Jump to content

Ridgid X4 for 2011 with Hyper Lithium Ion Batteries


ToolGeek

Recommended Posts

It's no surprise that Ridgid is now offering a similar battery as Milwaukee's Red Lithium. They are calling it the "Hyper Lithium Ion. It will be introduced to the new X4 line coming soon. You can already find the 10.8v Hypers on Ebay.

I saw the flyer on ToolsOfTheTrade.com online Fall magazine. Go to the last page.

There is also a review on the X4 Drill here. http://www.ebuild.com/articles/1509595.hwx

quangle.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

do you call 12v max 10.8 too? why are all tools called 12v if they are not really 12v, isnt that false advertising?

in europe all brands are 10.8v?

That is what the "MAX" denotes in the 12v. MAX, that its maximum power is 12volts.  I am not sure why they where marketed as 10.8 in the UK, but the in the U.S. they with 12v. MAX for competitive reasons.  If you notice, Milwaukee uses 12v for their m12 line, and Makita is switching from calling it 10.8 to calling it 12 volts as well.  The simple fact is that most customers do not know what 12v max means, so uniformity among competitors can be better for shopability, because that way they can shop "apples to apples", even though they may not completely understand what they are looking at.  I hope that my intended meaning is clear here.  I don't mean that customers are stupid, just that there is a lot of syntax to keep track of, so this just makes it easier.  If one brand calls it 12volts, everyone has to or else customers will think will think that one is more powerful than another, when in reality they are the same voltage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fully charged "10.8" volt battery reads 12 volts when you take it off the charger. A fully charged "18" volt battery reads ~20 volts. So legally companies can get away with saying 12 volt "max" instead of 10.8 volts. I am not sure which company started marketing it as such but since one did it, everyone else had to start doing it. Europe must have laws against marketing it that way. That is my understanding anyway. Madtec, do you agree?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bosch was the 1st to launch 10.8v tools back in '06 with the PS20. In ;08 the competition started stamping out competitive product. Bosch launched 2nd gen PS20 with upgrades and  decided to change their packaging and show the difference between nominal, and peak voltage. They marketed it as such to stay competitive and announce that they were truly 12v.

Excerpt from Bosch.

" .....Bosch now refers to its ultra-compact Litheon battery platform as "12V Max."  The change is due to lithium ion battery voltage ratings that have been adopted in the marketplace since Bosch first introduced its ultra-compact Litheon products in 2006. The new terminology, which replaces 10.8V, is meant to reduce confusion in the marketplace by clearly identifying tools that are rated at maximum voltage (i.e. 12V) rather than nominal voltage (i.e. 10.8V) by using the "Max" designator. Bosch's 12V Max Litheon batteries are 100% compatible with all past and future Bosch ultra-compact tools....."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fully charged "10.8" volt battery reads 12 volts when you take it off the charger. A fully charged "18" volt battery reads ~20 volts. So legally companies can get away with saying 12 volt "max" instead of 10.8 volts. I am not sure which company started marketing it as such but since one did it, everyone else had to start doing it. Europe must have laws against marketing it that way. That is my understanding anyway. Madtec, do you agree?

Yes it is a marketing ploy, and some country/regions have rules on what can be advertised.  It also have to do a lot with the chemistry of the battery and the norminal voltage, on a DeWalt 12vMax battery; the norminal voltage under no load is 12v, but the voltage under load 10.8

Bosch first launch in compact line and it was 10.8 in worldwide, then the competition started copying the design by lic. or other means, they came out with 12v in US; the simple fact is you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  Keep in mind every industry market does this.  Take the auto industry for example; Ford advertise the mustang with 300+ hp but that is actually measured at the crank, so you have to take in consideration power loss from the transmission to the wheels and now you are looking at approx 225hp to the wheels, and who would buy that if they advertise wheel hp?  So the rule of thumb is read the fine print......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Member Statistics

    18,446
    Total Members
    6,555
    Most Online
    ChuckW
    Newest Member
    ChuckW
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...