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One of the biggest problems with battery powered electric tools is the total incompatibility between brands and even within brands. Here is my ridiculous situation with the many different batteries I am currently using:

Greenworks 40V original Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 40V new G-MAX Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 20V Li-Ion battery
Black & Decker 18V NiCd battery
Black & Decker 36V Li-Ion battery
Ryobi 24V Li-Ion battery
WeedEater 20V Li-Ion battery (compatible with Greenworks and Troybilt 20V tools)
Bosch 18V Li-Ion battery
Remington 18V NiCd battery

Of course all these unique batteries require their own specific charger unit, which doubles the problem. The only cross-compatibility is between the WeedEater and Greenworks 20V Li-Ion batteries/chargers, such that I can use the WeedEater batteries in the Greenworks tools and charge the Greenworks battery in the WeedEater charger.

Wouldn't it be great if there were some type of universal industry standard for batteries. Pie in the sky, I guess.

I've wondered the same thing and its part of the reason I have been so resistant to use battery powered tools. You could always just extend the power wires and use your own with a deans connector. You could strap it to the handle somehow or wherever works best. A 10s 5ah lipo is about $100 from hobby king in comparison to one of the 4ah gmax batteries.

Its even more silly when sometimes its more practical just to buy a new trimmer for the batteries. I have a B&D 18v trimmer I've thought about refitting with lipos but I might leave it on the curb and buy the gmax trimmer.

Even more insane is that different manufacturers sell identical products, except that they use different proprietary battery designs. Greenworks and Ryobi both sell identical 16" mowers powered by 40V Li-Ion batteries. Greenworks sells theirs on Amazon with the 146 Wh G-MAX battery for $299 and Ryobi sells their through Home Depot with two 93.6 Wh batteries for $399. However, Ryobi also sells their version as "tool only" w/o batteries for $169, whereas Greenworks doesn't. So, it occurs to me that if you already had a Greenworks 40V battery and could find the proper connector piece to wire into the mower circuit, you could probably buy the Ryobi w/o batteries and save $130 in the process.

yeah, I can go to the gas station and buy fuel for lots of different brands of equipment. I can plug hundreds of different brands into 120 AC outlets at my home.

Sure, I understand that different battery technologies and perhaps voltages (discounting the possibility of 'smarter' chargers) may require forced incompatibility for safety reasons. But it does seem like we've reached the 'ludicrous' limit. We managed to make USB ports fairly adaptable. And AAA, AA, C, D batteries were 'mostly' interchangeable for many decades. Inside these battery 'packs', you'll see many of the same individual cells won't you? But, they are not made 'user serviceable'. I guess humans have become dumber with time and can't be allowed to handle the cells directly. You might let your kid eat one!

At some point, advertising that your product can accept some widely popular battery system, even if licensed from a competitor, will be an advantage. I'm thinking of the old Pentax SLR camera lenses that some other camera makers adopted. Finding lenses for that system was always cheap and easy.

Does anyone know for Greenworks tools, What is the comparability between the 40 volt GMax and the 40 Volt 'Gen 1' batteries?

Specifically do the Gen1 batteries work in the Gmax tools?And visa-versa. For example, I have the Green-works lawn mower that came with 2 Gen 1 batteries, can I use them in a GMax edger?
Thanks

Eventually, they will get this figured out and probably the government will pass some sort of laws standardizing things. Given the problems with ethanol, etc. I would really like to see commercial grade battery powered handhelds, especially trimmers.

MowerMike said:

One of the biggest problems with battery powered electric tools is the total incompatibility between brands and even within brands. Here is my ridiculous situation with the many different batteries I am currently using:

Greenworks 40V original Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 40V new G-MAX Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 20V Li-Ion battery
Black & Decker 18V NiCd battery
Black & Decker 36V Li-Ion battery
Ryobi 24V Li-Ion battery
WeedEater 20V Li-Ion battery (compatible with Greenworks and Troybilt 20V tools)
Bosch 18V Li-Ion battery
Remington 18V NiCd battery

Of course all these unique batteries require their own specific charger unit, which doubles the problem. The only cross-compatibility is between the WeedEater and Greenworks 20V Li-Ion batteries/chargers, such that I can use the WeedEater batteries in the Greenworks tools and charge the Greenworks battery in the WeedEater charger.

Wouldn't it be great if there were some type of universal industry standard for batteries. Pie in the sky, I guess.

Click to expand...

I agree with you....

Robbgroovy said:

Does anyone know for Greenworks tools, What is the comparability between the 40 volt GMax and the 40 Volt 'Gen 1' batteries?

Specifically do the Gen1 batteries work in the Gmax tools? And visa-versa. For example, I have the Green-works lawn mower that came with 2 Gen 1 batteries, can I use them in a GMax edger?

Click to expand...

Sadly, no. The Greenworks Gen1 and Gen2 (G-MAX) 40 volt Li-Ion batteries are incompatible. Also, Greenworks has discontinued the Gen1 batteries and tools, so you are pretty much stuck with switching over to the G-MAX system going forward. Greenworks has done something similar with their 20 volt and 24 volt Li-Ion product lines. Frankly, if I were in your situation, I'd switch over to another brand such as Ryobi, which you can buy in Home Depot stores and not have to worry about dealing with Greenworks if you have problems.

Do you know what makes the Gmax battery incomparable with the Gen1 because the voltage is the same and the pack appears to have the same interface.

Robbgroovy said:

Do you know what makes the Gmax battery incomparable with the Gen1 because the voltage is the same and the pack appears to have the same interface.

Click to expand...

The batteries are wired completely differently. Also, the interface is different to prevent accidental insertion of a Gen1 battery in a Gen2 tool or vice versa.

sjessen said:

Eventually, they will get this figured out and probably the government will pass some sort of laws standardizing things. Given the problems with ethanol, etc. I would really like to see commercial grade battery powered handhelds, especially trimmers.

Click to expand...

This is a long long way off. We would need to have battery run time of at least 4-6 hrs. And possibly 6-9 hrs on the mowers. There are a few companies that run battery operated equipment but its a real pita and mostly a sellig gimmick

MowerMike said:

The batteries are wired completely differently. Also, the interface is different to prevent accidental insertion of a Gen1 battery in a Gen2 tool or vice versa.

Click to expand...

Thanks MM. Sounds like a hassle to hack. I am set up with a full 4 piece suite of 40v Gen1 yard tools with 3 batteries and 2 chargers. They are too cheap now to resist. I'll just hope my Gen1 batteries and chargers last as long as the tools.

I've been bothered by this forever. The industry and the consumer would both be in better shape if the manufacturers were not focusing their income streams on string spools and batteries. Finally, Ryobi has departed from the string spools with their attachment capable 40v trimmer, but are firmly in the battery game. Too bad that major battery manufacturers don't take it upon themselves to solve this. I think they could. It is just a matter of voltage and AH, after all, plus connector adaptors, which could be sold separately.

gfp55 said:

I agree with you....

Click to expand...

And now Greenworks has their 80 volt "Pro" lineup of tools. The battery packs(80 volt, 2 AH which is same watthours of energy storage as their G-Max 40 volt batteries) charge up in 30 min. supposedly. originally, pre-release they posted a proposed array of "Pro" line battery packs ranging from the above 2 AH 160 watt-hour battery to a backpack carried 11 AH pack for the system, clearly aiming it at all cordless electric lawn services market. Basically one must evaluate how soon you'll be replacing which device, replace it with one from the biggest array of common battery system devices and go from there, replacing the lot one by one as appropriate. Let's not get started on the "Ego" products at 56 volt battery system(also recharge in 30 min.). I'm thinking 80 volts myself. Probably the Greenworks pro mower, then snow blower maybe in a year or 2 thereafter. For the time being it's a Neuton EM 4.1 24v (SLA battery pack) mower, a 12v integrated SLA battery B&D string trimmer, and a Snow Joe 40v Ion snow blower in my cordless electric yard equipment "stable". Snow Joe's CEO sent me their 16" Ion 40v mower but it arrived poorly packed and cracked just in front of where the front axle mounts. They don't have the best put together corporate operation in this market. Besides it only has bagging clippings management, no side or rear discharge or mulching mode option. Go figure, they obviously didn't. I have issues with their Ion snow blower's design as well, the one I bought last Oct. ~ 2 weeks before Greenworks and their cloned (Craftsman) marks introduced their 40v G-Max and 80 volt Pro models ( The 2 Greenworks and Craftsman machines look almost identical). Here's my blog post reviewing what was available in cordless electric snow blowers just before I bought one in Oct.
Bill's Will: Misc Musings of a Techie: Small snow blowers: Be happy, Go cordless electric

the same could be said for electric cars, and cell phones, and electronics.

if everyone could agree to a few sizes. and storage capacity.

life could be a LOT simpler



watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_7i6T_H78

or we all could use this backpack battery.

21amp hour

$999

MowerMike said:

One of the biggest problems with battery powered electric tools is the total incompatibility between brands and even within brands. Here is my ridiculous situation with the many different batteries I am currently using:

Greenworks 40V original Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 40V new G-MAX Li-Ion battery
Greenworks 20V Li-Ion battery
Black & Decker 18V NiCd battery
Black & Decker 36V Li-Ion battery
Ryobi 24V Li-Ion battery
WeedEater 20V Li-Ion battery (compatible with Greenworks and Troybilt 20V tools)
Bosch 18V Li-Ion battery
Remington 18V NiCd battery

Of course all these unique batteries require their own specific charger unit, which doubles the problem. The only cross-compatibility is between the WeedEater and Greenworks 20V Li-Ion batteries/chargers, such that I can use the WeedEater batteries in the Greenworks tools and charge the Greenworks battery in the WeedEater charger.

Wouldn't it be great if there were some type of universal industry standard for batteries. Pie in the sky, I guess.

Click to expand...

I have similar issues. I had the entire series of Black and Decker 18 volt NiCd tools, and accumulated quite a pile of free batteries from special deals. As you probably know, the problem with NiCd is low cell voltage (1.2) and so each battery has 15 cells! As soon as one shorts out, then the others begin to get a higher charging voltage and current and quickly also begin to cook while charging, and fail. The slow 9 hour charger was the most kind. The fast chargers are lethal. So I would take the packs apart, and replace the individual shorted cells.... quite a labor of love or stupidity. When lithium came on the scene, I quickly learned that the best deal on batteries was the Lowe's Kobalt 24 volt 2.5 AH which is only $20 !!!! I modified my electric bicycles to use these (I have a youtube video on how to do it) and was quite happy with that idea. Then I thought, why not try the lithium batteries on the B&D tools? The tools work fine.... but I can't any longer pay $35 for a B&D NiCd when I can get the lithium batteries for $20. Of course they dont fit without an adapter. But I had a whole load of dead 18 volt NiCds, each with the charger plug on them, so I just took the batteries apart and used the plate for the adapter. I have several youtube videos on how to do this. Takes a little time and some gorilla glue, and of course the polarity is backwards so beware you have to switch the wires. And the drill goes a little faster on 24 volts, but not a real problem for me.

The 40 bolt lithium tool series from Kobalt is pretty good, and the 5 year no questions asked warranty is insane! As I told the salesman, there is not a chainsaw made that I cannot destroy in a year.... and they warranty it for 5 ??!! So far I have swapped out 3 of them.... the oilers are less than ideal. I am currently trying the Lynx 40 volt chainsaw from Harbor Freight..... it is $20 cheaper, and the warranty only 90 days. But how do I solve the battery compatibility problem? The Lynx battery is $59.... similar to the Lowe's but I have four of the Lowe's ones.

macktyner said:

I have similar issues. I had the entire series of Black and Decker 18 volt NiCd tools, and accumulated quite a pile of free batteries from special deals. As you probably know, the problem with NiCd is low cell voltage (1.2) and so each battery has 15 cells! As soon as one shorts out, then the others begin to get a higher charging voltage and current and quickly also begin to cook while charging, and fail. The slow 9 hour charger was the most kind. The fast chargers are lethal. So I would take the packs apart, and replace the individual shorted cells.... quite a labor of love or stupidity. When lithium came on the scene, I quickly learned that the best deal on batteries was the Lowe's Kobalt 24 volt 2.5 AH which is only $20 !!!! I modified my electric bicycles to use these (I have a youtube video on how to do it) and was quite happy with that idea. Then I thought, why not try the lithium batteries on the B&D tools? The tools work fine.... but I can't any longer pay $35 for a B&D NiCd when I can get the lithium batteries for $20. Of course they dont fit without an adapter. But I had a whole load of dead 18 volt NiCds, each with the charger plug on them, so I just took the batteries apart and used the plate for the adapter. I have several youtube videos on how to do this. Takes a little time and some gorilla glue, and of course the polarity is backwards so beware you have to switch the wires. And the drill goes a little faster on 24 volts, but not a real problem for me.

The 40 bolt lithium tool series from Kobalt is pretty good, and the 5 year no questions asked warranty is insane! As I told the salesman, there is not a chainsaw made that I cannot destroy in a year.... and they warranty it for 5 ??!! So far I have swapped out 3 of them.... the oilers are less than ideal. I am currently trying the Lynx 40 volt chainsaw from Harbor Freight..... it is $20 cheaper, and the warranty only 90 days. But how do I solve the battery compatibility problem? The Lynx battery is $59.... similar to the Lowe's but I have four of the Lowe's ones.

Click to expand...

Perhaps I will try to make an adaper..... but the Lowe's battery is wider and longer than the Lynx, and will not fit.... so I am looking for other candidates. The Ryobi is compact like the Lynx, and so might fit. I do like the Lynx motor better, as it is brushless and so there are no brushes to burn out and fail. It has a cheaper look than the Kobalt, like all Harbor Freight tools do, but so far it works pretty well for made in China.

Maybe we should call our congresspeople, and ask them to pass legislation about battery compatibility, like they did with cell phones..... remember when each cell phone had a different charger plug? Now at least we have the Android standard and the Apple standard. Guess that will never change.
Mack

If the industry won’t do it, we need legislation to force a standard. A backpack or waistpack battery with an optional choice of plug adapters for different brands would be a start.

All the reasons I will not buy ANY battery powered lawn equipment, selections are equal to a women's shoe store.. and about as functional as a pair of "Stiletto-Heels" .. :laughing:

Boobala said:

All the reasons I will not buy ANY battery powered lawn equipment, selections are equal to a women's shoe store.. and about as functional as a pair of "Stiletto-Heels" .. :laughing:

Click to expand...

I don't know about that. I have a Greenworks 60V ten inch pole saw, and it's proven very useful so far.

macktyner said:

I have similar issues. I had the entire series of Black and Decker 18 volt NiCd tools, and accumulated quite a pile of free batteries from special deals. As you probably know, the problem with NiCd is low cell voltage (1.2) and so each battery has 15 cells! As soon as one shorts out, then the others begin to get a higher charging voltage and current and quickly also begin to cook while charging, and fail. The slow 9 hour charger was the most kind. The fast chargers are lethal. So I would take the packs apart, and replace the individual shorted cells.... quite a labor of love or stupidity. When lithium came on the scene, I quickly learned that the best deal on batteries was the Lowe's Kobalt 24 volt 2.5 AH which is only $20 !!!! I modified my electric bicycles to use these (I have a youtube video on how to do it) and was quite happy with that idea. Then I thought, why not try the lithium batteries on the B&D tools? The tools work fine.... but I can't any longer pay $35 for a B&D NiCd when I can get the lithium batteries for $20. Of course they dont fit without an adapter. But I had a whole load of dead 18 volt NiCds, each with the charger plug on them, so I just took the batteries apart and used the plate for the adapter. I have several youtube videos on how to do this. Takes a little time and some gorilla glue, and of course the polarity is backwards so beware you have to switch the wires. And the drill goes a little faster on 24 volts, but not a real problem for me.

The 40 bolt lithium tool series from Kobalt is pretty good, and the 5 year no questions asked warranty is insane! As I told the salesman, there is not a chainsaw made that I cannot destroy in a year.... and they warranty it for 5 ??!! So far I have swapped out 3 of them.... the oilers are less than ideal. I am currently trying the Lynx 40 volt chainsaw from Harbor Freight..... it is $20 cheaper, and the warranty only 90 days. But how do I solve the battery compatibility problem? The Lynx battery is $59.... similar to the Lowe's but I have four of the Lowe's ones.

Click to expand...

Well done & well thought out.
I do something similar with my anchient laptops.
A real PIA job but it means the old wall street will run another 10 years on the 2 new battery packs just so long as you do not charge them in the computer or have them in the computer when the power wire is plugged in.
Got all of the service manuals in them for those who wonder what you would use a 30 year old laptop for.

Getting interoperability / interchangeability across all brands is a pipe dream... because we can't even get one company to offer interchangeable batteries just within the brands that a single company produces.

Take a look at one single Chinese company TTI, which owns AEG, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Homelite, and licenses the Ridgid brand name for yet another line of battery operated tools, all with completely incompatible batteries. Five different tool brands that use 9 different incompatible, non interchangeable lithium battery styles... all manufactured by one company.

Another example = Greenworks, as has already been discussed in this thread. The Greenworks brand was created and is owned by Changzhou Globe Tools Co., Ltd. About three years ago, Stihl, another outdoor tool company that produces an incompatible bevy of battery operated garden tools, bought a minority stake in Changzhou Globe Tools, which effectively announced the role that Globe Tools in China has in making Stihl battery operated tools, which of course, use a different battery interface than the Greenworks tools, despite being manufactured in the same Zhonglou development province. The brand "Powerworks" is also manufactured by Globe.

Another example... Yamabiko. Now some readers may have never heard of Yamabiko, but will have heard of Echo. Echo, another leader in outdoor yard and garden tools on par with Stihl, has a line of battery operated tools as well. So does Shindaiwa. Both Echo and Shindaiwa are owned by Yamabiko. And the 56v batteries used by Shindaiwa (which are now entirely discontinued, even though Shindaiwa's customer service people are instructed to deny this fact in order to sell out the rest of inventory) are entirely incompatible with Echo's 58v line of battery tools, even though manufactured by the same parent company.

Like I said, with such pervasive battery incompatibility within the offerings of just one company, it will certainly take an Act of Congress, plus an International Treaty agreed to by all the industrialized countries around the world, to impose battery compatibility across an entire industry. Not bloody likely in our lifetimes.

The only notable exception to all this incompatible brand and battery BS is Makita. Makita is just Makita. Not owned by anyone else. Not sold as anything else. Makita did buy out Dolmar almost 30 years ago, but Dolmar is exclusively gas and gas/oil mix outdoor equipment. When it comes to battery powered equipment, any Makita LXT 18v battery that works with any Makita battery tool will work with any Makita battery operated lawnmower, string trimmer, brush cutter, chainsaw, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, grass clipper, pruning saw, cultivator, rotary sweeper, power wheel barrow, etc. The equipment may require 2 LXT batteries, to make 36V (same power as 40V, just rated by the nominal operating voltage instead of the useless peak surface charge voltage immediately after charging) instead of just one LXT battery, but the batteries are entirely interchangeable and interoperable across the entire line that now exceeds 200 different tool solutions.

Not only do Makita batteries work with all Makita tools, they also work with other professional industry tools, such as electrical industry cutters and crimpers by Greenlee, and plumbing industry pex crimpers and dialators by Klauke. That is about as close as the battery operated tool industry has ever come to a "standardized" battery.

Gave away ALL my DeWalt battery powered tools, got a RIDGID drill & driver kit with LIFETIME warranty on the batts. everything now, is 120V. or gas-powered .. NEVER LOOKIN BACK ! .. :thumbsup:..:thumbsup:

https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/full-lifetime-warranty

Selling those replacement Li-ion batteries for 80 to 100 dollars a whack would be a pretty good reason for each company to make a different battery for each tool I'd guess. Probably about a 200% profit.

Boobala said:

Gave away ALL my DeWalt battery powered tools, got a RIDGID drill & driver kit with LIFETIME warranty on the batts. everything now, is 120V. or gas-powered .. NEVER LOOKIN BACK ! .. :thumbsup:..:thumbsup:

https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/full-lifetime-warranty

Click to expand...

Do they really replace batteries after a period of time?

" RIDGID product may experience normal wear and tear and require service. While normal wear & tear is not considered a "defect" and is not covered by the RIDGID Lifetime Warranty,"

120 V sort of defeats one of the reasons for using cordless.
anything over 50 V is more than capable of giving you a fatal shock.
Not the tool you would want to have in your hand holding onto something metal while you are drilling a hole in it on a damp day.

tom3 said:

Do they really replace batteries after a period of time?

" RIDGID product may experience normal wear and tear and require service. While normal wear & tear is not considered a "defect" and is not covered by the RIDGID Lifetime Warranty,"

Click to expand...

I have NEVER had a battery or charger issue thus far, (3 years now since bought) I have been to Home Despot several different ones & times, and I usually ask the guys in the Tools Dept. about the warranty, ALL have told me, jus bring in the "kit" ( drill, driver, Batts. and charger, carrying bag, AND the receipt,! they will just EXCHANGE it right there for new, 1 did say, if none in stock THEY.. would send it back to Ridgid 4 replacement .. MUST have COMPLETE kit and tools had to be REGISTERED with ALL serial numbers from tools AND batteries, 30 days 2 register after purchase .. no problem, was told bvy 1 store they so far only replaced 1 cutomers kit, said never an issue with Ridgid tools ... MUST HAVE RECEIPT AND TOOLS REGISTERED !! ...

I've gave up on batteries about a decade ago. All my tools run on AC, gasoline, premix, or elbow grease.

Bob E said:

I've gave up on batteries about a decade ago. All my tools run on AC, gasoline, premix, or elbow grease.

Click to expand...

Therein lies the problem... a decade ago, the top of the line battery operated tools were still NiMh, and the rest were still NiCd holdovers.

It wasn't until 2005 that Milwaukee introduced the innovative but ultimately ill fated 28Volt battery platform in the USA. The innovation was Milwaukee's bet on lithium ion battery technology. Prior to 2005, no common commercially available battery operated tool dared to use LiIon battery chemistry, as it was thought to be unsuitable for tools. During the same year (2005), Metabo, in conjunction with the Cordless Alliance System, a consortium of mostly European tool companies who have standardized on a common battery platform, tentatively introduced LiIon cells in some tool batteries.

Milwaukee's 28v system didn't gain much traction, but the benefits of Lithium Ion (no memory effect, significantly lighter weight, significantly higher energy density per unit of mass, significantly slower self discharge, and other benefits...) took the industry by storm. By 2009, exactly 10 years ago, both Makita and Hitachi reached negotiated settlements with Milwaukee, who had sued almost every tool company in the industry for patent infringement (in the US market)... because everyone was now migrating to the clearly superior lithium ion batteries. It was a game changer.

If you left the game 10 years ago, you're missing the best innings. You're missing out on the field goals... which is the freedom from cords and gas fumes.

I too, had given up on cordless. Thirty years ago, I had a full kit of 9.6v battery operated tools, that were neat and convenient for little things, but ultimately relegated to the status of toys, not tools. When the 12v versions of the same tools came out, I didn't bite. Likewise, I ignored the 14.4v and 18v reincarnations that occurred over the years. I was finally intrigued by Milwaukee's 28v line, but stayed away.

About five years ago, a neighbor gave me a 20v lithium ion impact driver, with a battery, that he had no charger for. He buys the contents of abandoned storage units, and this tool came with the lot. I thanked him and put it away, and forgot about it. Over a year went by, and I stumbled across the tool by accident, and pulled the trigger. Not only did it still work, it worked stronger than my NiCd tools ever did even when they were new and fresh off the charger. And here this LiIon tool had been sitting forgotten in a drawer for over a year, and who knows how long it had been since it was charged prior to my neighbor giving it to me, because he didn't have a charger, and who ever had the storage unit had abandoned the contents for at least several months prior to the contents being auctioned off.

I was sold. I bought a charger, and the rest of the tools I that I use frequently... and let me tell you... the freedom from cords adds so much to the efficiency, utility, and safety of using the tools. It would be silly to deny yourself these incredible benefits, based on your memories of older NiMh and NiCd battery tools from over a decade ago. Times and technology have changed significantly since then.

Meh, can't be that great yet. Folks are still complaining about the same stuff they were then. Give it another decade and my current crop of power tools might need replaced. I might give batteries another glance then. :tongue:

Bob E said:

Meh, can't be that great yet. Folks are still complaining about the same stuff they were then. Give it another decade and my current crop of power tools might need replaced. I might give batteries another glance then. :tongue:

Click to expand...

BS, I love my 60volt greenworks products. They will run longer than you ca use them. Getting the pole saw next. And yes I have 80 acres of land.

a decade ago, the batteries for yard tools WERE pretty crappy. It was difficult to get Ni-Cds to last more than a season maybe 1-1/2 seasons.

IMHO lithium is the game-changer. lighter, stronger and seemingly more durable. The CASE of my batteries may wear out before the internals do.

I just added a GW 40v tiller to my 'fleet' - no, I wouldn't want to go into soybean production with it - but for my large lot it's been perfect so far.

But, I would go back to gas if I felt a need to, just haven't yet.

as for complaints, at work, every spring, I here multiple complaints of how blowers, weedwackers, mowers and other devices won't start.

I put in a battery and start mowing.

I just now jumped into the battery operated outdoor power equipment.

The final straw that pushed the decision forward was the realization (stumbled upon during research) that 15 different states in the USA now have laws against gas powered blowers. These laws run the gamut from simply restricting days, times, and duration of usage, to an all out ban altogether, depending on the local municipality of jurisdiction. California has over a dozen cities that I am aware of that restrict the use of 2 stroke gas/oil powered OPE.

As 1 Lucky Texan above said... these types of bans would not have been possible without the existence of quieter, less locally polluting alternatives, that with the advent of lithium ion battery technology, have become more viable and safer for the application (no accidental cord cutting when wielding a hedge trimmer) in the cordless battery format, vs corded.

I went with Makita, because Makita had more variety of tools in the OPE sector alone, than any other battery operated garden tool company I reviewed... nevermind Makita's 200 other construction tools that use the same 18V LXT battery format in 18V and 36V arrangements.

When other OPE battery company's advertise 40v, they are likely doing the same thing as DeWalt... citing the superfluous surface charge that can be measured on a battery immediately after being freshly charged on a charger... rather than the nominal "running" voltage the battery maintains in actual use, which is what Makita cites.

My new battery operated OPE is in the mail as I type... a string trimmer, a hedge trimmer, and a small chain saw. I look forward to being freed from pulling cords of any type, whether starter cords or power cords. I look forward to being free from figuring out how to dispose of bad gas, and wondering if I mixed the gas 40:1 or 50:1, or if I mixed the gas twice by accident. I look forward to being free from the smells and the noise of 2 strokes. I look forward to no longer worrying about near misses with extension cords. I look forward to simply being free.

But one thing the battery operated tools won't set me free from... the actual doing of the work. Ugh. Maybe it's ok that the shipment is delayed.

"If the industry won’t do it, we need legislation to force a standard."
Not a chance of that happening with the Dictator in power currently. :laughing:

Looks like 1st gen greenworks 40v fits some others demo'd here:

dehv said:

Looks like 1st gen greenworks 40v fits some others demo'd here:

Click to expand...

That is a 2nd generation (GMAX) Greenworks 40 volt li-ion battery. The 1st generation has a silver side panel and doesn’t say GMAX.

So, today I did an inventory of all the different batteries and chargers that I'm currently using in my OPE. This doesn't include shop or indoor tools such as cordless drills and vacuum cleaners. The grand total is 21, with 20 being Li-Ion and one NiMH. The last time I bought an OPE with a new type of battery and charger was in June, 2019, and I'm hoping that this is the last of it.

Just got a hart 20v 4ah mower for trim work but it eats batteries my question is can I use the hart 20v 6ah to replace the 4ah?

dmc1620 said:

Just got a hart 20v 4ah mower for trim work but it eats batteries my question is can I use the hart 20v 6ah to replace the 4ah?

Click to expand...

Most likely you will be able to use a different capacity battery with the same brand and voltage. Sometimes there are different generations of batteries that are incompatible, but as long as you purchase a battery from the same model line you should be ok.

Thanks

Short story of an industry that did batteries right.
We are remodeling much of our house (wife is using her inheritance $) and we are shopping for some furniture - hadn't done that for a coupla decades - and discovered that 'powered' recliners do not need to be near an outlet anymore, they have battery packs!, game changer! and, yeah, they all seem to use the same voltage and connectors. OK, not quite the same conditions as lawn tools, since recliners encounter just about the same loads/conditions all the time, but still, I think it might have gone the same way as cordless electric mowers. So, kudos to that industry.