Power struggle

by Clair D. Urbain

Just when the workaday world pretty much settled on 18-volt Ni-Cd power as the best compromise of power and weight for cordless tools, the power tool industry introduced lithium-ion (Li-ion) tools. This started a new round of tool searching, trying and judging.

No doubt the Li-ion technology can give you a tool as powerful as your favorite 18-volt but feels more like a 12-volt tool in your hand.

Or, it allows you to get more power – 28 or 36 volts in a tool that weighs about the same as an 18-volt Ni-Cd tool. Manufacturers claim the 28- and 36-volt tools can actually liberate users from being tethered to extension cords.

We’re all power hungry in some form, and when it comes to power tools, more is always better, right?

Maybe not all the time.

Has your cordless driver drill ever twisted the head off the fastener you’re installing? Has the tool’s size gotten in the way of the work at hand? Has the tool weight ever caused you enough fatigue to make you take a break?

In a past job, I worked for a company that sold agrichemicals. The weed killers the company sold worked great, but up-and-coming technology stole the thunder from this tried-and-true chemistry. The company struggled to keep market share in the face of these new products that didn’t make the weeds any more dead than the well-established product line. But the Johnny-come-lately weed killers had the shine of a new product and created spirited chatter in coffee shops frequented by farmers.

In the end, the company I worked for dramatically lowered the price of the herbicide. Dropping the price stole some thunder from the new chemistries that worked no better, and were now considerably more expensive to use.

I believe the same scenario is playing out in the power tool industry. New technology has come along, and in some respects, will make older (Ni-Cd) technology obsolete. But Li-ion technology doesn’t necessarily turn any bit or drive any screw differently than a Ni-Cd tool, and if you’re making just a few holes an hour or driving a few screws, the tried-and-true Ni-Cd tools will probably suit you just fine. Intense competition has kept pushing the price for Ni-Cd tools lower. Many are a real bargain, yet can handle most jobs well.

Power tool companies realize this, and that’s why none of the new Li-ion players have abandoned Ni-Cd technology. It’s a powerful platform adopted by millions of users. It has its limitations, but so does Li-ion technology, which will only become evident when lots of tools get into lots of hands on lots of jobs. 

Until then, we don’t have to rely only on the power tool companies’ claims to make selection decisions. Are Li-ion tools right for your jobs? They may be, but then again, they may be an expensive alternative that can be easily handled by Ni-Cd or even more “archaic” corded power tools.

Tool distributors work with many tool users. Ask for their opinions about Li-ion tools in your application. Trust them to steer you right, based on what they have seen in the field.

Published in the March/April 2006 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

back to top