Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
My neighbor Chris gave me two dead Makita BL1830 18V 54Wh battery pack and a knock-off Waitley 5Ah Makita battery ( amzn.to/3aQ71Mg ).
Originally I was just going to reuse the 18650 cells, but Chris had also ordered some knock-off battery protection boards ( amzn.to/3fa6Hvd ). So I set about repairing the packs. To my great surprise, the knock-offs don't have balance leads. This means that the 5 groups of 18650 cells can get unbalanced (get different voltages). Without balance leads the battery cells can get over or under charged. So yes, these batteries are 1/3 the price, but you may be buying a lot more of them (not to mention you might you might burn down your house or void your tool warranty makitatools.com/company/press-releases/2015/makita-updates-warning-on-the-hazards-risks-of-using-non-genuine-knock-off-batteries )
I would suggest getting the real thing: amzn.to/2YnR0dN
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We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below.
As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.
My neighbor Chris gave me two dead Makita BL1830 18V 54Wh battery pack and a knock-off Waitley 5Ah Makita battery ( amzn.to/3aQ71Mg ).
Originally I was just going to reuse the 18650 cells, but Chris had also ordered some knock-off battery protection boards ( amzn.to/3fa6Hvd ). So I set about repairing the packs. To my great surprise, the knock-offs don't have balance leads. This means that the 5 groups of 18650 cells can get unbalanced (get different voltages). Without balance leads the battery cells can get over or under charged. So yes, these batteries are 1/3 the price, but you may be buying a lot more of them (not to mention you might you might burn down your house or void your tool warranty makitatools.com/company/press-releases/2015/makita-updates-warning-on-the-hazards-risks-of-using-non-genuine-knock-off-batteries )
I would suggest getting the real thing: amzn.to/2YnR0dN
FTC Disclaimer:
We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below.
As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.
