In recent years the world of powertools has had a huge increase in the amount of cordless tools that are sold. In 1962 the first cordless drill was introduced to us by Black & Decker which used nickel-cadmium cells. Since then cordless technology has evolved immensely. Here are the more popular types of battery cells; Ni-Cad (nickel-cadmium), Ni-Mh (nickel–metal hydride) and Li-ion (Lithium-ion).

Batteries also come in a range of different voltages, the most popular as follows; 3.6V, 7.2V, 9.6V, 10.8V, 12V, 14.4V, 18V, 24V and 36V. The most common of these being the 12V, 14.4V and 18V. In recent times the 18V battery has become both the users and manufactures favorite. Makita, Bosch, Hitachi, Metabo and DeWalt have all given us many different machines that run from the 18V battery, these machines vary from cordless drills to angle grinders and circular saws.