Metabo New LiHD Battery, 87% More Runtime over 5.2Ah

Two years ago Metabo was the first to market with a 5.2Ah battery which was right when others were still launching 4.0Ah batteries. In the US Metabo is a well-respected name but their cordless makes up a very small percentage of the total cordless market. Just a couple weeks ago however Metabo held a media event for the European news outlets where they launched their new LiHD battery technology. This is a 6.2Ah battery but they took the shift off from Amp/hour rating (no longer prevalent on the side) to focus on performance. With this single rating becoming the focus of “battery performance” other tool brands have launched 6.0Ah but did so by sacrifice power output and Metabo didn’t want to be lost in the shuffle of comparing Amp/hours.

Metabo 18V LiHD

Metabo is claiming against their own lithium-ion 5.2Ah battery (a very high quality battery), up to a 67% power output and 87% more runtime with the LiHD through better cells and new battery construction. This is a significant increase, definitely much more than just adding 1.0Ah of runtime. For lighter weight option Metabo is also launching a compact LiHD battery which will be rated at 3.1Ah but they claim will outperform any 4.0Ah battery including their own. Both of these batteries should be hitting the market later this summer.

Metabo LiHD 3.1Ah 6.2Ah

We just recently returned from the Milwaukee media event who has definitely stepped to the front of the pack (at least in the US) for cordless technology. Milwaukee launched a new 6.0Ah but also launched a 9.0Ah High Demand battery which houses 15 cells vs 10 cells used in all 4.0, 5.0 & 6.0Ah batteries. Similar to the Metabo the focus for Milwaukee’s new batteries was on power output, heat management and higher demand tool applications. Unfortunately the new Milwaukee batteries are not scheduled to launch until early 2016 but should open up a lot of new cordless tool options including a SDS-Max drill we already got to demo.

Metabo 36V LiHD

Metabo showed off some of their 2016 plans as well which include larger diameter 36V grinders utilizing the LiHD technology. While the 36V platform is strong in Europe unfortunately with such low market share in US to have any hope to significantly increase that they would need to be focus on a single voltage platform.

LiHD Cordless Tools

Good news is Metabo already has a wide range of cordless tools focused on professionals which are all compatible with new 18V LiHD batteries. Some cordless tools they offer such as the flat head grinders or dozen of various metal finishing tools, there really are no other cordless options and we don’t see any coming in the near future.

Will Metabo continue to invest as heavily in R&D of new cordless technology? If so is there room for Metabo to become a more dominant player in cordless tools in US? It would certainly seem they are betting big that they can focus heavily on professional and carve out a bigger piece. From a users perspective we are always happy to see more cordless innovation and R&D focus which inevitably lead to better tools for everyone. Looking down the road 5 years it would seems most common tools will be going cordless. More to come once these Metabo LiHD batteries become available and we can do some comparative tool testing.

For any questions on Metabo Tools or any cordless tools contact the pros at Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424 and they will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

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