One Battery, Multiple Tools

July 31, 2009 10:14 AM

One battery, multiple tools: for what line of power tools did I see a commercial that featured one battery that you could switch out between the tools?

Two that stick out in my mind are a mower and a screw gun.

Bonus questions: has anyone used this series of tools or something like it? How well do they work?

posted by sjuhawk31 to home & garden (12 comments total)

I don't know about the mower, but I have the Ryobi One set, and I'm pretty happy with it for small tasks.
posted by bashos_frog at 10:19 AM on July 31 [1 favorite has favorites]

Makita makes a series of 12 and 18V cordless tools that all use the same Li-ion battery.

Makita Combo Kit

A mower though? No idea. If the Makita fits the bill (there are other combinations, and you can buy the tools individually) I can recommend them as being exceptional tools.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 10:20 AM on July 31

My sister has the Ryobi version of this, if by mower you mean weedwhacker.
posted by jessamyn at 10:23 AM on July 31

Black & Decker VersaPak!

In my experience (I had a drill, a jig saw, and a few other things), they're OK if your only need will be the occasional very light home repair (hanging a picture, stuff like that). Based on what I experienced with regards to their capacity, the thought that they could power something like a weedwhacker for any significant length of time is laughable.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 10:30 AM on July 31

It may be a weed whacker after all. The Ryobi commercial looks familiar enough. It's a shame that a lawn mower isn't part of the package, but it's not surprising that the batter for a screw gun wouldn't power more than a weed whacker.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 10:33 AM on July 31

Pretty much all the power-tool companies have something like this these days. My dad has the Ryobi stuff, and my contractor buddy has a professional version from... DeWalt, maybe? Somebody.
posted by box at 10:33 AM on July 31

i cannot remember the product name but i know i saw an ad in a newspaper for Stihl that had one power pack and then all sorts of other things you could attach to it.
i've been googling with no luck but maybe this will jog someone's memory.
posted by sio42 at 10:35 AM on July 31

Here's the Craftsman C3 system. Looking through, though, the tools look like they're mostly drills and impact wrenches and things.
posted by alynnk at 10:36 AM on July 31

Black and Decker has a series of 18V tools that use the same battery
posted by Gungho at 10:54 AM on July 31

VPX System for Black and Decker. Same Li ion battery multiple tools
posted by radsqd at 10:56 AM on July 31

Yeah, Craftsman C3. No leaf blower though but lots of other odd stuff, like big fans, radios and a full-size circular saw.
posted by GuyZero at 11:07 AM on July 31

The Craftsman C3 line and the Ryobi One line appear to be designed by the same company with some tweaks for each company.

I have a handful of the Craftsman C3 tools. They are not bad for being inexpensive cordless tools.

Drill, works fine with NiMH battery, lasts much longer doing hard work (like drilling hardwood) with the Lion battery.

Trim Saw, works for for cutting trim with the NiMH battery. The Lion battery is required for making a dozen cuts in 3/4 ply wood.

Flashlights; the spotlight is poor quality and dim for it's size. The fluorescent is nice as a general purpose illumination in the attic. Either battery works fine.

The full size circular saw is basically useless for anything you would want to use a full size circular saw for (even with the LiON battery). It can barely handle cutting two 3/4 sheets of good plywood.

Weedwhacker: Battery powered weedwhackers are worthless for anything but the lightest use.

The sawzall with the LiON is convenient, but underpowered in comparison to even a Harbor Freight brand corded sawzall.

Staple Gun: Uses a limited selection of brads/staples, and is large in comparison to corded models.

Jigaaw: not bad, particularly with the Lion battery pack.

Pad sander: Not a very good sander design in general, doesn't seem to be hampered by the battery. Does an acceptable job for medium to light sanding.

In summary: A good fairly powerful cordless drill is awesome. Batteries for nearly all other power tools aren't worth it. For the cost of the cordless device, you can usually get a superior quality corded tool.

Glossary:
NiMH is the standard battery packs for cordless tools.
LiON: a newer battery type that is better in most ways power. It is also harder to make, harder to charge, and of course more expensive.
Harbor Freight: a "hardware" store that primarily sells cheap Chinese tools. They sell Chicago Electric power tools, which are generally poorly made, but are cheap and can often do the job for infrequent users.
posted by fief at 11:29 AM on July 31