Source: TOOLS OF THE TRADE Magazine
Publication date: November 1, 2001
By Mark Clement
Cordless tools do more and do it better every year. Their gearing becomes more efficient, materials get lighter and stronger, and ergonomics improve. Recently, optimizing battery performance has taken center stage in cordless tool development. Manufacturers want to increase batteries' cycle lives; they also want to increase run time per charge, which enhances tool performance in the field.
Emerging Technology
The biggest ripple in the cordless tool pond right now is the burgeoning use of nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery chemistry. The standard to date, of course, is nickel cadmium (Nicad). Significant differences between the two battery chemistries affect their performance, life cycles, and run times. They also fuel a lot of varying opinions about which technology will lead the next era in cordless tool development.
NiMH the relative newcomer, is grabbing tool engineers' attention because it exhibits longer run times per charge than Nicad does. A NiMH battery stores more of the chemicals and materials that generate direct current, so it produces more amp-hours than a Nicad pack of equivalent volume does. NiMH batteries can work longer between charges. They're also lighter than their Nicad equivalents and are said to be less harmful to the environment if they're dumped into the waste stream.
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