Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent kit, but durability issues, April 27, 2006
(This is an amendment of my earlier review, based on some feedback from the discussion posts. Thanks M. Black and Stevie Q for your comments. I've also had the kit for 2 years now, which has raised some durability issues.)
My Dewalt cordless drill had served me well, but the batteries were getting weak, and I thought it time to step up to a new technology. There were several choices out there: Panasonic's superb, long-life drills, Hitachi's cool-looking powerhouse, and Milwaukee's 28 v lithium ion kit. Which is the best choice?
I almost bought the Panasonic, which was a great value for the drill alone, certainly from appearances a better buy than the Makita. But I thought I could use the extra tools in the kit. Ultimately, I went for the kit, and I'm glad I did. Put me in the category of those who never had that much use for battery powered tools (other than a drill) because of my perception that they had limited power. I always wanted the biggest, the best. The Makita lithium ion combo kit changed my perception.
First, the drill. That 560 in-lbs of torque is more than enough. It compares favorably to Milwaukee 28 v.'s 600 ft-lbs, and weighs less, only 5.2 lbs. The drill has 3 speed settings, and within each setting you can also vary the speed by pulling the trigger less or more. You have to wonder how they crammed all of that power in such a light tool!
Well, it's not just a drill. Flip the top switch, and it's a hammer drill. I had never used a hammer drill before, always having forced those concrete bits using a regular drill, which worked okay. But as a hammer drill, this Makita tore right through tiles and concrete so fast I had to slow down--deep, fine holes without overheating the bit, and fast. What a pleasure.
All of the Makita tools in this kit have a light that comes on when you start to work. Touch the trigger, and even before the tool starts spinning, your work area is illuminated. If you are working in an area where a lot of shadows are cast, this is a really nice feature. Unlike the Hitachi which also has a light, this light runs right off of your rechargeable battery.
Okay, it was a great drill--for a while. But then I had some problems wabout warranty-expiration time. The drill would not operate at lower speeds. So being a fixer-type, I took mine apart, and found some problem with a pin on a plastic sleeve that is used to change between the 3 speed levels. It was a pretty incredible look inside; I mean lots of gears, and I understood what 4-pole meant--but frankly, the pin in the plastic sleeve was the Achille's heel. So since I was out of warranty, I just bought a drill without a battery for about $80. And it worked really well--for about a year, when the same problem cropped up AGAIN! Sorry Makita, this is a weakness. My Dewalt XRP drill, by contrast, is 10 years old and still runs like thunder.
Now, the circular saw. Initially, I have to say I was impressed. The saw was quite a performer. Though slower than a corded saw, I could rip through several 8-ft pieces of hardwood before draining the battery. The real beauty of the saw is in the quality of cut and control. Whether a cross-cut or a rip, the cut is really smooth, with no wood burns. And the blade guard never gets stuck, even when I'm shaving off the finest amount on an edge. It is so well balanced that I can control it with my left and alone (and I am right-handed). Now, compare this to my monster Skilsaw worm drive. Powerful, yes, but difficult to control, with a lurch when you start it up. Both hands are absolutely necessary. On trimming edges, the blade guard often gets stuck (and this is common on almost every other corded circular saw I have used). So, you have to use your hand to slide up the blade guard while holding the monster with the other, which is difficult. Because it is so powerful and hard to balance, wood burns are common. Keeping it flat on the wood while shaving off the edge is next to impossible. I get much better quality cuts with this Makita. A further advantage is the dust reduction. The Makita, first of all, has a finer kerf blade, 1/16" I think. So, dust is reduced proportionately. Most of the dust exits through a cleverly designed hole in the blade guard in a neat little pile next to the cut, instead of blowing it all over me and the workshop. The texture of the dust is different also; it's not fine dust that blows all over the place, but slightly coarse, so it stays put. Now I won't exactly say that I exit the shop dust-free. But I will say, there's a lot less dust on me, and shop clean-up is a lot easier. And unlike the Panasonic cordless saw, the Makita takes standard arbor diameter blades which you can pick up cheap almost anywhere.
But now, I have some second thoughts about the circular saw. Yes, it can cut a lot, but the rapid discharge can over-heat both the tool and the battery. After one afternoon of a couple of hours of intensive cutting, one of my batteries overheated and was shot--that is, permanently unrechargeable. Not long after that, the saw itself stopped working. When I opened it up, I found a meltdown next to one of the brushes. Sorry--this should not be happening, either to the battery or to the saw. My opinion based on this experience is that the saw is good for 10-15 minutes of moderate load at a time. Beyond that, I would go to a corded circular; otherwise, you can risk ruining both battery and saw. With that caveat, I still love the saw for all of its other attributes.
Finally, the impact driver. What's this? I'd never used one before. Well, it is extremely light to begin with, just over 3 lbs, and puts out 1280 in-lbs of torque, which is over twice that of the drill. By using short bursts of power, it knocks in bolts and heavy duty screws with a lot more ease than your drill, without torquing your arm off. In fact, you hardly feel any torque at all. It's not for every screw, because it has no clutch, so it will break off screws and bolts that can't handle the 1280 in-lbs. Reversable too, so great for changing tires. I've driven #12 screws into 2" of hardwood without so much as a starter hole. It's the tool to use when a lot of torque is required.
By comparison, the Milwaukee 28 lithium ion impact driver delivers 600 in-lbs of torque. At first, I was very impressed by the extra power of the Makita. But in the end, I found that the extra torque actually ended up breaking a lot of bolts and screws. So in the end, I find myself using the drill instead of the impact driver. Overall, I actually wish that the Makita driver had LESS torque, closer to the Milwaukee. Comparing weight, Milwaukee's impact driver weighs over 8 lbs vs. 3.3 lbs for Makita's impact driver and 5.2 lbs for Makita's drill. The hammer drill and this impact drill combined will pretty much takes care of all of my drilling and screwing needs.
The set also comes with a light, which will stand up anywhere and which you can use to illuminate your work area. With all 3 tools providing their own light, I've never used it in the shop. But as a flashlight it's great-lightweight, and 5 hours of run-time on a charge, and the xenon bulb is very bright. I am currently living in Uganda, where we have power outages every other day. So this light gets a lot of use. The fact that I never have to buy batteries becomes a real plus. You can stand it upright and point it at a white ceiling and it will illuminate the entire room. If you need a broad area lit up for some reason, it does quite a good job. The head is adjustable, so you can point it perpendicularly or at a 135 degree angle as well.
I also got the reciprocating saw as a free offer with this purchase. I like it. It seems less prone to overloading than the circular saw, and has a very solid and comfortable feel. I've used it extensively to cut galvanized pipe and half-inch hardened steel bolts. It has proven reliable and easy to control, provided my pieces are well clamped.
Milwaukee has a 28 v lithium-ion set. Milwaukee's 28 v are good if you are doing exceptionally heavy work, and you will get more done on those massive 28 v batteries. But I can't imagine doing much more than cutting through thick, dense tropical hardwoods, which my Makita does just fine. And the Makita tools weigh less-a LOT less. Makita's battery charge time is 45 minutes vs. Milwaukee's 60 minutes. Using the two batteries, I have never been lacking for power between charges. Since the Makita gives me more than enough power, it was a good choice for me. Recently I note that Milwaukee is selling a lot of reconditioned lithium ion equipment and not the new equipment. Maybe there were some bugs to be worked out. I've been working the Makita tools daily for about 4 months now with no problems.
What about those lithium ion batteries? All indications are that they are supposed to take a lot more recharges than even NiMH, and the weight savings contribute to the ergonomic beauty of this whole set. There is a great discussion at the Tool Barn website on this set, including the advantages/disadvantages of lithium ion batteries, and it is worth a read. Apparently, some believe that they can lose amp-hours over time, even if not in use. Makita denies this. Their charger is fan-cooled to control the effects of overheating on battery life, and it charges them up full in 45 minutes, which I can verify. The 3 amp-hours will go a long, long way on everything but the circular saw.
I've used my batteries for 2 years now. One burned out due to my circular saw; the other is still going strong, and had to do double-duty for a while, until I got a replacement for the one fried one. So, I think I am confident in my belief that Makita's lithium-ion claims are probably true.
In conclusion--if you want a set that is...
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best I've used., March 10, 2006
I have an old Craftsman 18V drill and saw combo that I've used since 1997. They worked great but recently one of the batteries finally died so rather than replace it I decided to buy a whole new combo set. After all, there have been a lot of advancements in cordless tools since '97. In the meantime, I've had the opportunity to use my friend's Dewalt's, Milwaukee's, etc. and they're all great products. But recently I had occasion to use the Makita Lithium-Ion Impact Drill and I knew I'd found my next set! I drilled 3" fencing screws for hours and it was ridiculously easy with the impact-action. I'm telling you if you find yourself running fencing or deck screws with any regularity, you HAVE to try one of these things. Awesome. I immediately searched the web to brush up on this Lithium-Ion technology and beyond a little added expense at this point, what's not to like? So I've since purchased this combo set and it is slick. It comes with a high quality canvas bag. The bag is much more utilitarian than the formed-plastic boxes that usually come with sets such as these. The interior of the bag has two holsters to secure each drill. The holsters are sewn into the side walls of the bag with velcro straps that keep both drills secured. There are also pockets for the batteries and charger. The flashlight and the circular saw fit between but there is plenty of room for the Makita kit and much more (if you need to haul more tools). The exterior of the bag has 4 zip pockets and 2 velcro pockets for odds and ends. Another cool feature concerning the tools is that each tool is equipped with LED lights that automatically illuminate your work area when you squeeze the trigger. I knew from previous experience that the impact-drill had LED's but I had no idea they'd be on the hammer drill, and circular saw as well. An added bonus for me is that the hammer drill weighs in at 4.9 lbs. which is over 1.5 lbs. lighter than my old drill! (...) If you're in the market for a new drill/saw combo kit, this will do nicely.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Balance, March 20, 2006
All of the tools in this kit are a perfect balance of power and size. They provide all the punch of other 18v systems while weighing less then most 12v tools!
Makita could have simply changed to a lithium battery and called it a day. But they did much more; Makita has redesigned the ergonomics of every tool in this set. In the past their tool handles tended to be on the large and awkward side but this new line feels perfect to hold. The grips are smaller and covered in soft rubber. The weight of the tools has been redistributed and are all much better balanced then their NON-lithium counterparts. In addition, the tools have LED lights to brighten the work area and come in an awesome tool bag.
My review of each tool:
+ Impact driver - 10/10 Flawless!
+ Circular saw - 9/10 handle could be a lil more behind the tool
+ Light - 9/10 needs more detents
+ Reciprocating saw - 10/10 awesome!
+ Hammer drill - 8/10 great for a hammer drill but a lil bulky for basic driver use. I will keep my Panasonic 15.6 for most of my everyday driver needs; it is still the best non-hammer drill out there!
+ Case - 9/10 this is a very good tool bag for the basic kit, with interior pockets for the tools and battery charger. They're also several exterior pockets for drill bits and various small tools. One complaint, no pocket for the reciprocating saw. It fits but you have to lay it on top of the circular saw.
I have used the kit for the past 2 months and everything has worked to perfection. OK so 2 months is not much time but I have every confidence the kit will serve me well for years to come! My only real complaint is that as of this date the additional batteries are not readily available (you can get them online but you have to search)
In conclusion this is a great kit with each tool a best in class!
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