Every second tradie has been talked into a 36V platform they didn’t need. The rep says more power, the box says more volts, and eighteen months later you’re carrying a 2.9kg drill up a ladder with a battery that only fits that one tool.
Voltage is not power
Voltage tells you how hard the electrons are pushed, not how much work gets done. What actually matters is watts — volts times amps — and how efficiently the motor turns that into torque. A well-built 18V brushless drill at 65Nm will out-drive a cheap 36V brushed unit every day of the week.
Where 18V wins
- Weight on the tool end. A 4.0Ah 18V pack is around 600g. The equivalent 36V pack is roughly double that, which you feel after the fortieth ceiling fixing.
- One battery, every tool. Drills, drivers, grinders, saws, lights, even the radio. The cheaper your battery platform, the more tools you can afford to own on it.
- Cost per tool. Skins are dramatically cheaper when the platform is shared across a whole range.
Where 36V (or corded) earns its keep
- Continuous heavy cutting. If you’re ripping 200 linear metres of hardwood a day, a corded saw or a genuinely high-output 36V tool is the right call.
- Concrete and core drilling. Rotary hammers above 24mm want corded power or SDS-Max.
- Anything on a bench. If the tool never leaves the shed, a cord is a feature, not a limitation.
The practical answer for most crews
Run one 18V platform for the tools you carry, and buy corded for the bench-bound heavy work. That’s the cheapest, lightest, most repairable setup — and it’s why our Ironbark and Redgum ranges are both built around an 18V platform.
Still deciding? Ring the trade desk on 1300 967 546 and tell us the job — we’ll spec it in two minutes.
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