The FLEX 24V system has some things that you have to pay attention to. Specificly you have to understand how fast your batteries charge. Just plugging it in and walking away isn’t going to do the job.
Paying attention to the indicator lights will tell you exactly what’s going on with the battery pack. This make the process more efficient and less frustrating.
Monitoring the Charging Process
Here’s how it goes.
Remove the battery from the tool.
Pull it off: After completing your work, remove the battery from the tool. Don’t attempt to charge while connected to the drill or impact driver. Pull the battery away. The release mechanism slide into place. It comes out with a click.
Hold the pack in your hand and look at it. I like that it has a dual-sided fuel gauge. Hit the button to display the level of charge. Do a simple visual inspection before you begin the charge.
Slide your battery on the exclusive FLEX charger. You’ll feel and hear it snap into place. Lock it down. If the battery doesn’t sit right, it won’t charge.
There is multiple lights on the charger for monitoring. Green flashes when it is actively charging. Steady blinking indicates flow of power into the cell.
Watch the indicator lights
Be sure to wait for this signal.
This is the battery capacity.
How fast? Well, that depends on the battery capacity. And they come with THERMA-TECH cooling technology, which manages heat from fast charge cycles.
Top-up time for the smaller 2.5 Ah cell is about 30 minutes. That’s very fast for a lithium-ion pack. So you don’t have to wait hours for a full charge, or spend much downtime between jobs.
This doesn’t interrupt the flow of work.
Charging time increases with the bigger 5.0 Ah version. Because there is more juice to put into the battery, it will take longer to charge. For a big battery like this one, it’s roughly an hour for a full charge. That’s fine for a workhorse of a battery.
Charging the batteries is no problem. Both sizes charge on the same charger without issue. The larger pack runs the cooling system a bit harder. But it does its job quite well. There’s nothing to fear here in terms of heat. The thermal load are managed very well by the technology.
It’s important to know the meaning of the lights. Green flashing means it’s charging. Once charging is complete, the light will be steady green. Then the light will remain a solid color when you’re ready to go.
Take out the pack and get back to work. There is no need to overcharge the battery. The battery does not need to be overcharged. That will damage the battery life.
Before taking out the charger always verify the light is solid. That verifies your work was completed correctly.
The charging process with these FLEX batteries is simple. Unhook, check it, click in and light show starts. A green flash mean it is working. A solid green light means it is good to go.
And man the time numbers are impressive for their size. The big one charges in an hour. The little guy in half that at thirty minutes. And it slots right into the workflow. No hanging around. Just plug it in and move along.
You don’t have to guess at what time of charge the batteries are depleted. The lights tell you exactly. It’s easy. No guessing. Follow the lights. Makes it easier on the job.
No setting adjustments needed. The charger handles it all. You simply supply the electricity. The charger system is very efficient. It is well worth the money spent.
