A how-to on choosing a replacement battery
Without a properly functioning battery, your cordless tools are worthless. A suitable battery that gets the most out of your machine and your jobs is what you want. Buying a new battery can seem difficult. To help you, we have written this tutorial. Using the steps below, you can choose the right battery and continue working for a long time!
1. A replacement battery:
In order to make the best possible choice, it is important that you are as well informed as possible . The external characteristics, performance and specifications of the battery can greatly influence the performance of your battery! Choosing the right battery is therefore just as important as choosing the right type of tool.
Some examples that determine the choice are; the capacity, charging time and properties of the battery technology. These properties determine how a battery functions and whether this matches the work that is carried out with the machine.
2. Properties of Ni-CD, Ni-MH or Li-Ion
The development of new tools never stands still. Manufacturers launch new types of screwdrivers, drills and jigsaws on the conveyor belt. In the shadow of this development, battery technology also does not stand still. This means that for your older machine, new batteries are often available with a newer battery technology or higher capacity. These newer batteries are often able to supply energy to your machine for longer than the old type of battery.
To make a good choice it is important to know a number of terms well. The terms all say something about the specific properties of the battery. Incorrect use or a wrong choice can lead to very disappointing battery performance and possibly to higher costs.
2.1.1 Battery life
The lifespan of a battery is often expressed in the number of 'cycles'. A cycle represents the number of charges of a battery. The lifespan is therefore expressed in how often a battery can be charged without any capacity remaining and the battery no longer delivering energy. The number of cycles per battery technology can vary greatly, for example Ni-CD can often handle 1000 cycles and Li-Ion already starts to lose part of its capacity at half capacity.
2.1.2 Battery age, usage and becoming 'lazy'
These elements can have a negative effect on the lifespan of the battery and can lead to a broken battery in the worst case. Users often make a trade-off between a long lifespan and the capacity of the battery. For example, a Li-Ion battery can have more capacity, but the technology has a shorter lifespan. Nevertheless, professionals often choose the Li-Ion technology because they want the machines to be usable for a longer period of time. The lifespan of Li-ion is also increasing as battery temperature and charging methods improve.
2.1.3 Self-discharge
Every rechargeable battery has the property that it slowly loses capacity, even when the battery is not used. However, a distinction can be made between the different battery technologies. Li-Ion has a lower self-discharge than Ni-CD and Ni-MH but does lose capacity relatively sooner.
For some users, this self-discharge does not affect a choice. If a battery is used frequently, self-discharge is only a limited aspect in the life of the battery. Batteries with a low self-discharge are interesting for users who do not use their tools every day or week.
2.1.4 Voltage
The voltage of a battery determines how much power a battery can deliver at one specific moment. The higher the voltage of the tool, the more powerful the machine.
Tools with batteries are often tied to one voltage. The manufacturer has developed one battery that fits the machine. A rough distinction can be made between the different voltages.
Light duty tools: 6 volts - 15 volts
Medium duty tools: 12 volt - 18 volt
Heavy duty tools: 18 volt - 36 volt
2.1.5 Capacity (how long can I work with one battery)
The capacity of a battery determines how long you can work with one battery without recharging the battery. The capacity is often expressed in ampere per hour or Ah. Another notation for capacity is mAh, or milliampere per hour.
2.1.6 Deep discharge
A deep discharge means a complete discharge of the cells. There is no capacity left in the cells. A deep discharge can lead to the death of the battery for some battery technologies. Other types of batteries can handle a deep discharge or even prefer a deep discharge to keep the cells healthy.
2.1.7 Memory effect or 'lazy battery'
This effect occurs when a battery is repeatedly charged without being fully discharged. Some battery technologies 'remember' the previous capacity level and perform less well if not fully discharged.
Ni-CD for example, are best maintained by being recharged when they have less than 70 percent capacity left. However, Ni-CD batteries must be fully discharged regularly to allow the batteries to retain their 'real' capacity.
Step 1: Determine which battery properties are important to you....
Examples:
...daily or occasional use?
....what voltage fits my machine?
...how much capacity do I need? (possibly an upgrade from Ni-CD to Ni-MH).
3. Different types of batteries
There are three battery technologies for cordless tools, namely Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-CD), Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) and Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion). A brief explanation will be given for each type of battery. If you want more information, you can click through to the page about battery technology.
3.1 Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-CD)
This battery is the oldest technology for tools. The batteries are cheap and have a longer life, but are often outclassed by Ni-MH or Li-Ion technology.
Advantages of Ni-CD batteries:
- Ni-CD batteries can withstand heat and cold well
- Ni-CD has a relatively long lifespan
- Can withstand deep discharges better, although this is not recommended.
- Lower cost price
Disadvantages of Ni-CD batteries:
- Ni-CD are heavy (weighty) cells
- Lower capacity compared to Ni-MH or Li-Ion
- Optimal cycle is between 100% and 70%. Deeper discharge than 70% will reduce lifespan
- Ni-CD batteries often need to be cool before they can be charged
- Risk of lazy battery or memory effect if deep discharge is not complied with during charging
- Heavy environmental impact
Overview Ni-CD batteries:
- lifespan: > 1000 cycles
- self-discharge: average, approximately 15% per year at 23 degrees ambient temperature
- Capacity: low, 1.2Ah - 2.4Ah
- Charging time: Short
- Maintenance intensity: high
- Memory effect: high
- Sensitivity: low
More about Ni-CD? Look here
3.2 Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)
Nickel-Metal Hydride is the successor to Ni-CD batteries. These batteries have a higher capacity and do not pollute the environment.
Advantages of Ni-MH batteries:
- Ni-MH's are lighter (weight) than Ni-CD batteries
- Ni-MH batteries have a higher energy density, or higher capacity, than Ni-CD batteries.
This can lead to 2 to 3x longer operating time per battery charge. - Costs are lower than with Li-Ion batteries
- The loss of capacity can be greatly reduced by proper storage and charging methods
- Ni-MH cells do not contain any pollutants
Disadvantages of Ni-MH batteries:
- Sensitivity to temperature, especially cold, is fatal for this type of battery.
Advice: use and store between 1 degree and 40 degrees Celsius - Deep discharge or little use damages the battery. Lifespan and capacity are severely limited.
- Ni-MH batteries should be charged after 70 percent capacity has been used.
- This technique is more expensive than Ni-CD
Overview Ni-MH batteries:
- Lifespan: Can vary greatly, at correct storage temperature approximately 1000 cycles.
- self-discharge: high, about 25% per year at 23 degrees ambient temperature
- Capacity: Average, 2.2Ah - 4Ah
- Charging time: Short
- Maintenance intensity: average
- Memory effect: average
- Sensitivity: is sensitive to temperature
More about Ni-MH? Look here
3.3 Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
Li-ion is the latest technology for battery tools. This technology is definitely the best choice compared to the older types. However, the price can be a disappointment.
The greatest danger for Li-Ion batteries is heat and can lead to a defective battery. This technology has no memory effect or problems with incorrect charging. The causes of a defective Lithium-Ion battery are age and use. Regular use and age affect the capacity of the battery and eventually lead to a defective battery. Heat during charging can also lead to an accelerated decrease in capacity.
Despite the limited lifespan, lithium-ion batteries are the best choice because of the high capacity and short charging time. Because this technology has not been around for relatively long, progress is being made in increasing capacity. Often, when purchasing new batteries for your old machine, you can get batteries with a higher capacity despite the battery increasing in size. This is the result of innovation in lithium-ion technology.
Advantages of Li-ion batteries:
- Li-ion batteries have the lowest weight of the three battery technologies
- Li-ion has a high energy density just like Ni-MH. This leads to a high battery capacity
- This technique is much less affected by ambient temperature than Ni-MH
- Li-Ion cells can take many different shapes, which means that batteries can differ in appearance.
- No memory effects
- Li-ion batteries are not harmful to the environment
Disadvantages of Li-ion batteries:
- Overheating of the cells during charging leads to irreversible damage. Protections on the charger and battery can prevent this
- Limited lifespan due to capacity reduction
- Li-ion technology is relatively expensive
Overview Li-Ion batteries:
- lifespan: short, 300 to 500 charge cycles or 2 to 3 years
- self-discharge: low to zero
- Capacity: high, 3Ah to 7.5Ah
- Loading time: average
- Maintenance intensity: none
- Memory effect: none
- Sensitivity: high temperature and shock
More about Li-Ion? Look here
Step 2: Determine which battery technology you want.....
Examples:
...which battery technologies does my charger support? (Ni-CD and Ni-MH are often interchangeable, Li-Ion often requires separate chargers)
...I currently have a Ni-CD but would like a higher capacity, do the properties of NI-MH suit my use?
...what capacity do you want within the chosen battery technology?
Conclusion
Choosing a new battery for your machine can seem like a complicated task. By following the steps below after reading the manual above, you can come to the right decision. If you follow the steps below, you can choose the right replacement battery that suits you best in our webshop.
- What is the brand of my machine?
- What is the voltage of my machine?
- What capacity is needed for my use? You can increase your capacity without any problems. This is comparable to increasing the fuel tank of a car. You increase the number of liters but the fuel (voltage) remains the same.
- Do I want to change battery technology?
- If so, does my charger support this technology? Often Ni-CD chargers also support Ni-MH. You can check this by looking at the charger. Li-Ion often requires a new charger.
- Do the features of the new technology suit my use?
