Makita 18 v Li-On cordless drill and impact driver?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm not a fan of cordless tools but I have to admit, a coworker steered me to a Makita 14.4v cordless drill some 7-10 years ago and it's been a champ! The batteries however, have gone to pot and the charges last just a few minutes. It's time to replace them.

Specifically does anyone have the Makita 18v lithium-ion compact drill and the compact impact driver? HD has a combo set for $229 with 2 batteries, charger and with my veterans discount, I can walk out the door with theset for $206.

If you have either one do you like it?

Thanks.

[Sean Nagle]

I've had the very same set for three years now. I'm quite pleased with it. I bought the Makita after having several DeWalt 12V and 14V Nicad drills. The Makita charges are pretty quick and hold a charge better then my old Nicad drills did. The Makita has good power and is lighter weight than the DeWalt drills. I felt the DeWalt gave me a bit more control, but it just took getting used to the Makita. I have never really been able to master the impact driver and I never think of reaching for it when driving screws [more of a construction application than fine woodworking]. The LED is nice to have, but could have been aimed a little better since the chuck casts a shadow right where you're working. I paid about the same for the set three years ago. Bottom line, I would recommend it without any reservations over anything else available right now.

[Mikail Khan]

I started off with the compact drill/driver 1.5Ah and I upgraded to the 3.0 Ah version when it was on sale. Both are excellent. The 3.0 Ah version is significantly heavier than the compact version.

The compact batteries recharge in 15 minutes.

MK

[William Burgess]

I have the 18v compact lith ion pack drill/driver and impact driver. I have been pretty happy with them. I only just got them for Christmas, and they replaced the 18 v ryobi ones I had (which were also pretty good). I have used them maybe 10-15 times and have no major problems. No major jobs, mainly wood screws and some deck screws. I bought them on the great reviews amazon has for them. The set I have is the Makita LCT200W.

William

[Greg R Bradley]

I have many Makita LXT 18v tools. They are excellent. I do wonder if they are a bit larger than what you might want for woodworking. I use most of mine for heavier duty stuff and use my Bosch 12v (10.8v) for most lighter duty work. For example, I was installing a bunch of 2x6 structural Doug Fir lumber last night. The Makita Impact was able to drive the Spax 1/4"x4" contruction screws easily without predrilling. These have the larger 3ah batteries but I could drive 40 on a battery. I was driving #14x4" with the Bosch 12v Impact with no problem. Do you need this much power or would you be happier with something lighter?

[Bryan Wellman]

I have 9 of the 18v tools and love them all. The impact is my goto for everything I do. It's small lightweight (considering) and will drive dang near anything. Couldn't recommend it more. I will say I was a tad disappointed with the white "home use" ones the few times I've used them. I should say the drill driver. The impact is nearly the same specs. The extra battery on the 3.0ah is nice when you're doing alot.

Another option is the Milwaukee 12v stuff. I have the impact driver and must say, it drives a mean screw. Definitely need two batteries though since the 12v 1.4ah batteries will get drained rather quick under constant use.

[Carl Beckett]

I have the white drill/driver, the larger hammer drill/driver, and the circ saw. They are all great tools and my older Dewalt and Craftsman drivers/saw sit idle. My favorite is the smaller white drill/driver - plenty of power for most jobs and takes the larger 3.0 batteries, but lighter for working overhead and shorter/smaller for tighter spaces.

Although I do like the tools, I have had batteries go dead. Two different chargers so it doesnt seem to be the charger. About 4 batteries dead so far (out of about 10 total), and after limited use, both 3.0 and 1.5 sizes have failed. At $60+ each to replace a battery, and getting less than a year out of the batteries, this is a consideration. I have posted to a few forums trying to learn if there is a usage habit that is causing failure, but havent found the magic touch.

[Kevin Neal]

I purchased the Makita drill/impact driver set on Black Friday and so far I've very pleased. Never having had an impact driver, I am still amazed at this little wonder. The only downside of these tools, as compared to my old NiCad drill, is that they do not come with a spare bit holder. I miss having a place to store an extra bit on the tool. You can purchase one that attaches to the side, but it seems such a shame to not supply it in the box.

[John Coloccia]

I have the 18v compact lith ion pack drill/driver and impact driver. I have been pretty happy with them. I only just got them for Christmas, and they replaced the 18 v ryobi ones I had (which were also pretty good). I have used them maybe 10-15 times and have no major problems. No major jobs, mainly wood screws and some deck screws. I bought them on the great reviews amazon has for them. The set I have is the Makita LCT200W.

William

The LCT200W is what I have too, except I have the one that came with the dorky light....which I've actually used and isn't bad! It's the perfect size for work around the workshop. I use mine all the time. If they somehow broke or were stolen, I would go out and grab the exact same set.

The impact driver IS a bit powerful for fine woodworking, as someone else mentioned, but it's invaluable for driving screws into a stud or tossing together a jig, for example. The trigger is nice enough that I can pretty easily finesse screws that don't need all that torque. Since there's no real feedback, you really need to be on top of it no matter what screws you're driving.

[Larry Frank]

I have that set and absolutely love it. The batteries charge quickly and last a goodly length of time. The clutch on the drill works well and I use the impact driver for deck screws. I like the low weight and how it feels in my hands.

I would buy it again in a minute.

[Leo Graywacz]

I have 2 of the white and black compact drills. No problems with them and I highly recommend them. I also have the mini 10.8v drill and impact. These are my go to drivers in the shop. Very lightweight and small enough to get into cramped cabinets.

I'd like to get another set of the mini's, just to have another impactor.

I'd also like to get a 18v impactor for out in the field.

[michael osadchuk]

I also have the black and white 18 volt, 1.5amp lithium battery Makita drill and driver duo and endorse it heartily.

Yes, it does not come with a place on the drills where you can stash a couple of bits or a belt clip (for the latter I bought a generic clip from Lee Valley).

I find the 1.5amp battery fine both in power and duration; no doubt a 3amp battery provides more time but the trade off is a bit more weight and a bit larger form and one of the big advantages of almost all of these 18 v. lion dual packs is the ultra small form that allows you to use a power drill in cramped spaces.

The light is especially good in that it is well focussed stays on for five seconds or so after releasing the trigger.

There have been great reviews of them on the ToolsoftheTrade website and recently in FineWoodworking.

If you are not familar with lithium batteries, look up a free access online book on batteries at www.batteryuniversity.com; ; lithium batteries apparently have a few differences from nicads: they don't like heat, do have a finite shelf life (so no point in buying batteries won't put into service in a timely manner) and do maintain a fuller charge between regular charges than nicads.....

good luck

michael

[John Coloccia]

The light is especially good in that it is well focussed stays on for five seconds or so after releasing the trigger.


I almost forgot about the light. You wouldn't believe how useful the light is now that is stays on for a few seconds after releasing the trigger! I just tap the trigger before starting, and I have light right where I need it. The ones where the light just come on with the trigger pushed are pretty useless, and the one on my Hitachi (where I have to manually turn it on) is just too inconvenient for a lazy guy like me :) Makita got it right with that light and for the first time I'm finding it to actually be quite useful!

[Caleb Larru]

I'm not a fan of cordless tools but I have to admit, a coworker steered me to a Makita 14.4v cordless drill some 7-10 years ago and it's been a champ! The batteries however, have gone to pot and the charges last just a few minutes. It's time to replace them.

Specifically does anyone have the Makita 18v lithium-ion compact drill and the compact impact driver? HD has a combo set for $229 with 2 batteries, charger and with my veterans discount, I can walk out the door with theset for $206.

If you have either one do you like it?

Thanks.

Ken, I bought the set when they first came out and I think I paid around $260 for the kit. Putting it as simply as I can, it was one of my top 5 tool purchases. I use them almost every day and they perform like they were brand new.

I also have the same kit in the dewalt brand but I find myself reaching for the makita most of the time.

[Scott Francis]

I have both and love them both. They are both great tools, I haven't used my corded drill since the day I bought the kit. I also got the circular saw and sawzall. The circular saw works great but is a killer on the batteries, the sawzall is convenient but the power isn't there like it is on my corded milwaukee.

I don't think you can go wrong with that deal, great tools. I never used an impact until I got the set and now can't live without it. I haven't stripped a screw since I've started using it. You can drive 3" deck screws with ease without predrilling, its amazing.

[Devon Shannon]

As everyone has said the set is excellent. I got mine just last month and highly recommend them. The best sale price I've seen was $189.00 shipped on the River "deal of the day" thing. So, if you can get the set for $206, I think you'd be getting a good price.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks folks! I'll be grabbing my DD-214 to prove I'm a U.S. Navy veteran and going to HD tomorrow! Thanks again!

[Steve Griffin]

HI Ken,
I've had my eye on these for years, but keep forgetting to buy them.

If I was a carpenter, I'd have them for sure.

For around the shop use, I much prefer smaller drills. In fact, I have 6 total small drills for me and my employees. Reaching in a cabinet, it's hard to beat a little 12 volt lithium or my workhorse 9.6 volt makitas.

For drilling big holes, I reach for the corded drill. Sure, I have to plug it in. But then I'm done--no baby sitting chargers and batteries, no buying expensive replacement batteries. And I still gots more power and speed....

Still, someday I will pick up a 18v set. It's just not a high priority purchase.

-Steve

[Gerald Senburn]

I came across this review (http://www.thewoodnerd.com/reviews/li-drills.html) of some 18v drills last year. I ended up getting the bosch because he said it was small and well balanced, I've been super-happy with it.