Which Battery Type is the Best for Cordless Tools?Shop a huge range of tools for your workshop and home. Six years ago, Tool Box Buzz ran a Best Cordless Lawn Mower Head-to-Head test of five cordless mowers, so we were really interested in how the field of manufacturers has increased and how the offerings have changed after six years. Cordless Lawn Mowers have taken over the lawn and garden section in many retail stores. Cordless Lawn Mower Head-To-Head 2020.
![]() Battery Cycle LifeCycle life is a measurement of how many times a battery can be charged before losing the ability to retain energy.For example, Li-Ion batteries in cordless tools generally have a cycle life of 300-500. The name comes from the fact that the battery remembers how much of its charge was drained before being charged and then uses the shorter charge period as its new capacity.Not all batteries suffer from the memory effect. Memory EffectThe memory effect occurs when a battery is constantly partly drained, then charged without being allowed to fully discharge. It all comes down to choosing the right tool for the job, remember that bigger is not always better. Some cordless devices require more power to run, so a cordless drill that is designed to drill through tough timber is going to need more power than a drill that is only designed to do light work.Yes, higher voltage generally means the tool is more powerful – but it also means more weight in the tool and these higher voltage tools also generally cost a lot more. This can be problematic for some battery types (not all) and can severely reduce the batteries cycle life and capacity.On the flip side, there are some battery types that should periodically be allowed to deep discharge in order to maintain a healthy battery. Deep-dischargeA deep discharge is allowing the battery to completely drain of energy through use. Some battery technologies have a much faster self-discharge rate than others.Keep in mind that a faster self-discharge rate is not always bad – if your tools are never stored away for long periods between use then you probably won’t care about the self-discharge rate at all.Self-discharge is measured in percentage of charge lost per month. Self-dischargeAfter a cordless tool battery has been charged, if the battery is not used immediately then it starts to slowly lose its charge. They can be recharged many times (high cycle life)Before we go into too much detail, let’s take a quick visual look at the difference between the 4 main battery types.We often get asked which batteries are better or which type is better.Well we have tried to make it simple to compare the different battery types with this handy image below.Maybe – but it does give us a few important insights into the battery types. They provide a lot of power from a small battery (high energy density) Li-Ion have become the go-to battery of choice for most cordless tool manufacturers. Mac emulator for iphoneBut… The amount of power they can actually store is lower than a Li-Ion battery. This is because NiMH batteries are capable of delivering a high burst of power when needed (The specific power number is huge). For high current applications (digital cameras, high power torches etc) NiMH is clearly the best choice. Very toxic and not environmentally friendly (contains cadmium)Brought into mass production in 1989, NiMH batteries are a much newer technology. NiCd Batteries at a GlanceAh rating: 1.2Ah – 2.2Ah (low) NiCd Batteries Pros They are generally outperformed by both NiMH and Li-Ion batteries but are still useful for some jobs today. Nickle Cadmium (NiCd) BatteriesThe Nickel Cadmium battery has a long history, in fact it was first invented in 1899! Of course, it only started being mass produced in 1946 and it grew in popularity from there. But a NiMH battery can deliver high bursts of current when needed.Now we will dive a bit deeper into each battery type. Is susceptible to memory effect but can be reduced with proper charging. When in use you should not let a NiMH battery fall below 70% capacity except when doing your maintenance deep discharge Lack of use over long periods of time can be detrimental to the batteries lifespan and capacity
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSimon ArchivesCategories |