On Lithium in Milwaukee (redux)
Kevin returns to point out that, when it comes to batteries, I have no clue what I’m talking about. Since he’s built an electric rabbit (VW, not bunny), I’m inclined to believe him. –dan
Just thought I’d put in my 2 cents on Li-Ion batteries.
To sum it up, they rock. I’m pretty sure that current tools use Ni-Mh not Ni-Cad.
So the Ni-Cad argument is outdated anyway.
Well, the Ryobi’s are still Ni-Cad (according to the warnings in the manual)… not sure about others. –dan
Li-Ion discharge is rated not in amps but in ‘C’. A 1C discharge means the battery is
empty in 1 hour. At 2C, empty in 30 min. These days the top of the line
Li-Ions discharge at 10-15C while being 80% efficient. That means the Li-Ions are
dead in 4-6 minutes of use. Obviously any higher discharge rate and the tool would
be pretty useless.
The real question is cost. A case study: There is a 22.2V Li-Ion that dumps 25 amps.
That’s 555 Watts or almost 1 HP. That’s one serious battery operated tool. And the
battery only weights a bit over 1/2 a pound. The problem is the battery costs $145.
Also, don’t miss Frank’s helpful comments on the matter. –dan
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