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Guide for Cordless Tools

-- Battery Size --
For cordless tools, the amount of available power is determined by battery voltage: the higher the voltage, the more power and torque the tool is going to have. While more power may seem like good, there are trade-offs to be made. High voltage cordless tools are more expensive and heavier than their low voltage competitors.

Consider this comparison. A typical 9.6 Volt cordless drill will typically weigh approximately 3-1/2 pounds and cost anywhere from $35 - $150. As a comparison, a 19.2 Volt cordless drill can weigh nearly 10 pounds and cost in the range of $125 - $300. If you really need the power of a 19.2 Volt drill, then the added cost can certainly be worth it. But if you are using your cordless drill to occasionally drive screws in your home, a 19.2 Volt drill is probably not worth it since it is harder to use (since it is heavy) and money not well spent. If the additional power is not actually needed, a cheaper, light-weight cordless drill will probably suit your needs much better.

-- Battery Type --
There are two battery option available for cordless tools: Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion). Do yourself a favor, do not purchase a cordless tool that uses NiMH batteries. While tools with NiMH batteries are often cheaper, they are cheaper for a very good reason. NiMH batteries suffer from memory problems (they need to be completely discharged before they are recharged or they lose capacity), they do not last for as many charge cycles (they die sooner), and they have lower power than equivalent voltage Li-Ion batteries.

-- Number of Batteries --
An additional thing to take into consideration when looking for a cordless tool is the number of batteries that come included with the tool. If you plan to use your tool for extended periods of time or often, you'll want to make sure that you have two batteries. There is nothing worse than having your battery die and having to wait an hour or two for the battery to charge before you can get back to what you were doing. When you are considering a tool, check that it comes with two batteries. If it doesn't, determine the cost of an additional battery and add that in when you are comparing costs between tools.

--Charging Batteries--
Many higher-end cordless tools come with advanced chargers that allow the battery to be charged in a very short period of time; some in less than 30 minutes. For comparison, a standard charger can take up to 3 hours to charge a battery. If you require a quick-charging battery for your tool, look into the available charging options before you purchase a cordless tool.

-- Battery and Tool Storage --
Even when your cordless tool is off, it will draw a small amount of power from the battery. While the amount of power being drawn is slight, it can add up a lot over the course of days, or weeks. So when you store your cordless tools, be sure to remove the battery; this will help ensure that it is charged when you go to use it. Do not keep your battery in the charger. While there are some chargers that claim to be "smart" about this, but as a rule keeping your cordless tool batteries in the charger will lead to premature battery death where it will no longer hold a full charge. When storing cordless tool batteries avoid storing them in heat and cold. Cold weather will not permanently ruin your battery, but it will reduce the amount of power available when the battery is being used. Extreme heat can permanently harm the batteries of your cordless tools. Avoid high heat, and never charge your batteries in an area that is overly hot, this can really damage your battery.

-- Pick a Brand --
One possible way to avoid issues with battery availability is to pick a brand and a battery size and stay with it. If you always purchase the same brand of tool with the same battery size when buying screwdrivers, saws, drills, etc, you'll be able to swap batteries and chargers across all of your tools. This greatly increases the number of batteries you have available and it guarantees that you will never be left without any charged batteries.