Makita Cordless Drills

Makita cordless drills are extremely popular with DIYers for their portability, quick recharge time and simple convenience. Makita has been in the power tool business for almost 90 years and are highly respected for producing reliable, high-performance drills.

Makita cordless drills are certainly some of the best tools of their type available on the market today. Makita produce a wide range of cordless drills, from 10.8v right up to high power 24v models. Generally, the higher the voltage, the more powerful the drill. Some manufacturers quote high attention-grabbing figures, but don't come up to par in terms of torque and build quality- you're better off choosing a lower voltage model from a reliable manufacturer.

What's the best drill for me?

You should match your choice of cordless drill according to what you plan on using it for. There's no point spending a relatively large amount of money on a high power drill for general home DIY use - a 14.4v to 18v model is normally perfectly sufficient. Weight and size are other important considerations here - high voltage models have bigger motors and correspondingly bigger batteries; this can add up to quite a heavy load to lug around. So unless you're in the construction business, stick to a midrange model. Remember to check the chuck size - lower end models will normally take drill bits of up to 10mm, while the higher end cordless drills will enable you to use bits of up to 13mm.

Many people choose a cordless drill/screwdriver combination. Effectively having two tools in one has obvious benefits. Cordless drill/drivers have an added clutch behind the chuck used to disengage the motor at a specified toque setting which you can adjust. This is a very useful feature that prevents you from over-tightening screws and bolts. For normal drilling, the clutch is disabled and all the motor's torque is transmitted to the chuck.

Cordless drill power sources

A fairly recent trend in cordless drills is the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries as opposed to the usual nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel cadmium (NiCad) types. They have some great advantages: a fast charge time (as low as 15 minutes), reduced weight and less susceptibility to battery charge leakage (the battery holds its charge longer during periods of storage than older battery types). They don't tend to run for as long on a single charge as NiMH batteries, but the quick recharge time offsets this limitation. Makita's BDF452HW 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Driver-Drill Kit is a good example of this type of cordless drill. It is highly rated in many online reviews and is a good option for serious DIYers, though it could be considered overkill for many people. A cheaper option is the Makita DF030DW 10.8v ultra compact unit (around $110 with 2 batteries). Weighing just 1.9 pounds and with 18 clutch settings, it's a deceptively powerful drill/driver.

Another good option (though more expensive) is the Makita BHP454 18-Volt LXT 1/2-Inch Lithium-Ion Cordless Hammer Drill Kit, Popular Mechanics testers thought it was one of the best power tools they had ever used - it came top out of 10 lithium-ion drills tested. Although quite large and heavy, it is very well balanced and comfortable to use.

At the more economical end of the market, the Makita MT064SK2 can be yours for under $80. This 14.4v compact model has 19 clutch settings for accurate depth adjustment and variable speed with forward and reverse settings and is supplied with 2 Ni-Cad batteries and a 1 hour fast charger.

Panasonic cordless drills are also a very good option, they're well respected amongst home users and professionals alike.