We've come a long way from sweat and a screwdriver. A hundred years ago, builders would never have envisioned a tool as powerful and efficient as this one. Heck, even 20 years ago. Science has ushered battery technology along, and the LXT Lithium-Ion system that powers this impact driver has a ton of advantages over standard NiMH or NiCad batteries. The Lithium-Ion technology means 1,400 battery life cycles, longer run time, lighter weight, a great reduction in the self-discharge rate and built-in shock-absorbing features to protect your battery.
But perhaps the coolest innovation is what Makita calls its 45-minute Optimum Charger. It actually talks to the batteries it charges throughout the cycle, using a built-in memory chip in the battery and, believe it or not, a CPU chip in the charger itself, which analyzes the data stored in the battery chip to decide on the best charging method at that time.
The hammer drill/ driver itself is fairly compact and lightweight, yet it's packing a powerful 560 in./lbs. of torque. It's got a super speed range of 0 to 300 rpm in low gear, 0 to 600 in mid-range and 0 to 1,700 rpm in top gear. But look at the numbers in hammer mode: up to 4,500 blows per minute in low gear, to 9,000 in mid-range and an astounding 0 to 25,500 in third gear. Wow. Sometimes, you may encounter a little resistance if you're switching directly from low gear to high; if that happens, running the tool in mid-gear for a couple seconds completely alleviates any snag.
Switching from drill to drive mode is done with a simple push of the Shift-Lock™ switch.
We really like the integrated worklight, too: It illuminates as soon as you pull the trigger, and it stays on for 10 seconds or so after you release the trigger, too - a handy little feature.
Makita's always made ergonomically positive tools that feel good in your hand and take the strain off your body, and this one's no exception. The slightly curved grip is so comfortable, and the auxiliary handle gives you a super-secure hold on this powerful tool. It's an absolute pleasure to use and would be a great choice for a contractor, woodworker or exacting DIY-er. --Kris Jensen-Van Heste
What's in the Box
Driver/drill, two LXT Lithium-Ion 3.0Ah batteries, 45-minute optimum charger, screwdriver bits, tool case
my first drill, and what a power house it is
This is the first personal drill that I have purchased. I did a lot of research online and scruitinized the different brands and finally settled on this one. I went to home depot to get a good feel and look up close on some of what they offered. Thats when i spotted this baby. I have personally used my father's dewalt 14.4V xrp series drill/driver and got a chance to drill and drive screws with the milwaukee v28 drill. I have read reviews on all the major cordless power hitters including hitachi, panasonic, hilti, milwaukee, bosch, makita, and dewalt.
I was even thinking of buying the 18V makita 8444 mxt nimh power drill because it's spec torque was also 560 inch pounds. This drill looks great and i hope it won't let me down. I have registered it and expect NOT to have to use the 3 year warranty it comes with. It's made in japan so I'm hopeful the quality and durability is just as good as on a honda or toyota. It has arm twisting power in low gear and if you try to hold the chuck still while depressing the trigger you'll burn your skin trying to do so. I did like a dumbass trying to see if i could stop the drill's torque. i hope this helps whomever is looking into buying this drill.
Permalink
7/6/2006
So far everything has worked great.
I have used it around the house and on small projects and still using the same battery. I used it to mix some mortar in a 3 gallon bucket without any problems. It has great power and a long lasting battery compared to most other cordless drills I have used. It is definitely heavy to carry around for bigger jobs and although I appreciate the attempt of giving me a light I wish they would have adjusted it to point on the tip instead of around it, it actually makes it a little more difficult to see the screw head or hole in low light situations.
10/25/2007
I love it!
I needed a new drill for a couple of big home renovation projects and bought this based on the review in fine homebuilding. I was also attracted to the fact that lithium-ion batteries are a lot less toxic to manufacture and dispose of. the drill has been fantastic-- even better than i hoped. great power, balance, ease of use, and battery life.
1/14/2007
The Bonber
Great tool , couldn't ask for any better. Maybe a tad on the heavy side , but I love it.
1/18/2008
great tools lxt 18 volt.
we run a gutter installs all day with this light weight tool ti runs great. scott
12/11/2007
Great Drill
Purchased this drill last fall before beginning to replace the aluminum wiring in my 40 year old home. It replace a 15 year old (approx.) 9.6 volt Makita which still worked fine; but it needed new batteries. It seemed a good time to trade up.
The new drill is about 1 pound heavier than my previous drill. Considering that I've moved from 9.6 to 18 volts and added a hammer function this seems to be a quite reasonable tradeoff. While noticeably heavier the new drill seems better balanced than the old drill (stick battery in the handle). I didn't find it tiring to use.
In the past several months I have done a lot of heavy drilling and also drove a lot of dry-wall screws. The drill has all the power I needed to make short work of up to 1" holes often through multiple 2x4's. Since I often moved between drilling and driving screws I liked the ability to make that change quickly without changing the clutch setting.
Someone else commented on chuck run-out and holding power. I didn't experience either of these problems. However, most of my drilling was done with a set of old Craftsman spade bits that had terrible run-out as purchased. My father was a machinist at the time I purchased the bits and re-ground the forged drill flats true to the axis of the bit solving this problem. It also gives me bits that I know run true as a fair test of a chuck. There are a lot of bad bits out there.
My biggest disappointment was the case. The case my drill arrived in was designed to hold both the drill and an impact wrench. It is huge. Since I didn't purchase the impact wrench about 40-50% of the space is wasted. I did buy the Makita 18v flash light. It doesn't seem like it would have taken much creativity to design a case that would hold the drill and either the impact wrench or the light. (Listening out there Makita??) The only other complaint is the lack of adjustability of the light. I did a fair amount of work in dark (overhead) spaces. The light is fine when using the (longer) spade bits. But when I was driving screws with a short Phillips bit the light was no help at all.
Overall this is a great drill and I look forward to using it for a long time.
2/11/2008
Compare
Shopping Cart
