Lowe’s is launching new Kobalt 24V Max cordless power tool batteries with tabless cells.
Ryobi, Kobalt’s top competitor, launched their first tabless batteries nearly 3 years ago (see Ryobi has a Better 18V Tool Battery on the Way), and higher capacity batteries earlier this year (see New Ryobi 18V EDGE Tabless Batteries Take the Lead).
The new Kobalt TXP batteries will be available in 4Ah and 8Ah charge capacities.
Lowe’s description says that the 4Ah battery can “generate up to 1200 watts of power while providing the longest runtime of any Kobalt 24V battery.” They say their 8Ah battery delivers up to 2400 watts of power, and repeat the “longest runtime” claim.
The batteries also feature new charge indicator lights.
From an engineering standpoint, cordless power tool battery packs built with tabless Li-ion cells should deliver longer runtime than similar battery packs built with older “tabbed” Li-ion battery cells, but typically only in demanding applications.
In lower demand applications, such as extended runtime worklights, radios, or light duty tools, users shouldn’t expect to see much differences. It’s like asking an endurance runner and sprinter to both walk 10 feet – the benefits of tabless batteries are only apparent when used with heavier duty tools or in demanding applications.
The new 4Ah battery is priced at $99, and the 8Ah battery is $159.
It seems that Lowe’s is clearancing out their older “Ultimate Output” batteries. At this time and at least for my region, their previous Kobalt 24V Ultimate Output 4Ah battery is priced at $35, and their previous Kobalt 24V Ultimate Output 8Ah battery is priced at $79. Those weren’t included in the recall – which involved Kobalt batteries in 3Ah, 4Ah, 5Ah, 6Ah, and 8Ah sizes – it’s the USB-charging batteries that were recalled for being a potential fire hazard.
In related news, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Lowe’s for how they handled the recall (Greenworks & Lowe’s Recall Huge Number of Kobalt Tools and Batteries) that followed a stop-sale (Lowe’s Pulled Kobalt 24V & 48V Outdoor Tool Kits from Stores). The recent recall involved specific Kobalt 24V Max cordless power tool batteries with USB-charging features caught on fire or started smoking under specific charging conditions.
Discussion
It’s good to see that Lowe’s finally launched tabless batteries for their Kobalt 24V cordless power tool platform. It took them a while – as mentioned Ryobi beat them to the punch by several years.
No other details are available, such as whether Lowe’s will be launching next-gen Kobalt cordless power tools that can leverage the higher power output capabilities. All we’ve seen recently were new offerings with reduced performance specs (see New Kobalt 24V Tools at Lowe’s – Same Price, Lower Performance).
Lowe’s also said that the tabless cells within the new Kobalt TXP batteries can support “faster charging,” but they didn’t elaborate upon that. Thus far, I haven’t seen anything about any new chargers that provide faster charging when paired with the new batteries.
