Lithium Ion Li-Ion battery offers longer life, more power and lighter weight

(18/04/2007)

Battery technology has always been at the forefront of the cordless power tool market. The latest innovation in this field is the development of Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries that offer many advantages over the previous battery types.

Li-Ion batteries are 40% lighter than the Ni-CD and Ni-MH and due to the protection circuitry in the Hitachi Li-Ion batteries, for example, can be charged up to 1,300 times, which compares to 500 times for Ni-CD and Ni-MH batteries.

The Li-Ion battery holds its charge for longer which means that there is no discernable loss of performance throughout the battery charge. The user, therefore, has to be aware that when the battery is close to the end of its charge and it does not have the power to perform its current application, it will cut-out. This is not a fault with the battery but the technology protects the battery cell giving extended charging cycles when compared to the previous battery technology.

The longer life, more power and lighter weight benefits of Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery technology are now available from Screwfix Direct. Offering better recharge performance than traditional NICd and NiMhd batteries and able to hold power to the end of the charge, Li-Ion cordless tools have been featured as part of the Innovation theme of the latest Screwfix Direct catalogue.

Designed to save time and effort, particularly over extended periods of use, Li-Ion technology also eliminates battery memory loss and is now much lower in price.

Therefore, with the extended battery life cycle, a Hitachi Li-Ion combi drill with two batteries will last 73% longer than a cordless combi drill with three batteries. The Hitachi Li-Ion battery technology is interchangeable with previous Hitachi machines of the same voltage, i.e. the Hitachi Li-Ion battery will fit an older Hitachi machine and a Ni-CD or Ni-MH battery will fit a Li-Ion machine. Therefore, by choosing a Hitachi Li-Ion machine it will not render other Hitachi machines or batteries obsolete.

Available for next day, mainland UK delivery from Screwfix Direct, for example, the Hitachi 18V Li-Ion Combi Drill is believed to the be the UK’s lowest priced Li-Ion Combi. Representing a significant breakthrough in price, it is supplied complete with two 3.0 Ah Li-Ion Batteries for just £189.99 (all prices include VAT and relate to catalogue 86). This not only gives a saving of £70 on the usual price but, as batteries are interchangeable with previous Hitachi machines of the same voltage, it also means that other Hitachi power tools and/or batteries can still be used.

To verify exactly how good Li-Ion technology is, Screwfix Direct carried out a number of tests using six professional tradesmen, six tools from the Makita LXT range and six hours of testing. Taking part was the new, innovative Makita LXT 18V 4-in-1 Combi which combines an impact driver with screwdriver, drill and percussion drill and offers up to 135NM torque for just £349.99. It was joined by other Makita LXT “must haves” such as the 18V Impact Driver with ¼” Hex at only £339.99, and the 18V Circular Saw with 165mm TCT blade at £349.99. Also put under test and all priced at £349.99 were the 18V, 3-speed variable and reverse Combi Drill, the 18V Reciprocating Saw with tool-free blade change and adjustable shoe, and the 14.4V Auto Feed Screwdriver with silent acceleration clutch. The results were recorded on video.

Following on with the Innovation theme, which aims to help the trades to work faster and smarter whilst saving money and making each application simpler and easier, the Metabo 14.4V Li-Ion Drill/Driver features a new Z design for better balance and power and is priced at only £199.99.

Also found in this 956-page catalogue containing nearly 15,000 items, is the Bosch 18V Drill-Driver which, at just £129.99, is now 25% lighter and smaller than conventional models as a result of Li-Ion technology. The Bosch 36V Li-Ion Combi Drill is said to be as light as an 18V model with an equally lightweight price of £349.99, whereas the DeWalt 36V Li-Ion Combi boasts three times the run time and twice the power of the 18V version for only £499.00. More torque is offered with the Milwaukee 28V Li-Ion Combi Drill at £399.00 and the DeWalt 184mm Li-Ion Cordless Circular Saw boasts twice the run time and power of the 18V model at only £629.00.

Related categories:  Commercial and offices applications   Residential applications   Tools 

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