Can I mix batteries between brands?

Generally no. Each brand uses its own battery interface, so a Milwaukee M18 battery will not fit a DeWalt or Makita tool. The main exception is the AmpShare alliance built around Bosch Professional 18V, where a group of partner brands share one battery interface. Within a single brand, newer and older batteries on the same voltage line usually work across the range.

Is a higher voltage platform always better?

Not always. An 18V line covers the vast majority of trade tools and keeps tools lighter and cheaper. Higher-voltage lines such as Makita XGT 40V max or systems that combine 18V and 36V exist for genuinely high-draw tools like large saws, breakers and outdoor power equipment. Choose based on the tools you actually run, not the number on the pack.

What if my trade needs a tool my platform does not make?

This is exactly why range breadth matters. Before you commit, list the cordless tools you expect to own over the next few years and check each platform actually makes them. A platform that covers 90 per cent of your kit but forces you into a second battery system for the rest can cost more over time.

Should I switch platforms if a competitor releases a better single tool?

Rarely worth it. The value is in the batteries and chargers you already own. One better tool seldom offsets the cost of re-buying batteries for a whole new system. Switching makes sense when your current platform genuinely lacks tools you need, or its service and warranty support has let you down.

Which Cordless Battery Platform Should You Commit To?

The most important cordless decision is not which drill — it is which battery platform you commit to. A balanced guide to the major systems in Australia and how to choose one for your trade.

Quick answer

The biggest cordless decision is not which tool you buy — it is which battery platform you commit to. Once you own batteries on one system, every future tool is cheaper as a tool-only "skin". Pick the platform with the tool range, runtime and service support your trade needs, then standardise on it.

Skill level: Buyer's Guide
Time: Varies
Trade: Carpentry & Joinery
Updated: 4 November 2026

Tools you will need

Cordless drill
Impact driver
Battery charger
Battery packs

Ask most tradies what their next cordless purchase is and they will name a tool — a new impact, a bigger saw. But the decision that actually shapes your costs for years is quieter: which battery platform you commit to. The tool is a one-off. The batteries are the expense you keep paying, and the interface you are locked into every time you add another tool.

Get the platform right and every future purchase gets cheaper, because you buy the tool on its own — a "skin" — and drop your existing batteries in. Get it wrong and you either live with gaps in the range or pay to re-battery a whole new system.

Why the platform matters more than the tool

When you buy your first kit you are really buying into an ecosystem: a battery interface, a charger standard, and a catalogue of tools that all share those packs. The more tools you own on one platform, the more expensive it becomes to leave — and the cheaper each new tool becomes to add. That is the lock-in working for you instead of against you, provided you chose well up front.

The major platforms in Australia

These are the systems you will most often compare. Each has genuine strengths; the right one depends on your trade, not on brand loyalty.

Milwaukee M18 — a very broad 18V range across most trades, backed by the compact M12 line for lighter sub-compact tools. One-Key adds tool tracking and inventory management for those who want it.

DeWalt 18V XR — in Australia DeWalt cordless is badged 18V XR (the US "20V MAX" label refers to the same battery). The FlexVolt 54V packs are backward compatible and step up to run high-demand tools on the same system.

Makita LXT 18V — one of the largest 18V tool ranges available, and you can run 36V tools using two 18V batteries. Makita also offers the higher-power XGT 40V max line for heavy applications.

Bosch Professional 18V — a strong professional 18V range, and the anchor of the AmpShare alliance, where multiple partner brands share the same battery interface — useful if you need speciality tools one brand does not make.

Ryobi ONE+ 18V — a very large, value-focused 18V range where all ONE+ batteries stay backward compatible. Popular with DIY through to light-trade and second-kit use.

Festool 18V — premium, precision-focused tools (track saws, dust extraction and finishing) favoured where finish and dust control matter most.

Metabo and HiKOKI MultiVolt — 18V systems with MultiVolt packs that also feed 36V tools, giving corded-like power from one battery family.

How to choose

Work through these in order of what your trade actually demands:

1.Range breadth — list every cordless tool you expect to own over the next few years and confirm your shortlisted platform makes all of them. Gaps are what force people into a costly second system.

2.High-draw tools — if you run big saws, grinders, breakers or core drills, favour a platform with a proven high-output battery line (FlexVolt, XGT, MultiVolt, or high-output 18V packs).

3.Weight and balance — for all-day overhead or fiddly work, lighter compact tools (M12-class and sub-compact 18V) reduce fatigue.

4.Service and warranty — check local repair turnaround and battery warranty. Downtime waiting on a repair costs more than the tool.

5.Budget and entry point — Ryobi ONE+ lowers the cost of entry; the premium professional lines cost more up front but carry deeper high-demand ranges.

Then standardise

Once you have chosen, buy tools on that platform wherever you sensibly can. The next decision is how to enter it — whether a combo kit or tool-only skins give you the better maths. That is covered in Combo Kit vs Tool-Only Skins: The Real Cost Maths, and how many batteries (and what Ah) you actually need is in How Many Tool Batteries Do You Actually Need?.

Kitting out or upgrading a platform

Committing to a platform is a real investment, because the batteries — not the tools — are the recurring cost over the years. If you are setting up a new platform, replacing a stolen kit, or standardising your crew onto one system, spreading the cost with equipment finance can keep your working capital free for jobs and materials. It is worth weighing the repayment against the runtime and downtime you save. See how tool-and-equipment finance works for sole traders and small crews on our equipment finance guide.

Old batteries and retired tools

Flat or ageing batteries still have value, and dead lithium-ion packs must never go in general or recycling wheelie bins — damaged cells are a genuine fire risk in trucks and transfer stations. Recycle them free through the national battery scheme at B-cycle drop-off points. When you are moving platforms, working "skins" (tool-only units) that no longer suit you can often be sold or traded rather than binned. Before you buy your next skin, it is worth knowing where tool prices are heading — our Tool Price Index tracks how cordless tool prices are moving.

Frequently asked questions

Can I mix batteries between brands?: Generally no. Each brand uses its own battery interface, so a Milwaukee M18 battery will not fit a DeWalt or Makita tool. The main exception is the AmpShare alliance built around Bosch Professional 18V, where a group of partner brands share one battery interface. Within a single brand, newer and older batteries on the same voltage line usually work across the range.
Is a higher voltage platform always better?: Not always. An 18V line covers the vast majority of trade tools and keeps tools lighter and cheaper. Higher-voltage lines such as Makita XGT 40V max or systems that combine 18V and 36V exist for genuinely high-draw tools like large saws, breakers and outdoor power equipment. Choose based on the tools you actually run, not the number on the pack.
What if my trade needs a tool my platform does not make?: This is exactly why range breadth matters. Before you commit, list the cordless tools you expect to own over the next few years and check each platform actually makes them. A platform that covers 90 per cent of your kit but forces you into a second battery system for the rest can cost more over time.
Should I switch platforms if a competitor releases a better single tool?: Rarely worth it. The value is in the batteries and chargers you already own. One better tool seldom offsets the cost of re-buying batteries for a whole new system. Switching makes sense when your current platform genuinely lacks tools you need, or its service and warranty support has let you down.

Written by Chippy, the Carpentry & Joinery specialist at Aus.Tools.