Cordless Power Tools

Cordless Power Tool Batteries and Chargers

Here you can find Nickel Cadmium Ni-Cd, Nickel Metal Hydride Ni-MH and Lithium Ion batteries Li-Ion and their chargers.

Ni-Cd is the oldest technology. When using this kind of battery, avoid recharging it until it is empty. This will keep the capacity of the battery at a maximum so it lasts longer in use. So it's a good idea to have a second Ni-Cd available that is fully charged in your (plastic) tool case.

Ni-MH does not have the memory effect of Ni-Cd so you can re-charge the battery before it is fully discharged and still get the full capacity available.

However, Ni-Cd are possibly better suited to high power applications such as hammer drills.

The latest battery technology is Li-Ion which provides the most energy density. What this means is that the battery is much lighter (important for hand held power tools) and has greater capacity so you can use your tool for longer before a recharge is needed.

The downside to Li-Ion is that it is a delicate technology requiring internal electronics to make sure that the battery cannot be over-discharged or over-charged. But this does provide the benefit of an accurate fuel-gauge that allows the tool to display how full the battery is. And don't forget that the battery itself will be light in weight.