Customer Reviews

Makita BCL180W 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Vacuum Kit

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For some 10 years or so I have been using the earlier Makita cordless stick broom with the 7.2 volt nickel cadmium, removable battery.
It works well, and in fact I still have it.
The big problem is the very expensive, low-quality batteries that Makita and competitors sell. It doesn't matter whether you buy branded or non-branded batteries. Over the ten years I must have spent over $300 on them. The vacuum is designed for a 7.2 volt battery but it also takes the 9.6 volt version, which I used for the extra suction.
But after 6 to 9 months, the battery would go flat in a week, even when not in use. Soon after that it would not hold a charge for even a few days, and I had to buy another, for about $40.

So now I have bought the Makita BCL180 kit. It was on sale from Amazon for about $140, including the charger and one 18 volt, 1.5 Ampere-hour battery. This was the lowest price around, by far.
As soon as I began using it I saw that it had been designed for a short, Japanese user, and I, at 5ft 9in, was too tall for it, and had to bend over it to run it.
Not good.
But there is a solution: Home Depot sells a stick vacuum made by Ridgid, and you can buy the parts for it. The wands for both vacuums are identical in diameter, and are therefore interchangeable. So, for $6.50 each I bought 2 extension wands and pushed them together for a perfect, friction fit. I set the Makita wands aside, in case a shorter person volunteers to do the vacuuming!.

Note: Because the vacuums are not made in America, they use metric dimensions for their wands. Our regular 3/4 inch and 1 inch PVC pipes won't fit.
But with the two, Ridgid extension wands, Voila! Plenty long, and in fact too long, so I sawed some 4-1/2 inches off one of them, and the result, for me, is perfect. A shorter person would just use the Makita wands that came with the kit.
This friction-fit of the two wands -- both the Makita and Ridgid versions -- results in their separating in use, and the whole thing collapses. So I locked them together with a simple, self-tapping screw where the wands join, and that was the end of that problem.

Battery Life:
From experience with the earlier stick vacuum I knew I would need a spare battery, so I bought one from Amazon while I was at it. I didn't know it, but the one that is sold separately has twice the capacity of the battery that comes with the kit, so this should give me lots of power. Even so, I'll use the charger to top up the battery that's not in use. The charger allows this.
Note: Makita says don't let the battery run flat, or its capacity will be reduced. They mean it and you have been warned, so when the vacuum slows down, STOP. Either recharge the battery or switch to your spare.

General:
The filter can be washed and dried, although it may be a good idea to have a spare. They're only $2 or so.
The Makita BCL180 has good suction, and I have noticed an improvement in the appearance of rugs, for example. I recommend it.

Overall, I like this vac, but I expected more for the price.

First, the Pros: 1) longer handle than other cordless models by Black & Decker, Eureka, etc. I was able to reach the floor with the long section attached with a little bending (I'm 5' 11"); this is a big convenience, as opposed to crawling on the floor or constantly bending up & down to reach low spots.
2) the suction got weaker pretty fast, which I thought was some kind of problem, but when I checked the dirt bin, it was full; I'm amazed at how much it sucked up so quickly.
3) it's easy to get the dirt bin off, just twist & pull. Fortunately, it has a raised edge in that area, which allows easier gripping of the section to be removed.
4) the swivel head of the floor piece makes it easy to maneuver quickly.
5) the battery charged quickly in about 20 minutes, very good compared with some other vacs.

Next, the Cons: 1) I received multiple shocks to the finger that was gripping the on/off switch, & some were pretty painful. Dry conditions? Possibly, but who cares? That's the condition I have to use it in, & I'm sure that there are far drier environments than Long Island in the spring. The shocks did reduce & then disappeared after a few minutes of use, but quite an unpleasant experience. None of my other cordless vacs have had this problem.
2) the wand/extensions/tools all collected debris due to static, which is common to many other devices that use plastic materials; for this money, I somehow expected a material that wouldn't produce as much static, but it's the same as the cheaper models in this regard.
3) the instruction manuals (one for using the vac, & another for charging the battery), are written in grammatically poor English, which makes some parts difficult to understand. Makita is a big enough company to afford manual writers with a better command of English.

Overall, I can't recommend this product, due to the shocking issue. If someone has a solution for this, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

To be able to do a quick vacuum with terrific suction and without having to mess with cords and a heavy machine, is incredible REFRESHING! Especially when you have 3 small children who keep you on the run with CRUMBS and tracking stuff in from outside!!! Some people have complained about the switch you have to keep your finger on to keep it on, I find it convenient. It's where my finger would be anyhow and it's a very light push to keep it going. It allows me to turn it on and off very quickly. When I come to something I do not want vacuumed, I can skip over it more easily. The battery charges very fast and it runs for a good 15 to 20 minutes. This is great when compared to my old one that took hours to charge and never seems to be ready when Iwas ready nor did it have the suction that this one has. I gave up on that vacuum and just went to a broom. The day this vacuum came, I had just finished sweeping. I decided to run it over the floors anyhow and it was kinda sad that there was a lot of dirt when I emptied it. It's a bit expensive, but you do get what you pay for...most of the time...

This is the best cordless, hand held vacuum I have ever used. Suction is superior to any others I have owned or tried. All small vacs like this are noisy, but this one is less so than others. Design is simple, straightforward, practical. The floor tool is especially well designed. Even the switch is in the right place.
If you have other tools that use the Makita 18 v. lithium-ion battery system, this is an even-more perfect choice. The 3 amp-hour battery will work as well as the 1.5 ah for even longer time between charges.
One caveat, the size of the intake port is not standard (slightly smaller than 1 1/4"), so you can only use the tools that come with it.

This is hands down the BEST cordless vacuum you can buy. After doing research and going through several Black & Decker rechargeable Dustbuster's THIS IS THE KING. I purchased the Compact Makita Cordless Drill & Impact set and saw this later on and was intrigued since this will use the same batteries. I was sold on it after Consumer Reports did a test on this and it outscored other comparable models. The floor extension is genius and floats from hardwood to carpet. Although it will not work well on shaggy carpets. DO NOT BE DECEIVED...this vacuum will pick up nuts. bolts, pretty much anything that will fit in the opening. I have done numerous house renovations and this vacuum worked flawlessly! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Purchasing a second one for my Mother In Law who fell in love with it the second she tried it. All they need to do now is create a cradle or mount so this can be place somewhere instead of just leaning against the wall.

As the queen of cordless vacuums, I was so ready to buy something other than Black & Decker. B&W products always have a major flaw and die, even though they generally work quite well in the short term. This Makita seems to be something special. It does literally charge in 15 minutes and is very powerful. I hope the lithium-ion battery lives up to its promises. So nice to have a hand-held vac that also has the attachment to allow you to stand up while vacuuming cat litter and still be powerful. I'm also able to vacuum the cat litter mat without it being sucked up into the vacuum as normally happens with a corded vac. Also does well on carpet although I am looking forward to more attachments as shown in the manual. So far so great.

I question the need to have a trigger switch to keep the power on. This vacuum is not a piece of shop equipment or a lawn mower. You can't chop off a body part while using it. As long as the switch remains inside the handle and could be switched off immediately, that would seem to be much easier then having to constantly hold down the on/off switch to keep it running. That said, if they come out with a second model that has more attachments, I would definitely buy a second unit. It is that good. I also appreciate the fact that they sell their tools separately for those whom already own a lithium ion battery. That is a very customer friendly way to do business.

I bought this one because sometimes I just need a really quick vacuum in small areas. I have an Dyson vacuum but its electric cord wrapped around the hose makes it time consuming to use.
My wife is really happy with the vacuum because she can use it in the kitchen every time needed. One early morning, I heard the vacuum was running. Turned out, it's my 5-year daughter cleaning up her room. I strongly recommend this product.
The filter inside could get dirty but I use a Dyson to clean the filter and put it back in.

The Makita BCL180W Cordless Vacuum Kit is perfect for that quick clean up job. With it's light weight, and without any of the bending necessary with most hand-held vacs or of the demands of cords, my injuries are no longer an impediment to the job. The charge holds long enough for me to clean my small home, the battery recharges quickly enough for me, the bag removes and empties easily, i find the design erganomic. I remove the extension for greater suction when needed. Great value for my money.
But it's not perfect; there is no "lock" for the power button; i have to keep my finger on it the duration of its use which can tire my hand but then that goes to show the stamina of the battery - it'll outlast me. which, in retrospect, i'm not sure is saying much! but there you have it. And the only way i know the battery is dwindling is when the suction starts to weaken. it would be nice to have an indicator light.
Overall, I highly recommend this.

I have been hoping for years to replace my corded vac with a cordless, now I am able to vacuum my 1500 sq foot house, tile and wood floors, with this vac. I have the 3 ah batteries. A few things to note:
1.To conserve battery power it does not have a constant ON switch, as batteries improve I would like to have a constant ON swich.
2.I had to add another extension piece to comfortably walk around the house vacuuming without bending down, a standard vacuum extension off my old vacuum fits but you could buy one anywhere.
3. you could use two batteries and swap them when it runs down, I just put the battery on charge between rooms, by the time I Swiffer or move furniture it is charged up.
4.Little rollers on the bottom get full of hair, they can be popped out with flat blade screw driver and cleaned.

I just bought this vacuum and I'll have to say it is a great lightweight tool. It picks up debris very well and is easy to reach under chairs, etc. The only criticism I have so far is I wish they would have put an auto-lock on the unit. It fatigues my hand a little to have to compress the trigger button constantly but I have a lot of hardwood floor and it is not uncommon for me to wear the battery out on one use. Great unit overall.