Strike a Cord
My parents gifted me my first cordless tool (a 9.6-volt Makita drill driver—you know the one) when Annette and I bought our first house in 1988. Dad already had one, and when we worked on projects together, I marveled at the tool’s convenience, despite its awkward nose-heaviness and the need to recharge the battery after driving a few dozen fasteners. Over the years, manufacturers jacked up voltage to improve runtimes, and tried to cut the cord from other tools, such as circ saws, jigsaws, and sanders. But most of those early efforts fell short of expectations, even with 18 volts bursting from the bulky batteries. Fast-forward 20 years or so: I’m at a product launch where Milwaukee Tool revealed a line of tools powered by 36-volt lithium-ion batteries, the highest voltage yet…