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Cordless Tool Trends
By Steve Maxwell
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No other category of power tools has improved as much as cordless over the last 10 years, and this fact is changing the way our world is built and maintained. Fueling this good news story are converging technical advancements that promise to extend the cordless tool revolution, though probably not in the direction it's taken so far.
Back in December 1990, I bought my first cordless power tool, a 9.6 volt Black and Decker “Professional” drill that I still have today. It was a mid-range model at the time, and although I was glad to have it, the drill certainly wasn’t about to replace my corded model. What that new cordless delivered in convenience, it cost in low power and short working life. With a fresh charge, and a stiff tail wind, it could just barely drive #8 x 3 1/2-inch screws all the way into soft wood.
As the decade wore on, it seemed each new mail-order tool catalogue proclaimed higher-voltage cordless tools that promised more. And those promises were met, as I discovered while conducting cordless tool reviews for publication. As top-end voltages climbed to 12, 14.4, then 18 volts, the performance of cordless drills met and surpassed what was delivered by typical corded drills. Then, something interesting happened.
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Cordless Tool Trends
By Steve Maxwell
|
|
|
No other category of power tools has improved as much as cordless over the last 10 years, and this fact is changing the way our world is built and maintained. Fueling this good news story are converging technical advancements that promise to extend the cordless tool revolution, though probably not in the direction it's taken so far.
Back in December 1990, I bought my first cordless power tool, a 9.6 volt Black and Decker “Professional” drill that I still have today. It was a mid-range model at the time, and although I was glad to have it, the drill certainly wasn’t about to replace my corded model. What that new cordless delivered in convenience, it cost in low power and short working life. With a fresh charge, and a stiff tail wind, it could just barely drive #8 x 3 1/2-inch screws all the way into soft wood.
As the decade wore on, it seemed each new mail-order tool catalogue proclaimed higher-voltage cordless tools that promised more. And those promises were met, as I discovered while conducting cordless tool reviews for publication. As top-end voltages climbed to 12, 14.4, then 18 volts, the performance of cordless drills met and surpassed what was delivered by typical corded drills. Then, something interesting happened. |
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