Nick Chan, Marketing Manager of HiKOKI Power Tools looks at the rise of cordless battery technology.

Today’s power tool users now expect reliable, enduring tools with extended warranties and performance levels saving valuable time, money, and energy. Manufacturers, such as HiKOKI, continue to produce innovations, designed to improve value and raise performance standards for trade customers.

The most startling change has been in the cordless power tool market. 12 months ago, cordless tools represented over 50% of the demand for power tools. We believe this figure has already grown and will continue to grow. Our own sales figures show year-on-year increases on sales of certain tools, such as cordless circular saws versus their corded versions.

You hold the power

As a wholesaler it is important to know which power tools to hold in stock and   cordless tools are an obvious choice. New battery technologies, combined with highly efficient brushless motors, are driving your customers to use cordless. Together they offer more power and durability than ever before, meaning their performance often matches that of their corded counterparts. Users feel cordless are superior to corded tools as they can take a cordless tool anywhere, are compact compared to their corded counterparts and, with no leads to trip on, are safer.

We have found that the superior experiences for professional users come from being able to ‘get the job done anywhere’ by using tools that are powerful, durable, and accurate.

It is also important to support professionals in their choice of power tool brand and we recently announced an automatic three year warranty on our 18V and 36V cordless tools. Not only that, HiKOKI users can now quickly and simply apply for the five year extended warranty, subject to terms and conditions. All if this adds peace of mind and makes the move to cordless even more appealing.

Flexible battery power 

Cordless innovation will not stop for the foreseeable future, and we believe the percentage of tools carried by tradespeople will continue to be weighted towards cordless.

For example, the HiKOKI Multi Volt BSL36A18 36V battery packs have more power than similar sized 18V battery packs – but dimensions and weight remain almost the same, so the 36V battery packs can be used with a wide range of 18V class devices.

Using the UC18YSL3 charger, the 36V battery packs can be fully charged in just 32 minutes. In addition, the battery packs have a particularly long service life: they can be charged up to 1,500 times without any appreciable impact on performance.

The energy available in the battery pack is displayed on the battery itself through a four-stage charge indicator.

It is this kind of speed, meaning installers will never run out of charge, which is driving our move into the cordless age.

Intelligent connecting technology makes it possible for the battery pack to detect whether it is being used on an 18 Volt or a 36 Volt device and automatically adjusts the voltage.

If we use the analogy of cars, both a 1L and 2L engine can do 70mph, but the 2L engine is using less of its capacity to get there, therefore increasing the fuel efficiency and engine life.

Getting it right

For a tradesperson, choosing a power tool can be based on a number of factors: power, batteries, comfort and cost play a part.

However, part of the choice will also be determined by the heritage of the power tool company itself, and its reputation for engineering and innovation, consequently saving time and money for its power tool users.

Quality

When Hitachi Power Tools was sold to Asia’s largest private equity fund and rebranded to HiKOKI Power Tools, the company lost none of its Japanese engineering excellence and commitment to innovation developed over 70 years.

Consequently our range of tools continues to catch the attention of wholesaler customers.   

So, with cordless power tools matching the performance of their corded counterparts, bringing with it so many advantages and convenience when on-site, the choice of which tools to stock becomes simpler and full of opportunity for wholesalers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

To learn more about HiKOKI and its range of power tools, visit their website here