Let’s talk about what 2024 could hold for the cordless power tool industry.
The road ahead is a bit murky, and certainly more opaque than in previous years.
Cordless power tools are in somewhat of a plateau period right now, where the ball of progress can roll in any direction, or stand absolutely still for a while longer.
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Next-Gen Batteries and the Next-Gen Tools They’ll Drive
Dewalt and Milwaukee both have next-gen batteries out now – PowerStack and Forge, respectively – but neither launched next-generation tools yet.
With PowerStack, Dewalt went with upgrade options. Both batteries delivers more power than older style batteries of comparable charge capacity, while also being smaller.
Milwaukee launched an M18 Forge battery with 6Ah capacity, and a 12Ah battery is in the works.
The company hinted that the 12Ah Forge battery will establish a new higher power delivery and performance tier, and it’s all but guaranteed that Milwaukee will launch a couple of new tools alongside it. Maybe that’s why Milwaukee has not yet launched the cordless snow blower they’ve been working on.
Bosch announced tabless batteries in Europe, with similar technology as Milwaukee will be using in their Forge 12Ah batteries. Makita launched a higher performance XGT battery overseas as well.
What kinds of tools will be supported by these next-gen higher performance batteries?
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Pouch cell batteries have to be custom-designed, as brands work closely with their OEM partners. Tabless Li-ion cells are expected to be available to any brand that wishes to use them.
There has been a growing divide in the tool industry, between the two most popular cordless power tool brands (Dewalt and Milwaukee) and all of the others.
This isn’t the only industry where two major brands pull ahead from the rest of the competition – consider Coke and Pepsi, or Apple and Samsung.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it could drive the competition to innovate harder and faster, but it could shape different brands’ strategies and approaches.
There’s still a lot of competition in the DIYer space, but I would say that Ryobi is still king of that hill.
Do professional and DIY cordless power tool brands still have major holes to fill in their lineups? What types of new tools will leverage the higher power output of next-generation batteries?
Cordless Outdoor Power Tools
Outdoor power tools are going cordless, for real this time. Maybe?
Home Depot announced earlier this year that they expect:
by the end of fiscal year 2028, more than 85% of U.S. and Canada’s sales in outdoor power equipment, specifically push lawn mowers and handheld outdoor equipment like leaf blowers and trimmers, will run on rechargeable battery technology instead of gas.
They add that:
To reach this goal, The Home Depot will work to extend its leadership position in battery technology and offer cordless outdoor power tools from market leading brands such as Ryobi, Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt and more. These brands are committed to building rechargeable tools that deliver the power that customers have come to expect from gas-powered equipment and the run times they need to complete a job, all with less noise, less maintenance and easier startups.
Home Depot – and Lowe’s – are huge sales drivers for their partnered cordless power tool brands.
We’re going to see more innovation in this space.
Are professional landscapers using cordless equipment yet?
The biggest challenge right now is in making cordless outdoor power equipment more attractive to heavier users, such as professional landscapers and other such workers.
Can the tools do the job? They’re definitely getting there.
Cordless tools offer convenience advantages over gas engine tools.
But, runtime remains a complication.
According to government estimates, 1 gallon of gasoline holds around 33.4 kilowatt hours of energy. The number varies a little, but 33.4 kWh looks to be the standard expectation.
So that’s 33400 watt-hours of energy.
An 18V cordless power tool battery with 12Ah charge capacity holds around 216 watt-hours of energy.
With this in mind, and unless I’m missing something important, it means that you would need approximately 155 12Ah batteries to match up to the energy capacity of a single gallon of gasoline.
Let’s say small engine efficiency is 40%. That would mean it would only take around 62x 18V 12Ah batteries to hold as much energy as a gallon of gasoline.
How many gallons of gas does a landscaper burn through in a typical work day? 2 or 3 person team?
How would a cordless-only landscaper charge everything?
A couple of brands are working on different solutions, and so far it’s looking expensive.
Some brands, such as Kress, are offering truck-mountable battery power stations.
Milwaukee has a new Roll-on power supply aimed at construction-type jobsite use, but I would bet they’re working on a truck-mounted solution as well.
Dewalt has talked about a battery subscription program for their 60V 3.6 kWh batteries.
Each of these batteries has the same watt-hours of energy capacity as nearly (17) 18V or 20V Max 12Ah batteries.
Two of these Dewalt PowerEquip batteries has the same energy capacity as more than (33) 18V or 20V Max 12Ah batteries.
It’s looking like larger tools – such as ride-on mowers – are going to be powered by larger capacity batteries (think Milwaukee MX Fuel or similar, maybe larger), and maybe multiple of them. Handheld tools might be powered by higher capacity cordless power tool batteries – such as 12Ah packs – which would be recharged via truck-based battery banks and power stations.
The charging rate is going to have to be fast in order to keep up with workers’ demands.
Some brands – such as Ego with their PGX commercial charging system – seem to be going with a “charge all your batteries at the end of the day” type of approach.
Ego says that their PGX commercial charging system can recharge up to 70 batteries overnight from a standard outlet.
Ultimately, the industry might settle on a hybrid approach. I don’t think that overnight charging of up to 70 batteries is going to appeal to professional or commercial users.
However, overnight charging of a larger power supply might become the de facto approach, or a big part of it.
There are plenty of cordless outdoor power tools available right now, but it seems few landscapers and other such pros have traded in their gas engine tool collections.
Dewalt recently launched new EV chargers. Perhaps similar systems will be used to recharge landscapers’ power supplies.
There are going to be huge opportunities in the cordless outdoor power tools and equipment space, and many brands are showing signs of the development work going on behind closed doors.
It’s clear that brands are going to have to offer high convenience to professional landscapers, and in a way that doesn’t exist yet.
The consumer cordless OPE market is mature at this point, but the professional industry has yet to really take off.
Brands are taking the time for one simple reason. On a tool-to-tool basis, cordless wins out. But when looking at a day’s work with a truck or tailer full of tools, gas is still the preferred choice. Converting pro landscapers is going to cost a huge amount of money – for brands and businesses – and I would predict low adoption rates until or unless switching over is regionally mandated.
I expect a lot of work is being done right now, to develop landscaper-friendly system-based solutions.
The big question is, what are going to see in 2024?
AlexK
Happy New Year Stuart and all the rest of the toolguyd family.
The Dewalt 3.6kwh looks interesting to me. Something like that could power a fridge and pellet stove when the power goes out, a more powerful lawn mower/ snow blower and so many other things. Hopefully, battery power will become safer (talking to you, exploding lithium) and cheaper.
Stuart
Happy New Year!
As I understand it, that Dewalt battery is designed for their riding mower, which is being designed to fit several batteries at once for extended runtime before having to charge/change batteries.
Last year it was advertised as 3.2 kWh, now it’s 3.6kWh, but still with no firm ETA in sight.
AlexK
I’m thinking two of them and an inverter to get 120v to power appliances.
fred
Thought-provoking as usual. The odds are that his year will probably not be one of revolutionary changes. But it is likely the next decades will bring some paradigm shifts. Li-Ion battery chemistry will probably not dominate forever – but when will something new emerge to replace it? EV introduction may still come in fits and spurts – so an EV van being used to transport you and your tools – while charging their batteries and/or acting as an AC/DC power source will probably be some years off. The issue of residential fires caused by faulty Li-Ion batteries is becoming of greater concern – and dealing with it may have repercussions.
Still, there are pneumatic or corded tools that have no exact equivalent in battery- powered ones. As some ToolGuyd readers have mentioned – pneumatic air-hammer chisels come to mind. I’ve recently seen some new(ish) crowfoot wrenches (from Milton-LTI) powered via air-hammer impact – that would seem to call out for a battery-powered solution.
https://miltonindustries.com/collections/lti-tools-shockit
Jared
I was going to point out air hammers as a hole in the power tool portfolio too.
It HAS to be possible. I watched a YouTube of some guy experimenting with air hammer chisels in his M12 palm nailer the other day. It was weaker than a regular air hammer, but could still do some light-duty air hammer-like things.
He cut sheet metal with a sheet metal cutting bit just fine, cut off a small bolt head (maybe a 10mm), spun a rusty bolt out, etc.
If a cobbled-together hack like that worked, surely a power tool company could make one compact drill-sized with at least short barrel air hammer power.
Fowler
I’ve heard of people doing some air hammer tasks with cordless rotary hammer drills in hammer-only mode. It seems like that would give you more grunt than a palm nailer, with the downside of being much larger than an actual air hammer
Bobcat
The problem with trying to make a air hammer is size just look at nail guns they are bigger than air nail guns I use my rotary drill on hammer and it works the only downside is you can’t get into tight spots
MM
I agree, cordless air hammers must be possible. We had this discussion last year on the topic about the Skil Auto Hammer. I won’t repeat myself here but the numbers absolutely do make sense.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/skil-auto-hammer/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Jared
I remember that!
Here we are another year later and no cordless hammer. I hope it’s on some manufacturer’s horizon.
Hon Cho
While killing some time last summer, I stopped in at an OPE dealer near Boston. The dealer sold Gravely products and had a Pro-Stance EV48 with 4 batteries and a 48″ mower for $32,700. (I took a picture of the price tag because I wanted to look up some info on it) I asked the salesman if they had sold many electic units. He said they haven’t moved many. He noted that the buyers were often interested in the lower noise level and lack of fumes for use around occupied and working premises. Makes sense for those kind of applications. However, I think we’re still a few years away before the tide shifts away from internal combustion for widespread commercial adoption of electric tools in the OPE sector.
Ross
With an electric vehicle you could charge your tool batteries while working a landscaping job. Not sure if they are practical; but it would open up tool charging options.
Koko The Talking Ape
That’s true! The F150 Lightning even has a 240V outlet available.
And I just learned it can create its own wifi hotspot, which is cool.
Vaf
Problem is the F150 lightning is actually lightning and blowing up in flames
Vaf
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/ford-to-recall-18-f-150-lightning-trucks-over-battery-fire-risk/
jt
I want to point out the major manufacturers are significantly downsizing or absolutely canceling the fully battery vehicles and either going hybrid or back to fossil fuels due to the lack of demand and range issues and such.
So even though we know how far the handheld battery operated tools have come, we took a while to adopt them, I bet there will only be a small market for electric large tools (lawn equipment and large tools) Every job site around us has not a single electric large tool even tho it’s out there, dino-fuel is still used for everything.
Just my observation.
J
Daniel
If you run down the truck battery charging tools on the job site or powering corded tools, how will you drive the truck home? Seems like the range is already limited on the truck, and if it is carrying tools and materials it will be even less. There will have to enough left at the end of the day to get you home.
ross
Range might be an issue for sure; but I’d bet charging tool/landscaping batteries won’t have much of an effect on that
Jay
I have a Lightning. I’m a general contractor and charge my Milwaukee batteries regularly from the truck. I can charge 4-6 batteries even the 12ah and it’ll run the battery down maybe 1-2%. In other words negligible. To put it into perspective. I can also power my house during a power outage and it runs the battery down maybe 5-8%. Batteries are the future. My running costs have been reduced by 80-90% compared to my 2021 gas F150. That’s a nice free family vacation every year
Nathan
Look into green works commercial 82v stuff. And DeWalt has a electric stand on. Cub cadet has a few newer electric ride on mowers coming. There are hard no gas restrictions in some places now
Checkout the Husqvarna and Stihl and ? 36v battery system with backpack battery
You gas energy is close but in the engine remember you lose at least half of the energy to heat. I’m going from memory here but years ago I believe it’s been rated that the most efficient ice that is a piston design is still only about 40% conversion rate
An ope engine is not close to that. You’d need higher compression fuel injection and computer control. There are few commercial ope products that have those.
2 cycle ope converts even less. Put another way look at that fuel number vs nd electric car. For 15 gallons of gas they wouldn’t have enough kwh to make that up either
With minimal loss a brushless controlled motor will convert some 90+%of the electricity to working power. Couple that with not running all the time at idle and etc you start making up ground fast
But it will weigh more. I love my cordless ope and I see a few landscapers using cordless ope. But it’s not yet mandatory in my area.
On truck charging is easy fix. Some already run and inverter off new wire run to the trailer or in the truck cab. That’s more the hurdle is the vehicle having the ready tap and the extra load capacity
Nathan
Oh and I see pouch cell winning and new larger voltage pouch cell machines. I mean look at the DeWalt 5ah power stack. Now take a 15ah flexvt case and put pouch cell in that. Then plug that into a chainsaw.
Jronman
Milwaukee should use MX Fuel for the snowblower. The highest draw tool I own from Ego is the single stage snowblower. The snowblower can drain two batteries faster than my other tools can drain one. Runtime at max power is the issue with any battery electric tool. I almost exclusively use the snowblower at lowest power just to get extra runtime. Milwaukee will have more issues with runtime than Ego or other higher voltage battery platforms if they stick with 18v. Stuart mentioned that charging 70 batteries at one time is not appealing over a small amount of big batteries. I have the opposite preference. PGX seems really appealing to me. Many of these ev mowers make the user buy more battery than they need which increases cost. I don’t exactly want to pay double or more than the equivalent gasoline mower. For a brand to provide a more affordable option, they can lower the runtime, but maybe it is not enough for a day. Either way is not ideal. With PGX I buy the setup that fits my needs. I’m not forced to buy 70 batteries with PGX (and respective charging modules). Two of the 3 bay chargers should be plenty for my needs.
Nate
There are professional “silent” landscapers using electric stuff already, the lack of noise is their major selling point. Which is nice for the neighbors, but also for the workers, many of whom don’t take hearing protection seriously and end up with hearing damage from gas engines.
Logstics-wise, most just carry a lot of batteries and recharge overnight when they park the trailer.
Gas engines idle between uses, as the strimmer operator walks between bits that need whacking, burning gas that has no electric equivalent.
Not spilling and smelling fuel is a nice health benefit, too. If landscapers actually took proper precautions when handling fuel, electric would be an even more obvious benefit, but many are willing to just accept whatever absorbs through their skin as a cost of doing business, or a problem for tomorrow. None of that applies to batteries.
The chief downside of battery-electric is the weight. You either hang a fairly beefy pack from your elbow/wrist, or wear a backpack. The backpacks seem pretty popular, but the small batteries can be convenient for quick jobs.
Nathan
To be fair when I first saw Husqvarna 36v I thought it was a joke. It works good as the name implies but it’s not going to compete with a 56/60v item on top end power output.
I got an echo 58v trimmer with attachments and I’ve love it for 7 years now. Doing it again I would get the new DeWalt 60v or maybe a green works commercial product.
Don Julio
The push to electrify gardening and landscaping businesses is 100% political. Boondoggles to follow.
Michael
Not really, it has it’s own merits. I just ditched my gas mower after being absolutely fed up with the upkeep on the engine. For 1/4-1/3 acre lots… it’s so much nicer to not need gas. I love my electric chainsaws and pole saw. My only gas lawn tool left is an edger attachment. I’ll be replacing that soon enough.
IJK
1.25 acres here. Went pure EGO cordless on everything except the mower. So much less maintenance, less fumes, less hassle trying to find (and afford) ethanol-free fuel here in the midwest. Only downside to an electric rider over standard gas is cost. The electric ones seem to cost double an equivalent gas, making it hard to justify unless you really want one. Also, no full on garden tractor replacement, yet. Just mower or light-duty tractor style.
Brian
My neighbor had an electric mower and was really happy with it until he went to replace the batteries. He found out the manufacturer discontinued that model and didnt have the batteries needed to run it. He tried to have the batteries reconditioned with new cells but they failed after 2 or 3 sessions. So he got stuck with a perfectly good $5000 mower that no longer works. He ended up with a new gas mower.
Nathan
What was it? Just curious
Don Julio
I have cordless OPE as well, and they’re fine for homeowner use, but I’m not using those tools for a business.
mark
There is a couple small YouTube channels with all electric setups. Interesting to watch their content on it.
I’m a home diy user with several EGO ope tools as well as couple corded tools & “cheapest good” troy bilt push mower. The abundance of run time & “energy availability” of gas really is a big engineering challenge imo for the electric mfrs.
I can use a 1 gallon jug of gas and satisfy Florida lawn care for 7500 sq ft for an entire month in that lawn mower.
I use all of the charge in both my ego batteries when I do a full weed whack, edge, leaf blow.
The difference there in real world “abundance of energy” is quite large.
MM
I’m of the opinion that cordless electric is already at the point where it can tasks like mowing/trimming/edging the average lawn, doing light to moderate hedge trimming, brush cutting, pruning and so on. And they are starting to push well beyond that currently. People are mowing a couple acres with electric riding mowers, the current crop of chainsaws is getting pretty serious, etc. It sounds like the new high-end commercial models are finally bringing the same kind of performance that a commercial gas mower would.
The biggest bottleneck I see is still charging of batteries for busy commercial crews. Stuart pointed out that a gallon of gasoline is over 33,000 watt-hours. It takes just a few seconds to put that much energy into the fuel tank of a gas tool. On the other hand, a charger that maxes out a normal wall circuit, 120V @15A, is only giving us 1800 watts. If we run that charger for 12 hours overnight we only get 21,600 watt-hours in our batteries. In reality it will be less because the charger is not 100% efficient. Maybe a more realistic number is that running the charger all night gives us the energy equivalent of half a gallon of gas. Now how many gallons of gas does the average landscaping crew burn in a day? That should illustrate the problem. Something like an EV charger that runs on 240, charging directly off a high-output alternator or PTO driven generator from the work truck, or being able to take power from an electric vehicle, is necessary. The wall outlet is a problematic bottleneck for big commercial OPE.
Eliot Truelove
The gap between gas and electric is closing, not fast enough for some of the more die hard intense users and contractors, but it is closing. I think 2024 will be a calm before the storm, but toward the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 we are going to see some crazy things.
I’m a Makita guy, but I’m not blind to the other offerings as well, and these options and more are all very compelling. Time will tell what form factor works and which company does it best, but from the patents I’ve perused of Makitas they are doing some extremely unique things, love it or hate it.
The Makita ConnectX system is getting a 1500wh battery pack to go with the 1200 and 4 LXT battery backpacks, they have a patent for double XGT adapter for 80v tools capability with it, they released the battery recharge station (which is expensive), and a couple more things within the ConnectX system.
They’ve also released yet another Battery platform with the 64v battery packs, which doubled up onto some Connect X Style adapter could potentially run 120v tools and household items via that inverter pack or other tools.
One of the most exciting Makita patents I’ve come across though is Noise cancellation speakers within the tool. That would be incredible, and reduce noise even more significantly. A leaf blower could be relegated to a hum, an already quiet air compressor relegated to a whisper, a drill and impact practically silent.
Other companies are innovating with incredible options, and there is a glut of options right now, and more to follow.
Battery adapters have already began to change the availability options, especially when they are only $15-20, and it opens up other platforms and ecosystems to you. It’s happened in the 18v range so far, but once someone cracks the diffferent 36/40v, 54/60v, 72/80v, and beyond battery and tool communication standards and opens them up to adapters then we’ll see a rainbow of tools from many manufactures like we did in the past with corded tools, except this time cordless.
Evadman
I standardized on Hailong battery cases and make my own. It is a standard that can currently be bought all over the place in case I need another. The cases and mounts are all the same, but the cells inside are made for different uses. All of them are in pairs, and in a pinch, can sub for one another. They are either 48 or 52v nominal (58.8v max). 52v allows for maximum usage of most inverters and controllers since the mosfets are rated for 60v; even in almost all 48v nominal usages.
I have 2 that are only 350 watt hour, but are rated to output 100 amps at 48v. 2 of them in parallel are connected to an inverter to output 200 amps, enough to power the house with about 8kw of power for a few minutes, or 1kw for about 30 minutes. Each one only cost me about $20 for the cells and $50 for the case, controller, and nickel.
I also have a bunch that are made from 5000mah 21700’s 25 amps at 48v, but store about 1000 watt hours. They are heavier though, and mostly made for our ebikes or the motorcycle.
The key fact though is that all are in the same (or physically & electrically) identical. If I need to, I can use any one of them in any other place. I can just keep swapping them out on the inverters until the power is back. They are also a very popular ebike format, so I can lend to friends or such if they need to go long distance and have a compatible bike.
This is exactly what we need for our tools. Not just for a base power station (which is nice) but for the tool itself. I would see a few different formats (dewalt/milwakee m18 vs handle style like bosch and m12). I’m so tired of buying different ones for different tool brands.
For example, tape drives standardized on LTO for basically all tape backup needs. It killed 4 or 5 other formats. I see no reason it can’t be done for tools, except for getting companies to behave. It is like streaming now. Instead of one streaming service for everything, now its a half dozen. It’s no wonder people get frustrated.
Champs
Electric OPE is very capital intensive and batteries age like turbocharged engines—I’m not buying used. Electrification will require a winner to emerge, and soon, just like automobile companies coming to accept Tesla’s NACA charging system.
Until the dust settles, I can’t blame the little guys for sticking with gas or the big ones charging a premium for electric crews using current, very expensive tools that will depreciate to zero.
Joe H
Ryobi has a right angle die grinder but I want a more traditional in-line style 18v die grinder. Also I want Ryobi to release an 18v percussion massager or maybe one that’s based off their usb line. The percussion massages that take replaceable batteries are few in number and the batteries are pricy. A great tool for after a hard day of work or something a guy or gal can do for a few minutes during lunch to help keep the muscles going throughout the day especially if working with prior injuries.
Koko The Talking Ape
Have you tried those massage extensions for jigsaws? They look like rubber balls mounted on a jigsaw blade. In fact I imagine you could make one.
Cordless jigsaws might be awkward to use as massagers, but I bet you could mount a handle on the base plate.
Joe H
I’ve seen guys making attachments for jigsaws years ago but I like the form factor of a dedicated tool more for something you will be manipulating with pressure often at odd angles to make it easier on your wrists.
Koko The Talking Ape
Well, you can dedicate a jigsaw to the task for less than those massagers. And as I said, you can add an handle easily to reach those odd angles.
Koko The Talking Ape
Another option to the Ego/Kress/Milwaukee/DeWalt setups is a car or truck battery, as other people have pointed out. The F150 Lightning can have either a 96 or 131 kWh battery (and up to ten 120V outlets). That will charge a lot of 6 Ah batteries (which at 18 volts will consume 108 Wh), even considering transformer losses. You need juice to go home, of course, but I don’t think many landscapers will be driving 100 miles to a job and back. Anyway, I’m sure you can set a minimum level the truck will let its battery drop to.
Electric vehicles have the advantage of already being designed to gulp down large amounts of current and voltage quickly.
I wonder if eliminating ICE tools will provide an extra push for electric cars and trucks.
Michael F
I’m a huge proponent of cordless technology and even I’m scratching my head at how commercial OPE is supposed to transition away from gas. Lithium battery technology has way more flaws than anyone would like to admit all the way from the obvious fire hazard (fire crews have admitted publicly they simply *can’t* put out EV fires) to the less considered mining and manufacturing cost. I’m watching to see how multiple industries attempt to work together to solve these issues!
Scott K
I was recently told that fire departments are going through training on how to disconnect various brands’ batteries before it’s even worth attempting to extinguish an EV fire. Scary stuff.
Koko The Talking Ape
How often do batteries catch on fire? Serious question.
And can you say more about the mining and manufacturing costs? Are you saying they just cost the customer more than ICE tools?
Scott K
Very interesting. It seems like a good move on the part of Milwaukee and DeWalt to get the newer batteries in customers’ hands before launching tools that will rely on them.
Regarding batteries vs gas- I would choose the battery-powered tool most of the time. Given the size of our driveway, I am very happy with my gas snow blower. I also just replaced my backpack blower with a Stihl gas powered blower. As things stand, the cost of batteries far outpaces the cost of the gas I burn running my blower at full power for an hour at a time. I recently bought an electric power washer that aim very happy with – for the amount of time I run it, and the power I needed, gas wasn’t necessary.
I know people have strong opinions about Ryobi, but the tools I have from them serve me very well for my needs. I’m eager to see what they release throughout the year.
Albert
I like the power stations that can substitute for a generator. Still too much, too little for me, but I see progress. I’m not sure why Dewalt is selling an EV charger with a J1772 connector when most automakers (except Chrysler, I believe) have agreed to use Tesla’s connector. I’m really hoping for good battery heated gloves from a name brand. Milwaukee has one but I’m concerned about the reviews I’ve seen. Amazon has many, all from unknown overseas brands. Perhaps some are good, but I have no way to know.
NoDak Farming
This was an interesting post to read. And between the post itself, and all the great comments, it’s making me want to research some things.
As far as Outdoor Power Equipment, I’ve been more than pleased with Ego products on the farm. Not that it compares to a contractor relying on batteries to put in a ten hour day of lawn care. But it’s still impressive what can be done with a 4ah 56 volt battery. And Ego is coming out with an earth auger that will supposedly dig 50 holes, on a single charge, with an 8 inch diameter auger. And do it (they claim) with that same 4ah battery that I use in my chainsaw. I doubt it will set any speed records, but still…
I think it and other Ego equipment, plus competitors equipment, will keep finding its way into the hands of farmers, estate owners, and some contractors.
As far as predictions go, I’d like to throw one in, that involves Flex cordless tools. I know they’ve been having some battery issues. And it made me a little nervous, reading reviews, when I ordered my first Flex tool in November. But neither the tool or battery has let me down and so far it’s been a good experience. My prediction is that Flex will be having some promotions this spring to push their “Stacked” batteries. Those are normally the more expensive of batteries. And those are the ones that haven’t been leaking. But they’ll still need a lower tier battery for those that don’t need the “Serious User/Contractor Grade” batteries. So I’d be expecting them to maybe come out with an improved 2.0 version of their regular batteries. Something with a different color schemed sticker on it, to prove that it’s not the same as the ones that could leak.
Chervon knows how to make very good batteries. They just have to double down on it now, and make it abundantly clear with their Flex line of tools. That’s the way I look at it anyway. (Maybe this is just wishful thinking, considering that I’d like to buy a couple more tools from them!)
The Snowy Owl
I would love to see some expansions to the Dewalt ToughSystem 2.0, like:
– A rolling tool box with the large drawers. The deep box isn’t great when I need to pull out a tool that is inconveniently stacked in the bottom.
– An adapter plate that attached to your vehicle so the toolboxes attach to it and don’t slide around when I’m driving.
– A charger that has a plug for a solar charger. If I’m on a site that has no power, the solar could keep batteries topped off during the day. Heck, it could just be a plug to use any solar charger rather than make your own.
Some specialty Dewalt tools would be nice:
– An atomic sized stapler for tacking up electrical and low voltage wires.
– A dremel-like tool for their 8V battery
– Modify the heated hoodie so there is an outlet for a headlamp, so my headlamp won’t die when I’m working in an attic for 6 hours.
I do a lot of low voltage renovation work, and there aren’t nearly as many precise tools aimed at that market, even though “smart homes” are a bigger market now. Things that let me run wiring easily through walls, make small precision cuts and nicely place wires are welcome. I use the crap out of my Oscillating Tool, but I would kill for a high-powered, small rotary tool when I’m precisely cutting things in small spaces.
Curtis Cressman
DeWalt will go after MX FUEL…
Nathan
Li battery fires start with thermal runaway. Then hot enough the hydrogen in the coolant or the annode material breaks down. Free hydrogen combusts easily. That’s the first flame you see. But the pressure is building. Once cracked to air hot gas ignites. Meanwhile the open lithium will then burn itself.
There are videos but yes li as an element is the second most reactive on the chart if I remember my chemistry correctly
Nathan
Oh that’s why you can’t put water on a lithium fire.
Meanwhile alots changed in 20 years. Biggest way to prevent thermal runaway is to lower the current by upping the volts. H better heat absorbing polymers better controls. Pouch cells do this well today provided they have some room to expand.
Jeremiah McKenna
As stated in a few comments already, there are a ton of landscers and lawn mowing companies out there using all battery powered OPE. Most of them are using solar panels on their trucks and trailers to charge. It is viable for residential settings now. Will it be capable of commercial/farm situations? Yes, but not on a single charge.
Milwaukee already has dual battery OPE, but also needs to invest in their MX platform.
I believe that California has passed laws mandating all OPE used on a professional level are battery powered. I don’t remember the year this will start though. But this pushes manufacturers. I don’t believe in this tactic, but it is reality and until it winds through the courts (along with BEV mandating), I can see it working as, but only as well as it can(of course) with the physical limitations that obviously Law Makers in California do Not Understand or Comprehend.