I could argue that battery chargers are the most important piece of the battery-powered equipment story. They’ re also the most neglected, at least by many users and some manufacturers. We talk more about equipment – blower CFM, chain bar length, edger blade speeds – than keeping it going.

So let’ s talk refueling. How does a battery become usable? Of course, we don’ t think much about Mobil or Shell gasoline when talking about internal combustion equipment. We just pump the gas while sipping a Slurpee.

The battery equipment story is complicated, and it goes beyond gas-power equivalency. What types of batteries? Li-Ion or LFP? What size cells and are they typical cylindrical or tabless or pouches? How durable are the packs? What about IP ratings? And we should talk about life cycles and warranties. Oh, and recycling?

Still, it’ s mostly about charging, IMHO. I connected with nine makers of battery-powered equipment to learn how important charging is to them.

By brand

I present this information by brand because, ideally, that’ s how you buy batteries and chargers. You’ re not required to be single-brand focused. But it makes sense operationally and economically to carry all one color in your truck, and to charge all one color in your shop. Maybe two, depending on the diversity of your work.

For some of the manufacturers, a peek at their websites will tell you how they view battery charging. You can also look in dealerships or in the sales field( if the company or a dealer has outside market reps), but that varies greatly by salesperson and by monthly quotas. Everyone checks a website first, and it’ s interesting to see how these companies present battery chargers.

The battery-focused companies – Kress, Ego, Greenworks – do put charging up near the front. A manufacturer such as Dewalt, however, makes shoppers click far into products > accessories > batterieschargers > chargers. Here are the details we gathered through some phone conversations, Teams calls, email threads, store visits and website digging.

10 OPE + May 2025 www. OPE-Plus. com

OPE+ May 2025 | Page 10

I could argue that battery chargers are the most important piece of the battery-powered equipment story. They’ re also the most neglected, at least by many users and some manufacturers. We talk more about equipment – blower CFM, chain bar length, edger blade speeds – than keeping it going.