Festool’s 18V cordless platform has earned a loyal following among finish carpenters, cabinet makers, and serious woodworkers. This spring, those users get a meaningful upgrade they didn’t have to buy a new tool to earn.
Festool is rolling out two new battery packs — the BP 18 TBX 4 (4Ah) and BP 18 TBX 8 (8Ah) — built on tabless cell technology. They launch in April 2026 and are priced the same as the Li-HighPower packs they replace.
What Tabless Cells Actually Mean
Traditional lithium-ion cells connect to the battery circuit through metal tabs — small strips that create resistance and limit how fast power flows. Tabless cells eliminate those tabs by making the entire electrode roll part of the connection. The result: lower internal resistance, more sustained power delivery under load, faster charging, and better performance in cold temperatures.
We covered the tabless trend in depth in our battery technology explainer — DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, and Craftsman have all adopted some form of tabless cells over the past two years. Festool is now joining that list.
The Two New Packs
The BP 18 TBX 4 and BP 18 TBX 8 directly replace Festool’s existing Li-HighPower 4.0Ah and 8.0Ah batteries. Both are backward-compatible with all Festool 18V tools — every track saw, sander, jigsaw, drill, and vacuum in the system. No tool update required.
Festool says these new packs deliver noticeably more power, longer runtimes, and shorter charging times than the packs they replace. Given the physics of tabless cells, that’s a credible claim — other brands have reported similar improvements when making this switch.
The price point is the notable part. Festool is passing the technology upgrade along at no additional cost, keeping the same price as the outgoing Li-HighPower batteries. For a brand that commands a premium, that’s worth noting.
Who This Matters To
If you’re already on the Festool 18V platform — or considering it for the first time — this is a good time to buy in. The best track saws on the market include several Festool models, and if precise finish work is your priority, their sanding lineup is worth the price of admission. Better batteries make all of it more capable.
The BP 18 TBX packs are available from specialty Festool dealers and on Amazon starting April 2026. If you’re comparing upgrade timing, there’s no reason to stock up on the outgoing Li-HighPower batteries — the TBX versions deliver more for the same money.
The Bottom Line
Festool doesn’t make frequent platform announcements. When they do, it tends to matter to the people who use their tools. The BP 18 TBX batteries represent the same technological leap that’s made Milwaukee FORGE, DeWalt PowerStack, and Makita XGT batteries significantly better over the last two years. Festool users get that upgrade this spring, at no price premium.
Sources: Festool — Tabless Battery Technology, Festool Owners Group — New 2026 Products
