Ever been caught away from home without a cell phone wall charger and a dead or about to die cell phone? Luckily for you if you have Makita 18V batteries, there is aMakita 18V Power Source that runs off your18V Makita power tool batteries so you can charge your cell phone or tablets on the go.
This is not a big deal as most power tool companies offer some kind of power source that can charge mobile devices with power tool batteries. This is a big deal if you are a Makita customer, as it has not been possible until recently.
TheMakita 18V Power Source attaches over your existing Makita 18V lithium ion slide pack batteries and provides hours of juice to charge your mobile devices on the go via a couple of onboard USB charging ports. TheMakita18V Power Source offers 2.1 amps to quickly charge your devices and 2.1 amps per USB port. This is huge because you can charge two mobile devices at once. Other battery powered power sources will split the output in half if they have 2 USB ports available and both are being used simultaneously. Not all do but some such as the Dewalt 20V power source split the total amp output between both USB ports reducing the charge speed per port if both are used at the same time.
Next on the features list is a handy dandy belt clip so you can conveniently carry tthe power source hands free on your belt while on the go. One thing to keep in mind is that the built in clip is made of plastic instead of metal, so it might not last as long as a metal belt clip but I give them credit for adding one at all when other power sources dont offer one. There are two features that are missing: a fuel gauge like the one found on Dewalt’s 20V power source. One might argue that because Makita now has 18V batteries, a fuel gauge is not necessary on the power source accessory. The problem is that Makita’s 18V batteries are new and not all have one. There is also a lot of Makita 18V non-fuel gauge Makita batteries in circulation. To the general Makita 18V userbase, this will be a missed feature by many for the time being. For added functionality, such as the Dewalt power source that can run on Dewalt 20V or 12V max batteries, it is not mentioned.
This is a great accessory that anyone can add to their Makita 18V power tool collection. It allows you to charge your mobile phones on the move. The power source can be purchased for as low as €30, making it an affordable accessory.
