Milwaukee announced their new REDLITHIUM battery technology today, which is said to provide their cordless tools with unmatched run-time, performance and durability. The new REDLITHIUM batteries will be fully compatible with all M12 and M18 cordless products currently on the market.
These new batteries are expected to provide “up to 40% more run-time, 20% more power and 50% more recharges than other Lithium products.” They’re also designed to work in extreme temperatures as low as 0°F (-18°C) and operate 20% cooler with fade-free power and without any memory effect.
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This sounds pretty darn good to us! Simply buying a new battery would instantly boost the power and run-time of existing tools.
Milwaukee will introduce 8 new cordless tools powered by the RL batteries this Fall before a full-line REDLITHIUM transition begins.
Here’s a list of all the new cordless tools launching this Fall:
- 2432-20 M12™ ProPEX Expander
- 2330 M12™ Heated Jacket
- 2411-20 M12™ Hammer Drill Driver
- 2458-20 M12™ Palm Nailer
- 2426-20 M12™ Multi-Tool
- 2632-20 M18™ ProPEX Expander
- 2682-20 M18™ 5-3/8” Metal Saw
- 2615-20 M18™ Right Angle Drill
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View the full press release on the next page.
MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Electric Tool revolutionized cordless power tools by introducing the world’s first Lithium system, and began the industry-wide transition from NiCad to Lithium. As the clear leader in cordless battery development, Milwaukee continues to demonstrate unrelenting commitment to innovation as they introduce the next generation of Lithium technology. REDLITHIUM™ batteries will provide unmatched run-time, performance and durability for the professional tradesman.
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Pro Tool Reviews (Everett)
I’m going to be jealous if you actually got an image of the RedLithium battery – I had to Photoshop mine! lol. It seems we were so careful to follow their NDA rules, we didn’t load up on pics for when the info was able to be released… In any case the big deal we noted in our Milwaukee RedLithium batteries report was that they won’t stall out as quickly under heavy load. Bosch saw an improvement in this when they switched to their second generation batteries as well (and I think they are readying gen 3 pretty soon on their 12V line). Being able to operate at very cold temps is also a huge help and will be welcome to those crazy people up north who take on construction projects during the winter season.
I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of economy of scale – when the price of Lithium-ion brings the cost of tools even lower.
Stuart
The photo was provided by Milwaukee after I bugged them a little about it.
Under heavy load, are you sure that the tools actually stall out rather than it being the battery triggering an interrupt to protect itself from over-current draw or thermal damage? In making the battery chemistry more robust and resistant to over-current damage, Milwaukee was probably able to decrease the sensitivity of their safety switches/sensors as well, resulting in a secondary performance boost.
I do wonder how they were able to achieve their low-temperature advantages. Resistive or chemical heating seems out of the question, so they must have come up with a breakthrough in battery chemistry.
Ken
DEWALT nano and compact Li-ion already works below -20C; seems they are just playing catch up
Stuart
Ken, are you sure about that? When I was over at B&D for the 12V MAX Launch, the product manager explicitly conveyed that the 12V NiCad compact drill was not going to be retired since it does offer better extreme cold weather performance over the compact 10.8V Li-ion batteries.
I haven’t heard too many cold-weather complaints about Dewalt’s 18V Li-ion batteries, but I have heard many about other brands’ batts.
Concord Carpenter
Good job on the pic.
Pilot Ed
Wondering who the makes their batteries..I believe that there only 2 or 3 companies in the workd that make them. I know Hilti has used Panasonic in the past with great success. Any thoughts?