Makita 193158-3 14.4V (2.6Ah) Ni-MH Battery

the best price ^M
the best most popular battery!

Short battery life

Being in the remodeling/handyman business, I use my Makita cordless nearly every day. The drill itself is almost indestructable. The batteries on the other hand leave much to be desired. I am on my 4th pair of batteries in just three years. The last set barely made 6 months before they quit holding charge. As they are now they may drive 4-6 screws before they quit.^M
^M
The majority of my tools are Makita, they are tough to beat. However, I am having a hard time justifying buying these batteries so often.

Can't complain a bit

Although my original 2 NiMH batteries are now shot, and the replacements aren't cheap, I can't complain. I've had the drill over 6 years now. Used it for a year, still ok. Then drove a couple of thousand tile backerboard screws, still ok. Used it to mix bucket after bucket of tile mud and grout, still ok. I then used it to build my entire 400 sq ft deck, drilled every hole and drove every deck screw, still ok. Recharged the batteries hundreds of times and when they finally went south they did it pretty quickly and both at the same time. Since this drill refuses to die, I'll gladly feed it two more batteries.