battery
I was looking for replacement batteries for my cordless tools (drill, light, sander) and have been unable to find any.
My current battery is the style with a neck that inserts into the tool, but all the newer tools have batteries without a neck that just slides onto the tool.
Why the change?
Either tool would be fine; but as stated in the comments, neither should be required for this job.
I think there are two levels of Battery backup here, First you can do a full move into Solar. in which case you would need a LOT of changes to your current setup (energy efficient devices, LED Light Bulbs, Solar Geyser, LED PC Screens, LED TV, Alternatives to tumble-dryer, gas stove etc. ) I dont think its as easy as spending lots of money on a solar implementation.
In terms of your PC Issue, a nice, relatively cheap option would be to only backup your pc equipment. I am in the process of doing that with my Modem, Router, Switches (all 9v). Laptop and two Screens (LED 19v). I will use a simple DC Charge controller and Fail-over circuit (HERE) and then will have a LION batterypack made up specifically for the two 19v screens, The laptop will just get an extra-size battery
Otherwise the alternative is just to go the route of a large UPS, But I am trying to use source voltage current to avoid the need for a pure sine wave converter (since my pc and monitors are really sensitive to different wave patterns) - for that reason, I would like to get everything on DC...
This is not an implemented solution, but I am in the process of designing (also in RSA). so a good (cheap) solution would be great
Best Answer
There have been a lot of changes in batteries for tools over the years. Different chemistries, voltages, capacities. Obviously the tool makers don't want you sticking a 20V lithium battery into an old 12V nickel-cadmium drill, so they make the shapes different.
Maybe some of the discount manufacturers try to turn over their battery types regularly to force you to by all-new, but the more professional lines like DeWalt and Makita tend to use the same battery for years. I assume after a while an old style doesn't sell well and then they discontinue it.
(It sounds like you may not have a choice, but if you need any more encouragement to switch to a new lithium battery system, consider that they charge very fast, provide full power right up until they die, and can survive many more charge cycles than older battery types.)