Unbranded makita batteries - update

[Woodmonkey]

About half the price of the genuine ones on flea bay, are they any good? I've always assumed they would be cr@p but saw someone on another thread recently say they were just as good as the originals...

 

[screwpainting]

I bought a couple of replacements for my old 6095D 9.6 volt driver and a much bigger drill impact drill driver about a year ago now and they have been okay but they don't get heavy use. It was either that or bin them, the genuine batteries are just too expensive to justify buying them when you look at the cost of a brand new machine these days.

 

[Doug71]

Can't comment on the Makita but I bought a fake festool battery off ebay at least 2 years ago which is still working fine and that was Ni Cad.

Doug

 

[Woodmonkey]

To be more specific it's the 5ah, LXT type that I'm interested in (to be used at work every day)

 

[RossJarvis]

To be more specific it's the 5ah, LXT type that I'm interested in (to be used at work every day)

The real Makita 5.0ah batteries seem to have dropped a lot in price now that the 6.0ah version has come out. At least with the originals, they'll replace them free of charge, very easily if they die out too quickly. I had one die a few months ago, and Makita said "send it in we'll send you a new one in the post when we've got it". It's easy if you bought one in a local shop as you just take it to them and a new one will be with you in a day or two, a bit more long winded if you bought online. They are now very used to swapping them out quickly!!!!

 

[RogerP]

I bought two no-name Makita fit 18v ni-cads a couple of years ago and they are still going strong.

 

[owsnap]

ask the seller what brand cells are inside of them, most of the time there are inside actually decent LG/samsung cells which will be of the same quality as in the makita units, if they are some no-name cells or the seller doesn't replies to you- stay away..
btw makita batteries aren't really know for their reliability so I would say it doesn't really matter because the makita batteries aren't anything particulary good anyway, the only positive thing about them is you get 1year warranty in which time you can swap them without any hassle-but again it's only 1year warranty...


but are the 5ah knock-offs even a good value for money? Last time I checked there wasn't that much of a price difference between real/fake ones if you did your research and bought at a place where they sell them for reasonable £££
the only good value for money looked the 3ah ones which were like 3x less expensive.

just saw 2x 4ah ones for £44 on ebay, looks pretty good.. However again confirm with the seller about what kind of cells there are inside!

 

[Woodmonkey]

I have done plenty of research and they are clearly much cheaper. I was hoping for first hand experience of the batteries from folks who have used them.

 

[No skills]

Aha! Then the first possible mistake was asking the question on an Internet forum.
:wink:

 

[Woodmonkey]

(homer) fair comment!

 

[ColeyS1]

I can't tell any difference in performance, between the genuine and the nongenuine ones.

Coley

 

[Woodmonkey]

Coley, can you remember specifically which unbranded ones you bought?

 

[Alexfn]

i would say buy one and open it up. check the cells used come from a good manufacturer and they are the advertised rating, so for a 5ah batt its going to have 10 cells rated at 2500mah.

 

[ColeyS1]

Coley, can you remember specifically which unbranded ones you bought?

I'll do some investigating after I've had my tea. I might take one to bits and have a looksie. I know these were only 3ah batteries. Tbh I don't see the point in higher amp ones. 3 ah does enough for me and also means quick charging. I'd sooner drop and wreck a £20 3ah battery, than a £40 5ahbattery. Only thing I would say, is I've had genuine makita batteries fail with no warning or reason, so again, a £20 battery hurts my pocket (and feelings) a little less if it did decide to die.

Coley

 

[memzey]

I bought a 4.0ah generic LXT type off the bay a couple of months ago. Has been flawless in that time but I guess we shall how it works in the long run. BTW I've also had a standard Makita LXT for about 5/6 years and have had no problems with it. I think if you don't run them too hot they should work fine but others' experiences may vary.

 

[ColeyS1]

These are the lookalike batteries

Can't see any numbers on them and really couldn't get the battery pack out of the casing.
The seller is ebay number 151850643115.

This was a knackered genuine makita pack that died

This is Axminsters own brand battery offering

The ebay pair I bought was around April 2015, still going strong [WINKING FACE] After fondling batteries for the last 20minutes, I must say the genuine makita batteries feel alot nicer. -Who gives a rubber duck,so long the performance is equal though !

Coley

 

[Woodmonkey]

Thanks, interesting that no sign of any Samsung or LG etc branding on any of the cells.

 

[ColeyS1]

I thought the same. I guess the numbers must mean something ?

Coley

 

[MikeJhn]

The numbering systems has been in the past to pass off inferior cells as A123 systems Nanophosphate LiIo, A123 where the originators of the technology and the best cells you can get, you do have to pay a premium for them, but the best costs.

http://www.a123systems.com/lifepo4-battery-cell.htm

Mike

 

[sunnybob]

It was me that mentioned the makita batteries.
Buying three new makita's for my 18 volt was more money then buying the drill and battery kit in the first place.
I bought three bright red FLOURON batteries for (I think) £60. less than the cost of one makita at the time.

They dont get used every day, but its at least a year ago and they still have good charge holding and plenty of power.
I would buy these again without any hesitation.