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Makita 4.0Ah Batteries Set To Come Out In August

Makita 4.0Ah Batteries Set To Come Out In August

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Chris   July 18, 2014  
0   2  
Makita 4.0Ah BL1840

Users, wanting greater runtimes in their tools, have been impatiently waiting for Makita to introduce their 4.0Ah batteries to the U.S. market. Though they have been available in other countries for months, we just got word that the new 2.0Ah (BL1820) and 4.0Ah (BL1840) batteries are finally starting to come out. In fact, the new 2.0Ah can already be found on sale now in new Makita 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Kits and Combo Kits.

The 4.0Ah cordless kits will follow shortly in August, and standalone 4.0Ah batteries will be available in September. But is Makita too late? Now Makita's competitors are starting to come out with 5.0Ah batteries. Will Makita be a year behind again, or do they have something better up their sleeves? I first heard about Makita's 4.0Ah batteries 2 years ago from a reader in Australia. So why did they take so long to reach the U.S.? Now other countries already have access to Makita 5.0Ah (BL1850) batteries before we even have access to the 4.0Ah models.

While Makita might be the last of the major brands to upgrade their batteries to 4.0Ah, theirs are still be the fastest charging, and maybe that is worth more to some users. What good would the increased runtime of a 6 or 8Ah battery be, if it took four hours to recharge? Makita has always had the best charging times, and the 4.0Ah batteries will be no different. The press release claims a charge time of 40 minutes, twice as fast as their leading competitor. 2.0Ah batteries should take only 25 minutes to recharge.

Even though it makes no sense to us why it takes so long for Makita's battery technology to make it to the US, I wouldn't want to trade early access for slower charging times. So hang on, we are almost there.

Photos

Makita 2.0Ah BL1820
Makita4.0AhBL1840BL1820batterylithium-ioncordless