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-- Battery Size -- With cordless tools, power is measured by battery voltage: the higher the voltage, the more torque and power the tool is going to have. While more power and torque sounds like good, you do not get it for free. With high voltage cordless tools, along with the additional power, comes additional cost and additional tool weight. Consider this comparison. A typical 9.6 Volt cordless drill will usually weigh somewhere near 3-1/2 pounds and cost somewhere in the range of $35 - $150. By comparison, the typical 19.2 Volt cordless drill can weigh up to 10 pounds and cost about $125 - $300. If the increased power and torque of a 19.2 Volt drill is really needed, the added cost will be worth it. But if the primary usage of your cordless drill is to once in a while drive screws in your home, a 19.2 Volt drill will be harder to use (because of the increased weight), and harder to stomach purchasing (because of the increased cost). If the higher power is not actually needed, a cheaper, light-weight cordless drill may suit your needs much better. -- Battery Type -- Two types of batteries are for sale for cordless tools: Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion). Do yourself a favor, do not buy a cordless tool that uses NiMH batteries. While tools with NiMH batteries are often cheaper, they are cheaper for a very good reason. NiMH batteries have issues with memory problems (the batteries need to be completely discharged prior to being recharged or else they lose battery capacity), they do not last for as many charge cycles (the batteries die sooner), and they have less power than Li-Ion batteries of the equivalent voltage. -- Number of Batteries -- An additional issue to consider when purchasing a cordless tool is the number of batteries that come included with the tool. If you plan to use your tool often or for extended periods of time, you will want to only consider tools that come with two batteries. There is nothing worse than having your battery go dead and having to wait a couple of hours for the battery to charge before you can get back to work. When you are comparing tools, make sure it comes with two batteries. If it doesn't, look up the cost of an additional battery and add that in when you are comparing prices between tools. -- Battery and Tool Storage -- Even when your tool is not being used, it will still draw a slight amount of power from the battery. While the amount of energy being drawn is small, it can add up a lot over the course of days, weeks, or months. To keep this from happening when you store your cordless tools, make sure to remove the battery; this will help ensure that the battery is charged when you go to use it. Do not store your battery in the charger. Yes, there are some battery chargers that claim to be "smart" about this, but as a rule storing your cordless tool batteries in the charger will lead to them dying sooner than if you do not. When storing your batteries avoid storing them in heat and cold. Cold weather will not permanently ruin your battery, but it will reduce the amount of power available when the battery is being used. High heat can permanently destroy the batteries of your cordless tools. Avoid it, and do not charge your batteries in an area that is overly hot, this can really damage your battery. --Charging Batteries-- Some cordless tools come with advanced chargers which allow the battery to be charged in a very short period of time; some in less than 30 minutes. Other cordless tools come with chargers that can take up to 3 hours to completely charge the battery. If battery charge time is going to be an issue for you, look into the available charging options prior to buying a cordless tool. -- Pick a Brand -- One way to avoid problems with the availability of charged batteries is to select a battery size and brand and stick with it. If you consistently purchase the same battery size and brand of tool when buying lights, screwdrivers, saws, drills, etc, you will be able to swap batteries and chargers across all of your tools. This greatly increases the number of available batteries and it ensures that you will never be left without any charged batteries.
Article Source: http://www.phalenes.org/articles
The author has been working as a carpenter for more years than he would care to admit. You can find his cordless tool ratings at www.cordless-reviews.com.
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