Customer Reviews

Makita TD020DSEW 7.2-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was in the market for a new cordless drill and I walked into Louis Williams Hardware (makitadirect.com) and was tempted by the owner to take a peek at the new Makita. I was amazed at the power of the tiny device but was not sure how it would fit into my needs. I left, but went back and bought one and set to work installing 4 new replacement windows in my basement. Here is what I learned:

1. This is a single speed, impact tool. The impact feature allows the driver to turn long and stubborn screws in hard material using a smaller motor and light weight battery, while also being very easy on your wrist. It does ALL the work.

2. As I said, it IS single speed, giving you somewhat less control for delicate work; it takes some getting used to.

3. As a trade off for its ability to drive stubborn screws, it does make slower, and slower progress as screws get more stubborn. You can screw in screws faster with a standard driver. But, like the Energizer Bunny, this thing keeps going, and going, until it gets there.

4. You are much less likely to strip the head with this tool.

5. Battery life is incredible and recharging is fast with the Lithium Ion system.

6. If you are going to be drilling, you will want to get special drills with a built in impact fitting. It does drill nicely, BUT, there is only one speed making starting a hole tricky in hard materials.

7. It has a nice LED work light.

8. The forward/reverse switches have a definite handedness to them. A lefty might not like it.

9. It is inexpensive. At $99, it is a great, reliable tool.

10. I enjoyed installing the windows, and used the tool for all aspects except drilling into the masonary. For that, I used a corded drill.

11. It comes with a nice little holster.

12. Consider buying the Makita impact accesory kit. It is a bargain way to get the drills and quick change bit holder.

13. In summary, a nice accessory with a thousand uses, but it will not replace your cordless drill.

I recently went to a woodworkers show at one of our local retailers, (Jackson Saw and Knife, Rochester NY...little plug for a local business). My intentions were to look at, and possibly buy, a new table saw, and dovetail jig to assist in building new kitchen cabinets for my own house remodel, since things have slowed up some. Having just bought a new Delta mortiser on Amazon(another plug for our host site guys) along with a Grizzly tenon jig I needed to finish out my shopping list. As I made my way down the gaunlet isles past many of the vendors hawking their wares I happened to glance at the Makita table and saw the rep driving a 3" deck screw into a piece of pressure treated wood with ease with this cordless white screwdriver that looked like an overgrown hotdog. Actually it is very much like the other companies red cordless screwdriver whose company also starts with an M but thats where the similarities end. My partner has the red one and it has been fine so far...until today. Step aside let the BIG DOG eat. This tool is amazing. Let me first start by saying that it IS NOT just a screwdriver...it is a screwdriver impact driver. Less effort and strain on the battery to do the job and more torque. Can anybody say BIG BLOCK motor vs small block? One outstanding feature is the built in led lite up front that allows you to light up the area where you are screwing. In total darkness you can use it as a flashlight to get to your area if need be. The light has a lockout switch to prevent depressing button while in your tool pouch/bag killing battery. The rep had to further convince a couple of guys by showing them that if in a dire strait need to drill a hole thru a 2x with a spade bit to run a 14-2 or 12-2 wire this tool could do it. He chucked in 1 7/16 spade bit and bored thru. It took longer than with a corded drill or 18V cordless, understandably so, IT'S 7.2 VOLT. The fact that it is a impact driver screwdriver is what gives it it's balls...sorry ladies. The unit I bought (there is only one model) came in a very nice deluxe zipper case with: charger, belt holster, TWO batteries, the screw gun, and three drive bits, and a hexdrive 1/8" drill bit. There is additional room in the zipper case for other items. Overall I think Makita has raised the bar so to speak coming out with this tool. I see this tool particularly attractive to electricians and cabinet makers/installers. I only gave it four stars as I have not used all the ones on the market and so it would not be fair to the rest of the field, plus since mine is so new I don't have enough run time on it. Will give an update later.

Bottom line: one of the best/handiest tools for $99 that I have in my repertoire. Thanks for your time I hope that I helped you...Whit

I have now had this screwdriver for 2 years and found it a mixed bag, its good for removing screws and fast disassembly work such as removing screws from door hinges that have been painted over. A few moments of the impact action is strong enough to crack the paint but not so strong that it splits the screw head. As for putting new screws in, its not so good as the impact action kicks in very early. As well as being noisy this takes its toll by putting heavy wear on the screwdriver bit, it will drive the screw in ok but it takes a long time to do so. Also if a 50mm no2 pozi screw has been driven firmly into a brown plug on a solid red brick wall, such as often found when removing old kitchens units. It often won't shift them where my dewalt 7.2v screwdriver will. To summerize it earns its place in the tool box for removing painted over screws from door and window hinges, also its very light with its lithium batterys that holds their charge well and are always ready, but I find I use the dewalt a lot more.

As has been mentioned, this a powerful tool for the size and works well as an impact driver. It is a snap to use and comes with everything you need to get started including driver bits, charger and a nice storage case. The bits are nice enough that I use them with my more powerful LXT drill as well. I actually bought this tool for my wife to use because she wanted a smaller and lighter driver to use in the house.

The biggest drawback is that it doesn't have variable speed. So its either full speed or nothing. That can be a pain if you want a little more control in certain situations, like starting a screw in a tight space. The other small drawback that my wife didn't like is that it looks dingy quickly because of the white exterior. But that doesn't have any effect on the quality of the drill, so its a minor quibble. Overall powerful drill for the size.

I have had a couple of cordless screwdrivers in the past. They were always great for small household projects....like fixing toys, installing electrical plates when doing painting projects, etc. My last one died and I asked for a new one for X-mas. When I received this tool (Makita which I normally like) I assumed it would exceed the performance of those other devices. It absolutely did, but it comes at a cost. This thing is too much tool for what I had in mind and I am going to return it and replace with something a little smaller. It has no variable speed which makes it kind of overkill for the kind of tool I had in mind. I am afraid I would break more things than I would fix if I tried to use this and I already have 2 or 3 drills in my workshop. So....don't shy away from this if you need something in lieu of a good drill, but if you already have one this might be redundant...and since it has only 1 speed it might even not be preferable.

Not much of an "impact drill" no good as a screw driver (no variable speed) not a very good drill (can't start at slow speed to avoid "walking").
So what's the point in buying this tool. I regret it

Like all Makita tools I've owned, this one seem to have the quality we've come to expect from this fine brand. This kit is nicely packaged with a second Li-Ion battery, quick charger, holster, and carrying case.

I can't encourage you too much to read the reviews on this product with the lower number of stars - most of these reviewers got it right - whether you agree with their star count or not.

Functionally, this tool has some design flaws that are not expected of Makita tools from your past experience. I have been using cordless screwdrivers of this basic type for may years now. I own 5 Milwaukees that are similar in shape to this tool and all of them still work fine except for one battery charger. I will continue to use them as my primary hand cordless screwdrivers.

Many reviewers here have pointed out that this tool has only one speed - that's not completely accurate. If the tool has little or no load, it runs at 2,300 RPM and has no impact function. When the tool encounters a load - some resistance to turning - it automatically kicks in the impact function, and slows way down. The hard it is to turn the screw, the slower the tool goes and the louder the impact noise gets as well. You have no control over this, it just happens. This makes the tool somewhat useful for taking screws and the like out, but it sure makes it very difficult to start free turning screws - they tend to fly right out of your screw bit, or the drill bit walks, unless you center punched a start point, or drilled a pilot hole. Most of the time, this is not what you want from a screwdriver. Recently, I tried to use it to tighten the worm screw on a pipe clamp to secure a 3" vent pipe. When I pressed the switch, it just jumped out of the screw, over and over, and I needed to get it started by turning the tool by hand like any other hand screwdriver until it was snug, then it would impact more slowly to tighten it up.

A single speed can be useful, just not this fast. As a comparison, the Milwaukee screwdriver runs at 2 speeds - 200 & 600 RPM - much slower then this whirlwind at its 2,300 RPM! This tool is unusually powerful for it's size. Don't be taken in by voltage ratings of tools, 2.4 volt, 4 volt, 7.2 volt, 18 volt or any other voltage (120VAC) does not give you any indication of the tool's power. Power is measured in WATTS, which is the voltage multiplied by the amperage the tool draws under full load conditions. I have some very powerful 2.4 volt screwdrivers I still use. Voltage is a marketing smoke screen to distract you from the facts of true power. Also, beware of how much charge a battery holds - that is usually measured in ampere-hours [AH](or milliampere-Hours, [mAH]) at its rated voltage. How much capacity a battery holds will give you an ideal of how long it will last between rechargings.

Many more reviewers have make more complete comments on this issue, so be sure to read those before you select this tool.

As others have pointed out, it has an LED light, just below the chuck, which is operated by a separate, lockable, button just opposite the motor switches. You can turn it on, whether the driver is operating or not, by holding the button depressed. Not a bad idea as you can have the light to see before you start the screw action, and as a make shift flashlight in the work area. Perhaps a slide switch would have been more useful to let you just turn it on for as long as you need it, and not feel like you are trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time. I've seen LEDs before on newer tools and initially thought is was cleaver and somewhat useful, but I would have to conclude that it would be much more useful if they placed at least 2 LEDs at the nose - one on either side of the bit, whether above and below, or left and right, so the bit's shadow doesn't block your light as you get into position to drive the screw.

I don't know whether they could have designed a clutch to work with an impact tool or not, I suspect it would be difficult, unless they provided the typical 3 position control found on modern impact drills today that select rotary only, impact only, or both.

I can't quit before commenting on the white color - bad idea! The tool looks dirty from the first use, and doesn't wipe off easily. Makita's traditional green would have been fine, if they felt it needed to be easier to see, add an orange stripe! White looked pretty in the box, but in the first few minutes, it turned ugly. I've never cleaned any of my power tools unless they got directly into grease or mud, I've cleaned this one several times already.

This may be a well-built tool, but it was poorly conceived. For a few craftsmen with a good collection of cordless drivers, adding a small impact to your collection may be useful in the right situations, as others have described in their reviews, but this is not your primary screwing tool. It is slow to drill with when the drill starts to bind up, so it makes a poor drill as well. Instead of torque, it supplies impacts - not the same under all uses!

I purchased the Makita for some production personnel to use at work. After getting the tool and using it to do a machine set up the operators loved it. The supervisor immediately asked me to purchase another.

My main recommendation is to know what you want to use the tool for. If you're looking to use it for more delicate work you might want to try something else. If you're looking to drive medium to large screws into wood or perhaps larger machine screws (5/16" or larger) into tapped holes it will probably work well for you.

One important thing to know is that their is no control over how fast the tool runs. It is either on full-blast or off. It has a lot of torque for it's size but it will certainly not break your wrist. The women that use it on a daily basis are happy with the size / weight of it and have only spoken positively about it.

I had previously purchased a Bosch PS20-2 Litheon. If I wanted to do lighter duty work I would go with something like the Bosch but if I wanted to drive a lot of 2" to 3" screws into wood I would definitely go with the Makita. Again, know what you want to use it for.

I am just a home handyman, and I have owned the Makita LCT300W 18v Lithium-Ion set for several years. The impact drill is probably the most appreciated and often used tool I own (and I own a lot :-), and based on that and my perception of Makita engineering I didn't do enough research when I bought this screwdriver. I was looking for a more convenient and lighter "kitchen tool" to use around the house.

I was flabbergasted when I discovered it did not have variable speed, and while a fixed speed screwdriver might conceivably be acceptable, this one has far too high an RPM to be useful as a screwdriver. In my opinion it's virtually useless for almost anything you'd use it for around the house - it's much easier to use my bigger and bulkier drill even for jobs like removing and reinstalling faceplates on electrical outlets! If you expect your primary use to be as a drill it might be OK, but even then trying to start a bit at full speed can be tricky.

I am a charitable reviewer in general, usually giving products a star or so higher than the consensus seems to be, but in this case I absolutely recommend you find a different product. The quality of this tool is high, and the light weight of the lithium battery is a big plus relative to NiCad or NiMH screwdrivers. The included soft-side carrying case is a nice touch. But the excessive RPM and lack of variable speed makes this a tool I strongly recommend against. I have never returned anything to Amazon in many years and hundreds of purchases, but this one is going to go back if I still can.

Pros: Plenty of power, 2 Ion Battiers a plus, size/wght OK, Light a plus,
plenty of accessories w/unit.

Cons: Color, no variable speed, Light has to be turn on manually two(2)times to use, no written charger instructions, trying to register the product over the Internet is a lesson in nonsense.