Hilti recently announced that they are transitioning to a 22V battery. The new 22V battery will work with all new and previous generations of Hilti 18V Li-ion cordless tools, providing for a seamless transition for existing Hilti cordless tool customers.
Not only do the new 22V battery packs work with Hilti’s 18V tools, the battery packs are the same size, weight, and cost as the 18V Li-ion battery packs.
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The new battery packs are said to provide an increase of 15% to 30% in work per charge.
Hilti adds that:
The batteries to perform up to 20 percent more work per charge, depending on application, insert, user and temperature, than Hilti 18V batteries and up to 50 percent more work per charge than competitive 18V/5.0 amp hour solutions.
There are upgraded electronics and an updated Cell Management System (CMS) that allows for deeper discharging of the battery, meaning users can squeeze even more energy out of the new battery packs.
Update: Apparently Hilti 18V and 22V are the same, with the only difference being in labeling. The updates to the battery should still stand, but there are NOT added cells. Several readers confirmed this in comments.
Although this does dilute Hilti’s claim about the new battery being innovative and its backwards compatibility being an industry first, there should still be some benefits for users.
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Thank you everyone for chiming in! I should have realized that the 22V packs were the same as the 18V packs, but thought that maybe they worked some kind of wonders to be able to fit extra cells in the same battery pack volume.
In addition to the new 22V battery packs, there will be new 22V cordless power tools. And YES, Hilti’s 18V battery packs WILL work with the new tools as well.
There’s no mention of whether there will be a small hit to performance, or how the runtime might differ, but the important thing is that the 18V and 22V tools and battery packs will be completely forward and backwards compatible.
This is a HUGE deal, as it means that current Hilti 18V cordless power tool users aren’t left behind in the dust.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, Hilti says that this will provide for a seamless transition for users, and it looks like this is absolutely true.
The new 22V cordless power tool platform is launching with a 2.6Ah compact battery pack…
and also a 5.2Ah higher capacity battery pack.
Here is their 18V cordless metal-cutting circular with a 22V 5.2Ah battery pack.
And here is their 22V metal-cutting circular saw with an 18V 5.2Ah battery pack.
So… the 22V batteries fit in Hilti’s 18V tools, and their 18V batteries fit in 22V tools. The new batteries don’t cost more, they’re not larger, and they don’t weigh more.
What’s the catch? I can’t see one!
18V tools powered by 22V batteries will benefit from more work per charge, meaning at least longer runtime. Hilti wasn’t clear as to whether there would be benefits to speed, power, or performance.
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Voltages
The 22V battery pack is 21.6V nominal under load, and actually measure close to 24V when fully charged with no load applied.
It’s refreshing to see this as a “true voltage” claim. They could have followed the trend and went with “24V Max,” but I’m glad they didn’t.
22V vs. 21.6V isn’t a big difference, and seems to me to be rounding for convenience purposes.
Hilti 22V Tools
It looks like many (if not all) of the 18V tools will be replaced by 22V-branded versions. What’s not clear is whether there will be any enhancements that allow them to squeeze more performance or runtime compared to the 18V versions.
There are 3 new tools launching with the new platform: a compact hammer drill/driver, an impact driver, and a heavy duty drill/driver.
Buy Now(New 22V Tools via Home Depot)
Hammer Drill/Driver SF 6H-A22 ATC
The new Hilti SF 6H-A22 compact hammer drill features a max torque rating of 708 in-lbs, and has an Active Torque Control (ATC) mechanism for protecting users from over-rotation when a bit binds up and gets stuck.
Impact Driver SID 4-A22
This new Hilti SID 4-A22 impact driver features 1558 in-lbs max torque, a 4-LED worklight, and 3 mode electronic speed control for quick switching between different speed and torque levels.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Drill/Driver SF 10W-A22 ATC
The new SF 10W-A22 ATC is a heavy duty drill boasting a 1062 in-lbs max torque rating and top speed of 2100 RPM under no load. It has 4 gear settings, so you can select the best speed range for the job.
There is also Active Torque Control, for user safety. Presumably, if it works like other torque control designs, the ATC mechanism likely incorporates a sensor that shuts off power to the motor if it senses that the drill is binding.
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First Thoughts
I don’t have much familiarity with Hilti, or Hilti tools, but I’ve heard good things.
All of this is a very big deal. To sum it up,
1) There’s a new 22V battery pack that will provide a boost in “work per charge.”
2) 22V batteries will work in 18V tools, and 18V batteries will work in 22V tools.
3) 22V batteries aren’t larger or heavier than 18V batteries, and Hilti says they’ll cost the same too.
I don’t think I have ever seen another cordless power tool brand make it so easy for users to transition with them. To me, this move says “we care about our customers no matter what it takes.”
Maybe this won’t always be the case, and there will be new 22V tools in a few years that won’t work with their 18V batteries, but there’s nothing from what Hilti has said that would suggest this.
If I were a Hilti cordless power tool user, I’d be thrilled right now. And if I wasn’t, but used my tools in a professional capacity, this would be enough to make me look closer at their lineup.
Update 2: The realization that the 18V packs were 22V (21.6V nominal) all along dilutes the impact of this news a whole lot. Still, while 18V to 22V is largely a rebranding, I see no reason to doubt Hilti’s claims of upgrades and updates to the battery pack electronics and discharge settings.
Going back and rereading what I wrote earlier, it now seems humerous – and somewhat misleading – that Hilti is making claims that the battery packs are the same size, weight, and cost. Of course they are – they’re essentially the same battery packs but with seemingly minor changes to the electronics!
Blythe M
I can’t say this definitively, but I think I watched a pro tool reviews video recently that suggested that hilti’s “18v” line was actually 21.6 all along. They just branded it that way to lessen confusion, but that might be the reason for the so called backwards compatibility
Stuart
If that was true, then there couldn’t be any “more work per charge” claims, and they certainly wouldn’t have called the 18V line 18V.
This is from their press release: “complete with an innovative, backwards compatible 22V battery — an industry first.”
If they could have boasted about the higher voltage previously, they would have. Right?
I don’t have an 18V pack in front of me to take apart.
From 18V to 22V (21.6V) is 1 more battery added to 5 (or 2 to 10 in higher capacity packs). So figure ~20% greater voltage, 20% greater watt-hours.
10% to 30% improvement in work per charge seems reasonable.
You cannot get that just by taking deep discharging a little further. Sure, that will give you a little more usable energy, but not that much.
Something must be fishy if this is all just a “name change.”
Voltage rebranding has been done before, but I’d believe Hilti would have been transparent if that was the case.
Dominic van lievenoogen
He is correct. Hilti 18v tools have always had 6 cells in series. Nominal 21.6 volts. The tools have been called 22volts in Europe for a long time. Why they called it 18v in USA? Boone but hilti knows but they didn’t do some magic hocus pocus. It was 21.6v before and it is now.
Blythe M
He is the link, the specific part starts around 5 min in.
https://youtu.be/Pd_3F9tJnWw
I don’t own any of their tools so I really don’t know, just thought it was interesting.
The claimed more power could be a change from 18650 to 20700 cells, but that’s only speculation
Travis Brown
I have the whole 18v hilti line up with 10 batteries and 3 chargers the max volt is 21.6 the only difference is the 22v line is all brushless as the 18v line is not
Bremon
I’m pretty sure this is correct. Either way, great batteries and great looking tools.
Cr8on
I recall hearing this as well, admittedly I never really used anything Hilti nor interested in offering up a kidney to own any of their tools.
David Sheppard
Yes, This is true! Hilti Batteries are actually 21.6 volts. Check out the “New” SF6H A22 brushless Combi from Hilti. It is a beast!!
pete
I played with their 12v line at their store in my town and they feel great with lots of power, probably more than my m12 stuff. BUT i’m glad i have the access to the entire m12 line.
If i ONLY needed a drill and impact i’d certainly look into hilti.
Nathan
I’ve heard nearly nothing negative about any Hilti tool. but I do have a few questions.
1) who is their build partner on cordless stuff – I’m curious.
2) how did they pack 3 more cells in the box while keeping the same size – is there a new li cell out there? I know some companies are moving to a new larger capacity – bigger cell so I’m curious as to what’s in these. but basically they pushed 3 and 6 more cells in the box to do this. And I have to say I think I like the idea.
3) This might not be known yet but will the newer 22V tool have more ability (more torque, higher blade speed etc etc) than their 18V counterparts. They should in theory at least run a tick cooler.
rhyino
Hilti has a partnership with Panasonic for their cordless tools.
Will
I thought Hilti was always 21.6 V, or did they also make 18v as well?
Will
We have 2 corded rotary hammers at work and they are simply the best I’ve used. I always thought the drills were kinda ugly and the full size keep that shape. The compact looks really nice though. Love the 4 gears and the low gear would be great for mixing mud.
JC
My neighbor is a Hilti rep and I just bought last year’s 18v products from him. They are all stamped as 21.6v. He told me that when the 18v was being ready for marketing there were fewer 18v+ systems out there. As such they marketed tools and batteries as 18v to lessen customer confusion.
Since it’s original release more 18v+ items are out there and they felt confident in using the 22v branding. Same batteries and tools, different stamp on the outside of the case.
Dave
Hilti also bumped up the amp hours in the new 22V line, so your basic battery is 22V x 5.2 amps. That’s a lot of power and run time. Price-wise Hilti is comparable to the other brands for similiar batteries. All Hilti tools and batteries also have 2 year full warrantys, even for normal wear and tear. If you can manage to burn one up in under two years it’s a free fix or replacement, no questions asked. Also, they just introduced a portable band saw for the 18v/22v platform. My favorite tool!
Bruce
We used to have a Hilti cordless set at work but they really didn’t fit our needs. First, the price. More than twice as expensive as other pro brands. Heavy as heck. Our corded Bosch hammer drill with 25ft of cord is lighter than the Hilti cordless model. These might be a great choice for someone who can always park the tool truck right next to the job, never has to work overhead, and doesn’t mind spending silly amounts for the privilege.
I’m sure there is a market, it’s just not me. 🙂
Jim Felt
I recently went to a Hilti store and bought one of their manual caulk guns and while it is the “gold standard” for most of my contractors it’s still like 95 USD.
Nice European plastic and a bit of metal. But $95? And that was less then list price.
Hope the power tools are worth it.
fred
Hilti has never been focused on the mass market. Selling nearly anything, a vendor can focus on profitability coming from discount pricing and high volumes to make up for low margins. Or they can go to the other end of the spectrum and make up for low volume sales by concentrating on mark-up. One would hope that if your mark-up is high – your quality or special features support the premium that you add into your pricing. Hilti has always seemed to me to be in this high-quality – high-mark-up category. Hilti’s corded tools and PATs have always had a good reputation – and the few tools of theirs we bought over the years were solid performers. But for cordless – especially for a contractor or even an individual who needs a “stable full” of different tools – it is more about what offered using the same battery platform. Unless Hilti steps up their game – with offerings akin to Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee – I don’t see a compelling reason to purchase their cordless tools – even though these appear to have some nice features.
skfarmer
somebody said they looked great. i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. they look butt ugly to me. not that tools need to be judged on looks alone but a premium product should look better than that.
Bremon
Lol you may be referring to me and I should have said great sounding, ie, power and features. Aesthetically they’re uglier than sin.
Nathan
they don’t look any uglier than any other power tool out there – especially the likes of Makita, Panasonic, Hitachi, milwaukee, ryobi, etc.
I mean the only reason I give dewalt a pass (and I actually own some) is that the yellow does help with visibility and is near to the safety yellow we use around here. ANd I guess being fair I would actually give someone a pass if they were to use that safety Orange we also use around here
Greg G
I know a few trades that use hilts for the monthly tool rental program. This fits them well since they have a few trucks and crews. If it breaks down they overnight a new gun to the company by next day. Personally I don’t care for the looks of them at all. They look like toys to me.
Thomas M Doucette Sr
What is the price
Shawn Duke
We’ll I have never had
any problem with my Hilti sf- 18 it has never gave me any tro7≤≤ tro uble sorry bout the typing plus I have had it for years no complaints