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In particular, I'm skeptical of the real expected cost savings over time. Electricity is cheaper than gasoline, but batteries for portable equipment tend to be
by rootusrootus 5y ago
In particular, I'm skeptical of the real expected cost savings over time. Electricity is cheaper than gasoline, but batteries for portable equipment tend to be very expensive, and how long do they last? Especially since manufacturers have historically changed the battery interface substantially every few years, forcing people to upgrade their equipment. Maybe that's changing, though, it does seem like the latest iteration of DeWalt batteries have been around considerably longer than the previous generation was.
- bjt2n3904 5y agoI've bought three of them -- I'm actually using DeWalt because of that. But the batteries all arrived and refused to charge. I probed them with a multimeter, and found the cell voltage was quite low. Hooking it up to a constant current lab supply for ~30 minutes raised the cell voltage enough to get the charger to accept it... but I've only had one run with them. I hope they'll work again.
- rootusrootus 5y agoI'm a heavy DeWalt user and I'm already a little salty sometimes about how much they charge for their batteries. If they change up the standard again so I need adapters or new tools, I'm going to switch manufacturers altogether. So far I like their stuff well enough, thankfully I haven't run into any problems with new batteries not working out of the box yet. Knock on wood
- bjt2n3904 5y agoIt's like... a handful of 18650 batteries and a metal tab. Legitimately, we should be able to make our own with a 3D printer and Amazon.
- bombcar 5y agoThey really are - at least for Milwaukee almost all the smarts are in the tool itself and not in the pack. But never buy a pack - always wait for a sale or deal and get the batteries free with tool (or tool free with batteries).
- rootusrootus 5y ago> always wait for a sale or deal and get the batteries free with tool I agree. I don't think I've ever paid full price buying a battery by itself. I just can't stomach the terrible value. I watch for a sale and pick up a new tool with the battery I want. I've got a few relatively obscure tools that way that I'd probably not bother purchasing otherwise.
- bombcar 5y agoIt's price segmentation - they know that a contractor/employee who needs a battery ASAP will pay sticker price, whereas homeowners will wait for a sale.
- bombcar 5y agoAll the modern batteries show that when super low - often if they’ve been really discharged or in the cold. Leaving them on the charger or letting them “rest” for a day or two can also bring them back.
- perl4ever 5y agoI will buy into electric everything once the government mandates standardized interchangeable batteries for everything. And mandatory warranties.