Try carrying a circular saw up a ladder, and the shortcomings of a power tool
with a cord quickly become obvious: the cord is easy to trip over, and more than
one has ended up mangled by the tool to which it's attached. Electric shocks can
be a problem, too--especially when working near water or in the rain.
No surprise, then, that manufacturers have long pursued the idea of cordless
tools with all the ardor of a quest for the Holy Grail. The key lies not so much
in designing the tools themselves--after all, a circular saw is a circular
saw--but in designing batteries that can deliver the power needed to operate
them. See
cordless tools.
Power Revolution
The earliest battery packs
had about enough power to run a flashlight, and required about 24 hours to fully
charge. There's been a revolution in battery power and with it an explosion in
the types of cordless tools now available. Not only are the battery packs more
powerful, but they can be recharged far more quickly--in some cases, in as
little as 15 minutes.
Check out our other Tool Buying Guides
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