More Makita mayhem!

[mailee]

In the shop today using my Makita drill driver when I put it down on the bench only to find a couple of minutes later that it was smoking! I tore the battery off it and threw it out of the door as it was red hot! After all of the problems I have had with these drivers I shall be sending a strong letter to Makita about this! :x

 

[Phil Pascoe]

=D> 5000

 

[ColeyS1]

I do wonder what you're doing with the drill or even if it might be a faulty drill itself. Sounds like it might be time to try another brand

 

[mailee]

I already have, I now have a De Walt one which so far is going strong. I still have a 9.6V Ni Cad Makita with one battery still going strong.....after 15 years! so I doubt very much it is me that is at fault. It seems to be these Makita's later batteries as I have had a 12V Ni Cad set go faulty and now the Li Ion ones! the drills are great it is the batteries that seem to be the problem. I suspect that Makita are using inferior sourced batteries to keep costs down. JMHO. :roll:

 

[Tom MasterCraftsman]

I was told by my local tool dealer that ther are only 4 factory's in the world that supply genuine cordless tool batteries, so be it dewalt boch or makita even Argos own brand that most prob came from the same place, each tool manufacture just has their own specification

Random fact!

 

[Mar_mite]

My makita 18v li-ions just won't die. I bought them the week they came out in 2005 and are still going. Same batteries. They have been used and abused every day. Sometimes the gears slip on the impact driver if I'm putting in a large screw. But not often.

 

[ColeyS1]

On the plus side wbs were doing 3 makita 18v 3ah batteries for 100+vat the other week :lol: I've never had a battery smoke but now and then get the ' im not going to charge anymore' dreaded beep.

 

[mailee]

I am sick of hearing the dreaded beep, four times so far. :roll: I am wondering if the earlier Li Ion batteries were of a better quality to the later ones? this would explain why some people who have older batteries have had no problems with them. :?

 

[JandK]

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with makita, but a friend of my, a roofer changed all his makita gear for similar reasons.

 

[paulm]

I took the plunge recently and upgraded from 12v NiMh to 18v L ion and thought long and hard about it. I've got loads of Makita kit, 12v drill drivers, impact driver, planer, chainsaw, sds drill etc and really rate their stuff. In the end though I went for Bosch for the 18v combi drill, persuaded by the new 4 amp/hr coolmax batteries with led charge indicators on, the led work light which sounds a small thing but is surprisingly useful, the quick charger and the general specification and build quality, also keeping in mind the odd tale of woe with Makita batteries.

Haven't given the new one a lot of use as yet but the limited use so far is encouraging, not regretting the switch as yet, although still a Makita fan generally.

It was an added bonus when the supplier mistakenly shipped me the version with a second 4 amp/hr battery by mistake for the price of the single, I haven't got round to mentioning it yet !

Cheers, Paul

 

[busy builder]

I have a couple of Festool drills a T15 and a smaller CXS and a jigsaw, all use 14.4v LI batteries no problems at all, I also have various Makita LI tools, SDS drill, 41/2" grinder, radio, drill/driver and 4 batteries all 18v and in 4 or 5 years I have never had a problem yet and believe me they all get some stick. maybe I'm just lucky ??

 

[DiscoStu]

I swapped 18v Makita for 18v Ryobi (as it was quite a bit cheaper and someone I trust recommended it) I bought the impact driver 12 months ago and now have loads of their kit including the 6 port charger the keeps the batteries conditioned. They go up to 4amp and have LED indicators. Quite a few of their tools have led lights and also laser guides.

 

[johnny]

so far my experience with makita drills seems to be a very positive one.

Two years ago I bought an Anniversary Makita BHP456 18v drill set in case.
I have been using it almost every day since for DIY work around the house ,garden and vehicles and apart from a slightly loose chuck bearing have had no problems with the drill or 3.0Ah battery whatsoever.

I also bought a Makita torch with a copy 1.5 Ah unbranded battery and frequently switch the battery into the drill when charging the 3.0 Ah Makita battery.

A few weeks ago I started to build a garden shed/workshop and bought another matching BHP456 drill so that I no longer have to keep switching the drill bit and pozidrive bits whilst working.

The drills have received some heavy handed treatment at times but I take care never to bang the drill down hard on its battery or drop the drill. I suspect that used in the building trade most drills would recieve much harsher treatment .

I think it just comes down to how well an individual looks after their tools. :wink:

 

[mailee]

Well Johnny, I have never mistreated the Makita drill/drivers. I can state they have never been dropped, bashed, or abused in any way. Ok They did get a bit of over spray on them but that is about it. One of mine is also the anniversary version in the ally case and was the first Li ion one I purchased but the batteries have still gone on it not much over one year old? I am also the only one who uses the drills as I am a one man band. I certainly think there is a batch of faulty Makita batteries and it was just my luck to buy a model with them. :roll: Problem now is i am reluctant to buy any more in case they are just the same. :x

 

[mahomo59]

There are a batch of faulty batteries, that why makita have changed their warranty to 3 years on batts. I posted this a little while ago.

makita-comes-good-t78732.html

Get them swapped Alan

 

[Guggs]

My Makita Sabre Saw has been sent back 5 times now and it still breaks plus the little portable compressor has been back 3 times . I ain't happy !