It's time to put your favorite tools on Lithium (ion)

Brian posted a while ago about the Makita LXT cordless tools, and in that post he talked specifically about the difference in philosophy between Makita and their 18 volt Lithium Ion and some other manufacturers and their decision to go bigger. Today, it seems I have come across a few interesting pieces of information that could set things on their ear, a bit. I have to be a little more vague than what I normally am, mainly because this has not been officially announced or even hinted at by the company in question.

One company will be offering 18 volt lithium ion batteries to power their existing 18 volt tool line in the United States this summer. It is one of the players who have already invested in a higher than 24 volt system of lithium ion. If you step back and think about this for a moment, you can realize how huge this could be. You already have an 18 volt drill, flashlight, impact driver, circular saw and a host of other tools. Now, you can extend their run time greatly with the simple purchase of a new battery and a new charger (sorry, the old chargers simply won't work with lithium ion batteries, which requires a whole different technique for optimal charges and lifetime extension). From the information I saw, it looks like they will also introduce tool kits designed specifically for the new Li-Ion batteries as well.

Imagine if you could take those new batteries and safely hook them up to a competitor's tool. What's that? You don't like pretending? Well, maybe you won't have to. I will post more on all of this when I can do so without risking bodily harm.