When is it going to be our turn?!

[Coach Steve]

It seems like just about every tool imaginable is now available in a cordless version. They've come a looooooong way in the past decade with regard to powering tools via battery - even the ones that you would never think they could: chain saw, radial arm saw, etc. Not only that, they're making them work for quite a while on a single charge,.
My question is when is the industry going to recognize the need - our need - for a cordless DA? Imagine the possibilities and the freedom... OMG the freedom!
Is anyone aware of anything currently even in R&D for a cordless DA? T'would be awesome! And sure, just like everything else that hits the market, the first version is going to be expensive but I'd guess within a year or so after the prototype drops, the prices would come down to the reality level.

Thoughts...?

[lyodbraun]

Man that would be the thing to have, cordless DA would love to have one...

[swanicyouth]

I've thought about it as well. You would need a ton of battery packs. Most cordless tools lack balls.

[theblob640]

It would be nice, but like any cordless tool, peak power will be right at the beginning.

[Shtexas]

I think an effective cordless da is still a decent time away. Battery powered tools have come a long way with lithium batteries, polymer lithium, lithium manganese. The problem is still weight vs run time with the batteries. For a battery to have enough capacity to power a 500w da for long enough to polish an entire car it would have to be heavy. A heavy battery would mean a very heavy da and cause some serious arm fatigue. an alternative would be a battery pack, but that means a power cord which is what you're trying to get away from.
Then there's the problem with voltage drop as the batteries drain. You set your speed to 5 to start a section pass and after a few sections speed 5 is the same as speed 3.
Last, who wants to deal with a battery dying in the middle of a section pass with something like m105 and have to deal with removing it?
Batteries have come a long way in powering tools, I just picked up a cordless 36v blower I use to blow dust and leaves off of my boat that I love. Maybe in a few more years there will be smaller higher capacity batteries that won;t have voltage drops.

[HateSwirls]

I'd kill it quick unless someone was to come up with some special batteries and motor to at least do half of the car or had plenty of extra batteries.
I have no problem using a DA with a cord.

[Gen9Rolla]

That would be really cool to see, but I can't see that happening anytime soon

[TopThatDetail]

Sign me up!!

[geekdout]

I would rather deal with a cord then the added weight of a battery pack. One or two extra pounds really matters when you are using the tool all day.

[BlkHemiLTD]

You would lose the consistency .... as the battery was draining your speeds wouldnt be the same anymore so setting it to say 6 on your DA would end up changing once it started dying, which I can imagine would be pretty quickly doing correction work. However, if you had a cordless DA you used to apply wax now that could be useful!