makita cordless tool battery chargers

[BobK207]

Makita refers to their battery chargers as:

Makita blah-blah "Quick Charger"

having switched to 12v tools w/ NiMh 2.6Ahr batteries I find nothing quick about their preformance. It seems to take FOREVER to get a 12v battery fully charged.

If I'm using more than one tool (by myself or with a helper) it's pretty easy to get ahead of a pair of chargers.

I've been considering the

DC1439 fast charger

but I've found conflicting info on the web about charging times

ads say "as fast as 10 minutes"

but don't give times as a function of battery voltage and capacity

or

Average charge time is 15 minutes per battery

anyone have any experience with this unit charging 12v NiMh? Is it worth the money? ~$100

alternatively

makita multi battery charger 7.2 to 24v DC24SA ??

cheers Bob

[RicodJour]

Hey Bob. I don't have any experience with the Makita charger, but it seems pretty similar to my DeWalt charger which also charges in 15 minutes or less. The nicest thing about my older unit is that it also charges a host of competing brands' batteries. One of the best investments I've made. Most of the time if charges a 12v in less than eight minutes. I've never found a situation where it couldn't outpace me. If the Makita is as good as its claim, then it's a no-brainer.

BTW, an auction for a brand new Mak charger just ended on eBay - $59 and no bids!

R

[Jim Yanik]

"BobK207" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

AFAIK,Makita spec's their charge time as ONE HOUR.(maybe that's NiCds) Now,Panasonic has a drill/battery system that has a 15 minute charge time,but their's is engineered for that short a time.

NiMH are more tricky to charge than NiCds. (if you want them to have a full life)

Just wait until they all change to Lithium cells! (some are already on the market)

[RicodJour]

I've had my eyes on those. The weight savings are considerable. Kind of pricey for now, and only two manufacturers are making them that I'm aware of - Makita and Milwaukee - but that's sure to change.

R

[Jim Yanik]

"RicodJour" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

OR you could have fewer and larger cells in the packs that fit your present cordless tools,along with the longer run time and no self-discharge. Just buy new packs and the necessary charger.

[Jeff]

I believe I saw them for a lot less at Home Depot, believe they are getting rid of Makita stuff. Am happy with my 12V drill. Full charge does take about one hour. I have looked inside the charger and there is a lot of electronics. It may rapid charge to 80% the gradually do the rest. I don't know but have no complaints. I can drive about 50 3 inch deck screws on a charge.