# Makita LXT lithium tools



## mikeg_05 (Jan 1, 2009)

I am looking at switching from dewalt to makita. Do the LXT lithium batteries, lose power instantly like some of the lithium batteries. Like when your drilling a hole then all of a sudden the drill just stops, not slowing down gradually like a nicad.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

I am entertaining the thought of the same thing Makita has really improved there tools.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Ive already relaced all 6 lithium ion dewalt batterys I have. Under warranty but still they are only a year old.


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## mikeg_05 (Jan 1, 2009)

william1978 said:


> I am entertaining the thought of the same thing Makita has really improved there tools.


Yeah the makita tools I have used were top notch and I have heard lots of good things about the LXT 3.0 batteries. I am still suspect of the lithium batteries, I used someones ryobi lithium drill under a house to drill a hole and the drill seemed like it had plenty of juice, about half way through the hole the drill just died, no bogging down just nothing, is that how all lithium batteries or is that just ryobi junk.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

mikeg_05 said:


> Yeah the makita tools I have used were top notch and I have heard lots of good things about the LXT 3.0 batteries. I am still suspect of the lithium batteries, I used someones ryobi lithium drill under a house to drill a hole and the drill seemed like it had plenty of juice, about half way through the hole the drill just died, no bogging down just nothing, is that how all lithium batteries or is that just ryobi junk.


 
The Dewalts are like that too.


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## jculber (Apr 22, 2008)

The drill and impact driver that I have from Makita don't just stop. They do start to slow down or bog down. But eventually they do just stop working after a while but it is noticeable when it is getting low.

I am very pleased with my Makita drills. Small, compact, lightweight, but very powerful and have taken everything I have thrown at them. Quick recharge time is awesome. My only problem is the drills I had gotten came in a square case that is soft and resembles a lunch box.


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## AWKrueger (Aug 4, 2008)

I have a set of Makita 10.8 li-ion power drivers. I love them. Seems like I use them more than the Milwaukee 18v li-ion set I have.


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## Nephi (Mar 20, 2010)

I run all makita now except my 36 volt dewalt . Makita cordless tools in my opinion are the best. One of the guys I work with just got a 10 v impact and you wouldnt believe the power that little [email protected] has


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## CFine (May 20, 2008)

of all the makita tools i've had the impact, the hammer driver drill, the drill for cordless. i've drilled holes for 8 hours a day on 18 gage metal studs and the batteries last as long as your taking care of the tool. the Only thing i dislike which is common for lithiam ion batteries is they drain if you leave them in Cold weather.


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## mikeg_05 (Jan 1, 2009)

jculber said:


> The drill and impact driver that I have from Makita don't just stop. They do start to slow down or bog down. But eventually they do just stop working after a while but it is noticeable when it is getting low.
> 
> I am very pleased with my Makita drills. Small, compact, lightweight, but very powerful and have taken everything I have thrown at them. Quick recharge time is awesome. My only problem is the drills I had gotten came in a square case that is soft and resembles a lunch box.


Well I am sold:thumbsup:


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## van2977 (Jan 13, 2010)

mikeg_05 said:


> I am looking at switching from dewalt to makita. Do the LXT lithium batteries, lose power instantly like some of the lithium batteries. Like when your drilling a hole then all of a sudden the drill just stops, not slowing down gradually like a nicad.






I have the impact and the compact driver they are great so glad I switched from DeWalt. And Yes the batteries slow down before dieing out. My buddy has the dewalt lith ion and I used it and could not believe how it just stops cold.


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## sKiP (Jan 14, 2010)

i have had both sets the lxt makita hammer drill and impact set and now i have the newer compact li ion dewalt set i personally didnt care for the makitas i feel they are a cheaper tool than the dewalt set i have. the impacts are extremley similair but i noticed a huge difference in power with the driver drill the dewalt i can use a 7/8" auger bit put it in 1st gear and rip through studs. the makita if it wasnt a new bit or fully charged battery it struggled. just personal preference i guess


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## Chevyman30571 (Jan 30, 2009)

Well at work we used to use the makita drills. When the LXT first came out the 451 model wth the 3 speed was horrible. We went through 9 drills. the gears kept stripping. Than we switched to the hilti drill and they are animals. But I bought for my personal use the makita 9 piece set and the drill are all redesigned. 2 speed tranny and I beat them up and the gears are perfect. I have the 452 for light stuff and the 454 for heavy duty. Trust me you cant go wrong with the makita. I have used them all and as for the lithium ion cells they are designed to give full power until they are dead and when they die they just stop. The only problem I have with the makita is that there is no fuel meter to let you know how much charge is in the battery. It is a very nice feature if you are going in an attic and need a full pack. But other than that If you go with makita you will love it and have no problems. I have the 2 drills, recip saw, circ saw, flashlight, imact driver, radio, and the rotary hammer. All amazing tools. I havent used the 1.5a batteries but they just make the drill lighter and dont have as much power. I have the 3.0A batteries. Also we had a dewalt kit that lasted 2 weeks and the drill smoked out and the batteries were horrible. Dewalt is not what it used to be. Dont go yellow go Blue.


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

I've been tossing around the idea of going Makita. I have been eyeing the three piece combo. Light, hammer drill, saw.


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## JayH (Nov 13, 2009)

I really like the Makitas except for the black handles. Working outdoors with the sun beating on them in the summer sucks big time.


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## chris856 (Jun 12, 2009)

I've had my Makita set over a year and I am pleased. My biggest complaints are the BHP452Z Driver drill doesn't have as much torque as the dewalt XRP but if you moslty drill metal and PVC then it is fine. I noticed early stuff would come loose from the chuck sometimes and after over a year it just plain stripped out. My bosses had a similar problem and after awhile the chuck just straight wouldn't tighten down, altough it looks like he let his get rusty. The BHP452Z is one of the lower end drills they make so it is only about 70 bucks to replace. I have seen much nicer makita drills at the store but i have no Idea how they hold up.

My second and bigger complaint is the reciprocating saw. It is a turd compared to the dewalt saws. It is heavier, more combersome, and has less power and speed then the dewalt saws. The blade from time to time has come loose, and although this hasn't happened to me, sometimes to shoe will come loose and close if you are pushing hard enough.
All that being said, I will stick with it as the batteries last all day and any Nicad drill feels like a brick now. The LEDs and and clips are the icing on the cake and I don't know how I ever got by without my impact driver. Sometimes I have that thing hanging from my belt and I forget about it it is so light.


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## den (Mar 28, 2009)

I love my makita's. I have had them for 2 years now and wouldn't trade them. I tried several brands before I bought these and liked makita the best for weight and torque. I have one batt that seems to be getting weak and will get new batteries soon. I use mostly the impact driver and go to the drill for drilling heavy stuff.


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## Marcus (Mar 30, 2010)

I use all Hilti battery & power tools but that little Makita 10.8V impact driver looks pretty good!


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## Stub (Apr 19, 2010)

Marcus said:


> I use all Hilti battery & power tools but that little Makita 10.8V impact driver looks pretty good!


Funny you mention that, I just got one the other day, ordered it from Amazon for $115.

It's VERY nice, it weighs almost nothing and it's very small but it's very powerful. It's fast and actually has more torque than a typical full size 18V cordless since it's an impact gun. I used it for a bunch of things, from driving long screws to installing receptacles (Yes, I am THAT guy) and it worked well for everything. The only issue is that it's harder to tell when a screw is tight with a torque gun than a typical cordless drill so you have to be careful not to over tighten or strip the screw.

It even comes with a belt holster, and since the gun is light, it barely feels like it's there. It's just so much easier than carrying around a full size cordless, I am VERY happy with my purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-TD090DW-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B001DN1T9Y/ref=pd_cp_hi_3


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## Marcus (Mar 30, 2010)

Thanks for the tip - Amazon won't ship those tools to Australia! Warranty issues, apparently. With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment it would have worked out way cheaper than the prices here at the moment. The Makita & Bosch models (they both look identical) are a tad over $300 (Aus) Do you know what the difference is between the black & white bodied Makitas & the traditional green & black?


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## Stub (Apr 19, 2010)

Marcus said:


> Thanks for the tip - Amazon won't ship those tools to Australia! Warranty issues, apparently. With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment it would have worked out way cheaper than the prices here at the moment. The Makita & Bosch models (they both look identical) are a tad over $300 (Aus) Do you know what the difference is between the black & white bodied Makitas & the traditional green & black?


The black and white use the smaller 1.5AH battery while the blue and black use the larger and heavier 3.0AH battery. 

As far as I know, the 10.8V model only comes in the black and white color.


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## Aza (Mar 18, 2010)

I have a black and white Makita, I think it is a limited edition colour to celebrate an anniversary. Mine is an 18V 3.0ah Li-Ion model.
This is in the UK though.


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## Stub (Apr 19, 2010)

Aza said:


> I have a black and white Makita, I think it is a limited edition colour to celebrate an anniversary. Mine is an 18V 3.0ah Li-Ion model.
> This is in the UK though.


Yeah, I just noticed that the Canadians have the 10.8V impact gun in blue and black. That gun is only available here in white and black so apparently it varies by country.


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## 5486 (Feb 18, 2009)

Stub said:


> Yeah, I just noticed that the Canadians have the 10.8V impact gun in blue and black. That gun is only available here in white and black so apparently it varies by country.


 
I have the black and blue color, have you looked other than home depot?


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## Stub (Apr 19, 2010)

bigmikeb said:


> I have the black and blue color, have you looked other than home depot?


I never looked at Home Depot.

I can't find a black and blue 10.8V impact driver anywhere online or even on Makita's website. Only on websites in other countries.

Where did you buy yours? Do you have a link?


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Aza said:


> I have a black and white Makita, I think it is a limited edition colour to celebrate an anniversary. Mine is an 18V 3.0ah Li-Ion model.
> This is in the UK though.


 Welcome to the forum Aza.:thumbsup:


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## 5486 (Feb 18, 2009)

Stub said:


> I never looked at Home Depot.
> 
> I can't find a black and blue 10.8V impact driver anywhere online or even on Makita's website. Only on websites in other countries.
> 
> Where did you buy yours? Do you have a link?


 
I can ask our purchasing dept, as far as I know they just buy online not sure the site. Most tool stuff comes from grainger or macmaster carr.


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## Aza (Mar 18, 2010)

william1978 said:


> Welcome to the forum Aza.:thumbsup:


Thanks William :thumbup:


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Aza said:


> Thanks William :thumbup:


 :thumbsup:


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

I'm not sure if anyone responded to this yet, but:

The Li-Ion batteries are *meant* to stop cold. In fact it's one of their selling points. They're computer programmed to stop so that you don't destroy the battery. If you pass that threshold you risk turning your battery to scrap. It doesn't matter what brand it is.


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## mikeg_05 (Jan 1, 2009)

Well I just bought the hammerdrill impact combo from the dopo, it came with an extra battery, look forward to seeing how they perform.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

anyone use this?

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-DF330DW-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Driver-Drill/dp/B0023NVS4O/ref=pd_cp_hi_1


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