Battery Powered Tools

Thanks to more powerful batteries cordless tools have really come into their own. I really like being able to work beyond the reach of extension cords. 

My big pet peeve is that everyone has a different battery/charger setup. Some standardization would be nice. The number of different chargers hanging around my shop is becoming a problem. I even have two 20 volt tools from the same company that require different chargers.

At least some companies have families of tools that use the same batteries. That’s a help. Personally, I like that Toro’s 60 volt tools can use batteries of different amperage. I could use my chainsaw battery in their snowblower. Stuff like that is handy. The major companies seem to be leaning towards interchangeability. 

It’s the odd tools that can be a pain. I needed a cordless impact wrench for a single job. Amazon had something that looked like it could do the job for cheap. It did. Then it became clear that the tool was pretty useful for a lot of things. Unfortunately, the charger burned out after the warranty had expired. Finding a replacement was a royal pain. Eventually one popped up in my searches that looked like it might work. The problem is they wanted $60 for it. 

It seemed like a lot of money for something that may or may not work. Then Amazon put the whole impact wrench kit on sale for $70. I bought it instead of the just the charger. 

One of my more interesting battery powered tools is a grinder. Those have been a real boost for criminals. They do a pretty good job cutting locks. Of course I would never do anything immoral with mine. 

-Sixbears