Cordless Power Tools and Battery Platforms

TOOLS · UNITED KINGDOM

Cordless Power Tools and Battery Platforms

Why the battery decides everything, voltage and amp hours, brushless motors and care

Cordless tools are sold individually and bought as a system, because the battery platform determines everything you buy afterwards.

Choose the platform, not the tool

Batteries are the expensive part, and they only fit their own brand's range. Picking a system with the tools you will eventually want matters more than which drill is best today.

Bare tools without batteries cost a fraction, which is the real saving once you have two or three packs.

Voltage and amp hours

Voltage roughly indicates power — 12V for light work and tight spaces, 18V for general use, higher for demanding tools. Amp hours indicate runtime rather than power.

A larger battery runs longer and weighs more, which matters overhead. Two smaller packs frequently beat one large one.

Brushless motors

More efficient, longer lasting and more compact than brushed motors, with better runtime from the same battery. Worth paying for on anything used regularly.

Torque and clutch

A drill's clutch settings prevent overdriving screws and stripping heads. An impact driver delivers rotational impacts and is far better for long screws and fixings — most people want both.

Battery care

Charge at room temperature, avoid leaving packs completely flat for long periods, and store at around half charge if unused for months. Heat is what degrades lithium cells fastest.

Use the supplied charger, never charge unattended overnight, and never buy cheap unbranded replacement packs, which are a genuine fire risk.

Safety

Eye protection for anything that cuts or drills, and check for cables and pipes before drilling into walls. Remove the battery before changing bits or blades.

Corded still has a place

For sustained heavy work — long sanding, mixing, cutting all day — corded tools do not stop and cost less. Cordless wins on convenience and on anywhere without a socket.

An RCD on any portable mains tool is a basic precaution outdoors.

Storage

Keep tools and batteries somewhere dry and within their stated temperature range, which is narrower than an unheated garage in winter. Remove batteries from tools for long storage.

Building a set

A combi drill and an impact driver cover most jobs. After that, a multi-tool, a circular saw or a sander depending on what you actually do, bought as bare tools on the same battery platform.

Resist buying a large kit of tools you have never needed, since most of them sit unused.

Second-hand

Tools hold value and the used market is good, and batteries are the part that wears. Buy tools used and batteries new.

Buying sensibly

A drill, an impact driver and two batteries covers the large majority of household jobs.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Gtech? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Gtech — official site

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