Do we dare trust our lithium battery powered tools???

bobs409

bobs409

 
Administrator
How does everyone here feel about the lithium Ion powered tools? Do you feel safe leaving these things in your garage or house??

Here is some vids on youtube on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lithium+Ion+tools+fire

At this time I only have 1 tool with this kind of battery (which is on my workbench in the garage right now!!) I think my laptop computer has one too. Cell phones too I think. Some toys as well. (RC cars, etc)

Just wanted to hear from you guys on the subject and your thoughts...
 
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61BUBBLE348

61BUBBLE348

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
We use Li ion batteries for our hand screw drivers and drills at work, and have done so for more than 10 years, I believe if you buy the best you can get with matching chargers their is a good chance of nothing going wrong, the key is the charger sensing the voltage and current to the battery.
We use Makita for the drills and their air cooled battery chargers, and Panasonic for the screw drivers and again their air cooled charger,
In regards to the Panasonic screw drivers the last couple I bought about 5 years ago and they were $245 dollars each, I could have bought a no name Knock off for $35.
The other thing with the battery stuff is you have to keep using them daily so they go through their charge/discharge/charge phases, this process allows us to get years out of a battery.

Because of the intermittent use at home I use all mains powered tools, When I need to charge a battery at home, I typically only charge when I am in my workshop, mind you when I charge a lead acid battery I do the same and if I have to do a deep charge overnight I put the battery outside of the shop and have the charger inside.
 
Clint

Clint

Well Known Member
bobs409 said:
How does everyone here feel about the lithium Ion powered tools? Do you feel safe leaving these things in your garage or house??

Here is some vids on youtube on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lithium+Ion+tools+fire

At this time I only have 1 tool with this kind of battery (which is on my workbench in the garage right now!!) I think my laptop computer has one too. Cell phones too I think. Some toys as well. (RC cars, etc)

Just wanted to hear from you guys on the subject and your thoughts...
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All of my cordless tools are lithium ion. I am a big fan of the Makita brand
 
bobs409

bobs409

 
Administrator
After seeing these battery's going up in flames for no reason, I can't say that I am a fan of them. For now, I'm not leaving any battery pack unattended in my garage. (and certainly not while recharging!)
 
boxerdog

boxerdog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
Clint said:
All of my cordless tools are lithium ion. I am a big fan of the Makita brand
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I have kinda standardized on Milwaukee, but I use the hell out of them with no issues at all. I seldom use air tools any more. There are plenty of other things in your shop (just guessing) that might self-ignite as well. Even a pile of rags...

I don't like to leave batteries on the charger unattended, but I didn't with older NiCd or NiMh batteries either. Many incidents are related to improper charging/chargers, the R/C hobbyists discovered this very early on. And laptop issues are really insignificant, I would guess.. Now if someone's hearing aid battery blew a hole in their head, I'd be concerned!
 
wristpin

wristpin

Well Known Member
boxerdog said:
I have kinda standardized on Milwaukee, but I use the hell out of them with no issues at all. I seldom use air tools any more. There are plenty of other things in your shop (just guessing) that might self-ignite as well. Even a pile of rags...

I don't like to leave batteries on the charger unattended, but I didn't with older NiCd or NiMh batteries either. Many incidents are related to improper charging/chargers, the R/C hobbyists discovered this very early on. And laptop issues are really insignificant, I would guess.. Now if someone's hearing aid battery blew a hole in their head, I'd be concerned!
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The family of Heshe "Boxerdog" Obama would like to extend their appreciation for the sympathetic outpouring during their period of grief. They hope the NiCd company responsible for the batteries in "Boxerdogs'" battery operated companion will accept responsibility for the sudden and unexpected conflagration.
 
61-63

61-63

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
I've used Milwaukee lithium battery powered tools for years no problems. Last year I sold all of my stihl gas powered yard stuff (chain saws too) and replaced them with Milwaukee battery powered stuff. Like someone said above I only recharge lithium batteries when I am there to keep an eye on the processs and this includes my phone.. I only buy Milwaukee batteries which are expensive but they seem to last six or seven years.
 
IMBVSUR?

IMBVSUR?

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
bobs409 said:
After seeing these battery's going up in flames for no reason, I can't say that I am a fan of them. For now, I'm not leaving any battery pack unattended in my garage. (and certainly not while recharging!)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately there is a reason. In the simplest terms, cracks develop between the layers ( cells ) a short happens and it overheats and catches fire. They keep saying the new technology ( so they say ) in the new batteries will not have that problem both in cars and elsewhere. But that will not stop the old ones from possibly burning.
 
bobs409

bobs409

 
Administrator
"Safe and Effective" comes to mind... Never mind all those spontaneous fires out there, nothing to see here...

Remember, it's those same "experts" that let all the defective ones flood the market. Face it, we are all lab rats!
 
boxerdog

boxerdog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
Maybe. So could everything running off gasoline, propane, natural gas, AC electric wires etc.
 
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