The information below is a guide to aid you in understanding and choosing the most appropriate battery for your power tool.

 

Ah

The maximum amount of time a power tool run on batteries can be operated is determined by the Ah value strength of the battery the tool utilizes. Ah is short for ampere hour which is available in the ranges from 1.3 Ah to 3.3 Ah. The higher the Ah level of the battery, the longer it will operate.

 

Voltage

In the simplest terms, voltage is the measure of strength supplied by the battery to the power tool. Higher the voltage, more power can be supplied by the battery. Power tool batteries are available in the ranges from 7v t 36v.

 

Types of battery

There are three distinct types of batteries which are used commonly in power tools which NiCD batteries (Nickel Cadmium), NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries and Li-ion (Lithium-ion). The NiMH and Li-ion are most preferred in recent times.

 

Shape of batteries

Batteries for power tools are available in three types which are Slide-on, Clip-On and stick batteries.

 

Memory effect

Memory effect occurs when a battery is used partially and recharged before it completely loses its power. This virtually shortens the life of the battery and is a common occurrence in NiCD batteries.

 

Recharge cycle life

As the name suggests recharge cycle life means the amount of time a battery can be recharged. Li-Ion batteries for power tools have a recharge cycle life of 300-500.

 

Self-discharge

The measure at which a battery loses its power when idle is known as Self-Discharge.