Making your own home repairs is a great way to save money. If you become good enough at it, you might even turn it into a business and start earning money by fixing things for others. Whether you are looking for good tools for personal use or for making money as an entrepreneur, you need to learn about lithium-ion battery powered tools.
Here is everything you need to know about these popular energy dense tools.
Article in a Glance [hide]
1 3 key reasons lithium-ion battery powered tools rock
1.1 No memory effect
1.2 Slower self-discharge rate
1.3 Lighter weight
2 How to find the best lithium-ion tools?
2.0.1 frank joseph
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3 key reasons lithium-ion battery powered tools rock
There are three key reasons for using this specific type of battery when it comes to DIY and building work in general. Let’s look at each reason:
No memory effect
Lithium-ion battery powered tools don’t have any memory effect. Why is this good? Memory effect tends to be a problem in batteries such as nickel cadmium because the use starts to strain the battery. The more you recharge those batteries and use them regularly, the less charge the battery will actually hold.
This is especially problematic if you never recharge those batteries to full. The battery will in effect ‘remember’ it was charged only up to a certain point and from then on, it will just keep using this smaller capacity when it comes to holding a charge.
For lithium-ion batteries, this is not the case. The battery will continue charging to its full capacity no matter how much you use it and how fully you charge your product.
There are a few other benefits to lithium-ion battery, with its life span being at the top. These tools can have many more cycles before they’ve come to the end then other batteries such as the ni-cad batteries.
Slower self-discharge rate
Another huge positive is the longevity of the battery in terms of maintaining the charge. Now, you probably won’t be using the tool every single day, especially if you are not using them for professional purposes. Therefore, when your tools sit around unused in the cupboard, they will start slowly releasing the charge.
For the lithium-ion batteries, the release charge rate is much slower than other types of batteries. This means even if you don’t use the tools for a week, the battery would have hardly drained out.
There are estimations lithium-ion batteries lose around 5 to 10% of their charge every month, while other types have a monthly discharge rate of 30%.
Lighter weight
Finally, lithium-ion batteries are much lighter than the other types. An 18v lithium-ion battery weighs the same as a less powerful 12v Ni-MH battery. Therefore, you won’t need to worry about fatigue as much when using these tools. This is crucial especially for anyone using power tools professionally – you can get a lot more done if you don’t feel fatigued by the weight of the tools.
How to find the best lithium-ion tools?
When it comes to finding the right tools, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, tons of brands manufacture lithium-ion battery powered tools. The key brands to check include the following:
Makita – The brand is very popular amongst professionals and it offers a range of option in this specific category. You can also enjoy quick charges with Makita’s products, with most just taking less than an hour to fully recharge.
Bosh – The other big player in the market is Bosch. Again, the brand does have a range of tools available with similar performance to Makita. Bosch is not quite as popular among professionals but on the other hand, it’s highly recommended for personal use.
Metabo – One of the least known brands is Metabo, which is definitely worth checking out. The brand even offers a three-year warranty on some of their tools, which means you can count on them to work. It has one of the best battery lives on the market.
DeWALT – DeWALT is another popular brand with a rather good track-record in providing customers with good power tools. Their lithium-ion battery tools also come in different forms so you can find something for your needs.
Now, when you are considering your options, you should keep in mind the specific jobs you need the tool to perform. If you are only going to use the product once or twice a month, you can get something less pricey. If you are an entrepreneur and you need these tools at work, you should make sure you emphasise the battery life and recharge times.
It’s also a good idea to skip the brand stores and find deals online. Tool retailers like toolstop.co.uk often have special discounts available for different brands and you will be able to buy your tools cheaper. Just like with most things online, never buy something without first comparing if you can find a better deal elsewhere.
Lithium-ion battery powered tools are super-efficient and rather cost effective. If you want to make your DIY and building projects easier, consider buying these types of tools!
