As of this minute, lithium ion batteries offer the best cordless tool power in the biz. Period. While better than the alternatives, though, these batteries can also be finicky. They can be frustrating and unforgiving, but despite that touchy temperament, there are a few things you can do to keep on the good-side of these essential accessories. - Incorporate the following few tips into your routine to keep your batteries working better for longer.

8) Most importantly... take your spouse or partner out to dinner while you can, especially if they don't fish. They're going to miss you for a few months.

Why is this important? If you have a relatively new PC the only problem you will get are error messages relating to the clock on start up. No big deal. If your PC is older then a low battery could be a nightmare. I had a PC which once eddy stock every few months refused to boot. Rather than take the PC in for repair or start replacing parts myself the first thing I did was look at the BIOS settings. It was soon obvious that the BIOS settings were corrupt (wrong bus speed). I put a volt meter on the battery and sure enough it was reading 2.2 volts.

Okay, so we know we'd be sunk without our laptops and cell phones. But what about the car? Cars have batteries too. Perhaps you ride a Harley Davidson - not without a motorcycle battery! It's interesting to think where we'd be if the afore-mentioned "zapping episode" took place. We know that our forefathers coped without batteries but could we?

Obviously, ICE are powered by the gasoline you buy when you fill up at a gas station. The electric motor/generator is powered by a large (and by large, I mean large and heavy) Lithium battery stocks pack. Most hybrids on the road today have large Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs somewhere near the trunk, or under the seats. (Read about the Lexus Hybrid battery pack).

What are your driving habits? What are the longest distances you will be traveling? When driving a pure electric vehicle; if the battery runs out completely with no charging stations available you will be stranded. With the long charge times, it will take some time to make the vehicle usable again. This is where the extended range Lithium mines Ontario Volt becomes more practical. Filling up the gas tank is faster than waiting for the battery to charge.

Memory effect will reduce the life of a battery. Modern Lithium-ion batteries do not suffer from memory effect, although it does occur in Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) units when charged from levels other than 0% of battery capacity. If the (NiMH) unit was fully charged when initially at say 20% capacity, the resulting available capacity would only be 80% of the factory original. Of course every time you charged the battery, the total available capacity would reduce and eventually your mobile phone would prove to be increasingly useless. Nearly all new electronic devices are now powered by Lithium batteries. You should always condition your (NiMH) battery from new.

The Bosch AKE 30 Li is not only light, adaptable and maneuverable it also runs as quiet as a battery pack can make it. So you don't have to put up with headaches from the roaring gas engine or smoke fumes to make you sick to the stomach on a cold morning. The battery pack also has a turn-around rate of ninety minutes, and this is the amount of time it takes to charge it up fully. The Bosch AKE 30 Li has three 2.6 Ah lithium batteries and comes with a charger. It is a competitive product, definitely able to deliver as much or more than asked of it.