# A note to Makita about their batteries



## CITY DECKS INC (Sep 4, 2012)

BCConstruction said:


> So how many batteries have you had fail. We need to get this message across to Makita that people are pissed.


We don't use Makita cordless. I decided not because I was under the impression the grade of battery varied too much. Example same specs but noticed some made in Japan which were the most expensive and probably the best of there line and made in other part of the world for much less and always on sale. I just stayed away from. Started with dewalt staying with dewalt and hilti and the fact that have two service stores with in a couple of miles from me which a great value.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Gary H said:


> Maktia had the cool blower. And I got a cool poster when the maktia girl was in town.


Scantily clad, you forgot that, though girls in snowmobile suits work for some.


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## D.S.I. (Jul 23, 2011)

I've lost about 5 out of 10, but mine is abuse. I'll rip treated with the circ saw and overheat them. Switched to Milwaukee 2 years ago, love the overload shutoff!


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## Northwood (Jan 6, 2010)

Only had 2 fail and one of them was a few years old, but the fact that they both worked completely fine until one day they decided they were dead is what gets everyone worked up. It's obvious when it happens to you that something is wrong with the circuitry. I don't trust my hard earned money with a product that has an obvious issue that could be fixed, but from all accounts is not being fixed. With other companies making so many tools for good prices: Time to jump ship...


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## onthelevel (Apr 6, 2011)

I can't afford to jump ship.. I have to go down with it..

I have the 7 tool set and I sure don't want to switch brands now.

I heard Makita was fixing the problem. Something about how

the cells were wired I believe. I was ondering if anybody knew more.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

onthelevel said:


> I can't afford to jump ship.. I have to go down with it..
> 
> I have the 7 tool set and I sure don't want to switch brands now.
> 
> ...


Have some friends in UK using the new packs. No word yet if they are wired differently but they do know some people who have had the new packs fail just like the old ones. Just gonna have to wait till some strips one down to tell.


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## onthelevel (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks BC.. 

I was also wondering how many guys don't know the differences between LI-ion and Ni-Cad. 
My friend kept his stuff in his car up north here in the winter. After I told him not to do that he realized why his batteries were so weak.
Plus they were also DeFault. I mean DeWalt.

Also it's not good to run Li-ion all the way down to zero like the Ni-Cad's

I also re-charge my Li-Ion if they haven't been used in a while. I can't remember if that was in the Makita or Festool manual.


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## Pro framer (Feb 24, 2012)

3 of 3 dead for me. makita batteries sucks!!


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

onthelevel said:


> Thanks BC..
> 
> I was also wondering how many guys don't know the differences between LI-ion and Ni-Cad.
> My friend kept his stuff in his car up north here in the winter. After I told him not to do that he realized why his batteries were so weak.
> ...


Yep never run them down too low. Complete opposite to ni-cds. 

The new 4.0ah currently have the highest quality cells of my pack. Specs if correct show them to function as good as a Li-po cell performance wise. They should be very good packs as long as they fixed the issue with the wiring in them.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

The usual problem is cell #1 gets damaged and takes the whole battery down.


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## Pitto (Nov 17, 2013)

i stopped buying the makita genuine and have been running 3.5ah and 4.0ah aftermarket battery packs that have sanyo cells in them. so far, they have been great, however its only been 2 years with the 3.5ah and only a month with the 4.0ah packs.

like many, i am too far down this rabbit hole to back out now. i also think the charger is a problem too, not just the battery. 

very reminiscent of the 90's when the makita stick battery 7.2v cordless drills were therage, but the chargers would [email protected] themselves.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Pitto said:


> i stopped buying the makita genuine and have been running 3.5ah and 4.0ah aftermarket battery packs that have sanyo cells in them. so far, they have been great, however its only been 2 years with the 3.5ah and only a month with the 4.0ah packs.
> 
> like many, i am too far down this rabbit hole to back out now. i also think the charger is a problem too, not just the battery.
> 
> very reminiscent of the 90's when the makita stick battery 7.2v cordless drills were therage, but the chargers would [email protected] themselves.


You def don't want to run the after market packs. Only Samsung, Sony and Sanyo make 2.0ah cells 18650 cells and when released they are about $7 a piece. So that's $70 worth of cells alone and the copy packs sell for around $50 last time I looked. Hey normally put lower grade cells in the packs that can't handle the 2c cgarge rates of 4+c discharge rates. This means that the battery could go up in flames on the charger or tool. 

I have yet to hear of a copy pack using good quality cells so be warned.


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## Pitto (Nov 17, 2013)

BCConstruction said:


> You def don't want to run the after market packs. Only Samsung, Sony and Sanyo make 2.0ah cells 18650 cells and when released they are about $7 a piece. So that's $70 worth of cells alone and the copy packs sell for around $50 last time I looked. Hey normally put lower grade cells in the packs that can't handle the 2c cgarge rates of 4+c discharge rates. This means that the battery could go up in flames on the charger or tool.
> 
> I have yet to hear of a copy pack using good quality cells so be warned.


Yep, I have heard of the same, however, at the rate of failure of the makita batteries, it is worth the risk. 

Makita wont redesign the design circuit in the batteries as they believe that once the duty cycle of 1000 charges has been done, the battery is deemed as a consumable item. As much as others hate this concept, as long as Makita see it this way, the battery design will not change. 

sorry, its panasonic not sanyo cells

http://www.frontlinetrading.com.au/Batteries-and-chargers ?product_id=27


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Pitto said:


> Yep, I have heard of the same, however, at the rate of failure of the makita batteries, it is worth the risk.
> 
> Makita wont redesign the design circuit in the batteries as they believe that once the duty cycle of 1000 charges has been done, the battery is deemed as a consumable item. As much as others hate this concept, as long as Makita see it this way, the battery design will not change.
> 
> ...


I know what you mean. Makita packs just stop or copy's may burn up. For me charging them in my trailer burning up is a bad idea lol


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## Pitto (Nov 17, 2013)

BCConstruction said:


> I know what you mean. Makita packs just stop or copy's may burn up. For me charging them in my trailer burning up is a bad idea lol


Yeah, i have seen your trailer setup, and agree 100% that in your case, you cant take the risk of loosing all that tool **** in a fire. :laughing:

I will be interested in seeing the genuine 4ah batteries when they finally show their face down here. I need to get another set of batteries as i only have 4 [1 has been confiscated for domestic duties with the vaccum cleaner] and switching out batteries is a PITA


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## skillman (Sep 23, 2011)

Would be nice if there was a makita rep on CT . Would help a bit with you guys problems . There's a dewalt guy around here .


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I tried to call them once. They were maybe in the top5 of worst service I experienced over the phone. I love their tools but service and battery's suck balls.


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

BCConstruction said:


> I tried to call them once. They were maybe in the top5 of worst service I experienced over the phone. I love their tools but service and battery's suck balls.


How's Makita for service centers? I've taken Milwaukee into various dealers and local service centers and in a few days I have the tool back. It never occurred to me to call anyone.


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## Gary H (Dec 10, 2008)

skillman said:


> Would be nice if there was a makita rep on CT . Would help a bit with you guys problems . There's a dewalt guy around here .


We had a few tool reps come on. Festool is the only rep to take the heat and provide answers. The rest come on here like they are going to save the day and we send them home whimpering like a school girl. The porter cable rep comes to mind.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

RobertCDF said:


> Makita, you clearly have an issue with the LXT 3.0ah (and 1.5ah) lithium batteries. Pictured below is some of my 18v LXT tools and 14 (3.0ah) batteries, ALL 14 of those batteries read as "broken" on the charger. So tell me Makita, how am I supposed to use the tools if the batteries are dead?
> 
> 14 "broken" batteries, that is just unacceptable. A couple of these batteries were less than 3 months old when they "broke", that is REALLY unacceptable!
> 
> I encourage other members of this forum to list the number of "broken" batteries they have with their tools, maybe if we put it all together Makita will figure out that they have a problem and fix it. I will be linking to this thread on Makitas Facebook page (it'll probably get deleted but oh well).


you brought the 10 pack?:whistling


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

onthelevel said:


> I can't afford to jump ship.. I have to go down with it..
> 
> I have the 7 tool set and I sure don't want to switch brands now.


That's how they suck you in and keep you, whoever 'they' are. 
And that's how a lot of cons are ran, someone has enough invested in it, they keep throwing more and more good money after bad in hopes that they can get their money/value back.

I'd never buy such a combo pack just because of that.
Sometimes, tools (for guys) are like fishing lures (for guys--and hot chicks).

If I can buy a corded sawzall for 150, why not?
If I can buy a corded small angle grinder for 150, why not?
If I can buy a corded reversible shop vac for 80, why not?

So that leaves what? Not much.


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## CanningCustom (Nov 4, 2007)

Had another 1.5ah battery die today. Wth is this thread cursed or what


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Golden view said:


> How's Makita for service centers? I've taken Milwaukee into various dealers and local service centers and in a few days I have the tool back. It never occurred to me to call anyone.


There's a few here and I have used 2 of them. The biggest one that stocks almost every tool they make just so happens to be the one that knows nothing about the tools and I mean nothing. Until the other day they honestly thought they were all made here in the US. The one that stocks nothing were great. Makita over the phone said wear and tear was not covered on my bhp451 which had a known gear box issue. I took it to the dealer and he put a new box in it whilst I waited 15mins for free. Even he said these things have a major issue with the gearbox yet Makita denied it just like they deny there's issues with the battery's.


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## Pitto (Nov 17, 2013)

yep, the brake on my 451 has dropped out, mind you its 5 years old now, so what do you expect. :laughing:

it pains me when i go into a reputable tool shop and you know more than the service tech's do.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

D.S.I. said:


> I've lost about 5 out of 10, but mine is abuse. *I'll rip treated with the circ saw and overheat them.* Switched to Milwaukee 2 years ago, love the overload shutoff!


That's how I lost one a month or so ago. PT wet lumber ripping it and the saw and battery was super hot, the battery died and went in the charger and read broken


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

I don't remember seeing "don't rip pt with this saw"... a saw is meant to be used.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

RobertCDF said:


> I don't remember seeing "don't rip pt with this saw"... a saw is meant to be used.


I feel the same way but I did think I was working it too hard. I call the battery saws toy saws. Like "Hey pass me the toy saw" I usually have the Skil on a cord near by and should use it when ripping 5 foot rips. When I see the Makita rep I'll give him the battery and see what he will do? He's a nice guy and knows me, hopefully he'll help me out.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

My makita cordless saw works awesome until the blade gets shot then even a fresh battery struggles.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Tom M said:


> My makita cordless saw works awesome until the blade gets shot then even a fresh battery struggles.


 Wax it:thumbsup:


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Are you waxing it Dirte' ? :laughing:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Tom M said:


> Are you waxing it Dirte' ? :laughing:


Proper Lubrication is the key for less friction:thumbsup:


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Is "Lucubration" the new term for it now? :laughing:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

svronthmve said:


> Is "Lucubration" the new term for it now? :laughing:


What:blink:


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> What:blink:


Yeah, I should have quoted you before you had the chance to correct it. Oh well, my bad....!


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

That Quote is the killer:laughing:


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> That's how I lost one a month or so ago. PT wet lumber ripping it and the saw and battery was super hot, the battery died and went in the charger and read broken


Sometimes you have to evaluate what it is exactly you are doing and decide if this particular task isn't best handled by a corded saw. Cordless saws have come a long way, but ripping wet PT takes a lot of energy. Time to plug it in!


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Rustbucket said:


> Sometimes you have to evaluate what it is exactly you are doing and decide if this particular task isn't best handled by a corded saw. Cordless saws have come a long way, but ripping wet PT takes a lot of energy. Time to plug it in!


Yes I know it, I had the skil right too. I killed it


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I call the battery saws toy saws. Like "Hey pay me the toy saw"


I think we expect too much out of our tool/technology sometimes. Like you said, you have a worm drive nearby, so you have two saws on your jobsite, one for work/production and the other for convenience. I'm the same way and will sometimes have a chop box in the mix too as they each have their place for me.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Yes I know it, I had the skil right too. I killed it


At least it was the battery as makita battery saws usually get killed by dropping them, the saw.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

CO762 said:


> Originally Posted by Dirtywhiteboy View Post
> I call the battery saws toy saws. Like "Hey pay me the toy saw"





CO762 said:


> I think we expect too much out of our tool/technology sometimes. Like you said, you have a worm drive nearby, so you have two saws on your jobsite, one for work/production and the other for convenience. I'm the same way and will sometimes have a chop box in the mix too as they each have their place for me.


 I see my bad spelling got quoted


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Funny coincidence., I was watching that treehouse guy show last night, the Christmas special. 

They show them throwing this thing together with makita impacts and drills. At the end of the show Santa asks them what they want for Christmas , and the host said 'well I had some batteries quit, so I guess I'd like some new batteries' lol


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I see that CO is the smartest, most handsome man I know.


I don't change what people write.


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## detroit687 (Sep 4, 2008)

Michigan winters would destroy my makita batteries I could never get more than year out of them.

But I have had no problems with the 20v dewalts


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## john5mt (Jan 21, 2007)

detroit687 said:


> Michigan winters would destroy my makita batteries I could never get more than year out of them. But I have had no problems with the 20v dewalts


 Michigan winters worse than Montana or Canadian winters? I've had really good luck with them as well as a lot of guys I know in Calgary. 


I've only had two makitas die, it was the 1.5ahs and they were within one charging. If they last past that I've had some since 2006 that are still kicking.

The drills on the other hand are crap. I've froze the chuck on one, smoked two motors and recently had the trigger break off on my most recent brushless one.


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## Snobnd (Jul 1, 2008)

3 out of 8 for me


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## Evergreen Const (Nov 23, 2013)

I have gone through 5 bad batteries out of 7. I have had the makita kits for about 3 years now. I am ready to switch to Milwaukee.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Evergreen Const said:


> I have gone through 5 bad batteries out of 7.


Well, seeing as you're invested in their inexpensive tooling....you just gotta keep buying more and more of their batteries or, well, you would have wasted all that money you spent so many batteries ago....and of course, into the future..... :laughing:

...come on....I'll give you these tools for half price....a whole kit...really low cost. You know you want it.....


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

5/5 still running strong for me.


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## Mrmac204 (Dec 27, 2006)

about5 years back got the Makita drill set, batteries lasted about a year. Last year got a similar Makita drill set, batteries lasted about 3 months before beginning to fade out.

I don't use the drills much anymore so it's not as big a deal to me as when I was working in general construction. Still I'm disappointed with the battery life - the darn things are expensive.

Next go around I will most likely go with a Festool drill kit of some sort.

so for me: 3 out of 4.


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## Sisyphus (Nov 1, 2010)

All 6 of my 10.8v batteries seem fine (touch wood). The three right beside me now were all made in Japan. Are Makita battery problems throughout the entire line or more common with certain voltages or where the battery was made?

The old 9.6v NiCad sticks were awesome, I still run some of them in the shop. OTOH the 9.6 NiMh I bought were a total waste of money.


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

Sisyphus said:


> All 6 of my 10.8v batteries seem fine (touch wood). The three right beside me now were all made in Japan. Are Makita battery problems throughout the entire line or more common with certain voltages or where the battery was made?
> 
> The old 9.6v NiCad sticks were awesome, I still run some of them in the shop. OTOH the 9.6 NiMh I bought were a total waste of money.


No, it's their 18v lxt battery. I've never had an issue with the 10.8/12v batteries.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Any feedback from Makita Rob?


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Any feedback from Makita Rob?


They said they'd contact me based on the Facebook complaint... haven't heard anything from them. I'm still in the fence about selling off all my Makita tools and switching to someone else. 

Took 14 batteries into the service center (hour drive away) they replaced 7 batteries and didn't give 2 craps how many charge cycles the batteries had. Granted some of my batteries were from 2008 and probably served their life. I didn't walk in expecting 14 new ones, but 7 isn't quite enough, of course he wanted me to buy more batteries at $150ea and he'd do buy 1 get 1 free. 

However the rumors about 500 charge cycles was completely false according to Makita in Denver.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Don't expect to hear anything from them. I had the top dog of makita get on a conference call with me at Makita one time when I called them about drill and battery issues. They said they would get back to me with a drill that was under development that I could have to test and send me out loads of goodies but never heard anything. Never bought one tool of battery of them since then. they pushed me to festool so no big deal. As each tool fails I'm changing to another brand so not my loss.


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

BCConstruction said:


> Don't expect to hear anything from them. I had the top dog of festool get on a conference call with me at Makita one time when I called them about drill and battery issues. They said they would get back to me with a drill that was under development that I could have to test and send me out loads of goodies but never heard anything. Never bought one tool of battery of them since then. they pushed me to festool so no big deal. As each tool fails I'm changing to another brand so not my loss.


Oh I certainly am not holding my breath expecting their call. I like this thread and the one in their Facebook page because it brings attention to their problem on a more public scale, that was my goal when I started this.


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## siberian (Mar 15, 2007)

Mixed feelings here. Most of my tools are with the big M. Had some batteries go bad early, lived with it. Not that I'm not concerned with the price of them, but for the fact that every brand seems to have its own issues. Wasdewalt for many years, last couple of years , I will use blue over yellow and be happy. I do hope they look at this, never the less, it seems like we are beating a dead horse.


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## Deckhead (Dec 9, 2010)

I don't know what I'm switching to but I'm switching to something other than Makita. Actually my old man has a piece of @#$% hitachi but it works.

Best drill I ever had was an 18V Dewalt that looked like a bob-the-builder toy drill. Maybe its time to go back black and yellow but it just didn't seem to have the balls. Does Hilti do an impact/drill combo combo package?

I've had Makita for the past 3 years and replaced the whole damn thing twice because of battery issue's.


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

Milwaukee had a lot of problems with the V18 line when they first came out. They eventually got it pretty well sorted, but the damage to the reputation was done. They lost a lot if customers. 

Even after they switched to the M18 line it has taken a while to rebuild their reputation. There are still a lot of guys that got burned on the early V18 line that won't give them another chance, even if they are miles ahead of where they were. I'm afraid Makita is heading down this same path. They can learn a lot from others mistakes, but it seems like they are ignoring history. It will bite them in the end.


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## IrishAsh (Aug 2, 2011)

Iv been lucky enough only had 1 outta 5 of my 18v 3amh 
batteries die but in the same fashion, fine that evening and flatlined the very next morning.


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## mstrat (Jul 10, 2013)

Deckhead said:


> I don't know what I'm switching to but I'm switching to something other than Makita. Actually my old man has a piece of @#$% hitachi but it works.
> 
> Best drill I ever had was an 18V Dewalt that looked like a bob-the-builder toy drill. Maybe its time to go back black and yellow but it just didn't seem to have the balls. Does Hilti do an impact/drill combo combo package?
> 
> I've had Makita for the past 3 years and replaced the whole damn thing twice because of battery issue's.


Hilti for the win...I have several of their 18V tools and love them...won't go back, especially after reading these horror stories!


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## jiffy (Oct 21, 2007)

I don't think any battery operated product is going to be immune to early failure, especially tools that are used in an almost abusive manner by design. Batteries are sensitive and the technology has its limitations. 



> _At an average temperature of 32 degrees fahrenheit, a lithium-ion battery will lose six percent of its maximum capacity per year. At 77 degrees, that number jumps to 20 percent, and at 104 degrees it's a whopping 35. _


Great article on phone batteries..or lithium ion batteries.

http://gizmodo.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-smartphone-battery-the-right-w-513217256


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## Northwood (Jan 6, 2010)

I agree Jiffy, but believe this is a different issue. All batteries take a beating as you said. Some brands may outlast others, who knows which it would be hard to have a fair comparison. This, however, is an obviously common situation where a battery is functioning properly (new and powerful or old and a little tired) and then suddenly not functioning whatsoever. I don't know much about battery tech. but that doesn't seem to be quite right.


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## Sisyphus (Nov 1, 2010)

Thanks jiffy for the link to the Gizmodo article, it provided a link to here

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries 

Apparently Li-ion batteries should be charged more frequently than I have been doing. Recharging before the depth of discharge reaches 50% can extend the number of discharge cycles from 3 to 10 times depending on how low you go. 

Moral, recharge the battery at your earliest convenience rather than just setting the tool aside.


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## Pete N (Dec 29, 2013)

*Batteries*

I had two go several days apart. I called them. They said send them back and they replaced them, Even though the one year warranty was up. no problems since. Its a hassel but it may do the job, good luck


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## SDel Prete (Jan 8, 2012)

So with all this bad talk about their batteries has anyone tried the generic ones on ebay. I see 2 packs for about half price. I'm sure there are bad generics and defend ones. I've always wondered about them but never tried them. Anyone?


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## tang (Jan 5, 2009)

SDel Prete said:


> So with all this bad talk about their batteries has anyone tried the generic ones on ebay. I see 2 packs for about half price. I'm sure there are bad generics and defend ones. I've always wondered about them but never tried them. Anyone?


Bring this one back, because I was wondering the same thing! I'm so tired of dropping 90 bucks on another pile of crap Makita! I'm afraid of the generic one!


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## Pitto (Nov 17, 2013)

SDel Prete said:


> So with all this bad talk about their batteries has anyone tried the generic ones on ebay. I see 2 packs for about half price. I'm sure there are bad generics and defend ones. I've always wondered about them but never tried them. Anyone?


yep, only running generic 3.5 and 4.0 ah batteries now.

Had a few flashing lights indicating they were toast too, but gave it a day and they charged up fine. I wont be buying makita batteries until they get rid of the dodgy fuse that cooks the circuit board inside the battery.

full story can be found here. http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=158534

some have mentioned about the generic versions blowing up, whilst in use and on charge, but such claims have not been backed up by hard evidence.


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

I've been using the 4ah knockoffs from amazon for a couple months. So far so good. 60 bucks a piece with prime.


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## soats (Jan 12, 2014)

1 of 4 dead, it was approx 2 yrs old...


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## NCMCarpentry (Apr 7, 2013)

Both my 3.0amp li-ion Makita batteries are still going strong... They are both 3 years old + and have been worked. I always keep them at or near full charge. One has been dropped so many times I needed to glue it back together!


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## builditguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Last 2 Makita batteries just died. 2 years old. I've had enough.


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