mo1
Platinum Member
There are huge differences between electric (corded) and battery-powered tools and pieces of equipment, they should not be grouped together.
I have had good experiences in using electric tools and equipment as long as they are used within their limitations of needing to be close to electrical service and that anything considered actually portable is limited in power to about 1 HP by the 120 volt 15 amp circuit it connects to. If those limitations are fine for what I am doing, then I will get an electric tool as they require far less maintenance, always start immediately, and nearly always have a far longer service life than an engine-powered piece of equipment.
I have had the same poor experience with all of the battery-powered tools and pieces of equipment I have had, and as a result I avoid them. Battery-powered tools and equipment are noticeably more expensive than comparable alternatives, the batteries all have a limited run time that degrades over a pretty short period of time to nothing, the batteries all take a significant amount of time to charge, and replacing an end of life battery with a fresh one is either impossible or costs more than a new tool does.
It is a very rare occasion where a battery-powered tool or piece of equipment would actually be useful for me. Almost all of the "light job" stuff is nearly always within range of a receptacle so an electric tool will work. The things too far away from a receptacle are usually too much of a job for anything without an engine anyway. An unpowered hand tool like a screwdriver, lopper, pruning saw, or brace and bit are sufficient for the "light jobs" that are too far from a receptacle.
I have had good experiences in using electric tools and equipment as long as they are used within their limitations of needing to be close to electrical service and that anything considered actually portable is limited in power to about 1 HP by the 120 volt 15 amp circuit it connects to. If those limitations are fine for what I am doing, then I will get an electric tool as they require far less maintenance, always start immediately, and nearly always have a far longer service life than an engine-powered piece of equipment.
I have had the same poor experience with all of the battery-powered tools and pieces of equipment I have had, and as a result I avoid them. Battery-powered tools and equipment are noticeably more expensive than comparable alternatives, the batteries all have a limited run time that degrades over a pretty short period of time to nothing, the batteries all take a significant amount of time to charge, and replacing an end of life battery with a fresh one is either impossible or costs more than a new tool does.
It is a very rare occasion where a battery-powered tool or piece of equipment would actually be useful for me. Almost all of the "light job" stuff is nearly always within range of a receptacle so an electric tool will work. The things too far away from a receptacle are usually too much of a job for anything without an engine anyway. An unpowered hand tool like a screwdriver, lopper, pruning saw, or brace and bit are sufficient for the "light jobs" that are too far from a receptacle.