We have had a lot of customers ask us just exactly what the difference is between the Ah rating on batteries for cordless tools and in particular the 18V Makita batteries. A common question is: “Do all Ah ratings power all cordless power tools?” We’ve put this guide together to help you choose your cordless tools wisely as a follow up to our popular “Comprehensive Battery Guide”. The Ah rating is what determines how long your battery will last per charge. It stands for ampere-hour and is the measurement of time it takes for a battery to discharge. It is impossible to give battery run times on most cordless power tools as the variables of different working applications can change this drastically; however, the more amp hours, the more run time – like having a larger fuel tank. This is a major point to take note of when choosing your Makita batteries – if you intend to use your batteries for more demanding tools such as Jigsaws, Circular saws, SDS+ Hammers, Planers, Reciprocating Saws and other high drain tools such as Grinders, then a higher amp-hour battery is essential. Makita have even made a different fitting for their 1.3Ah and 3.0Ah batteries to the tools so that the 1.3Ah batteries physically will not fit onto tools classed as high drain. Any Makita 18V Li-ion tool with a “YELLOW” battery fitting will fit both 1.3h and 3.0Ah batteries; however, tools with a “BLACK” battery fitting will ONLY fit 3.0Ah batteries. See example below:
The below diagram highlights the compatibility of a selection of popular Makita cordless power tools classed as high drain.
Please note, there ARE a number of Makita bodies which are compatible with both 1.3Ah and 3.0Ah 18V Li-ion batteries – these tools will have the yellow fitting for the batteries. We offer a great range of Makita kits with Makita 18V 3.0Ah batteries as standard and also at the moment are offering a fantastic deal on the popular Makita BHP453RFE (which comes with 2 x 3.0Ah Li-ion Makita Batteries).