Recommendations on Recharging A New Makita Cordless Drill Battery

Upon receiving a new or refurbished Makita Cordless Drill Battery, you probably think you should charge it before using it. There's no way around it, a dead battery can't be used without first charging it. However, sometimes there will be a battery pack that just doesn't agree with this methodology, for those that have had the pleasure of encountering a new pack that refused to cooperate, well... you know what I am talking about..

You rarely will ever see a company ship charged drill batteries through the mail. Shipping a fully charged pack is a potential liability to them, not to mention, they also want the battery to be as fresh as the day it left the warehouse. Most companies battle this by shipping packs with a zero to near-nothing charge. What little battery life you do find on a new battery is likely to be a 'test charge' used for their integrity tests.

At times, packs with a 'test charge' in them will refuse to charge for some stupid reason. Strangely enough, some chargers consider them to be full rather than empty. Those that have had this happen noticed one frustrating error. The charging light would turn on, but then it would turn off as if the pack were fully charged.

The solution to this problem is fairly simple. Put the pack on your drill, run it down, and then put it back into the charger. If you have never had this problem, consider yourself lucky and of course, now prepared!!