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USB-C charging law in the EU.
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PlainName:

--- Quote ---I used to have various versions of Makita battery operated cordless drills for 20 years or so but dealing with the batteries annoyed the hell out of me.
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Not surprised. NiCd and NiMh batteried did everything you say: went flat on their own quickly, relatively gutless, take ages to charge. It was the same with cars - no-one (except youtube wannabes, would make a lead-acid powered car). But Li-ion has been a game changer and things that were a drag even 10 years ago are pretty cool now. Hell, I even prefer battery drills because of the better balance provided by the battery counterweight now.

But they are not magical. Just because they are great for many things doesn't make them perfect for everything, and a sensible discussion will bear that in mind rather than using extreme edge cases to 'prove' they are shit for the other 99% of cases too. Or vice versa, of course.
Siwastaja:

--- Quote from: nctnico on November 14, 2023, 04:39:15 pm ---Even better: buy the version with a power cord! For occasional use around the home battery operated power tools make no sense at all both financially and ergonimically. An extension cord is pretty cheap compared to buying batteries. When you need the tool, the battery will be near empty so you'd need to wait for the battery to charge. And when the battery runs out, you need to take a long break. On top of that, you don't need to lift the relatively heavy battery pack all the time.

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I wholeheartedly agree with this unpopular opinion. However big game changer li-ion has been, batterization of every random power tool has gone too far. Corded tools are a bit PITA sometimes, but finding out the battery is empty then start looking for the charger you tossed in some drawer somewhere is even bigger PITA. And if you have three random cheap Chinese power tools, you likely have three different batteries and three chargers. OTOH, cheap mains-powered power tools have crap efficiency, but it doesn't matter for occasional use; the main point is, they are much cheaper and simpler than the battery equivalents.

And for occasional use, corded tools have no expiration date, unlike li-ion batteries (especially cheap). Many 30-year old power tools still work, even the cheap ones, with light use.

For serious use, one obviously buys full set of tools they need, quick charger and enough batteries, from one brand, which would be at least a 1000EUR investment, but this isn't relevant to most home owners who do small stuff every now and then.

Obviously a good Makita LXT set is going to win over a random corded power tool, but if you do a fair comparison of cheap crap versus cheap crap, the corded is even cheaper and has fewer parts and does the same job.
nctnico:

--- Quote from: Siwastaja on November 14, 2023, 07:48:23 pm ---And for occasional use, corded tools have no expiration date, unlike li-ion batteries (especially cheap). Many 30-year old power tools still work, even the cheap ones, with light use.

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That is a good point indeed. For occasional use you won't even wear a device out before the batteries go obsolete. A couple of years ago I threw out a Makita cordless drill which was like brand new but the batteries where dead and no replacements (at least not for a decent price). Such a waste of materials and money!
tom66:

--- Quote from: nctnico on November 14, 2023, 06:52:45 pm ---Corded IS better! My Makita corded screw driver (with an extra long, high quality rubber cord) plugs in a wall socket and is ready to go. Instantly. No preparation, no charging, no charger that sits somewhere. I used to have various versions of Makita battery operated cordless drills for 20 years or so but dealing with the batteries annoyed the hell out of me. Allways empty (or running out) when I needed it. Especially when some unplanned job turns up. I got rid of them and never looked back.

Edit: typo (thanks wraper for noting!)

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And don't forget you might need to get out the extension lead because there is no socket anywhere near where you need it. Meanwhile I always have at least one charged battery in my tool draw, so in the worst case  5 seconds later I have a working tool.  The batteries don't appreciably discharge themselves when unused. 

But, horses for courses, if you like corded tools then keep buying them - someone must, they still make them!
wraper:
IMHO corded tools are good when you don't need to move them around or it's a really extensive use of high consumption tool that changing the batteries is more cumbersome that dealing with stupid cable. Of course the major aspect is cost. You probably don't want an expensive battery powered angle grinder for occasional domestic use when you can get good enough corded tool for basically peanuts.
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