Is the cordless Makita Brushless motor worth the added cost?

[scott vroom]

I need to replace my Makita hammer driver/drill and impact driver. Considering the Makita brushless motor. Is it worth the added cost? Do brushless drain batteries slower?

Also looking at buying a couple of 5AH Makita lithium-ion batteries. Used on construction job sites where power not always convenient for recharge. I have 3AH now, was looking into the 4AH but several reviewers said the 4AH is same size as 3AH and doesn't seem to last any longer. 5AH are getting good reviews....and are pricey.

Thanks

Scott

[Doug Garson]

For what it's worth, here's a video on the advantages of the brushless technology, not sure if all the features of the drill tested apply to the Makita drills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-jwaSELVvs

[Martin Wasner]

Now that brushless is available in cordless tools, I wouldn't go any other way. More efficient, more power, more tolerance for getting wet, and a longer life expectancy. There's no down side other than a slightly higher entry fee.

[Mike Kees]

I agree with Martin. I have milwaukee m18 tools, and the ones that are not brushless yet soon will be. I am a full time carpenter and use my cordless stuff on a daily basis, my first brushless tool was an impact driver that I bought three and a half years ago. Using this tool and comparing it to my other ones has been more than enough to convince me that the extra cost is more than worth it.

[Rich Riddle]

I have both sets of Makita tools, brushes and brushless. Home Depot sold the brushless for the same price some time ago, so it was worth it. I do use the brushless more often but don't notice any discernible difference but I don't typically drain batteries out. If it costs a lot more, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Greg R Bradley]

Makita makes a variety of Brushed and Brushless Drill/Driver, Hammer Drills, and Impact Drivers. The most powerful in each are Brushless but there are mid power Brushless at least in the impacts. I recently did a big remodel of my business where I used 4 different Makita Impacts with different size bits in each. Not a huge difference but the one 3 speed brushless is nice for small stuff since you can turn down the power. That makes it more versatile.

Makita has 3ah, 4ah, 5ah, and 5ah with battery gauge. All the same size and about the same weight. New 3ah work better than old 3ah. The 4ah lasts noticeably longer and the 5 longer than that. It is very clear but not terribly important for many tools. HD has two 3ah for $99 right now but a 5ah is really nice with the big portable fan or chainsaw.

[Eric Schmid]

In a word, yes.

I have early Panasonic impact drivers that are brushless. They are probably 8 years old and used in construction. The batteries are original 3Ah. They still outlast new 3Ah batteries on brushed Dewalt drivers. The brushless have never been in for service. The brushed drill that came with the Panasonic driver has been repaired 2x during that same period.

One of my vendors had a pile of burnt up brushed drivers on their counter when I walked in one day. Apparently they had a customer doing some high demand work that was burning new impact drivers up in a week or two. The customer switched over to brushless and the returns stopped.