I did not know that Milwaukee Tool was the first to introduce Lithium Ion batteries to the power tool industry.

[Packard]

Apparently, Milwaukee lead the charge (pun intended) towards rechargeable and replaceable battery packs.

[…] Another Milwaukee innovation came more recently — in 2005, the company introduced the first lithium-ion battery designed for cordless power tools. Over the next 20 years, this game-changing power tool technology spread throughout the industry and is now used to power most cordless power tools today, including those by all major tool brands. […]



Read More: https://www.slashgear.com/1823275/milwaukee-lithium-ion-power-tool-battery-invention/

 

[Michael Kellough]

This is the first lithium powered tool I bought, early 2008. Funny the box doesn’t say but it’s 4 volts.
It came with two batteries and the one that wasn’t in the tool shorted out in my tool box.

 

[Packard]

Milwaukee’s early participation was highlighted in a recent article that said that sodium ion batteries were poised to replace the older lithium batteries in many instances.

The main advantage is that they will be cheaper to produce. They are also less likely to catch fire.

All is not perfect as it is less energy-dense than the older technology.

Here is a comparison of the two technologies:

Sodium-Ion Battery Vs. Lithium-Ion Battery: Which One is Better?

While lithium-ion batteries dominate the electric vehicle market, there are continuing concerns about shortages of raw materials, costs, and extraction and mining practices. Lithium production is expensive and it’s not particularly eco-friendly.

www.laserax.com

 

[Hipplewm]

This is why I have all Dewalt tools as I was using cordless via NiCd and NiMH for years before Milwalkee even had cordless stuff. I am not team Yellow or team Red, but I do not want 2 battery platforms, so I stayed with Dewalt thru the change using the adapter and kept on trucking

 

[luvmytoolz]

This is why I have all Dewalt tools as I was using cordless via NiCd and NiMH for years before Milwalkee even had cordless stuff. I am not team Yellow or team Red, but I do not want 2 battery platforms, so I stayed with Dewalt thru the change using the adapter and kept on trucking

NiMH was such a welcome improvement over the performance and reliability issues with NiCd!

 

[Cheese]

Apparently, Milwaukee lead the charge (pun intended) towards rechargeable and replaceable battery packs.

[…] Another Milwaukee innovation came more recently — in 2005, the company introduced the first lithium-ion battery designed for cordless power tools. Over the next 20 years, this game-changing power tool technology spread throughout the industry and is now used to power most cordless power tools today, including those by all major tool brands. […]

FWIW...This cordless Sawzall and cordless RAD Hole Shooter drill shown above were powered with a 12 volt lead acid battery which is contained in the battery carrying case...this was circa early 1970's.

 

[Michael Kellough]

FWIW...This cordless Sawzall and cordless RAD Hole Shooter drill shown above were powered with a 12 volt lead acid battery which is contained in the battery carrying case...this was circa early 1970's.

I bought a 6-1/4” cordless circular saw from Hitachi in the early to mid-eighties powered by a lead acid brick. That didn’t last long…
But the nicad Hitachi impact driver bought around the same time was the envy of everyone. Nicad drills just couldn’t compete.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Then they must have been just barely first. I bought my initial 4 piece set of Makita tools in October of 2005.
They went on a huge promotional sale, for the Thanksgiving holiday, at $200 discount. Since it was under 30 days, Home Depot returned the difference to me. That original set was destroyed, except for the recip saw, that happened to be at home. 21 years later, it still works fine.
There were only a few tools at first, but now it is one of the biggest lines out there.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Then they must have been just barely first. I bought my initial 4 piece set of Makita tools in October of 2005.
They went on a huge promotional sale, for the Thanksgiving holiday, at $200 discount. Since it was under 30 days, Home Depot returned the difference to me. That original set was destroyed, except for the recip saw, that happened to be at home. 21 years later, it still works fine.
There were only a few tools at first, but now it is one of the biggest lines out there.

Lithium?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yes, LXT, just like they are still today. The first ones were 3Ah only, they evolved from there.
I had 14.4v Craftsman Nicad before that.