On Jul 1, 10:12*pm, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
Recently got a catalogue from ITS London. *On the page listing power tool
batteries is the following, verbatim;
-----------------------------------------------
Are you confused about the various battery types available?
This information is a guide only, only batteries suited to your charger and
specific tool should be used.

NiCD (Nickel Cadmium). *Entry level rechargeable battery which must be fully
discharged before recharging. *Failure to do so can reduce battery life..

NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride). *These batteries have no memory effect
therefore can be 'topped up' or charged at any time without affecting
battery life. *NiMH batteries also tend to out perform NiCD batteries in
high drain applications.

Li-ion (Lithium -ion). *The newest battery technology for cordless power
tools, with no memory effect they can be 'topped up' with no effect to
battery life. *The main benefit to this battery type is the weight - up to
40% lighter that NiMH batteries makes these the favourite for power tools..

-------------------------------------------------

To a battery layman like me, this is a golden nugget of information. *Makes
it perfectly clear which is which.

So, first of all, is it by & large all true?

If so, should we steal it for the Wiki?

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The observation on NiMH with regard to high-drain applications seems
rather strange -- I'd reckoned that was one of the few things to be
said for NiCd batteries.

However as things stand at the moment I reckon that the Li-ion
technology is in practice the best all-rounder available. In my
experience good Li-ion batteries can take a pounding for years. I use
a lot of them -- quite a number of mobile phones, satnavs etc.-- and
it's only one I've ever had to replace and that was after years of
service and a mixture of charging regimes.

My Makita cordless drill is Li-ion. For me, the most relevant factor
in that choice had to be that, since it wasn't going to be in use
every day and might lie a month between uses, it wouldn't completely
self-discharge if left lying, For someone using a power tool every
day, that wouldn't be a relevant factor. In any case, it's Li-ion
that seems to be the choice for top-of-range tools increasingly and
that's where the development money is being spent.

My experience with Li-ion has been good all round. As, for that
matter, has been my experience with ITS London (though that particular
Makita didn't come from them). Nice guys who generally know their
stuff better than most such operations when you talk to them.