Hi,
I got the opportunity to buy 100 new Sanyo N-1700SCR NiCd Sub-C cells for a very good price (50 Euros including shipping = 60 dollars.)
They are all new and unused, but they were produced in January 1994.
So could it be that they are still like new or are they just trash after lying around for 24 years?
I want to use them for cordless drill battery packs for myself and family members.
Hmm, I am quite skeptical whether those cells will be any good after that much time.
Your best bet would be to get a sample of them (let’s say 5) and test their actual capacity.
Usually NiCd has a maximum life span of around 20 years.
Either way, most modern tools have moved away from NiCd batteries.
Li-Ion has been the industry standard for a while, so you should look at that direction for making your battery packs.
Can I also sell you my trash?
Thank you for reply. The seller only wants to sell them all at once. The voltage of each cell is 0,5-0,6V. He does not have the equipment to charge and test them.
I know that most devices use Lithium Ion batteries nowadays, but we have some old Makita NiCd drills, which are still very good. Only the batteries are weak after charging them hundreds of times the last 20 years.
I would advise you to stay away from the cells. It’s a good thing that you asked before deciding to buy them.
The seller is just trying to get rid of his junk stock.
You’d better of investing the 60 dollars in a brand new drill.
With the cells I could refresh 6x 15cell Makita packs for 5 drills in our family.
But maybe just too high risk…
Thx
Don't be so pessimist ..., few months ago I found some 12Volts batteries ( 10 pcs of type "C" , in series) ,that I forgot about ,harvested from some emergency fluorescent lights for service boats and oil tankers... Never recharged , made in 1993 (!!!) , so 23-24 years old , and guess what .., they are still able to lit the 8Watts fluo tube.!!! Measured , 10.05 V...!
I do think that with some proper charge and discharge cicles ( NiCd specific ones) ,you'll be able to restore some of them ,so not all the money you spent will be lost.
Just check how NiCd should be charged and refreshed , get a charger that can do that , and proceed..., you have nothing to lose...
Bilakos10's advice is also very good !
I have a charger that cycles and refreshes 1-30 NiCd and NiMh cells at once till no more capacity gain is detected, thats not the problem. Also i know Sanyo as one of the best manufacturer for rechargeables.
I will try to push the price down and ask my family members. The price is devided by 3.
i recently got some from 99 that are still over marked capacity.
they are 1800’s and all are over 1900 with ir of around 7mohm.
those are probably still fine.not perfect but still better than whatever came in your packs new.
i went through over 400 cells and not one dud.
those cells in your pic were very popular in rc race packs.
Chances are they’ll still be usable, but the price is rather steep, I think. I was buying sub-C NiCd cells (with tabs) for a buk each, probably around that year. 
Even “dead” cells can be rejuvenated. I went into that in a different thread here… somewhere.
Up to you, but I’d ask about a guarantee.
We just bought them for 45€… 15€ each person.
Well done ,45 cents a piece...Good luck , but I'm pretty sure that most of them will be usable !...
Thx
Will report the next days
Two days ago I received the cells, all looked fine… no corrosion or signs of leaking. All had a voltage of 0,5-0,6V. The date code is YA, this really is 01/1994. I randomly picked 10 cells out of the 100 and charged them with 200mA for 14 hours.
The first discharge at 1A gave me 1354-1387mAh. After three more cycles with 2A charging and 2A discharging the 10 cells had 1663-1681mAh… Nice! Even 10A discharging is no problem and I get around 1500mAh, cut off is 0,8V. I think they will even do more, because the voltage is very good and then rapidly goes down in the end, but my charger can’t do more amps.
I rebuilt three 15cell battery packs with these cells, charged and discharged them like the single cells and each pack had ~1650mAh too, all with same voltage behaviour. There is no weak cell till now and I think the remaining 45 cells will be fine too.
I tested the packs in my cordless drill and can’t remember it ever had so much power!
So all in all this was a very good deal for me. Thank you all for the answers
The other 45 cells are in best condition too!
Incredible quality
i am not surprised.