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21
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Quote from: Thryleon – on
I'm neither here nor there on EV's.

I see them as a way forward, but not necessarily the way forward if you get my drift.  I am not an early adopter of any technology so have kept my distance (we have bought 2 vehicles since 2008, and both are Petrol cars, one of which was bought 2017, the other in 2024 to replace a 2008 car that probably had another 5 to 10 years in it, but became cost benefit to ditch in favour of something else, because that car was in need of more maintenance than I liked.

The main reason not to go EV, was more cost vs benefit at the time.  The car I bought was cheaper than the average good EV, and we didnt need to put a charging station in for it which made petrol win.  I also liked the shape of the car I bought, over what was on offer equivalent.  We gravitate to what we like the look of generally, be it food, scenery, choice of partner, etc. 

I have no feedback for the validity of EV.  I can only talk about rechargeable batteries in power tools, and solar panels for xmas lights and I have mixed fervour for them.  I find the battery powered tools to either be under powered, or unable to last the duration required to get the job done but thats not really a true comparison.  Xmas lights get stored for 10 months of the year, are made from NiMH and usually sit there and degrade in the process which limits their longevity.

Ive switched to plug in lights purely because they are brighter and more reliable, but the solar ones have their use cases such as range and isolation. 

Anyway, thats my two cents.  I had the Tesla's as a rule, but its more bout Musk, and his business model than anything else.  Subscriptions in general annoy me.


Got no interest in EV's as the economics doesnt add up unless you are doing plenty of kms or are prepared to take a money hit for the environment(sorry Greta T). Had no trouble with Lithium batteries for power/garden tools either the expensive brand names or the cheap knock offs and we used Renogy lithium batteries/solar panels in our little Campervan and they were fine for years.
22
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by kruddler -
At Thry....what brand of battery tools do you use? That could be part of the problem.

I've got an embarrassingly large collection of battery tools formerly required as a tradie, now for garden maintenance and hobbies, with the occassional bit of 'hard work' thrown in.

My brand is choice is Milwaukee which are far from cheap.
I have everything from 4ah to 12ah.
Standard.
High Output
Forge

Different types for different tools, but all fit in all.

Standard are good for drills, radios, nail guns, multi-tools, lights etc
High output are good for grinders, smaller saws etc
Forge are best for really high drawing tools that might bog down under load of normal batteries, drop saws, 9" grinder, demo-saws etc

I no longer own any petrol based tools, including lawnmower, whipper snipper, chainsaw etc.....all batteries.
I've got some batteries that are still going strong for well over a decade now, but yes, a few have died along the journey too.
23
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by DJC -
I have battery-operated circular saw, reciprocating saw, angle grinder, drills, impact driver, jigsaw, compressor, router, chainsaw, polesaw, sander and blower.  Mostly DeWalt but a couple of AEGs.  They are in use most of the time and, with a couple of spare batteries, I rarely have downtime.

My table saw, mitre saw, drill press, bandsaw, thicknesser, etc are 240v and I have ICE mowers, brushcutter, etc.

The AEG batteries are rubbish and I have adapters to run the AEG tools on DeWalt batteries.  The DeWalt 18-54v batteries are brilliant, but even the 14v batteries do well on my small drill/driver.

Of course, I wouldn’t be using my power tools as much as a tradie, but they all seem to be using battery powered tools now.

The chainsaw and polesaw, and my neighbour’s Stihls still need bar oil.

As I understand it lithium battery fires are caused by thermal runaway rather than a circuit or spark.
24
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by Thryleon -
Quote from: DJC – on
Most of my smaller power tools are battery-powered now and I can't fault them ... as long as I remember to charge the spare batteries.

I have a top of the range Husqvarna chainsaw but rarely use it now because my relatively cheap DeWalt does a pretty good job, is safer, quieter and I don't have to mix smelly two-stroke.  My arborist neighbour, who I employ for bigger, riskier jobs, now uses battery-powered Stihl chainsaws for most of his work.

The only reservation I have is the fire risk with lithium batteries - we're have a spate of landfill fires caused by inappropriately dumped batteries.  Using genuine batteries and chargers rather than knock-offs and disposing of dead lithium batteries through collection points is the way to go.
Apparently that is a relatively mundane issue too.  Who would guess that throwing a bunch of batteries together would simply create a circuit at times, causing sparks, generating heat and eventually combustion?  I certainly didnt realise that limitation till it popped up on the news. 

Re the tools.  Lithium Ion batteries are fine for drills.  They are fine for a hedge trimmer.  They are terrible for a blower which has a run time of about 15mins on each full charge of a 2.5 amp 18 volt battery.  Circular saws are mixed.   Basically anything that is more stop start is ok, but anything that requires continuous use is a bit miss than hit.  Cant beat the portability of them though. 

You still need bar oil for a chainsaw dont you?

Id happily use electric saws and appliances for most application, just the batteries can be a bit crap.  I had one die because of the actual interior of it, coming loose off one cell.  Tried to fix it, but its only a 1.5 amp drill battery so after my first fix failed, realised it was more cost effetive to replace it than spend time and money fixing.
25
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by DJC -
Most of my smaller power tools are battery-powered now and I can't fault them ... as long as I remember to charge the spare batteries.

I have a top of the range Husqvarna chainsaw but rarely use it now because my relatively cheap DeWalt does a pretty good job, is safer, quieter and I don't have to mix smelly two-stroke.  My arborist neighbour, who I employ for bigger, riskier jobs, now uses battery-powered Stihl chainsaws for most of his work.

The only reservation I have is the fire risk with lithium batteries - we're have a spate of landfill fires caused by inappropriately dumped batteries.  Using genuine batteries and chargers rather than knock-offs and disposing of dead lithium batteries through collection points is the way to go.
26
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by Thryleon -
I'm neither here nor there on EV's.

I see them as a way forward, but not necessarily the way forward if you get my drift.  I am not an early adopter of any technology so have kept my distance (we have bought 2 vehicles since 2008, and both are Petrol cars, one of which was bought 2017, the other in 2024 to replace a 2008 car that probably had another 5 to 10 years in it, but became cost benefit to ditch in favour of something else, because that car was in need of more maintenance than I liked.

The main reason not to go EV, was more cost vs benefit at the time.  The car I bought was cheaper than the average good EV, and we didnt need to put a charging station in for it which made petrol win.  I also liked the shape of the car I bought, over what was on offer equivalent.  We gravitate to what we like the look of generally, be it food, scenery, choice of partner, etc. 

I have no feedback for the validity of EV.  I can only talk about rechargeable batteries in power tools, and solar panels for xmas lights and I have mixed fervour for them.  I find the battery powered tools to either be under powered, or unable to last the duration required to get the job done but thats not really a true comparison.  Xmas lights get stored for 10 months of the year, are made from NiMH and usually sit there and degrade in the process which limits their longevity.

Ive switched to plug in lights purely because they are brighter and more reliable, but the solar ones have their use cases such as range and isolation. 

Anyway, thats my two cents.  I had the Tesla's as a rule, but its more bout Musk, and his business model than anything else.  Subscriptions in general annoy me.

28
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by northernblue -
Quote from: LP – on
Quote from: northernblue – on
Lp, the only fact you managed to spew forth is that Tesla is going subscription for FSD, everything else is your own poorly formed opinion.
Ev batteries will outlast the vehicles, ie 20-30yrs before being repurposed, it’s what the science shows it’s what real world charging data shows.
Go and educate yourself ffs.
Did I trigger something, are you a disgruntled Tesla investor? Not to worry SpaceX will list soon.

Firstly, I think you've confused contemptuous AI driven marketing for science, and I could debate it here but it's the wrong thread, I was more discussing the corporate tactics and the inevitable. But it is cute that you think the concept of subscriptions will stop with FSD, stay optimistic! ;D

btw., If I recall correctly, when previously discussing the very long term carbon debt (NIMBY carbon it seems) that comes with offloading a perfectly good ICE for a brand new EV, those so inclined to argue the EV position claimed that the EVs would functionally outlast the batteries many times over, I think some claimed at least 1 million kilometers, and as such the vehicles carbon deficit was irrelevant to battery longevity. Now we read your post claiming that the batteries will outlast the car! :o

Doubling down on dribble LP ?
Very unusual of you… 🙄

29
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by LP -
Quote from: kruddler – on
Black Mirror did an episode similar to this. "Hated by the Nation"

Bees went extinct, so we made robot bees to do the job.
These were ultimately hijacked and used to kill people. Person who was killed was whoever got the most 'votes' on social media.
Torch and Pitchforks from the comfort of your own home!

Seems ludicrous when summarised, but watch the episode and tell me where the plot hole is, if you can find one.
Sounds like it will remind me of the dystopian plot from the movie AI, which offered a similar damning commentary about the nature of human society.
30
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by LP -
Quote from: northernblue – on
Lp, the only fact you managed to spew forth is that Tesla is going subscription for FSD, everything else is your own poorly formed opinion.
Ev batteries will outlast the vehicles, ie 20-30yrs before being repurposed, it’s what the science shows it’s what real world charging data shows.
Go and educate yourself ffs.
Did I trigger something, are you a disgruntled Tesla investor? Not to worry SpaceX will list soon.

Firstly, I think you've confused contemptuous AI driven marketing for science, and I could debate it here but it's the wrong thread, I was more discussing the corporate tactics and the inevitable. But it is cute that you think the concept of subscriptions will stop with FSD, stay optimistic! ;D

btw., If I recall correctly, when previously discussing the very long term carbon debt (NIMBY carbon it seems) that comes with offloading a perfectly good ICE for a brand new EV, those so inclined to argue the EV position claimed that the EVs would functionally outlast the batteries many times over, I think some claimed at least 1 million kilometers, and as such the vehicles carbon deficit was irrelevant to battery longevity. Now we read your post claiming that the batteries will outlast the car! :o