# Problems with Makita LXT batteries ?



## Max Power (1 Nov 2011)

Anyone else had problems with the 18v lithium makita batteries ? 
Ive got three of them , one failed to recharge after very little use and another one has just gone the same way having 
had far fewer charging cycles than you would expect it to be capable of.
I am reticent to buy more batteries if they are going to suffer the same fate


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## doorframe (1 Nov 2011)

That's the one BIG reason all my cordless gear is NiCd. Very easily and cheaply repaired (re-celled) batteries. When your lithium batts go down it's arm-and-a-leg time.

Roy


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## clk230 (1 Nov 2011)

Makita had/have a known problem with some the lithiun ion batteries i would either take them back to were you purchased them or contact Makita.


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## mailee (1 Nov 2011)

DONT TELL ME THAT! I just bought an 18V LXT driver :shock: I bought this as my Ni Cad batteries on my other Makita only lasted just over a year!


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## Doug B (1 Nov 2011)

clk230":3jf128lu said:


> Makita had/have a known problem with some the lithiun ion batteries i would either take them back to were you purchased them or contact Makita.




That`s most likely the problem, i`ve had the same 6 batteries for the last 4 years & with them being used in 12 tools, they get some hammer & no problems yet with the batteries, burnt a couple of drills out mind, don`t like 4" hole saws, then again neither did DeWalt :lol: :lol: 


Cheers.


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## Max Power (2 Nov 2011)

Contacted Makita UK last night and got a reply at 8.33 this morning.
If I send the defective batteries to them theyll test them and replace FOC if found to have failed prematurely (hammer)


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## Blister (2 Nov 2011)

Alan Jones":25w030ty said:


> Contacted Makita UK last night and got a reply at 8.33 this morning.
> If I send the defective batteries to them theyll test them and replace FOC if found to have failed prematurely (hammer)




Result :mrgreen:


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## Max Power (21 Nov 2011)

Unfortunately alls not well that ends well
I sent them off to Makita and they sent them straight back.
Apparently the batteries are American stock and not covered under warranty, so beware buying from ebay companies
Now faced with buying 2 expensive replacements :evil:


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## Max Power (21 Nov 2011)

Just read somewhere that lithium batteries lose about 20% of their capacity a year even if unused, so after a few years theyre pretty much goosed anyway :roll: . Better to have just a couple of batteries and work them to death than to have additional spares then.
On a positive note the lithiums are much better in use, far less weight and more power


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## clk230 (21 Nov 2011)

axminster do some of tthier own make that fit the makita's , i've not tried them myself but they are abit cheaper.


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## ProShop (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Jones":17s4rra5 said:


> Unfortunately alls not well that ends well
> I sent them off to Makita and they sent them straight back.
> Apparently the batteries are American stock and not covered under warranty, so beware buying from ebay companies
> Now faced with buying 2 expensive replacements :evil:



That's a shame Alan, I mean a battery is a battery wherever it came from. A bit poor from Makita imho.
I was looking at the combi drill last week as I need a new drill and was a bit suprised to find Makita only still give a 1year warranty on the drill itself :shock: when most of the other high end manufacturers give 2 to 3 years.


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## DIY Stew (22 Nov 2011)

My son-in-law bought the Makita 6 piece set, paid a lot of money and tells me 2 of the 3 batteries are faulty. He has emailed the company he bought them from and has heard nothing yet! I only hope they get intouch because he's built like a brick sh*@house and I think he'll be a tad upset if he has to pay for replacement batteries out of his own pocket.
I will keep you posted.

Stew


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## mailee (22 Nov 2011)

I am not sure about the Axminster ones but most of the cheaper replacement batteries state they should not be used with the Makita Li Ion charger.


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## thecoder (22 Nov 2011)

On a slightly different note I have Makita 18v drill driver , had it a few months and now the chuck is playing up , i.e. not gripping very well .... :evil: :evil:


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## chippy1970 (22 Nov 2011)

I've had 4 x 18v li-ion batteries for maybe over five years now used in my Makita kit everyday on site. They must have been charged thousands of times I'm really surprised just how long they have lasted.

Just a note on warranties , my Makita combi drill broke after three years Makita fixed it FOC even though it was well out of warranty so they are pretty good in my book.


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## thecoder (22 Nov 2011)

chippy1970":2har0p0e said:


> I've had 4 x 18v li-ion batteries for maybe over five years now used in my Makita kit everyday on site. They must have been charged thousands of times I'm really surprised just how long they have lasted.
> 
> Just a note on warranties , my Makita combi drill broke after three years Makita fixed it FOC even though it was well out of warranty so they are pretty good in my book.



Fairplay Chippy, Im only mentioning my makita and to be fair its the first Makita kit I have had..


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## Karl (22 Nov 2011)

I don't have any long term experience of the LXT's, but have always been impressed when i've used others with them fitted. My 12v NiCad is still holding out though.

On a separate note, i've been really disappointed with the performance of the 10.8v Makita batteries - they last hardly any time before they need re-charging. So duff in fact that i've dug the aforementioned 12v out of the 'shop and take that on site now instead.

Cheers

Karl


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## clk230 (22 Nov 2011)

here's a link for the axy ones http://www.axminster.co.uk/axion-18v-li ... rod837305/


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## dickm (22 Nov 2011)

Interesting - there was a guy advertising 4 Makita 18v batteries very cheap in last week's ScotAds. Maybe I now know why  
("fortunately", feeling too poorly to go and look at them or might have been caught out)


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## CHJ (22 Nov 2011)

mailee":zs9bb407 said:


> I am not sure about the Axminster ones but most of the cheaper replacement batteries state they should not be used with the Makita Li Ion charger.


The Axi ones claim to be compatible:


> Key features More information
> •Compatible with the Makita 18V Li-Ion family of cordless tools
> •Same size and shape use in place of the original battery
> •3.0Ah capacity (charged on the original charger)
> •Protected and secured against overcharge and short-circuits.


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## chippy1970 (22 Nov 2011)

clk230":2i34o6ah said:


> here's a link for the axy ones http://www.axminster.co.uk/axion-18v-li ... rod837305/



I think I would stick with the original Makita ones and theyre not a lot more than that price anyway I think I saw 2 for £130 the other day. Me and a few guys at work are thinking of buying a few maybe 6 see if we can get the price down  Ive got a Makita sds (bare drill) on order so might need a couple more batteries.


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## mailee (22 Nov 2011)

Thanks for that Chas. The ones I had looked at were the battery replacement compainies on the 'net' On another note I have an old (15 year old to be precise) 9.6V Makita driver with the Ni Cad batterys and one of the batteries is the original and still going strong! I have only had to replace one of those batteries. I bought a 12V Ni Cad drill driver just over a year ago and all three of the batteries have given up along with the chuck! I now have the 18V Li Ion so am hoping I get better service out of this one. Fingers crossed. :wink:


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## CHJ (22 Nov 2011)

mailee":b3ixhuue said:


> I bought a 12V Ni Cad drill driver just over a year ago and all three of the batteries have given up along with the chuck!


That's not something that instills much confidence, I too have a 3 batt 12v Makita, hope I have more luck than that. Mind you mine gets _very light _usage compared with you working boys.


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## Max Power (23 Nov 2011)

Ive seen a number of non working batteries on ebay bid to good money , which would indicate either , the bidders are idiots (a distinct possibility given its ebay) or there is some way to repair them :?


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## toolguru3 (10 May 2013)

Hi fella's,

I have had my Makita lxt600 combi kit for about 4 months and have found that the batteries were letting me down. I have read the posts below and i can say that i think taking the batteries apart etc is way too technical for me. I am happy using the tools etc but taking them apart i`d rather take them to a shop and get them replaced. This leading me to my point, when i bought my combi kit from SCR*WF/X i had 2 batteries go down within 2 weeks. So i went back with my receipt and the complete kit in the same box as purchased and when i asked for a replacement under the warranty, i was blatantly denied. To simply put it, i was told "_NO, You have to deal with Makita for that_". So i spoke to a few lads on site and was told that they should replace them for me free of charge. I went to another tool store local to me A One Tools & Fixings Brighouse, and was absolutely amazed when i asked if they could help me with any advise and they told me to bring the batteries in for them to look at and if they were deemed faulty, that they would swap the batteries out for me with brand new ones under the warranty claim. This to me was the biggest blessing about buying this kit, aonetools helped me out so much regarding this and i`m just wondering if anyone else had has this scenario where they were blatantly told to go away but then found that another company would help them with there warranty claims??


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## buffalobill (10 May 2013)

Problems with the makita lxt batteries are well known problem here alot of carpenters change to dewalt becouse of this. I have had 3 batteries that i had to return one had only been charged 15 times, but i get new without any question.
Where i buy my tools they have a device they check to see how many times they have been charged, i was told less than 1000 and you get new.


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## kostello (10 May 2013)

I think axminster will give you 10% off anything if you buy 10


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## mailee (10 May 2013)

Ah, update on my Makita with the LXT batteries. One has already bitten the dust. I bought two cheapo ones from e-bay and one of them has also bitten the dust but the other is still going strong....so far along with the other Makita battery. I have also been thinking of changing to De Walt in the future.


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## sbk (10 May 2013)

One of the best drill drivers I bought was a 18v Aeg From screwfix for £80 with a 3 year warranty ! Dont think I will ever
need to buy another one ever.


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## kreed (23 May 2013)

I bought some new 18v kit from a guy 3 years ago: still not used the jigsaw. But of the four batteries only one now works. To be honest, I think I'll sell it all. I can't afford new batteries & I like hand tools. From the above, I've no chance of getting the other batteries replaced.


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## ColeyS1 (23 May 2013)

kreed":2zh98ykm said:


> I bought some new 18v kit from a guy 3 years ago: still not used the jigsaw. But of the four batteries only one now works. To be honest, I think I'll sell it all. I can't afford new batteries & I like hand tools. From the above, I've no chance of getting the other batteries replaced.


How often are you using them ? I'd be a bit pee'd off as well if I had that ratio dying :shock: welcome to the forum by the way ;-)


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## morfa (23 May 2013)

I had been thinking of buying some Makita 18v drills, think I'll give it a miss. What would be the recommended, sensibly priced (i.e. about £100 or so) ok quality for a keen DIYer brand?

My Makita 10.8v drill driver doesn't last long, only 20 mins or so before it needs a charge, but I just assumed that was cause it was such a small battery, which only gets used infrequently.


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## Phil Pascoe (23 May 2013)

Look around for a 18v 1.5ah lithium ion Hitachi. Great tool for the money.


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## Random Orbital Bob (23 May 2013)

I've got the LXT set...no poblems whatsoever with either tools or batteries...bullet proof


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## Hivenhoe (23 May 2013)

I have several failed li ion batteries that fail to charge but still show just under the stated voltage eg. 18v is 17.5v. I wonder is it the charge/safety circuitry that's failed and not the cells?


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## kreed (23 May 2013)

ColeyS1":2a70vnby said:


> kreed":2a70vnby said:
> 
> 
> > I bought some new 18v kit from a guy 3 years ago: still not used the jigsaw. But of the four batteries only one now works. To be honest, I think I'll sell it all. I can't afford new batteries & I like hand tools. From the above, I've no chance of getting the other batteries replaced.
> ...




Hardly at all, just for circular saw & drill. most weekends is all.


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## ColeyS1 (24 May 2013)

I suspect thats probably part of the problem - not being charged/discharged regularly enough. I had similar happen with a spare drill for home. Its lack of use killed the batteries. The only thing I think you could do is buy some more kit that might use the same batteries :lol: radio- for the bathroom, 
Hoover- for the crumbs from your dining table,
Torch...........for finding the hoover :???:

You know it makes sense


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## Bradshaw Joinery (24 May 2013)

How are you using the batteries? Lion technology is different, it might be worth reading up on how to treat them!

Regular top ups are good, don't drain the battery right down then keep trying to use it to finish that last screw, it's not good for them,,, as soon as it stops, pull it out and charge it, your going to have to anyway...


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## No skills (24 May 2013)

+1 on the above, have killed a few Li-ions at work and I think the keep using it even though its stopped once routine is to blame.
Stopping for a cup of tea? stick the battery on charge etc


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## Ollie78 (24 May 2013)

I must add my experience to this thread.

I purchased a kit of Makita 18v lithium ion tools over 5 years ago including 2 drills, , grinder, circular saw, reciprocating saw, impact driver and torch. The kit came with 3 batteries and about 6 months later I purchased a jigsaw with 2 more batteries.

My usage of these tools can be described as quite heavy. Using the drills exclusively and the jigsaw and circular saw have replaced my mains units for all but the heaviest cuts. I use these tools 5 days a week most of the time. 

Since purchasing my kit, only one of the batteries has died. This happened after about 3 years of use and god knows how many cycles of charging and discharging. Recently one of the other batteries has begun to lose power faster than it should.

I think that the way the kit and its batteries has lasted is quite remarkable given the abuse it takes. I have replaced the brushes on the circular saw once and the switch on one of the others, can`t remember which.

If you look at the value for money of the batteries and tools it is very good. Once the next weak battery dies I will have no issue purchasing a couple more.

Also as a side note. I asked about the Axminster replacement batteries at my local tool shop ( a Brimarc dealer) . They said they got a couple in and tested them on some drills, Both of which burnt out. They found out that the copy batteries are missing an electronic component that prevents overloading. They said they would not sell them.

Ollie


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## Phil Pascoe (24 May 2013)

Can a battery discharge fast enough to burn out a tool? I've not heard that one before. The charge they hold when charged must be limited in the first place - it can't be infinite.


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## mailee (24 May 2013)

Well I have certainly not been impressed with my batteries. I use both of my drill drivers on a daily basis and the first Makita battery gave up after just one year! the replacement cheapo gave up after about two months! I am now down to one Makita battery and one cheapo. I am loath to replace another one and am now thinking about going for a De Walt driver instead. I still have a very old 9.6 volt Makita driver that is a Ni Cad and still on the original battery! How is it they could make a quality battery years ago yet not today? I changed to the Li Ion after my set of 12V Makita Ni Cads gave up after one year! My opinion is that Makita seems to have gone downhill in recent years...well the drill drivers anyway. :roll:


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## Nick Gibbs (29 May 2013)

I have had one 18v LXT die (from six) and one 36v Makita battery die. The rest have been fine, and I think the system is fantastic. I have a 18v circular saw, 36v chainsaw (which takes two 18v batteries on an adapter) and 36v strimmer/pruner/hedgetrimmer. They are all amazing, though I like the idea of finding a dealer who can test failed batteries. We did an article about boosting failed batteries. I wonder if it would work in this case. 

Nick


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