Makita BL1830 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Battery Review. 18V, 3.0AH, Lithium-ion Battery, Built In Memory Chip Memorizes The Usage History & Communicates With The Charger, Less Weight Lithium-ion Battery Weighs 40% Less Than Ni-MH Or Nickel Cadmium, Anytime Charge Lithium-ion Batteries Have No Memory Effect & Can Be Charged At Any Time, Charging Technology Controls Current, Voltage & Temperature To Maximize Battery Life....
"Endless power!" 2008-08-28
By A_G (CA United States)
Really, these batteries provide seemingly endless power. They hold their charge for weeks with very little loss. I can use one battery for drilling and driving throughout an entire (moderately sized) project. They are extremely lightweight and charge in twenty minutes or less usually (in hot weather it takes longer). All three of mine slide on and off easily, with no issues of binding or falling off. With all the praise comes a VERY important caveat. DO NOT run these batteries into the ground. The instructions state that as soon as you notice a loss of power, stop and charge. If you over-discharge Li-Ion batteries, you can seriously degrade the life of the battery. These batteries are 1/3 cheaper on Amazon.com than at the home centers, so buy from here! Also, only the cells themselves are made in Japan, all other parts are made and final assembly is in China.
"Excellent batteries as compared to other high-end brands" 2010-09-21
By Eric J. Olmstead
I have owned a set of Makita tools with the LXT batteries for a couple years now and I have noticed absolutely zero power loss or any other problems. I use them quite regularly whether building concrete forms, decks, remodels, etc. I can think of three things that may be happening to the batteries of those who have commented on bad performance or longevity; (1) Occasionally, batteries can be bad from the factory (I have yet to own a milwaukee tool with the new "V" or "M" series battery that holds up past a few months. I have both V28 and M12, and have had ALL packs replaced) (2) It is possible to have a bad charger which is damaging the batteries itself, or (3) Perhaps the users are taking them all the way to the point of stalling and complete discharge, and for that the batteries are truly not made to do. It is best that once you notice the battery pack is wearing down, to grab a fresh one and put the discharged on the charger to cool down and refresh. Also, if the batteries are being stored for most of their life, it is best to keep the charger plugged in and rotate batteries through it to keep everything active and refreshed. Lithium batteries have computer chips and sophisticated circuitry, allowing them to constantly be charged without damage. Ni-Cad on the other hand are not supposed to be charged over and over again because they typically have memory effects and lifetime charging limits. It is best to mostly, not completely, discharge a Ni-Cad before replacing back onto the charger. Because a consumer only has ultimate control of this last variable, it is a good idea to read the owners manual and find out what the manufacturer thinks is best operating practices. Only those who are using the batteries and tools know how they are being treated, and you may very well be doing everything right and not fall into this third category. Being that my kit is from a couple years ago, and my newest battery packs (purchased just for continued use because I have many LXT tools) were purchased last year sometime, it is possible that the newer batteries are of a lesser quality, and that would be unfortunate. What I can say is this; I own many Dewalt tools, which I have only had to replace a couple Ni-Cad battery packs in the past 5 years. (Dewalt tools are mostly made in Mexico) I have owned MANY Milwaukee tools in which their Ni-Cads held up pretty well, but their Li-Ion line is absolute crap. Several years ago when their tools were still made in the US, their quality was impeccable. Their tools are now made completely in China. (Yes, many of the Makitas are also) I own several Bosch as well, and their batteries and tools are right up there with Makita's quality. As far as Skil, Black and Decker, and any other cheaper or knock-off brand goes, I would personally never purchase them. For one, you are supporting China, and secondly you would be purchasing a tool that is undependable. Hitachi has an excellent warranty, and makes excellent air nailers, however I'm unsure of the quality you may find in their power tools, both corded and cordless. I hope this was helpful.
"Excellent battery, amazing life" 2010-07-26
By Guard Dad (Southern NH)
I was just about to order another battery for my collection of LXT cordless tools, and I thought I would read a few of the reviews. I am really quite surprised by the 1 and 2 star ratings, with people complaining about the short run time life of these batteries. My experience is totally opposite.
I bought my first kit in October 2006, shortly after Makita released this LXT series. I was working at the time for a haunted attraction, we build the entire structure from buckets of sheetrock screws, and my old 12V Makita drill batteries were done, wouldn't hold a charge. I decided to upgrade to an impact driver as well as a new drill. I have used the daylights out of that impact driver, it's one of the best tool investments I've ever made (and I have a LOT of tools!). The original batteries from 2006 are still going strong, I really can't tell that they have aged at all. What I do now is buy another battery every year, knowing that eventually they will start to wear out but this way I won't be stranded with no batteries and having to make the dreaded decision "do I buy new batteries or just chuck the drill and buy a whole new kit". I engrave the purchase date into the battery when I get it so I can track their age. I now have 5 tools in the cordless LXT line, they are all awesome, I use them a LOT. I now work every weekend for Habitat for Humanity and almost without fail every weekend someone is begging to borrow my impact driver.
Not sure what is up with the problem batteries, but I thought I'd leave a positive review. I couldn't be happier with mine, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again (and I do). I actually bought a drill kit in this series for my son a few years ago, he is also very pleased with it.
"The Big Makita Lithium Ion Battery" 2008-02-29
By J. W. Nelson (Painted Post, NY United States)
It's a battery. It has held its charge. It has plenty of stored energy. It hasn't died yet (like two of it's smaller bothers have).
It is evidently pretty high tech. I brought the first smaller version that quit on me to a Makita repair center. The tech plugged it into his diagnostic do-hicky and said, "Gee, you've only had twelve cycles on this".
"Works well" 2009-12-21
By R. Cunningham (Michigan)
I have not had any issues with this battery. I did call Makita and they informed me that they had a bad batch earlier and have corrected the problem with the newer ones.
By A_G (CA United States)
Really, these batteries provide seemingly endless power. They hold their charge for weeks with very little loss. I can use one battery for drilling and driving throughout an entire (moderately sized) project. They are extremely lightweight and charge in twenty minutes or less usually (in hot weather it takes longer). All three of mine slide on and off easily, with no issues of binding or falling off. With all the praise comes a VERY important caveat. DO NOT run these batteries into the ground. The instructions state that as soon as you notice a loss of power, stop and charge. If you over-discharge Li-Ion batteries, you can seriously degrade the life of the battery. These batteries are 1/3 cheaper on Amazon.com than at the home centers, so buy from here! Also, only the cells themselves are made in Japan, all other parts are made and final assembly is in China.
By Eric J. Olmstead
I have owned a set of Makita tools with the LXT batteries for a couple years now and I have noticed absolutely zero power loss or any other problems. I use them quite regularly whether building concrete forms, decks, remodels, etc. I can think of three things that may be happening to the batteries of those who have commented on bad performance or longevity; (1) Occasionally, batteries can be bad from the factory (I have yet to own a milwaukee tool with the new "V" or "M" series battery that holds up past a few months. I have both V28 and M12, and have had ALL packs replaced) (2) It is possible to have a bad charger which is damaging the batteries itself, or (3) Perhaps the users are taking them all the way to the point of stalling and complete discharge, and for that the batteries are truly not made to do. It is best that once you notice the battery pack is wearing down, to grab a fresh one and put the discharged on the charger to cool down and refresh. Also, if the batteries are being stored for most of their life, it is best to keep the charger plugged in and rotate batteries through it to keep everything active and refreshed. Lithium batteries have computer chips and sophisticated circuitry, allowing them to constantly be charged without damage. Ni-Cad on the other hand are not supposed to be charged over and over again because they typically have memory effects and lifetime charging limits. It is best to mostly, not completely, discharge a Ni-Cad before replacing back onto the charger. Because a consumer only has ultimate control of this last variable, it is a good idea to read the owners manual and find out what the manufacturer thinks is best operating practices. Only those who are using the batteries and tools know how they are being treated, and you may very well be doing everything right and not fall into this third category. Being that my kit is from a couple years ago, and my newest battery packs (purchased just for continued use because I have many LXT tools) were purchased last year sometime, it is possible that the newer batteries are of a lesser quality, and that would be unfortunate. What I can say is this; I own many Dewalt tools, which I have only had to replace a couple Ni-Cad battery packs in the past 5 years. (Dewalt tools are mostly made in Mexico) I have owned MANY Milwaukee tools in which their Ni-Cads held up pretty well, but their Li-Ion line is absolute crap. Several years ago when their tools were still made in the US, their quality was impeccable. Their tools are now made completely in China. (Yes, many of the Makitas are also) I own several Bosch as well, and their batteries and tools are right up there with Makita's quality. As far as Skil, Black and Decker, and any other cheaper or knock-off brand goes, I would personally never purchase them. For one, you are supporting China, and secondly you would be purchasing a tool that is undependable. Hitachi has an excellent warranty, and makes excellent air nailers, however I'm unsure of the quality you may find in their power tools, both corded and cordless. I hope this was helpful.
By Guard Dad (Southern NH)
I was just about to order another battery for my collection of LXT cordless tools, and I thought I would read a few of the reviews. I am really quite surprised by the 1 and 2 star ratings, with people complaining about the short run time life of these batteries. My experience is totally opposite.
I bought my first kit in October 2006, shortly after Makita released this LXT series. I was working at the time for a haunted attraction, we build the entire structure from buckets of sheetrock screws, and my old 12V Makita drill batteries were done, wouldn't hold a charge. I decided to upgrade to an impact driver as well as a new drill. I have used the daylights out of that impact driver, it's one of the best tool investments I've ever made (and I have a LOT of tools!). The original batteries from 2006 are still going strong, I really can't tell that they have aged at all. What I do now is buy another battery every year, knowing that eventually they will start to wear out but this way I won't be stranded with no batteries and having to make the dreaded decision "do I buy new batteries or just chuck the drill and buy a whole new kit". I engrave the purchase date into the battery when I get it so I can track their age. I now have 5 tools in the cordless LXT line, they are all awesome, I use them a LOT. I now work every weekend for Habitat for Humanity and almost without fail every weekend someone is begging to borrow my impact driver.
Not sure what is up with the problem batteries, but I thought I'd leave a positive review. I couldn't be happier with mine, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again (and I do). I actually bought a drill kit in this series for my son a few years ago, he is also very pleased with it.
By J. W. Nelson (Painted Post, NY United States)
It's a battery. It has held its charge. It has plenty of stored energy. It hasn't died yet (like two of it's smaller bothers have).
It is evidently pretty high tech. I brought the first smaller version that quit on me to a Makita repair center. The tech plugged it into his diagnostic do-hicky and said, "Gee, you've only had twelve cycles on this".
By R. Cunningham (Michigan)
I have not had any issues with this battery. I did call Makita and they informed me that they had a bad batch earlier and have corrected the problem with the newer ones.
