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A trip through the archives of Tools in Action and ToolGuyd displays how far the cordless tool market has come in the past decade or so. Early articles on each site capture the look of the 2008-2011 tool market, and there are many gems that cover the tools available back then--established brands, new products, and optimistic predictions of what the future would look like. Well, it's the future, and I'd venture to say that few of us expected the cordless job site to look like it does now back in the dark days of 2009. The tools have gotten smaller, smarter and become brushless, and a number of brands have cut the cord on tools that necessitated a generator or other power source just a few years ago. Not everything has changed, though, as Ryobi One+ was already over a decade old and the M12 and M18 lines were getting off to a decent start. DeWalt, on the other hand wouldn't release 12v Max tools until 2010, with 20v Max coming about a year later. Anyway, the point of this thread is to examine exactly how the cordless tool market has changed since 2008. If you have the time, share a few articles from way back when along with anything you want to add.

I've known about this since January but was sworn to secrecy but now it has been leaked by a marketing company on Facebook I can post it. Ryobi have just this week announced its new 3.0ah slim pack, 6.0ah pack and 9.0ah pack for the 18V One+ system. No word on when they'll be available to buy but should be soon. These batteries won't replace any of the existing models as the cells and electronics are very different. These are being called high energy batteries as the cells used allow a lot more current than a normal 18v battery to pass into the tool which allows for better power delivery and power output. i was beginning to get rid of some of my Ryobi tools and replace with Milwaukee but I may just hold onto a few and get some of these batteries. I know for a fact the US team didn't want the 2.5ah or 5.0ah packs so maybe they'll release these three sooner rather than later. The photo below was taken at the UK conference this week. Martin