Can Leaf Blower Batteries Be Interchanged? What Fits Which Brand

Leaf blower batteries swap freely inside one brand’s battery system. Between brands they do not swap unless the maker approves the pairing, and across voltage lines only where the pack was built for it, as with DeWalt’s FLEXVOLT. According to EGO, every EGO pack fits every EGO tool, while Ryobi sells its 18V and 40V packs as separate systems.

I run my pruning saw, hedge trimmer and blower from one battery platform on the farm. Below you will find a table of what fits what, notes from each maker, the reason voltage alone does not decide, and what makers say about adapters.

Can Leaf Blower Batteries Be Interchanged? The Short Answer

Packs and tools swap inside one battery system, and the maker lists a few size and generation limits. Any pack of a system fits the tools of that system unless the maker names a limit, such as a pack too tall for a bay or a tool from an older generation. Packs of one system mostly differ in amp-hours (Ah, the capacity of the pack). A pack from another brand does not belong in the tool, and the one workaround, a cross-brand adapter, takes the pack outside the system its maker built it for.

Three rules cover almost every case:

• Match the system name. The pack and the tool must belong to the same system, such as EGO 56V, Ryobi 40V, Greenworks 60V or Makita LXT, or the maker must list the pairing, as DeWalt does for FLEXVOLT.
• Match the charger family. Charge a pack only on a charger made for its system, even when another plug clicks in.
• Let the tool’s manual decide. The manual and the maker’s pack page say what fits, and the number on the badge does not.

The voltage on the badge does not decide the fit. A DeWalt 20V MAX pack and a Ryobi 18V ONE+ pack both run at about 18 volts in use, yet they belong to different systems and do not fit each other’s tools. A leaf blower battery follows the same rule as the pack in a drill, so the packs you already own are the first place to look when you shop for a blower. On the farm one rule has not failed me: if the system names do not match, the pack stays on the shelf.

Which Leaf Blower Batteries Fit Which Tools

The table covers six brands that leaf blower buyers meet most often, with the battery system or systems each one runs. The last column restates what each maker says.

A brand name alone does not tell you the system, because one brand can own several: Ryobi sells 18V ONE+ and 40V, Greenworks sells four voltage lines and Makita sells LXT and XGT. The maker’s own pack page settles any listing that says a pack fits.

Brand-by-Brand Notes From the Makers

The rule holds for every maker below, and each one adds a twist of its own: a second voltage line, a pack that spans two tool voltages, a tool that needs two packs, or a charger that takes only its own pack.

EGO Uses One Pack for Every Tool

EGO runs a single 56V system, so there is no second voltage line to trip over. According to EGO, whichever 56V pack you choose will fit any EGO tool, and any EGO charger fits any EGO pack, with the rapid charger simply charging faster.

The limit is the brand line itself, since EGO makes no statement about other brands’ tools. I rate a one-voltage platform as the easiest to live with, because the question of fit never comes up.

Are Ryobi 18V and 40V Batteries Interchangeable?

Ryobi 18V and 40V batteries are not interchangeable, because Ryobi sells them as different battery systems. A Ryobi leaf blower battery is either an 18V ONE+ pack or a 40V pack, and the label on the tool says which. The 40V HP tools run on the same 40V packs.

The dual-platform charger charges both kinds of pack, which can look like compatibility. It is a charger and not an adapter, so a 40V pack will not run an 18V tool.

Greenworks Keeps Four Voltage Lines Apart

Greenworks makes 24V, 40V, 60V and 80V lines. According to Greenworks, a battery from one 40V tool can power another 40V tool, but an 80V or 24V battery cannot go into a 40V tool, and the difference between batteries of one voltage is the amp-hour rating. Each line has its own designated chargers.

DeWalt FLEXVOLT Spans Two Tool Voltages

A DeWalt leaf blower battery comes from one of two families: 20V MAX packs or FLEXVOLT 20V/60V packs. According to DeWalt, a FLEXVOLT pack switches voltage automatically when you change tools, so one pack runs both 60V MAX tools and 20V MAX tools.

The limit is the pairing. DeWalt pairs its 60V MAX tools with FLEXVOLT packs, so a FLEXVOLT pack is the one to buy for a 60V MAX tool, and I read 20V MAX and 60V MAX as product names and not as voltages that add up.

Milwaukee Is M18 Only, and a Dual-Battery Blower Needs Two

According to Milwaukee, all M18 batteries are compatible with M18 tools and chargers, and M12 batteries belong to the separate M12 system. The M18 FUEL dual battery blower 2824-20 needs two M18 packs to run, and Milwaukee says it is optimized for M18 REDLITHIUM HIGH OUTPUT batteries.

When I plan the batteries for a dual-battery blower, I count two packs before I count the tool.

Makita Runs Two Systems, LXT and XGT

Makita runs 18V LXT and 40V max XGT. According to Makita, LXT batteries are compatible only with LXT products, including the 36V (18V X2) tools that take two LXT packs. XGT batteries are fully compatible with XGT products, including the 80V (40V max X2) tools that take two XGT packs.

The ADP10 adapter is for charging only: according to Makita, it lets a 40V max XGT charger charge 18V LXT batteries, and LXT packs still stay out of XGT tools.

Kobalt, Husqvarna and Stihl

Kobalt sells its packs by voltage line, and its manuals tie each pack to a charger. The manual for its 40V Max 5 Ah pack says to use it only with the Kobalt 40V charger, model KRC 60-06, and that another charger may present a risk of fire or explosion.

Husqvarna lists the machines each pack fits. The page for its BLi30 36V pack names the 340iBT and 350iB blowers among them, so the list decides, and you should check it for your exact model before you buy a second pack.

Stihl keeps its AK and ALLPRO systems apart. According to Stihl, an AK battery only fits an AK power tool, and the AK and ALLPRO systems are not compatible with each other. A Stihl leaf blower battery therefore depends on the system of the tool.

Stihl says ALLPRO packs fit its AP tools and third-party power tools that Stihl has approved, which is a list Stihl controls and not an adapter you add yourself. Its AL 101 charger takes AK, AP and ALLPRO packs, so a charger can fit a pack that a tool will not. I check the charger and the tool as two separate questions.

Why the Same Voltage Does Not Mean the Same Fit

Three things decide a fit: the voltage label, the shape of the bay and the electronics. The voltage label is the weakest of the three.

The badge is a sales label. DeWalt’s own footnote says the 20V MAX, 60V MAX and 120V MAX figures are the maximum voltage with no load, and that the nominal voltages, the ones the packs run at, are 18, 54 and 108.

The pack and the bay are also shaped per system, and a pack can be too tall for a bay even inside one brand. Beyond the shape, the pack and the tool also work together through electronics.

A lithium-ion cell fails badly in one main way, thermal runaway, the primary failure mechanism of these batteries and one that can end in a fire (1). It is a chain of heat-producing reactions that drives the temperature inside the cell up sharply (2). Fires and explosions involving lithium-ion batteries occur frequently worldwide, and some have led to product recalls (3).

The makers describe the electronics themselves. EGO says its cells are continuously controlled by software and microprocessors inside the battery and by the tool’s intelligent power management. Makita says its packs carry internal electronic circuitry that monitors the battery while it works with Makita tools and chargers.

That exchange is what a matching voltage cannot give you. A pack and a tool from one system were built to work with each other, and a pack from another brand was not.

Old and New Batteries Inside One Brand

Inside a brand, the age of a pack matters less than its system name, but a few exceptions are easy to miss.

• EGO: according to EGO, all EGO batteries are compatible with all EGO tools, and the page for a discontinued 4.0 Ah pack still says it fits all EGO outdoor power equipment.
• Ryobi ONE+: according to Ryobi, the platform began in 1996, and the lithium-ion packs that arrived in 2007 stayed fully compatible with it.
• Makita: according to Makita, its BL1840B 4.0 Ah pack is compatible only with tools that carry the Star symbol or a yellow battery receiver, so that pack will not run an older tool that has neither.
• Greenworks: according to Greenworks, its 80V 20-inch snow thrower models made before September 2017 can use only 2.0 Ah or 2.5 Ah batteries.

Before I buy a spare pack for a tool that is more than a few years old, I read the pack’s page for a note about older tools.

Are DeWalt 18V and 20V Batteries Interchangeable?

DeWalt bridges its 20V MAX packs into its older 18V tools with one adapter, the DCA1820, which DeWalt makes. According to DeWalt, the adapter allows 20V MAX batteries in most 18V DeWalt tools, requires a 20V MAX charger, works only with the listed XR packs from 1.5 Ah to 5.0 Ah and will not work with FLEXVOLT batteries.

It is the one adapter in this article that comes from the tool maker, and it links two DeWalt generations in one direction.

Battery Adapters and Third-Party Packs, and What Makers Say

A battery adapter for power tools lets one brand’s pack sit in another brand’s tool. The appeal is plain: a pack you already own runs a tool you have no pack for, and some tools do turn that way. I do not use adapters on the farm and I do not recommend them.

A tool that turns shows only that the terminals touch. It does not show that the pack and the tool can still exchange the information their electronics were built for. Here is what the makers say, each within its own scope:

• Makita: its FAQ answers a question about knock-off packs, not adapters. Makita says knock-off or altered batteries may defeat the electronic communication between battery and charger and between battery and tool, which voids the warranty on the tool and charger and the UL or CSA approval of the tool, and adds a risk of fire damage and unknown tool performance.
• Milwaukee: users should not use third party batteries or chargers, and authentic M18 batteries must be charged on Milwaukee M18 chargers.
• DeWalt: its commercial warranty excludes damage from the installation or use of any accessory or part not approved by DeWalt for use with the product.
• EGO and Kobalt: EGO’s charger manual says a charger suited to one type of battery pack may create a risk of fire when used with another pack. Kobalt’s manual for its 40V Max pack says another charger may present a risk of fire or explosion.

Neither Milwaukee nor DeWalt mentions adapters in those statements, and neither says one is safe to use. EGO’s warranty policy has no clause about non-EGO batteries or adapters, which is not the same as approval.

Lab work on cells shows what deep discharge does inside one. Researchers deliberately drained large lithium-ion cells far below empty, much deeper than normal use, and found that copper dissolved inside the cell and caused an internal short circuit (4). That is a lab result on cells, and it does not say how a tool’s protection circuit or an adapter behaves. OSHA’s safety bulletin on lithium batteries gives the practical rule that fits all of this: follow the manufacturer’s instructions for storage, use, charging and maintenance (5).

Are DeWalt and Milwaukee Batteries Interchangeable?

DeWalt and Milwaukee batteries are not interchangeable, because each maker builds its packs for its own tools and chargers. Milwaukee tells users not to use third party batteries or chargers, and its M18 packs are meant for M18 tools. DeWalt’s DCA1820 adapter bridges two DeWalt generations and has nothing to do with Milwaukee.

The better route is to buy the maker’s own pack, or a bare tool on the platform you already own. A saved pack is not worth a damaged tool, and that is why I rely on the maker’s own packs.

Using a Blower Battery in Your Other Cordless Tools

A blower pack fits the other tools of its system in almost every case, because the platform sets the fit and the type of tool does not. According to EGO, whichever 56V pack you choose will fit any EGO tool, and Ryobi counts over 85 products on its 40V line.

The real exceptions come from the tool and not from the voltage. A pack can be too tall for a bay: according to Greenworks, its 60V 8.0 Ah pack does not fit dual-port lawn mowers, pressure washers or the wet/dry vacuum. A dual-battery blower runs only with two packs, and Makita’s X2 tools take two LXT or two XGT packs.

On the farm, the pruning saw, the pole saw and the hedge trimmer work from January to March, and the blower works from late October to mid-November. When they share a platform, the same packs cover both seasons, which is why I chose one platform for the farm.

A shed with two platforms invites mistakes. I put a strip of tape on every pack and every tool of a system, one color per system, and I keep each charger with its packs.

Before You Buy a Spare Battery or a Bare Tool

Read three labels before you pay for a pack or a bare tool:

• The system name on the pack and on the tool.
• The pack list in the tool’s manual.
• The charger family that goes with the pack.

Keep one pack set and one charger per platform in the shed, and keep the pack list from each tool’s manual next to the charger, as I do, so the check takes a minute. The leaf blower guides on this site cover the blowers themselves. For interchanging leaf blower batteries, the safe move is to buy within the platform you already own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Ryobi batteries interchangeable?

Ryobi batteries are interchangeable inside one system: 18V ONE+ packs fit ONE+ tools, and 40V packs, HP included, fit 40V tools. They are not interchangeable between the two systems, and Ryobi’s dual-platform charger charges both kinds of pack without making a 40V pack run an 18V tool.

Are DeWalt batteries interchangeable?

DeWalt batteries are interchangeable across its 20V MAX tools, and FLEXVOLT 20V/60V packs also run its 60V MAX tools. DeWalt’s own DCA1820 adapter lets 20V MAX packs run in most of its older 18V tools, but it does not work with FLEXVOLT packs.

Are Greenworks batteries interchangeable?

Greenworks batteries are interchangeable with tools of the same voltage platform only, according to Greenworks. A 40V pack fits Greenworks 40V tools across amp-hour sizes, apart from the few older tools Greenworks lists as exceptions, while a 24V or 80V pack does not fit a 40V tool.

Are EGO batteries interchangeable with other brands?

EGO batteries are not interchangeable with other brands, since EGO says all EGO batteries fit all EGO tools and makes no statement about any other brand’s. EGO’s charger manual adds that a charger suited to one type of pack may create a risk of fire when used with another.

Are power tool batteries interchangeable?

Power tool batteries are interchangeable only inside one maker’s battery system and not between brands. Milwaukee tells users not to use third party batteries or chargers, and Makita says non-genuine batteries void its warranty on the tool and charger. Check the system name on the label before you buy.

References

1. Dai Y, Panahi A. Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review. Next Energy. 2025;6:100186.
2. Shahid S, Agelin-Chaab M. A review of thermal runaway prevention and mitigation strategies for lithium-ion batteries. Energy Convers Manag X. 2022;16:100310.
3. Liu K, Liu Y, Lin D, Pei A, Cui Y. Materials for lithium-ion battery safety. Sci Adv. 2018;4(6):eaas9820.
4. Guo R, Lu L, Ouyang M, Feng X. Mechanism of the entire overdischarge process and overdischarge-induced internal short circuit in lithium-ion batteries. Sci Rep. 2016;6:30248.
5. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Preventing Fire and/or Explosion Injury from Small and Wearable Lithium Battery Powered Devices. Safety and Health Information Bulletin SHIB 06-20-2019. US Department of Labor; 2019.

Safety Note: Leaf blowers throw debris and can damage your hearing. Wear eye and ear protection, read the manufacturer’s manual, and check your local rules on noise and operating hours.