What are the best kinds of power tool battery chargers out there and are they any good?
We know that in this new age of power tools, you have to have the right kind of juice to power these tools. However, you don’t take into consideration the process and effort it takes to recharge these lithium ion cells inside these batteries. Its about what makes these charges the best, not the manufacturer. We at ToolCrunch understand that you have heavy invested in your tools, and we are not trying to bash or shame any other platforms or brands. There are all kinds of power tools out there in the market place, and even some brands that have more premium styles of battery charges than some. At the end of the day, we want to deliver to our readers the best content and information we can get our hands on.
DeWalt 1800W Portable Power Station and Battery Charger
This is sincerely an all in one charging and power station at 1800 watts of power. It will allow A power in remote locations that usually would require running a generator. When we checked this station out before we were blown away. You can run up to 15 amps of continuous power which peaks out at 3600 watts. To do this, you have to run 4 of the DeWalt 20v Max 3.0Ah batteries at the same time.
It also can be plugged in, and charge 4 of the 20v Max Power and the FlexVolt 60v batteries as well. There is no need to burn precious gasoline or any other fossil fuels to run your corded power tools anymore. If you are a contractor, or work in remote areas, this is the best solution for you. Make sure you or your crew never run out of power ever again.
It also comes equipped with:
Indicator lights which will let you know when the inverter or charger is running, has an issue or low battery during operation.
It weights 22lbs with 4 batteries and 18lbs without batteries. It will functions from 32 to 102 degree temperatures. With it only being 12.75 inches long, this truly is compact given its potential.
You charge it with a male end 120v plug. It usually only takes 2 and a half hours for it to fully charge. During the charging of 4 batteries at once, each is charging at a rate of 2.o amps per hour.
We have chosen to list this item first, as it is very important to anyone or contractor, who is in the need of power tools even in the most remote of country.
DeWalt offers the current type of warranty on its 1800 watt power station. 3 year Limited Warranty, 1 Year Free Service warranty, and 99 day money back guarantee. Unlike the warranty you see on their impacts and drills, which we reviewed already. Amazon sells the DeWalt 1800w Power Station and Battery Charger with and without batteries and we have placed a link for it here.
Milwaukee M18 and M12 Rapid Charging Station
You can charge up to 3 batteries on this station at one time, however you can place up to 6 Milwaukee M18 and M12 batteries on there at once.
You can easily mount this charger on the wall, however we seem to think that is a bad idea, because of the shape, makes it bulge and awkward on a wall.
The REDLINK Intelligence communicates to each battery pack, which helps make sure that the current is not flowing to the battery once it is charged. It also can sense the actual temperature of each battery, and will sometimes wait 30 to 45 minutes for it to cool down.
We also see a handle on this charging station, which would make it ideal for contractors, who need to carry multiple batteries on and off the job site. You can purchase the Milwaukee M18 and M12 Rapid Charging Station on Amazon for a very great price.
We really like to see that you can charge 3 18v and 3 12v batteries at the same time. This insures all of your tools that your crew, your business, or your job depends on you having.
Milwaukee provides a 5 Year Limited Warranty as well.
Makita 18v LXT Dual Port Rapid Optimum Charger
Makita has one of the fastest chargers in the power tool industry. This is because of the fact they pull fresh cool air through the charger and batteries, cooling them down faster, and keeps them cool during the charge process. If you have ever handled 18650 batteries (the cells used in these charge packs, or the LiPO batteries in others) you know they get warm when charging as well as discharging voltage and current. By forcing air through, this allows all different types of batteries to be charged. This charging station is just as important as the tools themselves.
Here are some real time specs provided by Makita:
TWO: 18v Compact Lithium Ion 2.0 Ah batteries in 20 to 25 minutes
However each 1.0 Ah the battery is, you can add an additional 5 or so minutes to the charging times. 2 18v LXT Li-Ion 6.0Ah batteries can be charged in 50 to 55 minutes flat. Which is VERY impressive in this tool industry.
The Makita Rapid Optimum Charger can talk to the batteries internal chip system during the charging process which will optimize the battery life by controlling the current, the voltage and the temperature just like competing manufacturers.
Makita puts this charging station under 3 Years limited warranty, which is the same coverage that you will see with the LXT tools as well.
RIDGID 18 volt GEN5X Dual Port Battery Charger
This charger comes as a sequential charger, so you can charge to batteries at the same time. This will help with job sites and crew who rely on these tools to get the most important jobs finished and fast.
The pass through AC outlets will allow you the opportunity to charge other things besides your Ridged battery chargers, equipped with 2 USB ports you can charge any device you would need to from now on.
It also has smart charging technology which can determine a batteries heat, and keep it on a maintenance charge, which will essentially keep the battery life at optimal during storage.
There are also hot and cold monitors on these chargers, to protect the battery. When the batteries are fully charged, the Ridgid charger itself stops sending current to their competitor. You can also luckily mount these charging stations up on the walls, which can help save room in a small shop or garage.
RYOBI 18v 6 Port Supercharger
RYOBI uses IntelliPort features, that can help recharge a Lithium Ion battery. They also have a 2 amp USD port that you can charge your phone on while you or your crew are working!
It does need to be mentioned that you can only rapidly charge one battery at a time, while it can allow to have 5 others on standby and it will round robin the batteries until all can register a full charge.
The simple LED lights will tell you when the batteries are charging as well if and when they are done.
RYOBI also designed this battery charger, when full of batteries, in a pyramid style to help keep debris, dust and other particles away from the sensitive parts of the charger. This charger can sit flat, it can stand up vertically or be mounted on a wall. Compared to the last model, this is a very big step in to the future of lithium battery charging. The other features include ways to cool the batteries down, which includes fans, and it also sometimes uses heat sinks to help reduce heat and drive power up wards lasting days. Amazon has the Ryobi supercharger at a very affordable price that helps everyone.
Kobalt 24v Battery Charger
Kobalt has taken the power tool industry by surprise when they added an extra cell to their 18volt batteries, making them now 24volts. Most of the 24volt tools use brushless motors, which can run longer, provide more power for the user.
Kobalt designed their new tools to be pointed towards contractors and tradesman alike.
The 110 watt charger is a workhorse of its own, and can charge 2.0Ah battery packs in 30 minutes or less. However, the downside to this, is you can still only charge one battery at a time. Rumors have been said that they were in the works of trying to develop and produce a multi battery station, that will charge multiple batteries quickly, so you can get back to doing what you do best with their tools.
Husqvarna QC 330watt Battery Charger
Husqvarna QC330 is still the strongest battery charger we have in the United States market. We are at the mercy of Sweden to release the rumored 500watt version, but that is yet to be determined. The 330watt charge now, can charge most of the Husqvarna packed in 45 minutes or less. If you have one of the BLi940 backpack batteries however, it can take SEVERAL hours for that to be charged. They did not equip the current 330w charger with any USB ports either. However, most manufacturers have claimed they are moving toward that feature.
We also mentioned some of these chargers coming equipped with USB ports. Most contractors will play music while working at a job site, or use devices that drain slowly, and have to carry around a “portable” charging pack. By adding these features, its more beneficial to the user and customers.
The models that we know of that have USB charger ports on them were the:
DeWalt DCB102
RIDGID R840094
Makita DC18RD
Hitachi 18YSL3
RYOBI Supercharger
Some of them feature the 2.1a ports, while some only feature a 1.0a which is still a benefit, when your iPhone or Android is on 1% battery right?
There are other major brands we didn’t mention such as Hitachi, Porter-Cable, Fein that currently do not make multi battery chargers. We wanted to do as much in-depth research as we could find, so that you have all the facts laid out in front of you, to make the right call for yourself. We have chosen the DeWalt Power station as the first and to pick, because of the versatility it presents. Granted, we are not asking you to switch, but from my very own personal experience, I can tell you that I was very satisfied with it for my review. I am very excited also, that most manufacturers are moving towards the air cooled charging territory. This excites me because of the fact that most stations that are producing out ward AC power, will stay cooler, longer. We can’t really complain about the fast charging times either that it will provide. Most people do not even realize, that when you plug in a batter to charge, weather its 12volt, 18volt, 20volt, etc. That battery will not have current flowing to it for 10 sometimes 20 minutes.
We ultimately hope that this article helped you understand your power tools a little bit better, their batteries and what goes into charging them. Remember, it could mean big savings on time and money when it comes to purchasing the correct battery charger or battery charger station. When more manufacturers start replacing the 18650 cells with the 20700 cells, you will realize that air cooling is going to be very important, because those cells are bigger in mass. Meaning more current, more power, more heat. Also remember, its almost impossible for a charger to be “rapid charging” unless certain criteria are met, and you can refer back to the article sections to find that information out for your self.