battery life

[stairman]

I've been shopping for Festool Cordless drills,  and would like to hear from anyone who really KNOWS batteries,  regarding the Lifespan of Festool Batteries.
specifically,  -if I were to buy NOS (new-old-stock) Festool Drill,  which is brand new, never used,   but,  has a manufacture date of say: 1 or 2 yrs old...  or FOUR yrs old for that matter...
-how does this affect the expected service life of the battery?
as a battery is sitting on the shelf (considering it is indoors and no temperature extremes)  how does this work out for the lifespan?

 

[PeterK]

Just some comments but maybe not what you are specifically asking. If choosing between a T12 and T15, spend the extra! I have both and there is no real advantage I can find to the T12. Sure it is very slightly shorter and just barely lighter but it is well worth spending the extra $50 for more power and longer run time.

As to batteries, I can't answer if they degrade while just being stored. I have had the Festool drills with NiCads, NiMhd and LiIons. The Litheon are definitely lighter weight and hold full power till the end before recharging but do suffer in very cold temps and need to be warmed for best power. The Festool NiCads are amazing! They are the only NiCad batteries I have ever had that would hold their charge in storage. Every other brand I have used would be dead after a week or two. I did not see any real advantage to the NiMhd batteries other than they made larger amp hour versions of those.

Pete