The WorkProX cordless mini chainsaw, which looks to only be available at Amazon, comes with a battery pack that at this time can only be charged via USB.
We’ve seen another tool brand switch to USB-charged power tool batteries, but it looks like the WorkProX cordless power tool battery can only be charged in this manner.
Isn’t this what users have asked for, a universal way to charge cordless tool batteries?
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The WorkProX 18V/20V 2Ah battery can serve as a power bank for charging personal electronic devices on the go. It has a digital fuel gauge, with the remaining charge capacity displayed as a percentage.
It features USB-A and USB-C ports, and is said to fully recharge in 1.5 hours.
WorkProX 20V tools and batteries are NOT compatible with WorkPro 20V tools and batteries.
On one hand, this a name-brand cordless mini chainsaw for very cheap, and you don’t need to find a place to store yet another charging dock.
On the other hand, cordless outdoor power tools don’t often pair well with 2Ah batteries, and 90 minutes is a bit long of a recharge break.
There are other WorkProX cordless outdoor power tools, with most being even more continuous use-type than the chainsaw, such as a hedge trimmer, string trimmer, and leaf blower. Some of those are bundled with a 4Ah battery.
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Amazon has additional WorkProX battery packs sold separately, for $3 less than the price of this kit. Correction – WorkPro changed the price today, as they tend to do a lot – and so the price of the kit is now just $1 more than for the battery.
Price: $38 to $40 for the kit
Your Thoughts on the Approach?
Skil has also went down the USB charging route, such as with their cordless nailer kits.
WorkProX does not include a power brick with their cordless tool kits, only a charging cable. And as mentioned WorkProX 20V batteries won’t charge on WorkPro 20V chargers. I have not yet seen any WorkProX charging docks – maybe that’s something we’ll eventually see.
I think that USB charging is a good idea for DIY-grade tools. For Pros, the charging times aren’t fast enough, or at least faster charging rates aren’t being utilized yet.
Despite being exclusively USB-recharged (for now?), at least you can still swap or batteries as needed.
The pricing is unusual; at this time you can buy 2x cordless mini chainsaw kits, each with a tool, charging cable, and battery, for just $1 more than the price of 1 kit and 1 spare 2Ah battery.
How do you feel about USB-recharged cordless power tools? Cordless outdoor power tools?
Robert
I’ve believed for a long time that regulatory rules will mandate universal batteries and charging eventually, lead by the EU. Unfortunately, USB is not fast enough for pros or prosumers, some faster standard will be needed. But in the case of this chainsaw, for the intended audience of such a modest chainsaw, 90 minute recharge is probably OK. As you noted, OK for (many) DIYers.
Stuart
A lot of people keep saying that without thinking it through.
There are too many proprietary formats, and the economic impact on end users would be too great. Power tool batteries aren’t the same as phones, which most people replace every 2-3 years and where there’s a common battery voltage.
I thought universal charging via wireless docks would take off. It didn’t.
Robert
Stuart, you are being logical. In the regulatory sphere, enough political pressure and logic gets tramped. Look at the California 2 cycle engine regs.
Stuart
What do California regulations motivated by emissions controls support your argument that European mandates regarding consumer smartphone charging could somehow extend to cordless power tool batteries where there are different voltages and form factors?
Jon
Stuart,
You seem to be arbitrarily limiting the scale of the European regulation.
This regulation, effective since December 28, 2024, applies to mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, and earbuds. Laptops will follow with a later deadline of April 28, 2026.
There are just as many form factors and voltages in these devises as there are in the common tool platforms. There is no reason a similar regulations requiring some form of commonality between battery platforms could not also be implemented.
Stuart
The regulations seemed to largely impact Apple iPhones. Most consumer electronics, PC peripherals, and other such devices had already moved to onboard USB-C charging over the years.
Almost everything you cite are devices with built-in batteries and on-board charging.
All but very few cordless power tool batteries do NOT have built-in charging.
“Europe is going to require tool brands to adopt a universal battery format and universal charging” is not happening anytime soon.
The purpose of the EU regulations was to reduce e-waste in consumer products.
Computer mice, digital cameras, etc, already typically charged via USB.
Cordless power tool batteries have physical interfaces. You cannot reasonably adapt a Milwaukee M18 battery to an M12 tool, or Ryobi 18V to Dewalt 20V Max.
How would Hilti Nuron 22V fit Metabo 36V Max or Makita XGT?
Universal batteries would require substantial disruption to the market and end users.
Universal charging? It would have to be demonstrated that cordless power tool chargers extensively contribute to e-waste before the EU even thinks about any new regulations.
I WISH there was universal charging. But there are too many obstacles and not enough incentives for any regulatory mandates.
The average user owns how many different consumer electronic products over the span of 5 years? And how many different cordless power tool systems?
Robert
The link is that science based, factual logic gets overridden by the politician ‘s constituents’ cry of “Do Something!” for a perceived problem. A motivation for reducing emissions and reducing the e-waste stream in the long. For example, VW cheated on emission test because they probably concluded they couldn’t meet the arbitrary emissions levels. All the low hanging fruit in terms of reducing emissions had been plucked. VW won’t admit this because their crises consultants and PR people probably told them to just shut up and get it out of the headlines. There are proposals to force universal charging in the EU. The same valid criticisms you mentioned raised, and the proponents don’t care, and keep pressing. Based on past EU history, they will eventually prevail. And could influence in the USA.
Peter
Nothing of course just another way for people showing that they do not or do not want to understand that with CA’s geographic and population you need different emission regulations than in other states.
Bonnie
What economic impact? A USB-PD charger is no more expensive than the existing power tool charging docks, works on tons of different voltage devices, and many people have one for a laptop or something else already. And there’s no reason they couldn’t just have both supported by the same battery (DeWalt has a USB charger already).
Stuart
Robert: “regulatory rules will mandate universal batteries…”
Universal batteries will likely require all brands to abandon current form factors and adapt to a brand new one. What happens when you want to buy a new tool? All new tools, batteries, and chargers.
Ben
USB-C max power delivery is 240Ws. It can negotiate up to 54V, which is how laptops charge off USB-C.
Quickly googling Milwaukee M18 chargers, they draw 252W per battery.
Basically, USB-C is already powerful enough for ‘pros’. And remember the USB-C max delivery is per device. You can easily have multiple ports all running at 240W’s.
Bonnie
Worth noting the 240W level is part of the standard, but there aren’t many, if any, consumer devices that actually sipport that yet. Almost everything available right now maxes out at 100W.
Still no good reason not to finally adopt a universal interface.
Stuart
The way USB has been, by the time a standard is implemented in new products, new standards are published.
There are also mixed standards in use. See CAT-5E and CAT-6 as an example.
Universal interface seems unlikely. Universal battery seems impossible.
No
Hell, Cat3 is still in use for sone analog phone systems despite Cat5e being cheaper by the foot and in bulk.
As for Cat6, current build-outs tend to suggest springing for Cat6A since that’ll support the eventual full-blown switchover to 10Gbps everything. Cat6 is still good stuff for most residences and even small businesses.
Cat7 won’t see widespread adoption in the US for a few different reasons (but Switzerland likes it, oddly enough).
Cat8 is still too expensive by the foot for reasonable deployment, especially when you consider its cost vs. fiber and single-mode fiber’s theoretical unlimited throughput.
Cat8 is tested out to 40Gbps, though, which is cool.
The killer for all of these grades is that the terminations get pickier and more precise as you go up. Drunk electricians with two left thumbs just winging it and terminating in any old order because “it’s all electricity” because they don’t care to learn the details will always be the prime limiting factor.
Back on topic, even USB-C or USB4 cannot currently promise a universal standard. USB-C (and HDMI 2.2 or 2.3, whatever the newest one is) are both about to make a change to their naming schemes and patterns that will serve to obfuscate the device’s/cable’s actual capabilities.
A myriad of devices are about to classified under one umbrella USB-C label with no thought or requirement towards plainly printing on the packaging that device’s USB capabilities. The USB label is going to be a much murkier thing going forward.
This is following a recent trend where both Intel and AMD have decided to change their prime processors’ naming conventions, allowing both to market several tiers of CPU dies and stamps under the same moniker, trying to blur the distinction between mobile chips and desktop chips. It also allows them to classify cut-down efficiency-oriented dies under the same name as the highs performance models, blurring the line even further.
The average consumer will be oblivious to this and will require time dedicated to researching the differences via tech spec sheets.
I imagine a similar thing has happened into he tool industry.
Ben
USB C power delivery 3.1 can deliver up to 48v at 5A for 240w, so it’s not a power issue of the USB C platform?
The Milwaukee and Ryobi chargers I have at home seem to pull in the high 90w range or around 18v at 5A (?)
Ben R
Oops what are the odds of 2 Ben’s, sorry!
Ben
Two Ben’s with nearly the same thoughts! Weird…
Stuart
This isn’t the first time – we ran into this before with other names, at least once with amusing drama.
JMJR
Some USB-C chargers and cables can handle 240 watts, which would be enough to charge a fully dead Dewalt 20/60V 15Ah battery in about 68 minutes (basic math, not accounting for efficiencies)
Stuart
Then why do Skil and WorkProX batteries take so long to charge?
The Dewalt USB-C charger is limited to 100W. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/dewalt-usb-charging-kit-dcb094-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
It charges a 5Ah battery in as little as 60 minutes if you buy a 100W charging adapter.
The new Milwaukee M18 Super Charger can recharge their FORGE 12Ah battery in 45 minutes.
I’d like to see more USB-C charging options, but there could be limitations.
Multi-battery charging setups are more convenient via traditional charging docks. e.g. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-m18-packout-charger-48-59-1817/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Matt_T
The 48V x 5A (=240W) usb-c option is uncommon. 20V x 5A is the normal standard for “high power” usb-c. And lots of chargers out there which won’t deliver that much.
Hard to say whether the slow recharge times are because of the batteries or the chargers they ship with. Could try hooking one to a 100W charger and seeing what happens. Best to do this outside…….
Blocky
Nothing will happen, except that it will charge at the fastest rate negotiated between the charger and the cable and the device.
To answer Stuart’s ‘then why’: it’s more expensive to integrate very high speed charging. Everything about 240 W USB-C charging is more expensive. The bricks, the cables, the cells, the heat dissipation.
A budget tool brand is not going to implement bleeding edge charging tech.
But yes, usb-c could support comparable charge times on 20V batteries.
Dave F
The WorkProX battery supports “…fully recharging in just 1.5 hours with 30W charger. “, according to the Amazon listing. For a lower wattage charger, it should take even longer and for a higher wattage charger, it should take less, if they have implemented USB-C Power Delivery correctly.
USB-C Power Delivery requires a compatible charger, cable and device that can handle the available power . All three have to be capable of handling the same wattage to get the fastest charging time. If you use a 100W cable with a 250W charger, you will only get 100W of power to the battery. There should be electronics in the charger, cable and battery that negotiate the best rate for proper USB-C Power Delivery.
Stuart
I wouldn’t assume it will charge faster with a higher powered charging brick. It doesn’t come with a charging adapter, and so if they say 1.5 hour charging, that’ll likely be the max rate.
Dave F
Since they listed the charge time with a rate (1.5hrs at 30W) and one of the marketing images lists, “Type-C Fast Charging” and “Supports PD Fast Charging & Quick Charge 3.0”, I would assume it would charge faster with a matched charger and cable that I supplied and not the cable that they supply.
Not that I would buy one to prove it. 😉 But if I had website where I could write it off as a business expense… O_o
Nathan
Active temp monitoring and voltage modulation is why cheap cordless tools charge so slow and why a Milwaukee or DeWalt battery and charger costs more
As far as I can tell
fred
I would guess that temp monitoring, voltage modulation and slow charging is better than risking battery overheating and a fire or explosion. I would also hope that responsible tool and battery manufacturers place fire and safety concerns above speed of charging. And – when a tool manufacturer like Milwaukee makes a fast charger like the M18 supercharger – they build in technology to make it safe. I for one am skeptical about some of the alphabet soup (aka no-name or generic) branded Li-ion batteries and chargers on the market – and wonder how their use (or misuse) contributes to the residential (li-ion battery implicated) fires reported on almost daily. Mercifully for my peace of mind – these fires seem to be more associated e-bikes and mopeds than the tool batteries that I own. But I am nonthesis respectful of my handling, storage and charging of these batteries. When I think about the energy stored (not to mention cost) in the 2 Makita BL4080F batteries that power my lawnmower – it promotes my cautious approach to handling them.
s
that’s a vast oversimplification of the problem.
batteries are best compared to vehicles. a 50 year old running/stopping vw bug will fulfill one’s transportation needs. but a brand new top of the line amg mercedes will also fulfill one’s transportation needs.
but the expectations, fit, finish, and quality between a 50 year old vw bug, and a brand new amg mercedes are planets apart.
same with batteries. it’s quite easy to save money on off-brand, or lower end batteries by adjusting the quality or sizing of the individual cells, and also using a less-optimal pre-packaged charging or regulation circuits that aren’t as efficient as a custom-built solution.
in short, it’s not just one or two things that make cheap batteries cheap. it’s the entire construction from the moulds, to the cells, to the circuitry controlling the cells.
Bonnie
For a basic trimming saw like this, really meant for cutting back your rose bush or maybe bucking up a fallen tree branch, you’re not usually burning through a big battery anyways. For a homeowner the 90m recharge isn’t going to be a problem because they’re just not likely burning out the battery in one use session.
Harrison
Lol, this is what passes for a ‘Name Brand’ these days?
s
i do like the idea of universal usb-c charging. i definitely like that the usb output is included, so i don’t need to add yet another dongle.
though i think there is a significant disadvantage in terms of charging time, even in the best case scenario for the highest output of usb chargers. especially considering for the larger 5-12Ah packs that most more serious users need.
if a 2Ah pack takes 1.5hrs, it’s pretty easy to estimate a 6Ah pack taking closer to 3 times that at about 4.5 hrs. and 4.5 hrs for a single pack to charge is almost useless for most serious uses.
ColeTrain
As a Skil tool owner I’ll give you my two cents. I have several of the 12 volt batteries and tools, some batteries are the original with usba and some of the new USB c. I could say I didn’t think much of it although it was nice knowing I had a phone charger if needed. Then when I got the new one with USBC I noticed the output tap for it is five, 9, 12, 20 volt output. I haven’t used it yet but it’s nice knowing I can recharge some of my work lights and it’s 2 way capable. But not at the expense of the crappy wall charger they give you. I have the original charger which has the jump charger function which I sparingly use but is nice if you need it on a pinch. Furthermore the dust cover on the original versions don’t cause any issue but the new usb-c cover just falls out of the port if you look at it funny. It’s a nice feature to have when needed but I certainly doubt I would have made the purchase if the wall charger was the only option.
Mopar
I see a lot of back and forth over the electrical capabilities and limitations of USB, while overlooking the mechanical concerns in typical power tool environments.
I look at this saw/battery and the first thing I think of is how long before those USB ports are full of sawdust and dirt and moisture. From the pics it looks like if you set the saw down the ports are against the ground. One picture on the Amazon listing even shows using it in the snow. How many times can you pack those USB ports with snow before something fails?
I keep my phone in an Otterbox Defender case, which has a cover for the USB port when not in use. It STILL occasionally stops working and needs a very careful cleaning. I’ve taken to often leaving it in a toolbox and wearing a much cheaper bluetooth speaker or headset while working.
USB was intended for computers and delicate electronics. I do not think it is a robust enough connector for professional construction and outdoor power tools in it’s current form.
Blocky
Enter USB-C PLUS and USB-C MAX
Mopar
Will Dewalt have Atomic USB-C?
Blocky
Electrons could be considered subatomic—
Jared
It’s a weird choice for OPE for all the reasons you mentioned, but it just might work for the target audience. Someone who goes out in the spring to trim up their whole yard might be disappointed, but a quick cut or two to keep things in shape? Why not.
For what it’s worth, I like my Dewalt USB-C charger. Different animal of course, but it’s extremely handy to be able to charge in my vehicle, have a low-profile 110v option, be able to use the power adapter on my laptop or phone, etc. If that style of charger became more ubiquitous, I wouldn’t mind – except I wouldn’t want to give up my fast charger for my large Flexvolt packs.
ElectroAtletico
I only have to tackle branches that the sawzall deals with easily