On Feb 25, 10:11 pm, RicodJour wrote:

That's pretty weird. Li-ion batteries are known for holding their
charges for long periods - the shelf life is measured in years. NiCad
and NiMH both lose about 1 or 2 percent of their charge per day.

http://www.energizer.com/learning-ce...omparison.aspx

Note that they make NO claims as to the charge holding of the lithium
battery, only that it is lighter, and holds the charge for a long
time. The chart also make a clear delineation when referring to
rechargeable batteries like the NiMH battery you reference for the 1
-2% loss of charge. The lithium battery has no such reference.


I recently pickes up some Makita Li-ion tools and do notice that they
drain more quickly in use, but they don't drain at all just sitting
there.

That last damn drill was such a disappointment I wanted to beat it to
pieces with a hammer. I have no tolerance for tools that don't work.
I got the drill because I liked the feel, and that is certainly
important when you used it primarily as a screw driver.

But what they stress when you buy a lithium powered tool is the fact
that the lithium batteries don't develop a memory. That is their
claim to fame, the fact that you can top them off at will. I didn't
know until this second machine that the fault was the inherent fault
of the batteries and me not understanding their shortcomings.

Check this out it is the most comprehensive look at a lot of
researching I did when trying to return my Makita:

http://tinyurl.com/2ev5x2

I didn't know they had a much more limited life cycle than NiCads when
I popped for $240 for the Makita drill/driver. I didn't know that
they performed best in cooler weather - I live in a heat zone, and
wouldn't care to guess how hot it gets in the tool box every day. Or
on a an asphalt shingle roof, etc.

They work best when you store them at about a half charge. How would
you know that?

You aren't supposed to run the batteries all the way down. That means
when it won't drive that last screw and suddenly stops, you are the
one that gets screwed. Without a damn meter on the battery, how are
you supposed to know until the tool bogs down that you are low on
juice? By then it is too late.

Worse, it says in that document (and I have read it elsewhere) that
lithiums respond best to slow trickle charges. So that means every
time I plug it in to the quick charger I am contributing to its
shorter life. Great.

Look at those charts for ideas of diminishing performance, even under
great conditions.

Nope.. not for me. I was burned once, and although I am sure they
will get the technology where it needs to be, they aren't there yet.


Battery technology has been a bottleneck for a long time, but there
does seem to be some interesting developments on the horizon:

Soon I hope - before I need another cordless tool!

Robert