Are these Li-on batterys all that they are cracked up to be ?
Wondering if I should go for a kit containing 2 1.3 ah Ni-cad's or 1 large Li-on 3ah ![Undecided :-\](http://images.omegaowners.com/forum/smf2000/Smileys/oofstd/undecided.gif)
Power tools really do take a toll on their batteries, whatever type they are.
Despite being obsolete for pretty much any other application, good old NiCds stand up to this pretty well, but need to be cycled fully and used regularly, otherwise they die prematurely. Their life also depends on how good the charger that comes with the device is, as they don't like abuse if being charged quickly.
Li-Ion has taken over from pretty much all other technologies in most electronic kit. They tend to be limited pretty much only by the number of cycles they go through, and can be abused much more than ni-cds, so topping-up half-charged batteries, leaving them unused for months, etc. will not harm them as much. If using them professionally, and cycling them every day or so, I'd say they probably won't outlast ni-cds but for occasional use they might be better.
Which I'd go for would depend on the relative price, I reckon.
Bear in mind that the Bosch batteries come apart really easy so you can re-cell them with tagged ni-cd cells. Finding quality ones that don't cost the earth can be a lottery, though.