Makita Li-Ion 10.8v, 14.4v & 18v cordless tools
Makita has gained a strong position worldwide in recent years with its many cordless power tools and the indestructibility of its machines. The light tools are equipped with a 10.8v Li-ion and are suitable for lighter jobs. The Makita Li-Ion machines with 14.4v batteries are a bit heavier. The top models are the Makita 18v Li-Ion machines for the toughest jobs.
This manual explains which batteries can be chosen for your machine. To make this as easy as possible, images and videos will be used.
Makita 10.8v Li-Ion machines
The Makita 10.8v Li-ion machines can be used with the battery shown, the Makita BL1013 Li-Ion battery. This battery generally does not have any major problems during daily use. However, we would like to mention this battery because you may encounter a problem when purchasing a new battery. The first Makita BL1013 10.8v had a capacity of 1300mAh or 1.3Ah. Newer batteries for the 10.8v Makita machines can have a capacity of 1500mAh, 2000mAh or even 2500mAh. This increase in capacity sometimes leads to questions as to whether the battery still fits the machine. The answer to that is yes and this is the reason why; it is only a capacity increase and not a battery with a different voltage.
In order to be able to make a good explanation of the increase in capacity, we make a comparison with a shower. In this comparison with a shower, two things are important, namely the temperature of the water and the amount of water from the shower. The voltage of 10.8v can be compared with the temperature of the shower, say 10.8 degrees Celsius. The Makita 10.8v machines only work if 10.8 degrees Celsius is offered. A lower temperature cannot make the machine move and a higher temperature will damage the motor.
The capacity (Ah or mAh) determines the amount of water in the shower, or how many liters of water the shower has available for use. This battery originally has 1300mAh, or 1300 liters of water. If the 1300 liters are used up, no more water will come out of the shower and the shower will stop and therefore also your Makita 10.8v machine. Increasing the capacity leads to a larger reservoir, so you can work longer with your battery before you have to recharge it. Increasing the capacity cannot therefore damage your machine. Only your charging time increases because more current has to be charged into the battery.
Makita 14.4v Li-ion & 18v Li-ion
The Makita BL1830 and BL1430 are the most used batteries by professionals. These batteries have a number of problems. For example, there can be overheating of the cells, but also a deep discharge of the cells. To prevent deep discharges and overloading, Makita has introduced Li-Ion batteries and machines with a star on products.
In addition to a difference in capacity, Makita makes a distinction for its original batteries with different contact plates that are located on the bottom of the machines. For the Makita 14.4v & 18v Li-ion machines, the following different contact plates exist. The Makita machines with a star on the contact plate are equipped with a safety. These Makita machines can switch themselves off when the remaining voltage in the cell is too low, if there is an overload and if the battery becomes too hot. In this way, Makita has tried to solve the problems with earlier versions of the 14.4v and 18v Li-ion batteries.
Makita 14.4v Li-Ion machines
The first Makita 14.4v Li-ion battery was the Makita BL1430. The developments in Li-ion batteries have also led to new versions with a higher capacity for this battery. In addition to the BL1430, there are also the versions BL1440 14.4v 4.0Ah, BL1450 14.4v 5.0Ah and BL1460 6.0Ah. As with the Makita BL1013 10.8v, the voltage is the determining factor for choosing a new battery. A larger capacity (Ah or mAh) does not damage the machine, only leads to longer use of one battery before you have to recharge it. Did you miss the explanation about the comparison with the shower and volts and capacity? This is explained above for the Makita BL1013 10.8v.
Makita instructions for using original Makita 14.4v Li-ion batteries for 14.4v machines:
- Black contact plate 14.4v without star: BL1430 BL1430A
- Black contact plate 14.4v with star: BL1415N BL1430 BL1430A BL1440 BL1450
- Yellow contact plate 14.4v without star: BL1415 BL1415N BL1430 BL1430A BL1440 BL1450 BL1460
- Yellow contact plate 14.4v with star: BL1415 BL1415N BL1430 BL1430A BL1440 BL1450 BL1460
Makita 18v Li-ion machines
The Makita 18v Li-ion machines also had the Makita BL1830 as the first version. After several years of technological progress, Makita 18v Li-ion batteries with a higher capacity are now available, namely the BL1840 18v 4.0Ah, BL1850 18v 5.0Ah and the BL1860 18v 6.0Ah. And for this battery, too, you can get newer versions with a higher capacity (Ah or mAh). As with the Makita BL1013 10.8v, the voltage is the determining factor for choosing a new battery. A larger capacity (Ah or mAh) does not damage the machine, only longer use of one battery before you have to recharge it. Did you miss the explanation of the comparison with the shower and volts and capacity? This is explained above for the Makita BL1013 10.8v.
Makita instructions for using original Makita 18 Li-ion batteries for 18v machines:
- Black contact plate with print 18v without star: BL1830
- Black contact plate with print 18v with star: BL1815N BL1820 BL1820B BL1830 BL1840 BL1840B BL1850 BL1850B
- Yellow contact plate with print 18v without star: BL1815 BL1815N BL1820 BL1820B BL1830 BL1840 BL1840B BL1850 BL1850B
- Yellow contact plate with print 18v with star: BL1815 BL1815N BL1820 BL1820B BL1830 BL1840 BL1840B BL1850 BL1850B
- Yellow contact plate without print 18v without star: BL1415 BL1415N BL1430 BL1430A BL1440 BL1450 BL1815 BL1815N BL1820 BL1820B BL1830 BL1840 BL1840B BL1850 BL1850
Non-original or replacement batteries for Makita Li-ion 10.8v 14.4v 18v
The original Makita batteries are often experienced as very expensive. A comparison with a printer and cartridges is a justified comparison. The printer is dirt cheap, but for the ink you pay the main price for the next 5 years. These imitation batteries are often distrusted and that is not without reason.
In the past, the quality of the Li-ion cells used in the replacement batteries was not of the same level as the cells used by Makita. But time has not stood still here either. New replacement batteries are often equipped with a CE mark and the same quality cells as those of Makita. The Samsung SDI 18650 cell is a frequently used cell and made of very high-quality material. The protection is the same as in the new Makita batteries with a star. The replacement batteries check for too low voltage, overheating and have full communication with the charger. By using a replacement battery you can save a lot of money and still have high-quality batteries.
Another advantage of Makita 10.8v 14.4v and 18v Li-Ion replacement batteries is the interchangeability within the voltage. A BL1013 10.8v 1.3Ah can be replaced by a new battery with 10.8v 1.5Ah, 10.8v 2.0Ah or 10.8v 2.5Ah. You can work longer without damaging the machine or battery charger. For the professional user of the 14.4v and 18v Li-ion Makita machines the advantage can increase even further. Some Makita machines are equipped with a (BL1815) 18v 1.5Ah battery. This battery can be replaced by all Makita BL18-- versions, so up to 6Ah. The capacity of the battery increases by 300%.
The following original Makita batteries can be replaced with replacement batteries:
Replacement batteries for Makita 10.8v Li-ion tools or original Makita BL1013 10.8v 1.3Ah battery:
- BL1013 10,8v 1,3Ah
- BL1015 10,8v 1,5Ah
Replacement batteries for Makita 14.4v Li-ion tools or original Makita BL1430 14.4v 3.0Ah battery:
- BL1415 14.4v 1.5Ah (Suitable for short-term use due to limited battery life, light battery in weight, easy for kitchen builders)
- BL1430 14.4v 3.0Ah (Suitable for normal use in terms of battery life, standard battery for many machines)
- BL1440 14.4v 4.0Ah (Suitable for normal use in terms of battery life, standard battery for many machines)
- BL1450 14.4v 5.0Ah (Suitable for longer use in terms of battery life, easy for large jobs or if a charger is not available)
- BL1460 14.4v 6.0Ah (Suitable for long use in terms of battery life, is a fairly heavy battery in terms of weight, easy for large jobs or if a charger is not available)
Replacement batteries for Makita 18v Li-ion tools or original Makita BL1830 18v 3.0Ah battery:
- BL1815 18v 1.5Ah (Suitable for short-term use due to limited battery life, light battery in weight, easy for kitchen builders)
- BL1830 18v 3.0Ah (Suitable for normal use in terms of battery life, standard battery for many machines)
- BL1840 18v 4.0Ah (Suitable for normal use in terms of battery life, standard battery for many machines)
- BL1850 18v 5.0Ah (Suitable for longer use in terms of battery life, easy for large jobs or if a charger is not available)
- BL1860 18v 6.0Ah (Suitable for long use in terms of battery life, is a fairly heavy battery in terms of weight, easy for large jobs or if a charger is not available)
