[Shop-talk] Battery Clarification

[Doug Braun]

NiMH batteries seem to have mostly replaced Nicads in
those rechargeable battery+charger packages you can
buy in places like Wal Mart.  Since I have a NiMH
charger, I have no reason to ever buy Nicad AA cells
again. 

The only reason I can see why they keep selling Nicads
for tools is that the incremental benefit of changing
from Nicad to NiMH does not justify the cost (new
charger, battery pack style, etc.).  On the other
hand, Lithium batteries are sufficiently new and cool
to convince people (but not me) to spend more $$$ for
them.

Personally, I have never used my drill long enough in
one shot to run down a full Nicad battery pack.  If
the batteries go dead, it was because they were old
and messed up, which could happen just as easily with
Lithium, apparently.  I am very pleased that I could
get a brand new 19.2 volt Nicad pack for my 4-year-old
drill for only $24.95! 

Doug


--- Karl Vacek <kvacek at ameritech.net> wrote:

> Is there any particular reason, other than the cost
> (which doesn't seem very 
> different) that manufacturers send nicads with most
> rechargeable products 
> that don't warrant lithium ion cells ?
> 
> I've replaced nicads with nickel metal hydrides
> everywhere I could and had 
> great results.