Batteries Included – From the Largest to the Most Compact – The Future is Cordless

Well. I saw Drew’s recent blog and, while it is true that I welcomed the chance to swap slots so I could do some more Christmas shopping, it is not true that I was using it as an excuse to lunch at a ‘new little Italian place on the corner’ It was French! So there Drew. You may be off my Christmas list, we’ll see.

I am known to be somewhat flippant and, occasionally, trivial in my blogs, and generally like to offer some entertainment and fun to accompany your amazing MowDirect deals and bargains. But occasionally I like to pick up on something serious and run with it, or perhaps gently jog with it.

And it seems to me that Christmas is a good time to discuss batteries. So I thought I might take this opportunity to talk about something I heard on the radio last week.

It is at this time of year when batteries come into many people’s minds. If you are buying new, up-to-date electronic presents for kids, from loveable realistic puppies that bark and jump up and down to scary dolls that look like cloned babies and wet themselves to new mobile phones for all, then batteries are involved. Don’t forget them folks or those amazing toys, phones, watches and games are just useless pieces of plastic.

However, there is a slightly larger and potentially exciting battery related event happening as we speak.

So last week, on a fascinating radio program I happened to be listening to because my friend Alfonse was supposed to be a guest talking about opera, there was a brief article about batteries and the future.

It seems that somewhere in a huge (and I mean huge, this is not Surrey) huge area of South Australia, a giant lithium-Ion battery, the largest in the world, was been delivered (on time and on budget) by whizz-kid inventor and multi-millionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The battery is a 1000 mega watts back-up, designed to help 30,000 homes get by during power outages from  which they seem to suffer a lot. this mega-battery stores wind-farm energy and, for many people, marks the beginning of a new dawn for battery power and prominence.

And what does this mean for the domestic battery user? Well possibly nothing but it points to the development of larger and more powerful batteries as an ongoing part of an attempt to reduce emissions, cut down on fossil fuels and create cheaper, cleaner, more efficient ways of fuelling everything from a leaf blower to a small city.

Here at MowDirect we have been continually following the progress of li-ion battery development with interest and enthusiasm,  and were early adopters with a range of cordless tools far ahead of most suppliers. We could see the potential and, so far, battery powered gardening particularly for smaller or urban gardens, where noise and fumes might be an issue, is becoming more and more popular.

Now, of course, we have Redback, co-developed by mowDirect for the UK market and one of the most exciting and progressive lithium-ion battery powered garden tool ranges on the market. Just see what some of our customers have to say.

About the E317CQ2AH-Cordless mower  “An Excellent, Well-Engineered Machine. It’s very well made of sturdy construction, but quite easy to manoeuvre out of the shed and on the lawn. It does exactly what it says on the box, From empty, it takes an hour to fully charge the battery…it is a joy to use and I certainly don’t miss the trailing cable. I certainly recommend this machine, and MowDirect, just look at the quality of their website.” J. BLANT

or what about…

“Excellent… cannot fault in any way, collects all grass and saves me raking it. One less job , easier being cordless just very impressed. Ten out of ten and would definitely recommend it.” CHRIS M. 

Or this owner, who posted a review of the E312D Cordless Grass Trimmer, but clearly likes all of the tools.

“Excellent. I now have all the products in this range, The build quality is good, and the performance excellent!… lighter and cause way less vibration than petrol or wired products!” GEORGE

and the E90D Pole-Hedgetrimmer has a few fans too…

” Exceeded my Expectations. I bought this in February this year and now, having given it a lot of use I can now say it is brilliant!… it has exceeded my expectations!…It cuts through up to an inch thick with ease! It is so much easier than my previous heavy petrol cutter and of course is quieter so no need for ear defenders. The weight with 4AH battery is fine and it is well balanced. Very pleased to recommend it and the wonderful staff at MowDirect!” P. WRIGHT

What is interesting about these tools is the amount of customers that are buying the whole range or coming back for more tools after the first one has been used, an endorsement for both the quality of this product and the freedom and convenience that battery power can deliver.

More than that, this is all part of the ‘one battery fits all’ ethos, inbuilt as a design feature in the Redback range. You don’t need a different battery for each tool. Charge, cut, swap, blow, swap cut again. With two batteries, one on charge while the other is being used, you could probably just keep working until you dropped.

This seems to me to be what the future will look like. We will be using many, many tools around the home, inside and out, at work or at play, all powered by lightweight, portable, fast charging, efficient batteries. These batteries even now don’t lost their charge when stored, arre lighter, run for longer and charge faster and this can only improve. The next few years could be very exciting.

So while Elon Musk’s giant battery in the desert seems a million miles away from a connection with your cordless chainsaw, actually they are linked by a desire to make power easier, cheaper, faster and more efficient. And that can only be a good thing.

Perhaps even your Christmas lights this year will be powered by Lithium-ion batteries.    See ya.    Holly.