Husky battery power tools - too expensive now or cheaper in long run?

[alowen]

Well with the new 3x longer lasting mobile phone batteries being mentioned on the news recently, I dare say the same technology will eventually be available to saws and power tools in general. At a cost, of course.

 

Al

[agrimog]

and the biggest question that none of you seem to ask...how many charges before the battery is fubared.....or how may seasons till its obsolete

[Garyjp]

Well with the new 3x longer lasting mobile phone batteries being mentioned on the news recently, I dare say the same technology will eventually be available to saws and power tools in general. At a cost, of course.

 

Al

 

 

...at a cost and not for some years to come.

 

life of the batteries will be between 2 to 3 years assuming regular pro use. i doubt the prices will come down instead the performance will increase, ie shorter charge time/longer run time/longer lifetime

 

mentioned in an earlier post the health benefits are several:

 

typically the vibrations are lower (or much lower) than petrol equivalent but whilst u are holding a petrol product at idle it still vibrates, a battery product doesnt idle, you are either using it or its off so overall your exposure is reduced; your 'A8' value.

 

emmisions exposure to the operator are zero except perhaps for an oil mist for the bar and chain but same as petrol product of course.

 

noise is significantly reduced too. an equivalent performance petrol saw would be in excess of a 100dba, as much as 105. battery saw around 95. doesnt sound like a big number but every 3dba is doubling of the noise so is actually significant. (hedgecutters and brushcutters are significantly quieter than their petrol cousin, its the bar and chain that makes the noise in the chainsaws).

 

technology will no doubt improve over time but the advantages are still there and make economic sense...it will just get better.

 

low emissions (great if working on sssi sites for example)

much cheaper to run

ease of use

virtually no servicing costs

low noise (great for urban areas/starting early in the morning/call outs)

low vibe

cheaper to buy (chainsaw around £300 rather than 5-600) yes you have to buy batteries but last time i checked, petrol isnt free either and cost 20 times more per 'fill up' lol

 

Downsides, obviously the run time...just have enough batteries for your typical days work and have petrol back up or for when you just need more oomph! just another tool in the armoury

 

i dont think anyone is suggesting to chuck out all ur petrol gear, not just yet anyway 😃

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Arbtalk

[SteveA]

Good summary there Gary. Cheers, Steve

[omahaalex]

How quiet are they? would you hear it going down on the ground before a big lump drops out?

 

on another note, that would be cool if you could somehow charge it in a mewp, would that be possible eventually?

[Garyjp]

How quiet are they? would you hear it going down on the ground before a big lump drops out?

 

on another note, that would be cool if you could somehow charge it in a mewp, would that be possible eventually?

 

 

yep, u hear em! the saws are not ready for ninja college yet lol

 

not really practical to charge from a mewp...best option is if you are working at a property rather than roadside, just use their mains power.

 

ps, solar wont help unless you drive an a 40 ft artic with panels front to back (and live and work in arizona lol) the fast charger is 330 watts, thats a lot of power!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Arbtalk

[ThrustSSC]

Probably a daft question but im a noob so forgive me, what sort of health benefits? And would a couple of solar cells on the roof of your truck with them on trickle charge help or reduce the overall life of the battery

 

Fumes. Alkylate fuel (Aspen) only helps deal with _most_ of the issue. Some still remains. Carbon monoxide among others.

 

Plus they're lighter, so less strain on your back!

[morten]

a small saw fill up with petrol is about 50p to charge a battery 3p. it will be the way to go when the next generation batteries come out with longer power output

 

Well with the new 3x longer lasting mobile phone batteries being mentioned on the news recently, I dare say the same technology will eventually be available to saws and power tools in general. At a cost, of course.

 

Al

 

What "next generation batteries" are you talking about?

 

Lithium Ion batteries have been on the consumer market for about 10 years now, and have not seen any substantial capacity/weight ratio improvements in that time. And to my knowledge, no other high power battery technology with improved capacity/weight ratio is anywhere near a marketable state. Capacity/cost ratios have improved somewhat with the increased use and production, but again not a lot.

 

A LOT of research has gone in to battery technologies in recent years, mainly for use in mobile computers, tablets, phones and electric cars, without any significant improvements being made. Smart phones and electric cars are still crippled by battery capacity and -cost.

Edited June 12, 2014 by morten

[Garyjp]

What "next generation batteries" are you talking about?

 

 

 

Lithium Ion batteries have been on the consumer market for about 10 years now, and have not seen any substantial capacity/weight ratio improvements in that time. And to my knowledge, no other high power battery technology with improved capacity/weight ratio is anywhere near a marketable state. Capacity/cost ratios have improved somewhat with the increased use and production, but again not a lot.

 

 

 

A LOT of research has gone in to battery technologies in recent years, mainly for use in mobile computers, tablets, phones and electric cars, without any significant improvements being made. Smart phones and electric cars are still crippled by battery capacity and -cost.

 

 

as you say Morten, there wont be any major changes in the near future!

it was mentioned on the news the other day and their best prediction was about 5-10 years for the next gen phone batteries. power tool batteries are likely to be well behind this date.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Arbtalk

[ArthurBottlesworth]

Bear in mind

Yamaha are no longer doing petrol engine research

They must see the writing is on the wall.....

 

I would have thought back pachk carrying batteries and plug in tools might be a way forwards