Thread: Makita 18v Li-ion - what's a good non-OEM replacement

When I recently started looking it seemed like li-ion might only have a 2 year life expectancy, so decided to find another nicd drill.

Some interesting information on this page. Li-ion has a shelf life based on battery age, not charge cycles.

I'm also interested in people's experiences. I've just realised one of my two Makita Li-ion batteries isn't taking a charge. They would be just on the two year mark I guess. Can't exactly remember when I got the drill?

Had my Hitachi 18V Li-ion for about 4 yrs now, still takes and holds a charge almost as if it was new.

Bret give Akkupak a try many I know have and been very happy.

If yo take everything over there they test the lot to make sure everything is working as it should first.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

When I recently started looking it seemed like li-ion might only have a 2 year life expectancy, so decided to find another nicd drill.

Some interesting information on this page. Li-ion has a shelf life based on battery age, not charge cycles.

I have had my Bosch 10.8v LI for 6 years now and the batteries are still as good as new. The driver packed up tho.
Also, my Festool drill LI batteries are guaranteed for 3 years and after 3 1/2 are still perfect.
Les

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Bret give Akkupak a try many I know have and been very happy.

If yo take everything over there they test the lot to make sure everything is working as it should first.

Thanks Ray. I just had a look and it appears that they only have what look to be OEM Makita 18v, and they're the same price as the OEMs. Perhaps they are non-genuines but with better performance, but they don't say much.

Actually I just had a closer look, and they appear to be non-OEM, so you'd hope they would perform better for the same dough.

I've just sent an email to these guys, asking them how long their batteries should last. Price is good $75 each for two batteries, and 3.5Ah.

Brett

You've raised some interesting issues with the batteries for cordless tools.

When Li-ion was first launched it seemed like an amazing development, but nobody knew what the longevity factor was. How long ago would that have been? Three years? maybe more. I can't recall last week.

Perhaps we are now at the point where the feedback is starting to come in. The link you have mentioned in your last post mentions that not all batteries are suitable for all chargers, which is something of which I was unaware. They also state that the non OEM batteries are made by Panasonic.

I won't go into my normal tedious eulogy on Panasonic drills, but it has long been their strength that they make their own batteries and for years they were streets ahead of the competition for battery life. Arguably the competition has caught up now. The shortcomings of Panasonic are that they only make drills and impact drivers (although I heard a whisper that they were going to expand their range. (Perhaps they have already done it). Consequently if you wanted circular saws, angle grinders etc you had to go elsewhere. Makita, DeWalt, Hitachi, Bosch, Metabo etc..

If these after market batteries are made by Panasonic, I would be more than happy to give them a go in whatever I had.

Regards
Paul

Good points Paul. A couple of things to note:

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

The link you have mentioned in your last post mentions that not all batteries are suitable for all chargers, which is something of which I was unaware.
Nor I. The last thing I want to do is have to purchase a new charger. Although, as devil's advocate, how likely is this for an OEM charger? Could be the usual scare tactics.

They also state that the non OEM batteries are made by Panasonic.
They say it's the cells that are Panasonic, but surely they are the guts of the problem anyway.

If these after market batteries are made by Panasonic, I would be more than happy to give them a go in whatever I had.
As will I, pending their answer to my email (and how long it takes).

Do a search for 'Klika' - an Australian site that sells Makita batteries as well as other brand power tools - as well as an amazing collection of junk - err, goodies They claim they are Makita, but the price is a lot lower than what is being asked elsewhere, so you pay your money & take your chances.

Just did a search & they list the batteries as 'sold out'. Stil have a heap of tools in the 'trade' section.

..heya matey...as mentioned above I have taken batteries to a reputable battery re packer such as that purple place, can't think of its name.
They test the old stuff and can make quality suggestions.
They also do repack the battery to a higher spec/quality than before.
Personally I would stay away from the yum cha brands, have bought a couple over the years and IMHO not worth it.

bsrlee, they do have the genuines for $99 in stock though ($130 most other places). Thanks for that.

wolfy, even at $99 for OEM I'm still reluctant to buy something that is known to last just over two years. It's a conundrum. And Akkupak want the price of a newbie for repacking an oldie...

There's three issues in my perspective with Makita batteries:

as one of the first to market with Li-Ion, Makita is using older technology. Both in the cells used in the batts and the protection mechanisms used to ensure cell longevity.

M's quick charger is the quickest available-22 mins! Not good for cell life.

Lack of protection tech. allows M's batteries to deep discharge, which is deadly for Li-Ion cells. There's an electronic switch in the circuitry of most Li-Ion electronic controls that, once tripped, disallows further charge acceptance. Ergo a dead battery.

Of current manufacturers, those using Sanyo cells seem to currently be the best. Metabo and Hitachi are 2 I know of that do. That's why they offer a full 3 years warranty on their new 4.0ah. batteries. The only manufacturers currently confident enough in their battery technogy to do so. Metabo even offer the 3 years guarantee on their full range of batteries: 1.5, 3.0 & 4.0ah. 10.8v & 2.6, 3.0 & 4.0ah. 14.4 & 18v. That's confidence in Sanyo's battery tech.

Those using Samsung cells, including Bosch, are also introducing 4.0ah. and 4.5ah. cells. As they're new to the market, their relative merits are an unknown. They only offer the standard 12 months warranty on batteries. Having said that, I've been using Bosch 18v 2.6 and 3.0ah 18v & 2.6 ah. 36v batteries professionally for the last 3 years. I have about a dozen battery tools, the most frequently used being SDS hammers, drills, rattler and grinders, which are all used daily, intensively, and in very high drain applications. My only battery failure to date was an inadvertent deep discharge from a Radio/Charger's CLOCK!! which exhaustively drained one battery through 3 month's storage!

Generally, Bosch tools have sufficient discharge, overcharge, drain, heat and cold protection to ensure long cell life. The current champion of cell protection is Milwaukee M series, who are also introducing 4.0ah. batteries. My colleagues who are using Milwaukee tools are extremely impressed with their battery performance to date. Like others in this thread, those using Makitas are fairly unhappy. Three have already switched to Milwaukee.

I use my Bosch Li-Ion batteries in the same manner as I'd use Lead acid batteries: in the top half of their charge. If there's only one light left glowing (25-50% charge capacity) it gets charged. This is acknowledged in published research as the best way to ensure long cell life. I have 7 batteries in constant daily rotation.

...geez Brett, wooda thunk you'da tossed the blue stuff and gone over to the green side.
Ya know, a coupla C12..C15 throw in a few syslites etcetera etcetera etcetera