Makita Makita 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Drill Driver

[Travis Porter]

I have the drill combo listed below. I bought it brand new and never used from Turtlewood less than a year ago for a very good price. No complaints there. The issue I do have is the batteries. About 3 months or so after getting it and using it very little, one of the batteries went bad. That is the pits, but I figured it is what it is, so I bought a new one off of Ebay for about $45. Now, another one has gone bad. Not sure if it is an original or one of the replacements, but geez..... I have 2 nicad drills and the batteries lasted for a few years before they got weak. Even weak, you could still try to charge them, but these Makita batteries will not charge at all.

I searched around some, and it appears there are quite a few people that have had issues with the batteries. There was some rumblings of "bad batches", but nothing confirmed.....

It is a good drill, light, powerful, but I am not amenable to spending $50 or so every six months on batteries. Anyone else have this drill or driver or use the BL1815 batteries? Any feedback good or bad????



http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

[JackLeg]

I have the same drill and it's done well so far. I bought some extra batteries on a deal and the "Smart Charger" they have seems to keep everything on par. I don't leave it plugged it.

That's a shame, Travis, cause as you'll agree, it's a heck of a drill. Plenty of power.

[Bas]

I have that drill/ impact driver/ flashlight combination, had it for over a year. No issues with any of the batteries, they hold a charge for months, and recharge in 20 minutes. Since you got a replacement battery, it's unlikely they all came from the same batch. It could be your charger. Li-Ion batteries are more susceptible to overcharging, heat etc., so if your charger is bad it could be ruining your batteries.

[Canuck]

I have the same set (drill/impact driver).

I have only had it since December/08, but the batteries seem to hold a charge for quite awhile. (Have had more issues with my Dewalt 14.4.)

I too don't leave the batteries in the charger and don't run the batteries completely out of juice before a recharge.

This is a great drill and I too would upset with bad battery packs!

Wayne

[Mike Wilkins]

I am beginning to have my doubts about these LI drills. I have a Milwaukee 18volt LI and the batteries will not hold a charge. Had it for about a year. Power is way low so no decent effort when trying to drill. I have had a Dewalt 14.4 impact driver for about 3 years and not a complaint.
I am in the market for a replacement for the Milwaukee, and I think LI equipped drills are not in the picture. Color me not convinced.

[Ray Martin]

I have the Makita impact driver and it's worked flawlessly. I guess that these LI batteries are like BSA or Triumph motorcycles... when they work, they work great

Has anyone with a problem contacted Makita directly to see if there is a " bad batch" out there? I did a quick google of 'makita battery problems' but didn't find any news.

The national call center number for Makita is 1-800- 4MAKITA (462-5482)

[FredP]

I had the same experiance with a 12 volt lithium ion makita. never again....... never a problem with my panasonics.

[Bigdog72]

I have the 18V drill and driver set. Works well for me. It does sound like a charger problem. I will take the set off your hands and test. I will return if it's the charger

[Phil S]

I bought that drill along with the 18v impact when they first came out two or three years ago. I use these hard quite often and have never had a problem. When those drills first came out they had 3.0 amp hour batteries and when the set was introduced to the big box stores they only had cheaper 1.5 amp hour batteries.

I do think lithium is the only battery to buy and will not even consider a NiCad or NiMh, but you need to buy the high end ones - there seems to be many low grade batteries out there