Hi CHOICE community,
Currently on our stick vac review we indicate whether a stick vac’s battery is swappable. These days LG, Dyson and more have easily interchangeable batteries so you can always have a fully-charged one “on the go”, effectively increasing cleaning time.
However a few people have indicated that they are confused by the word “swappable”. I don’t want to use the word “replaceable” as many stick vacs technically have replaceable batteries which need minute screwdrivers or opening the unit to change but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Dyson uses the phrase “click in battery”, while LG uses “interchangeable” (which I am leaning towards).
What should we call “swappable” stick vac batteries on the website? (Sorry, having not done a poll on here before I’ve inadvertently put the question as an option below - please ignore!)
What should we call “swappable” stick vac batteries on the website?
Keep it as swappable
Click-in
Interchangeable
Other
0voters
Here’s the current explanation for swappable batteries.
I think swappable makes sense. It means that it can easily be swapped with another battery.
Replaceable has a different meaning, which means the battery can be replaced at some stage in the future. I feel it means replace when you need to replace it, like a traditional flat alkaline battery in a torch which needs to be replaced when it is no longer functional.
Click in battery doesn’t really give an impression of what it means. It could mean it clicks in but can’t be removed (a one way process) or clickable or unclickable.
‘Interchangeable’ is possibly okay, but possibly is a synonym of ‘swappable’. Interchangeable to me means more than just swappable, that it can be interchanged with something else…think something like a Ryobi One+ battery system which is interchangeable and uses this term and is suitable for use with a range of compatible tools. I would be potentially confused if the term interchangeable was used and the battery was usable on a vacuum only.
Another term could be exchangeable, but this would also need clarifying to its meaning. To me exchangeable would be similar to swappable and both more preferred terms.
I suppose I don’t have any issue with swappable, and if one is ‘confused’, the additional information clearly sets out what it means.
Another possible word is “hot swappable”. In this context it wouldn’t mean much if anything different from “swappable” but it emphasises the point that you do it quickly and conveniently, on the go, so that you can keep cleaning. (On second thoughts, maybe this is an anti-feature. )
In an IT context, “hot swappable” specifically refers to the fact that you can swap something without shutting the computer down - and I don’t know whether that distinction is relevant to a stick vac as I don’t own one - but I assume that the shutdown procedure is at most “switching it off”.
The commercial/trade tools rechargeable battery systems with an easy to exchange battery predate household products being similarly equiped. It’s now the norm and rarely seems to need clarification.
Swappable implies similar.
Are swappable and interchangeable in common broad use across a broad range of consumer household, yard and DIY products?
The best solution may be to refer to them as ‘interchangeable/swappable’ battery powered tools and appliances. 85% might agree.
P.S.
Another thought is the alternative of describing the appliances which do not use a tool-less system of exchanging rechargeable batteries as fixed battery tools and appliances. No need to bother otherwise.
I note that your question and answers are swappable too.
I like ‘click-in’ because of the onomatopoeic descriptiveness of the expression. Swappable works for me too.
Interchangeable implies there are different pieces of equipment or different sizes of batteries that can be used. I think that Ryobi use this term correctly with their One Plus range.
(Now that I have written this, I read the prior posts, and I seem to be duplicating what others have said to some degree.)
I favour continuing to use “swappable” and giving the current explanation. Other possible descriptors have slightly different meanings.
In the reviews I think it is important to not only indicate whether a “flat” battery can be easily swapped for a charged one but also whether an additional battery is provided or has to be bought as an extra, and if so at what cost.
I think the reviews should also indicate whether the battery can be easily removed and replaced (eg by just loosening a few screws with a philips head) if it fails or the vac has reached the end of its life . I understand that this is not possible with some vacs
The term you use should be driven by the feature you’re trying to describe. It’s not clear to me exactly what that is. Eg:
Swappable in this context means to me whether one battery can be replaced with another even if you need to dig through the outer layers of the machine with a tool.
Interchangeable as used above means to me that you could put a Dyson battery into an LG machine.
Have you had a look online, say at the Oxford? For example:
Interchangeable:
“eyepieces are interchangeable and one can use any eyepiece with any telescope”
Swap:
“an act of exchanging one thing for another”
So it seems the function you’re describing could be best referred to as ‘swappable’.
The question is one of what consumers actually want to know. Most already know that spare batteries can be purchased for appliances so a fresh one can be swapped in etc so there’s probably not much point telling them. However, what many will want to know is how easily this can be done and how much a spare costs as this could be a major determinant in their product choice.
Could “spare” also suggest it’s a replacement for the original when the original fails?
If it was a Battery drill the catalogue sale might just indicate - comes with two batteries. Perhaps the power tools market has moved on. All are expected to feature a battery that can be quickly and simply changed out for one from the seperate charging station!
Thanks for your valuable insights, everyone. I think for now, I’ll leave the field as is (“swappable”) and take a look at the wording we use in the ? explanation (tooltip).
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