Taking Measure

Strike a cord.

My parents gifted me my first cordless tool (a 9.6-volt Makita drill driver—you know the one) when Annette and I bought our first house in 1988. Dad already had one, and when we worked on projects together, I marveled at the tool’s convenience, despite its awkward nose-heaviness and the need to recharge the battery after driving a few dozen fasteners.

Over the years, manufacturers jacked up voltage to improve runtimes, and tried to cut the cord from other tools, such as circ saws, jigsaws, and sanders. But most of those early efforts fell short of expectations, even with 18 volts bursting from the bulky batteries.

Fast-forward 20 years or so: I’m at a product launch where Milwaukee Tool revealed a line of tools powered by 36-volt lithium-ion batteries, the highest voltage yet for cordless tools. Fed up with the I-can-top-that escalation of (battery) power, a cynic at my table shouted, “Why not 120-volt cordless?!?” He might have simply asked, “Why?” Turns out, his outburst was more foreshadowing than flippant. Today, rechargeable batteries power routers, shop vacuums, and even tablesaws. All manner of outdoor equipment, from string trimmers, to chainsaws, to riding lawn mowers, fer-cryin-out-loud, come in capable cordless and fuel-free versions. You can even buy battery-powered inverters to run the tools that aren’t already battery-powered.

Why? Why go cordless in the shop, where open outlets abound? Just as in 1988, convenience. Work anywhere without dragging out an extension cord. Rout around a panel without ever stopping to move the cord out of the way. I even prefer a cordless tool when it’s tethered to a dust-collection hose; without a cord, I’ve cut half of the hassle.

Fact is, with today’s brushless motors, you don’t compromise performance for the sake of portability. For example, in our test of compact mitersaws starting on page 52, five of the six cordless models tested achieved more than 200 cuts through 2×4 pine on a single charge. (Pretty sure I’d be exhausted before the batteries on these things...)

Twenty years ago, I had my garage extensively/expensively rewired because its shared circuit breaker and few code-mandated receptacles couldn’t accommodate the demands of a power-tool-intensive woodshop. The same garage shop five years from now will probably get by with those scant outlets occupied by a few battery chargers.

Why not?

See you in the shop!

In 2002, I got my hands on a Porter-Cable 9290: the first cordless router powerful enough for woodworking. In our tests, we routed more than 100 lineal feet of 1⁄2" round-over in red oak before exhausting its 19.2-volt battery. Today’s cordless routers weigh way less and rout three times as much on a charge.