It looks like Makita has a new 18V cordless power tool battery charger, model DC18WC.
Makita is bundling this new DC18WC charger as part of their new 18V cordless hammer drill and impact driver combo kit, model XT296ST.
I’m not familiar with this charger, and so I tried to dig up some info.
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Makita does not seem to mention the new charger in their product pages or advertisements, but the model number is clearly visible in images of the new combo kit
Before we talk about the new charger, let’s take a quick look at Makita’s usual 18V chargers. Shown here is Makita’s 18V rapid charger, model DC18RC.
The DC18RC is advertised as being able to recharge Makita’s 18V 5Ah battery in 45 minutes.
Next is the DC18SD, which is considered to be Makita’s “standard” charger. This charger is often included in Makita’s more value-oriented tool kits and combo kits.
For example, Makita’s value-priced 18V drill kit, which retails for $99 at the time of this posting (available at Amazon), comes with a 3Ah battery and the DC18SD charger.
The DC18SD can recharge a 5Ah battery in 110 minutes.
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Makita USA doesn’t have a product page for this charger on their website (at least not that I could find), but its charging times can be found in their user manual.
Here is what Makita says on their product page and in marketing copy for their new XT296ST cordless power tool kit:
Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Batteries have the fastest charge times in their categories, so they spend more time working and less time sitting on the charger.
They also say:
The Kit includes two fast-charging 18V LXT 5.0Ah batteries
With that in mind, I thought that this was a new and more compact rapid charger. It’s not, or at least it doesn’t appear to be.
It wasn’t easy to find specs or charging times for this new Makita DC18WC charger.
I found one listing on Amazon UK, where it is described as an economy and compact charger. In the product details, it says that it takes 135 minutes to charge a 5Ah battery.
Amazon listings don’t always have accurate specs, so I looked around a bit more.
I found a user manual for the DC18WC charger online – but not on Makita’s website – and found this chart. I cropped out the 14.4V charging times.
According to this, the charger does appear to take 135 minutes to fully charge a 5Ah battery.
If this is accurate, here are the 5Ah battery charging times for the three models:
- DC18RC: 45 minutes (0.75 hour)
- DC18SD: 110 minutes (1.83 hours)
- DC18WC: 135 minutes (2.25 hours)
What’s the point of Makita advertising that their new tool kit comes with fast-charging batteries, if they aren’t disclosing that each battery takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to recharge with the included charger?
We don’t always see eye to eye, but Makita USA’s communication manager made a good point. This is what they once told me in an email conversation, with the emphasis my own:
Based on what we see and hear on jobsites across America, a power tool battery that won’t charge in the time of a typical lunch break is not acceptable, even if it does deliver longer run time. The most expensive asset on a jobsite is labor, and that’s why Makita batteries are engineered to spend more time working and less time sitting on the charger.
If the retail listing and online manual I found for the DC18WC are accurate – and they do look to be – is 135 minutes an acceptable amount of time for a battery to be sitting on a charger?
According to the specs I found, it takes the DC18WC charger 2 hours and 15 minutes to charge just one of the 18V 5Ah batteries in this kit. The rapid charger can charge three of the same batteries in this time.
International versions of the 2pc combo kit are bundled with a rapid charger. So why is Makita USA bundling their kit with this new slower charger?
Even if Makita didn’t bundle the new XT296ST kit with their typical rapid charger, why not at least the “standard” DC18SD charger that is often included with the brand’s seasonal promotionally-priced 18V power tool kits and combo kits?
135 minutes to recharge a 5Ah battery? “A power tool battery that won’t charge in the time of a typical lunch break is not acceptable.”
Makita’s fast battery charging speeds have always been a big selling point. I can understand a slower charger being included with $99 drill and impact driver kits, or 5 and 6 piece combo kits that are promotionally priced at $299.
New isn’t always better.
I hope this doesn’t become a trend.
Makita USA raised their prices (except for certain SKUs) in April 2022, October 2022, and again in May 2023. If the new charger is a cost-cutting measure, I’d rather see another price increase.
I suppose this helps explain why the drill-only kit is priced at $359 – with a rapid charger – and this 2pc kit is priced lower at $339.
See Also: Funky Retail Price Math – Makita 18V Cordless Drill Edition
Joe H
Makita shenanigans
BigTimeTommy
Really want to like Makita since they’re one of the few independent power tool brands left. Too bad they keep doing this stuff.
RD
Same. Used to be a teal-only household, but with the shenanigans they’ve been up to there are a lot more primary colors here now.
As a trend, though, I’d purchased a Ryobi outdoor kit awhile back, had the same experience – a smaller, but much more inefficient charger came with it vs the others I had around. Ryobi has a million different types of chargers, though!
Robert
Obviously, the DC18WC’s purpose is to promote longer lunch breaks.
Blocky
Lol
Peter
Good one!
TomD
Now I’m even more interested, because having another SKU is expensive, so that new slow charger must be dirt-cheap or something.
(I’ve honestly been surprised Milwaukee hasn’t completely thrown away the M12 only charger, just from the extra amount of inventory/manufacturing they have to do).
It sounds like the “new kit” is an attempt to get back into the pricing game, so maybe Makita is going to make actual moves in the US market.
Though a weak charger as a first impression may not be the best way to do it.
Adam
At least with M12 there’s a broad enough line that you could probably stay within it for most lighter duty/specialized tasks. Not so much for most other 12V lines (looking at you Dewalt and Bosch).
Eliot Truelove
I just saw a video of this small charger and it is a very very small charger, it’s really not much bigger than the battery itself. it has screw hanger slots on the back to mount to a wall or underside of a shelf. I could see myself getting a whole row of these for battery storage in a shop or trailer setup, similar to the stealthmounts battery mounts.
I don’t view this as a replacement for the single or dual rapid chargers one bit, but for set it and forget it convenience I think it will be really nice. I welcome any new innovation from Makita.
Blocky
I also noticed the smaller form factor. While I won’t run out to buy one, I’d welcome one at home, where I use a standard charger. I prefer the fanless charger at my workbench.
In the shop, my dual charger now sounds like a swarm of bees with both fans going, but it keeps up with my workflow.
Stuart
It doesn’t look that much smaller in the product images.
“Set and forget” tends to be a home user practice; 2 hrs 15 mins to fully recharge just one of the batteries included in the kit is not going to fly at jobsites.
Makita’s rapid charger tends to be their standard kit offering. Their standard/slower charger is typically only bundled with value-priced kits and combo kits, which a $339 2-tool kit arguably is not.
Blocky
You’re not wrong, but as a Makita user, I already own 5 rapid chargers. I use them on site, in two shops, and at home.
I think users like me are more common than many realize.
Makita knows how many rapid chargers they have already pushed into the world. There’s a glut of gleaming unused ones on eBay and in my closet.
Different sensibilities I suppose. I’d love a truly compact rapid charger, and I’m not willing to go third party for it. So that’s a still-missed opportunity for Makita.
Stuart
They’re not selling this as an accessory (yet?); there’s no listing at USA retailers, and no product page in their website.
A lot of tool users have an abundance of changers, but what if this is your first Makita purchase?
Britt
Not sure I could finish lunch in 2.25 hours, but I am open to trying.
Franco
Let’s be real, scarfing down lunch takes 10-15 minutes. Talking shop and trashing on the company, that takes 2 hours or more.
Peter
It may be smaller and have no noisy fan, but it takes ages and no audible sound on charge completion. It came with a kit in the uk,so basically a freebie, but won’t be going out my way to use it,my older ones are quicker, noisy ,and let me know when the battery is ready. Looks good ,bit of a backward step, but ,how long is the 18v range going to last
JS
18v range is here to stay. It is makita’s backbone range and there are a LOT of machines that would make little sense or be simply impractical with the significantly larger and heavier 40v battery.
Stuart
The XGT 2Ah (not available here) and 2.5Ah batteries are approximately the same size and weight as the LXT 4Ah and 5Ah batteries. The higher capacity battery sizes are there for longer runtime and higher power for the tools that need it.
When Makita USA launched the XGT platform here, they strongly emphasized the small 18V form factor size of the battery, pointing out how it was well-suited for core tools such as drills and impact drivers.
BGroves
“The XGT 2Ah (not available here) and 2.5Ah batteries are approximately the same size and weight as the LXT 4Ah and 5Ah batteries. The higher capacity battery sizes are there for longer runtime and higher power for the tools that need it.”
The Amp-Hour rating by itself doesn’t indicate the amount of power (volts X amperes) that the battery can deliver. Those 2AH 40 volt (max) batteries deliver the same power as 4AH 18 volt (nominal) batteries. The difference is how the battery cells are wired in half the number of strings of cells but each group contains double the number of cells. Both have the same number of cells just arranged differently. You can have your 12” pizza with 4 or 8 slices, but it’s still the same amount of pizza.
Stuart
Right.
But the fact remains that XGT has higher capacity batteries (4Ah or 18V 8Ah equivalent), and the 18V LXT system does not.
An XGT 2.5Ah battery and an 18V 5Ah battery have the same energy capacity because they have similar if not identical Li-ion battery cells.
An XGT 36V/40V Max 2.5Ah battery has has 10 Li-ion cells in series with each cell delivering x-amps max current, and an 18V battery has 10 batteries in a 5-series 2-parallel connection, with cell also delivering x-amps max current.
18V and XGT both have 12″ pizzas, but XGT also has 18″ pizzas for hungrier appetites.
Chris
I have 3 of the dual rapid chargers, but use the single standard charger 90%+ of the time; I’ve got a bunch of LXT batteries. I just prefer a slow charger when possible to hopefully get better life out of the battery.
I might need to look into this extreme slow charger with my theory!
Munklepunk
Charging speed doesn’t effect battery life. Charge cycles and heat are the two biggest factors. Keeping them cool while charging is the biggest priority, that’s why they all have a big fan and refuse to charge outside of certain temperature ranges.
It’s the same misconception I hear people state about not charging or discharging their phone all the way to prevent battery damage. Phones already do that, they stop charging around 90% and shut off at around 15% to prevent battery damage. Tool battery do the same.
Lance
“ Charging speed doesn’t affect battery life. Charge cycles and heat are the two biggest factors.”
Charging faster generates more heat. According to your logic, that will decrease battery life. Just ask any company who doesn’t put fans in their chargers.
Franco Calcagni
“Charging faster generates more heat. According to your logic, that will decrease battery life.”…this is correct, but as Munklepunk stated, the fans are there to keep the battery at lower temperature.
The more rapid a charger is, the more heat the battery generates. It is also similar to discharging, the test where the have 50 lag belts setup and they race to drive them in, this rapid use/discharge also causes batteries to heat up.
When you put a hot battery on a “smart” charger, it will cool it down before charging it, and will continue to fan/cool the battery while charging to keep heat low.
Slow charging keeps batteries from heating up, but my understanding it has no bearing on making the batteries last longer…as was the case with lead/acid batteries.
Lithium, in the technology we have now, can support whatever rapidity of charging, without battery degradation, as long as a certain temperature is maintained. (I am not sure what is optimal temperature, and when it becomes detrimental)
Peter
Hi ,I have the rapid charger,the new small charger ,and my old standard charger,this is my main one, the charge time is fine on this ,never had any problem with 14v ,18v and batteries I,ve built/fixed myself
Matthew
Its fine for domestic use witch is what most of these kits are aimed at.
Biggest thing going for it is it’s the only wall mountable charger they make.
I do wish that Makita would follow Milwaukee range of charges and make them easily wall mountable.
Stuart
2-tool combo kits priced well above $300 are not typically aimed at home users.
Franco
45 minutes VS 215 is a BIG difference, but for most uses, probably won’t make a difference. Few exceptions, for me, I remember building a deck with 4 others helping. Two were just driving 3 1/2″ screws, and one other just cutting. Even with multiple fast chargers, the batteries were charging fast enough to keep up with the ones needing a charge. Only because so many extra batteries, we did not need to stop.
This, at least for me, was a rare occurrence. Usually with less people, no one is just driving screw after screw. They need to take measurements, fetch material, maybe also cut. The 45 minute rapid chargers can easily keep up in this kind of scenario. The 215 minute charger, not sure.
Franco Calcagni
Error, not 215 minutes but 2 hours 15 minutes, which translate to 135 minutes. Not as bad as originally interpreted. Not great but could work for many instances.
Lance
I’ve been using the Makita oil impulse driver to strap a large roof prior to steel going on. It’s a very inefficient tool from a battery life perspective, but it’s quiet. Having said that, I can drive 2.5” deck screws pretty steady for 2-3 hours on a single 5Ah battery. A regular impact driver would last even longer.
I can’t imagine too many jobs that would allow an impact driver to consistently drain 5Ah batteries in less than 2 hours. Maybe strapping if you had two other guys cutting and positioning for you, lol.
Stuart
It depends on what you’re doing. Deck screws go in a lot easier than lag screws.
A lot of people buy a kit or combo kit and then expand with bare tools, such as saws, vacuums, and such. You can’t do that here – you’d have to factor in the additional expense for another charger.
Chip
Makita chargers have always been different, playing music when charged (with an option of multiple tunes),first I believe usb port…. but most importantly, no way to hang them.
Bosch chargers really left a sour taste in my mouth in ’19.
Was helping to fill a boat with tools for the Bahamas after a hurricane.
Lowes gave us a discount, and I bought a 4pc 18v set with two 4ahr batteries.
It took 6 hours to charge a single battery, so I took that kit back and bought dewalt I believe.
In order of priorities for a charger.
#1 must charge in a decent amount of time,fans really help in this.
#2 a way to physically mount it.
#3 usb is not that important.
#4 music playing is absolutely ,not important
Around 2004ish,Ridgid had tools that would run on 18 or 24v batteries, they were open in the center with ss vent covers…and first fancooled chargers.
Still have a Bosch 24v (first ever) cordless mitersaw,but got rid of 36volt and first available 7 1/4 circular saw.
24/28/and first 36 volt.
Very interesting times.
Mischa Grancich
Makita 40v XGT Charger is mountable.
Rob
Stuart beating the dead horse so I don’t have to.
Mr.Ditschy
Das neue WC wird von der Herstellung günstiger als die anderen sein und somit in günstigen Setangebote entscheidend.
Übersicht Ladeströme der aktuellen Makita Ladegeräte:
DC18WC = 2,1A
DC18SD / DC 18SH / DC18SF / DC18SE = 2,6A
DC18RC / DC18RD = 9A
DC18RF = 12A
Jim Premo
I have 45 lxt 18v 5ah batteries. I use dual rapid chargers at home to charge 5 to 10 batteries per day. This charger is useless for anyone
Makita needs a tool line for non professionals like the green Bosch line sold in Europe.
BGroves
Makita should have released the slow charger in white only which used to differentiate the homeowner tools from the big boy tools.
Stuart
Like their entry level 18V tools used to be? Good idea.