, so I also received two batteries and a charger. The charger will charge a completely dead battery in about 90 minutes. Overall I'm very happy with this purchase.

Still use my 18v Dewalt tool set. The 18v batteries were getting harder to find and expensive for OEM. So, decided to try this adapter kit. Work great with a circular saw and the drill so far. Tools spin right up to full power again. Batteries are small and lightweight. Easy to snap in to charge or use. Great way to extend the life of some tools with a better battery source.

Review of DEWALT DCA2203C 20-Volt MAX Battery Adapter Kit for 18-Volt Tools. Have older DC759KA 18v Compact Drill Driver, still like brand new. Came with hard case for transporting/storing drill driver, charger & spare battery pack. Still today a very nice 1/2 drill driver. Was time to purchase replacement cells of the original 18V NiCads. Thought I would upgrade to this new Li-Ion package. Would work well for those who do not store or transport drill driver in hard case. 3 issues that I ran into with this conversion kit. 1. Does not cover entire bottom of old style larger NiCad packs, did not like the large open areas on bottom. 2. With conversion kit in place, although lighter, not a good balance for my Dewalt drill driver. Being smaller in design, makes drill top heavy when placing on countertop, easily tips over. Although heavier, the original NiCad design provides perfect balance when setting drill driver down with chuck facing up. Never has tipped over and is perfectly balanced. 3. All Dewalt 20v cells are actually 18v cells, so after looking at specs, nothing gained between NiCads vs the 20v cells included in this package. It is a great product if you intend to take advantage of Li-Ion cells vs NiCads. In my case, I prefer the original balance of the drill, the ability to stand driver up without a balance problem. Fortunately Dewalt still makes the original NiCads so I will return this kit and purchase the old style NiCads. Yes they are more to keep an eye on when compared to the newer Li-Ions. Trade off is the NiCads will start to delete gradually when using the drill. Thing I do not like about Li-Ion is it gives no warning when depleting unless you purchase cells with the LED indicators. Honestly, did not like the feel of this conversion kit on my DC759KA which is a 1/2" chuck, with 2 speeds of power. With good NiCads, the torque is the same as the Li-Ion cells. This kit would work well in the smaller compact 18v drill drivers. My DC759KA was made in 2005 and although called compact, is more like a full size with considerable more torque than todays smaller motor and sized Dewalts. Also purchased the 20V compact kit which is for smaller projects where a smaller lower capability unit is desired. I will still use the old full size compact for larger jobs.

I have quite a few DeWALT brand tools, both in 18v and 20v. The batteries on the 18v tools have all reached their end of life and would not hold a charge any longer, but the tools were still in great shape. I also find a lot of the 18v DeWALT tools in the RESTORE store (a Habitat for Humanity resale store like Goodwill) and will pick them up for around $5. I have purchased the adapter in the past, but I found this set, 2 batteries and the adapter, on sale for $99. I ended up purchasing 2 of these! Here is my quick pros/cons list for those looking at purchasing the set: Pros: - Price: I picked this set up on sale for $99, which is, in my opinion, a steal! The adapter alone, at Home Depot, is $38. - Extend tool life: Part of the reason I find so many 18v DeWALT tools in stores like RESTORE is due to the old battery failing and cost to replace. It is cheaper to replace the whole tool and get a new battery than it is to buy a replacement. If you already have some 20v tools, purchasing an adapter with more batteries will help to extend the usefulness of the 18v tool. I now have an impact, drill, and saw that I picked up for $5 each at the local RESTORE that I can use with this adapter and batteries. - Ease of Use: You can just lock this on a tool and slide on a battery. It unlocks just like the old 18v battery would. -Battery Charge Indicator: I really like that the batteries have the charge indicator. This is becoming more common but still nice to mention this. Cons: - Hard to unlock: This is very hard to unlock. I usually have to take the battery off to get it to come off. Maybe after some extended use, this will get easier. I have adapters on every one of my 18v tools so I do not have to fight this. - Battery Drain: My 18v tools drain the batteries. I am not sure if they did this with the 18v batteries or not, but mine ended up draining the batteries. This was not just one tool....it was all of them. Make sure and pull the batteries before leaving the tool setting for extended periods of time, or you will find the batteries drained. - Battery Charge: This may be a tool issue as well, but the 2AH batteries seem to drain faster using the old tools than using the 20v ones. I've got larger batteries to use on the saw, but I know I get more use out of the 20v tools than the 18v ones. Summary: If you have some old 18v DeWALT tools that are still working great and do not want to replace them, this is a great set for you, especially if the old tools are not being used a lot. These work great with the older tools, with a few flaws that can be overlooked once you get used to them. I use my 18v tools as backups to my new ones or for use in really nasty, rough work that I do not want to put my new tools through. If you are planning on using your tools a lot, it might be good to either purchase a 20v set instead or go ahead a buy a 4, 5, or 6 AH battery, especially for the saw. My overall opion is....if you have a set of 18v tools you want to use here and there or as backups, this is a great buy! They work great and really allow you to get the most life out of your tools. If you are needing tools that you can use often, then you may want to go ahead and purchase the new set of 20v tools. Personally, I like having both sets that I can use or if I need a second set for someone else.

It was a good deal