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HiKOKI MultiVolt – What is it and How Does it Work?

Posted by Katy | Toolstop on 8th Nov 2021

HiKOKI is the new brand name for Hitachi. They recently introduced HiKOKI Multivolt which is their new leading battery platform. Hikoki multi volt batteries work across all of the HiKoki (& Hitachi) 18v range but it will also work in the brand’s new 36v cordless tool range. Versatility at its finest!

HiKOKI is the new brand name for Hitachi. They recently introduced HiKOKI Multivolt which is their new leading battery platform. Hikoki multi volt batteries work across all of the HiKoki (& Hitachi) 18v range but it will also work in the brand’s new 36v cordless tool range. Versatility at its finest!

hikoki multi volt battery

What is Multi Volt From HiKOKI?

When a power tool brand introduces a new battery platform, it can be confusing at first what exactly you’ll be able to do with the new batteries. What power do they offer? What’s the charge capacity? etc. Couple that with a whole new brand name, and it can be confusing times for power tool users. In this Toolstop guide, we’re going to look at what HiKOKI has brought to the market in 2019, Multi Volt Batteries, and we’ll explain what these batteries are and how they work.

multi volt explained

Who are HiKOKI?

For starters, let’s address the brand HiKOKI; Who are they?

If it seems like HiKOKI arrived out of nowhere on the power tool scene with a raft of fantastic tools to choose from, you’d be mostly right. But the story behind is quite a simple one. HiKOKI is the new brand name for Hitachi power tools, as of 1st October 2018. As for the new name, the president of the company explained that the brand is owned by Koki Holdings, and combining the first letters of the words “highly innovative”, you get the new brand name.


HiKOKI Multi Volt Explained

What is HiKOKI doing that could be regarded as 'Highly Innovative'?

Hitachi’s power tools were always workhorses, designed without huge flair, but with true graft in mind. We were always fans. And their gas-free first and second fix nailers have always been exceptional. All of the tools found in Hitachi’s stable are now in HiKOKI’s. But what’s helping set HiKOKI apart from comparable rivals is the new Multi Volt Battery Platform.

If you already own Hitachi 18V cordless tools, you are in luck because these new batteries are completely backwards compatible with your 18V tools (whether they’re the Hitachi ones or the new HiKOKI ones). This means that if you’ve got a Hitachi 18V tool, you can plug in the Multi Volt battery and it will run at 18 volts and 5.0Ah thanks to Smart Connecting technology. The battery is able to detect whether it has been installed in an 18V or 36V machine.

hikoki multi volt tools

How Does Multi Volt Work?

The strapline for this new battery platform is “one battery, two tools”. So, the idea behind that is when you own a HiKOKI Multi Volt battery, it will work across all of the HiKOKI (and Hitachi) 18V cordless tool range. But it will also work in the brand’s new 36V cordless tool range. When you’ve got a 36V cordless power tool in your hands, HiKOKI claims that you have AC power, DC freedom. In other words, the power of a corded tool with the freedom and flexibility only experienced with a cordless tool.

Let’s take one of the new 36V tools as an example. The DV36DAX. It’s a 36V combi drill. That’s right, a combi-drill with a 36V power supply, via the new Multi Volt battery. This makes it probably the most powerful combi drill available on the market today. Which means bigger holes – 20mm into masonry and 102mm into wood – from a combi drill that has roughly the same weight and size as a standard 18V drill.


Higher Capacity Must Mean Bulkier Batteries?

The new Multi Volt batteries from HiKOKI are the same size and weight as the 18V packs. However, no one else on the market as of the start of 2019 is making a higher voltage battery pack like this. They not only work across two voltages but are also the same weight and size as the rest of the batteries in the 18V range. Therefore, you’re able to power tools with much higher output and performance. And you’re not adding undue weight to the tool. This is something to seriously consider if you want to be running higher spec tools, but don’t want aching arms and wrists after a couple of hours of work.

Does the Charge Capacity of the Batteries Really Matter?

What about charge capacity? This is an important consideration for any battery platform designed to work across two different voltages. When you use a HiKOKI Multi Volt battery in an 18V machine, it acts as a standard 5.0Ah unit. Plenty of juice for the day for your typical applications. When you slot the Multi Volt battery into one of the new 36V machines, the charge capacity is 2.5Ah.

When you use the battery in a 36V machine, the greater power from the motor means the tools require less time to perform the task. That’s less time when the motor is pulling charge from the battery. Therefore, higher powered cordless tools require less charge. Factor in the brushless motor on all the new 36V machines. These motors are much more efficient than older, brushed versions. They require less power from the battery to complete the application.

Multi Volt in Action:

See some HiKOKI Multi-Volt tools in action below:


Now that we’ve explained who HiKOKI are and what the new Multi Volt battery platform is about, we’d love to hear your thoughts. It is a winner?



Shop the HiKOKI Multi Volt Range:

Bosch 2608596132 CYL-1 Drill Bit For Masonry
Bosch 2608596132 CYL-1 Drill Bit For Masonry
Bosch 2608596132 CYL-1 Drill Bit For Masonry
Bosch 2608596132 CYL-1 Drill Bit For Masonry

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