Portable power tools and Li battery advances - how soon?

[newbury]

Just recently saw a news clip on the advances in Li battery technology and they were predicting triple the capacity of the batteries.
Sand-based anode triples lithium-ion battery performance

Next thing I was working with my two battery powered drills, on an old Milwaukee 14.4V (takes a lickin' and keeps on ticking) and a 1 yr old DeWalt 20v MAX. The difference in weight is GREAT, the DeWalt has about half the weight.

Since rural living often means doing things without a nearby plug I'm anticipating the new batteries working their way into the mainstream tools. Last year I bought my son a $600 kit of DeWalt 20V max and we find the battery life and power density remarkable.

I've been about to buy the reciprocal saw and the circular saw for a few months but have not found the magic price point.

Now with this new advance how soon does the TBN crowd think it will take before these advances (3 times the power) work their way into the power tools? 6 months? 6 years?

I'd hate to invest $600 again in my own tool set only to find stuff 3 times better 6 months later.

 

[oosik]

Those in the know say from development of a working prototype to it being in the market place is usually 18-24 months. You can expect any new battery, with that capability, for a cordless tool will be very pricey. Something to do with rapid recovery of development costs. That is an interesting article which could have wide applications. One of my neighbors daughters has a Phd in cryophysics(cold temp physics) and is working in that very area. I will ask him about this next time I see him.

 

[newbury]

Those in the know say from development of a working prototype to it being in the market place is usually 18-24 months. You can expect any new battery, with that capability, for a cordless tool will be very pricey. Something to do with rapid recovery of development costs. That is an interesting article which could have wide applications. One of my neighbors daughters has a Phd in cryophysics(cold temp physics) and is working in that very area. I will ask him about this next time I see him.

2 years isn't bad for tools that I want to pass down to the children.

 

[MoKelly]

Those DeWalt MAX batteries charge up within an hour. If you have 2 chargers you can always have a fresh battery available and it would take lots of constant work to use up a battery within an hour. So, don't think I would wait just to take advantage of the p[potentially longer lasting batteries.

As someone mentioned, the batteries may be available within 1-2 years, but the initial cost will be quite high.

MoKelly

 

[Ken45101]

I am well satisfied with the crop of 18v Li-ION batteries. I remember the 6v Ni-CADS (very weak) and I finally retired my (9v?) Makita Ni-Cad drill a few years when I bought the 4 piece 18v system. The drill and driver are amazing, the recip saw pretty good and the circular saw is handy but does drain the batteries after a while. As Mo said, a charger or two and a couple of batteries will keep you in business.

I'm sure the 20v are a bit better but certainly not worth the upgrade cost to me. The batteries in development will probably be 28 or 34v and, like mentioned, more and more expensive. My Makita lasted me 15 years and I expect to get the same out of my 18v equipment.

As for passing them down to your kids, unless your kids are teens, I wouldn't count on it. The batteries will not last forever and eventually you will not be able to buy replacement batteries, just like I can't find batteries for my old Makita (not that I really want them anymore with the improved performance of the new equipment.)

 

[DFB]

Makita just upped their batteries to 4.0 amp and 2,0 amp respectively just like Milwaukee has been offering for a while. Plus the newest brushless motors are supposed to increase the tool's efficiency too.

I'm still using 18V Ni Cad Makita tools 1/2 drill/driver, 6 1/2 saw with 3.0 batteries and their quick charger at the job even today but so noticeably heavy now after getting a bunch of the lightweight 12v Milwaukee drills and drivers, and now having an 18v brushless 1/2 drive impact wrench with a 4.0, the battery life is simply phenomenal and still is lighter than the old Makita by more than a lb. I really do need to see how the Milwaukee 12volts perform with the the new 12v 4.0 as opposed to the tiny 1.5 amp batteries that were supplied with all the tools. Benefit with the small batteries they charge fast 30 min or less.

Milwaukee has had a 28 volt line wasn't that reviews often say wasn't all that impressive and now there is the new Makita 7 1/4 Circular saw uses 2 of the 18 volt batteries for a combined 36V tool and still weighs less than a corded saw.

I'm going to build on the Milwaukee 18volt brushless line next. I figure at my age I'm hoping they will be the last tools I will be needing lol! Some folks are questioning the reliability of the electronic power shifting the newest tools are offering to vary speed and torque now.

 

[texasjohn]

I read the article...it's going to be many years, if ever, before the special sand found only in Texas will make it into production batteries you can find on the shelf, IMHO.

 

[jaotguy]

LI ION only last 4 -5 years ( built in obsolescence because of the materials ) on the shelf or being used ... they can pack more power into them but the drop dead date sticks around no matter what ...

but when you look at the "new" tools , they come out every 2 -3 years ... so just as the old units need new batteries , the new crop is out ( and the replacement batteries cost almost as much as the complete new units ) .... yes , a few people get a year or two more out of the batteries , but they die a lot faster ( don't hold a full charge anymore ) ....

I personally love the old 12 and 14 V units .... tied to a big battery and extension cord and a plug on the end of them .... go to the lower 40 with the tractor , hook up the extension cord to the battery , plug in the drill ( etc) and work away .... no inverters / swapping batteries, etc ...

saves the good cordless for those other jobs ...