How Long Does A Milwaukee Battery Last?
Milwaukee batteries are expensive, like all high-end power tools. There really is no getting away from it. This means you want to get the most out of them, and also want to know how long they will last before starting to lose their ability to hold a charge. So just how long does a Milwaukee battery last? Let’s have a look and find out.
Cycles not time
This is the most important factor when it comes to the age of a battery. Batteries don’t age in days, weeks, months or years but rather in charge cycles.
A 10-year-old battery that sits in a garage and is infrequently used may hold more charge than a battery that is 2 years old but has been abused and gone through multiple cycles every single day.
Now it is not quite as simple as this, and the older battery will likely have numerous issues mainly due to how inferior battery tech was 10 years ago than it is now. But the general gist remains, that batteries don’t age in time but rather they age in use.
The main degrading factor for how well a battery works is how many full charge and drain cycles it has been through. A tradesman who uses his tools every single day and puts them through multiple charge cycles each and every day will kill a battery a lot quicker than a DIY user.
1000 Cycles
This is a number that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to power tool batteries. it seems to be a commonly given answer for how long a battery will last and it is probably a good guess. But it will always be that, a guess. The simple answer is no one can tell you how long your battery will last exactly as there are so many factors that can influence it.
Things as simple as the temperature can affect the battery to quite a large amount, it is pretty well known now that Lithium-Ion batteries really don’t like the cold. A problem many electric car owners will be all too aware of. So if you work outdoors in sub-zero conditions often then expect your batteries to have a shorter lifespan than normal.
Then there is also the fact that not every cycle is the same, and not every battery pack is the same either. Constantly charging your battery back up when it has only lost a little charge can actually reduce the lifespan of the battery, which is something that tends to happen to peoples smartphones when they get plugged in on 60% charge.
The electronics within the battery can also play a large part in its lifespan. Many manufacturers have lots of tech going on in that little circuit board in your battery. They have features like overcharge protection and low voltage cut out which can help to increase the life of the battery. All manufacturers do this slightly different which can make it hard to compare batteries across different companies.
