HKC55 w/6.2ah batteries

Sasky

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Feb 13, 2015
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Has anyone used the HKC55 with the new 6.2ah batteries? I'm interested in buying this saw and want to know if it runs stronger with the bigger battery vs the 5.2ah version.
 
Sasky said:
Has anyone used the HKC55 with the new 6.2ah batteries? I'm interested in buying this saw and want to know if it runs stronger with the bigger battery vs the 5.2ah version.

Battery capacity (Ah) does not affect power. It determines run time.

Battery voltage affects the power.
 
Ok. That makes sense. I've seen comments from some people saying that this saw is a bit under powered. I haven't had the chance to demo one so I don't know firsthand. 

Most of my work will be a mix of cutting osb/plywood/2x and some finishing material. I already own a ts55 so I don't expect the hkc to replace it. The videos on YouTube have been a good reference for this saw so far.

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Festool has a 30 day money back guarantee, buy it and try it yourself risk free.  [wink]

I'm sure some current HKC owners can also weigh in.
 
I don't consider the HKC to be underpowered at all, actually quite impressed with its power considering it only uses one battery. The TSC 55 with only one battery is underpowered.
 
Actually Shane, capacity does come into it. Having said that, I couldn't see a real world noticeable difference between a 5ah and a 6ah battery on a saw, but a 2ah and a 5ah battery on a high power drill is a night and day difference. Quite a few manufacturers will actually offer different torque ratings based on the size of the battery used.

It has a lot to do with voltage sag under load, I won't go too deep into the maths amd physics involved but safe to say voltage isn't the be all and end all of power output.
 
Yeah - I've noticed that my T18 drills def have less ultimate power with the smaller 2.6ah batteries than larger 4.2ah or 5.2ah batteries.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.  I'm going to order an hkc55. Really looking forward to it...

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Disclaimer - I am not an electrical engineer, nor do I play one on forums.  [smile]

I think, based on my understanding of battery tech, that the reason you may have an improvement in performance between a small (
 
Something like that mate.

It's akin to torque vs hp. A F1 car and a big rig both have similar power numbers, but no prizes for guessing what one pulls a trailer better.

With my electric model jets, running a 5ah battery vs a 2.8ah battery picks up an extra 37kph top speed, both running 21.6v. The higher capacity packs sag less under high current draw so you have more voltage available.
 
I've done no research here on these particular Festool batteries here, but I'm gonna give this a shot. The confusion here all comes from two weirdnesses about batteries. That, and that all that matters is power, which is affected by both voltage and current.

First, batteries do not have fixed voltages. A pack charged to 100% will have a higher voltage than a pack at 1%. I'll bet that Festool 18V battery packs are 18V *nominal*. At 100%, they are probably quite a bit higher than 18V, and much lower when drained.

Second, battery pack arrangement has a significant impact on the maximum current, both charge and discharge. This means that a 2.6Ah 18V pack is probably able to deliver a lower max current than a 6.2 Ah pack. (this is really dependent on chemistry and config, so no guarantees) This is related to the voltage sag effect [member=64076]LooseSox[/member] sees with those awesome model jets.

So, all that said, I think it's almost guaranteed the higher capacity packs are capable of higher current. Does that mean more power to your tool? Perhaps peak power, yes. But, more likely you'll notice that you can sustain the tool's usable power for longer, especially as the pack gets closer to empty. I'm an HK55 owner, and I can attest to the saw having noticeably lower power with a 5.2Ah pack at 1/3, compared to 3/3 (judging by the LED indicators).
 
All I can say is that my 5.2 powers that awesome machine along no problems at all! I've got three batteries so running out of juice is never a problem. I'd love to try those new airstream batteries out but seriously cannot justify the expenditure when my current batteries all work wonderfully.
 
Capacity nor voltage is hard-linked to maximum power.

Quality and chemistry however... are.

Compare;https://sk.nkon.nl/rechargeable/26650/keeppower-26650-4200-limn-50a-battery.html
with;https://sk.nkon.nl/rechargeable/26650/keeppower-26650-5200-limn-battery.html

30A vs 9,5A
But the high-drain one has 20% lower capacity..

Comparing identical batteries; yes, if you put two in parallel (or series) the maximum power output doubles. The upgrade from 5.2 Ah to 6 Ah seems to me to be just a density upgrade. However, if you compare the 5.2 Ah vs the 2.6 Ah one, you get double the cells / double the cell-size. And hence increased maximum power; discharge rate will be lower per cell equivalent.

So the 5.2 vs the 6.0; no answer from me
5.2 vs the 2.6; definitely the 5.2 unless Festool did something very strange like use completely different cells (not just size) in the smaller one.

As for max power; corded >> battery
 
I got my hkc a few days ago. What a great saw! Very smooth and versatile.

I compared the fully charged 5.2/6.2ah airstream batteries to each other while cutting LVL and 2x4 material with the standard blade.

The difference in performance between the two batteries was small but noticeable. The blade rpm dropped a bit more when pushed with the 5.2ah. It would be great if Festool could make the 6.2ah battery the standard.

Loving this saw regardless....

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