Cordless tools — help or hype?
By: Jennifer Hart - April 16th, 2007
If, like me, you’re a bit of a tool junkie, you will have noticed a plethora of cordless tools lining the shelves these days — everything from the common cordless drill to such exotics as cordless routers, reciprocating saws and brad nailers.
This has to be a good thing right? Well on the whole, yes. It’s good not to have a cord to worry about tripping over, or to have to wander around trying to find an outlet or extension cord. But buyers should beware — not all cordless tools are created equal.
As I mentioned in my cordless drill article, an electric corded tool will always outperform a battery operated tool in terms of raw power. But times are changing.
When cordless tools first appeared on the market a couple of decades ago, they were small in terms of size and battery power, typically 9.6 volts. Consumers, both homeowners and professionals, liked them. And I mean really liked them.
But these tools were gutless. They did not have much power and had fairly short run times (the length of time the tool will run effectively on the battery charge before requiring recharging). Tool manufacturers realized, however, that they were definitely on to something good and they responded.
In the race to provide bigger and better tools, especially for the professionals who had money to spend for this new cordless technology, they kept making more powerful tools in terms of battery size, finally topping out at a whopping 36-volt tool.
That’s absolutely ridiculous. I don’t care if you’re Mike Holmes with all his muscles, toting around a 36-volt tool for any length of time is a surefire recipe for tendonitis.
At this point, the tool manufactures let out a collective “oops” and went to back to their drawing boards. What is now emerging on the market is a new generation of batteries called lithium ion. What this new technology means to you and I is more power and a longer run time in a significantly smaller battery.
Is this a good thing? Oh yeah, baby — especially where women are concerned. As I’ve always said, when it comes to woodworking or home repairs the only difference between men and women is strength. I would be the first to admit when I use my cordless 12-volt drill for more than a few hours at a time, my arm starts to ache. So if the tool manufacturers can present me with a cordless tool that will give me the same amount of power with a longer run time and a noticeably lighter weight overall, I’m going to buy it.
Batteries, especially rechargeable, are becoming the way of the future. You now see them in everything from cameras to cars. The technology is still very new but seems to be growing in leaps and bounds daily.
My advice would be to hold out for the lithium ion battery version of your favourite tool and buy the best you can afford.
favorited this one, dude