Customer Reviews

Makita 6347DWDEX1 18 Volt 1/2-Inch MForce Driver-Drill Kit with Heavy Duty Tool Belt and Bags

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wish I never needed to write this review. I am a professional stairbuilder and I have been making a living at woodworking for the past 35+ years now. You can say that I'm a fan of Makita tools. I think the Makita 10 & 12" sliding miter saws are the best on the market. With that said, here's the 'skinny' on the 18 volt Makita cordless drill.

I bought my Makita 18 volt 13 months ago. It replaced a DeWalt that took a fumble off a ladder.... but that was a 'good riddens' type of deal as far as I'm concerned. The Makita was the perfect ticket for me as far as cordless drills went. It wasn't too heavy, had plenty of power and the batteries lasted a long time and charged quickly. The main use of this drill in my business would be driving screws.... all day long most of the time.

My partner liked my drill and he bought one 2 monthes after I did. He loved his also. About 3 months ago, my partner notice that his Makita drill started to 'SLIP' from time to time. We just thought it was the clutch but it got worst and worst. Finally, it just slipped all the time... stripped gear. Now my partner is anal about taking care of his tools as I am so there was NO abuse of this tool. He took it to our local Makita repair shop and had it repaired. It worked fine again.

Now mine started the exact same thing. It starts slowly so it makes you wonder if the clutch isn't working just right... but it gets worst and worst till it is useless. This upset me because I hoped that my partners was just a defect... one in a thousand but NO... I'm afraid this is a problem. Now I must send my Makita off to have it repaired (13 months old... I must pay now)I believe a tool of this caliber should last longer than a year!!! My DeWalt lasted me for 3 years before I broke it.

I know there are people out there using this Makita drill without a problem and I wish I was one of them, but I seen... not one... but 2 of them GO DOWN for the same reason.

I didn't want to give this tool one (1) star. When the Makita is working.... it works great. I gave it (2) stars this means........... I CAN NOT RECOMMEND FOR LONG TERM PROFESSIONAL USE.

R. Dean
Tampa, FL

I've read the other reviews, and YES there is a problem with the gearbox on the earlier produced drills. I have 3 of these drills, and one in three has the failed gearbox, and I blew out a switch in another one. Big deal. Get used to it, switches and batteries ALLWAYS fail on cordless tools. So this means I spend $35-40 for a gearbox, ONCE. The replacement gearboxes don't appear to have the problem of "stripping". I use me drills everyday and I BEAT THE S**T out of them ! No problems. So like everything else in life, it's all a matter of perspective. Personally, unless the drill explodes in my hand , My money goes to Makita. It has for over 25 years. I'm writing this review just for the sake of putting a different light on things for folks. Power tools fail, switches break, gearboxes explode, batteries die, etc.. It's part of life, EVERYTHING breaks!
Written by a regular guy who just happens to use power tools everyday to make a living, day in - day out. IF a tool is junk, I'm not afraid to say so!

This is one of the Best Drills I have ever used...HEAVY DUTY...WELL BALANCED...STONG MOTOR....AWSOME BATTERIES...and to top it off...AMAZON HAD THE BEST DEAL in town on this model.
For $174.99...I got the 18V Mforce Drill,Case,Charger,2 batteries, a $75.00 Tool Belt, $40.00 Work Gloves, a $20.00 coupon on my next Makita purchase.

WHAT A DEAL....I highly recommend this drill to any Professional or DIY GUY.

Maybe I just got luck, but my Makita has not given me any of the problems that some of these other guys have noticed. I use it daily, many times under harsh drilling conditions (thick metal etc), without any problems. Has enough power for most jobs.

I was recently forced into the market for a new drill when my old 14 volt Dewalt drill/driver finally ended its long career. I needed a drill that could be used for work every day and also came with batteries that would not run out of juice multiple times in one project. I have always believed in Dewalt, but with all the reviews in magazines (and friends) being negative on the new line of drills, I decided to do my research. I ended up choosing between Makita and the new Ridgid brands of drills. I bought a Ridgid drill from my local home center due to the fact that they did not carry the 18v Makita. After one day of use, I noticed a spark coming out the side of the drill due to the brushes in the engine. The drill performed very well even with the sparks but still had two additional flaws: battery life and weight. I went on Amazon as soon as I returned home to look into Makita drills. All of my saws and screw guns are Makita and I have never once had a problem. To my delight, Amazon not only had the drill on sale but it also came with a quality tool belt, work gloves, Amazon discount and a Makita rebate!
The bottom line is simply that this Makita is better made than the other drills. It has externally removable brushes that no other drill, at least that I know of offers. The drill is much lighter than others and the batteries can't be matched by anyone but Panasonic. This drill is just an amazing value, especially on Amazon. I would recommend this drill to anyone who is indecisive on what brand to buy for professional use.

I bought this cordless drill two years ago in a kit that included a flashlight, two batteries and a case. It has all the features I need in a tool like this: quick stop, good torque, light weight, two speeds, quickly rechargeable batteries. However, today it shot craps during a routine driving of long wood screws. I'm sure from the symptoms that the gears are stripped in one spot. I use the makita frequently but only for home projects and woodworking, not as a professional. So it should last much longer than two years. I will atempt to buy a replacement gear assembly and put it back in service but I cannot recommend the tool based on this experience. I've noticed at least one other review citing the same failure mode so it must be a design deficiency.

If I were a contractor, I would have probably gone with Milwaukee, but I'm just a garage nut. This drill has been everything I expected and more. Great power, light weight, and a nice feel. I'm happy with it.

I have been very pleased so far with this drill. I work in the shop every day, and use this drill frequently. It has good balance, excellent torque and battery life, and a good feature set. The additional power provided by the higher voltage batteries has been extremely useful in broadening the usage of the tool.

I have had my drill for nearly two years. I am a full-time carpenter {soon to get my license] and woodworker. I really use my tools hard,but take good care of them. They provide my livlihood, and I buy the best. This tool, from the day I got it, sliped from the "locked" position to one of the torque settings. I didn't think much about it, so I twisted it back, and I have done so ever since. It won't stay locked in the drill mode. I have gotten used to it, but as one reviewer noted, it only gets worse. One of the batteries is caput, the other is failing. So, in conclusion, I have every reason to think that this tool has a flaw. What is a fellow to do? My Makita is failing, and I need another drill. I sometimes think I have used every tool and brand known to man, and have an opinion on each one [not true, but....] still, I have to choose,and Makita makes a good drill here. I understand the consequences, but I still choose the Makita battery drill over all the other brands.

This has been my primary tool for use all over the ranch for several years now. Plenty powerful and two batteries allow several hours of use without recharging. Had no use for contractor belt/bags. This tool is larger and heavier than most common driver/drills, but I expected this for a heavy duty workhorse. Would highly recommend this as a high quality tool for many uses.