24V 5000mAh Electric Shears Replacement Battery Ni-MH

My electric pruning shears cut fine for the first few branches then slow down and feel weak — is that the battery dying or the tool?

That's voltage sag under load, and it's the most common symptom when a Ni-MH pack has degraded cells — one or two cells in the series string drop out early under the current spike of each cut. The shears themselves rarely cause this pattern; a failing motor draws more current and usually trips a fault rather than slowing gradually. Swap the battery after a full charge cycle and watch whether the weakness starts earlier or later in the session — if it starts at the same point regardless of charge level, you likely have a weak cell rather than a charger problem. Check resting voltage after a full charge: a healthy 24V Ni-MH pack should read at least 28V off the charger before load.

I left my pruning shears battery in the garage all winter and now the charger just blinks and won't complete a charge — what's wrong?

Ni-MH cells that sit discharged for months can drop below the threshold the charger uses to detect a valid pack, which causes it to reject or fault rather than charge. This is called voltage depression, and it's reversible if the cells haven't been sitting fully dead for more than a few months. Try a slow "recovery" charge if your charger has one, or apply a brief trickle from a compatible Ni-MH charger at a low rate to bring the pack voltage up above 20V — at that point most chargers will recognize the pack and begin a normal cycle. If the pack won't hold above 20V after 30 minutes of trickle, the cells have sulfated past recovery and the pack needs replacing.

My new replacement battery for my INFACO or BAHCO shears gets hot really fast during use — is that normal or a problem?

Ni-MH chemistry runs warmer than lithium, so mild warmth during heavy cutting sessions is expected — but if the pack is hot to the touch within the first few cuts, that points to an internal resistance problem, either a mismatched cell or a connection issue between the replacement pack and the tool's discharge circuit. We've seen this on bench when a pack's internal resistance exceeds 150–200 milliohms across the full string, which forces excess heat even at moderate draw. Check that the contact terminals on both the battery and the tool are clean and making full contact — oxidized or bent terminals create resistance that shows up as heat. If the pack is hot and the shears are also losing power faster than expected, measure pack voltage under load: a healthy 24V pack should stay above 22V while cutting.