I am not a pro contractor, but only a weekend handyman warrior type who appreciates good tools. I opted to buy Makita instead of the Milwaukee V28 entirely because of Makita's lighter weight. To me ergonomics means almost as much as tool power. Also I've never had any complaints or durability issues with any of my Makita tools and so felt comfortable buying Makita again.
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br /I bought this drill with Makita's free impact driver offer when the lithium line was first introduced. The case for the drill can accommodate Makita's lithium impact driver side by side with the drill. The same is not true with the smaller impact driver case. At the time I ordered mine, they cost roughtly same, $329 for the drill and $319 for the impact driver. I think the price differential has since increased with the impact driver now only at $279. With the free tool offer and the $75 off promo offer from Amazon at the time, I paid only around $254 for both tools.
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br /Onward to the tool itself. I will structure this review by comparing the Makita drill with my Bosch 18V Brute Tough hammerdrill, model 13618, that I've been using the last couple of years. This Makita 18 lithium hammerdrill is definitely much lighter than the Bosch 18V hammerdrill. Whether the Makita can survive a 2-story drop on concrete as can the Bosch Brute Tough is another matter. The Makita has three speed ranges. The slowest speed range (0-300 rpm) is useful on large spade bits, metal drilling, or hole saws, etc where extra control and extra torque are needed. I tested my Bosch side by side against the Makita using a 3" hole saw on redwood. The Bosch's low range is 0-600 rpm. In the 0-600 rpm range both the Bosch and the Makita were about equal in performance. At 300 rpm, the Makita did not show any advantage compared to drilling at 600 rpm with this particular test. As for torque, the Makita has 560 in-lbs; the Bosch has 475 in-lbs. The supposed extra power of the Makita did not manifest itself during this 3" hole saw test. Perhaps other more demanding tests, such as drilling large holes in metal, might bring out the advantage.
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br /One way I judge a drill driver is how gentle it is in driving delicate screws. Unfortunately, in screw driving mode, this drill has so much torque even at the lowest setting that it will easily strip delicate screws long before the clutch kicks in. I have a feeling this problem is common among the powerful 18v drills.
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br /The auxilliary handle on the Makita works really well, but the metal band mars the finish on the drill body. It kind of hurts to see the drill scratched up the very first day by the aux. handle. It does grip tightly and stays put, unlike the lousy one on the Bosch.
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br /I like the Bosch chuck better because the carbide teeth on the Bosch's jaws have a better bite and less chance of slipping than the steel teeth on Makita's Jacobs chuck. The Makita Jacobs chuck also has a tendency to self-loosen its grip on a bit during heavy drilling, something that doesn't happen on the Bosch.
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br /A major shortcoming with the Makita's Jacobs chuck is the large amount of runout it has. Runout is a measure of eccentricity. When I have time I will measure the runout precisely using a dial indicator, but for now I will state that the Makita's Jacobs chuck on this model has roughly twice the runout as that found on my Bosch's chuck. The effect of this large runout is a very pronouced gyration of the drill body when drilling at low to medium speeds, such as when drilling metal or drilling with a hole saw or spade bit. The large gyration is a safety hazard as it can cause the operator to lose balance while standing high on a ladder, for example. It can sometimes be corrected by rechucking the bit after rotating the bit 90 to 180 degrees relative to the chuck. Sometimes this fix works, but sometimes not. I checked this runout on another brand-new Makita lithium hammerdrill and the result was identical. This is a troubling.
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br /The slider switch that lets me instantly switch between drill or driver or hammerdrill mode on the Makita is a plus, but in my opinion is not a big deal. I guess I've gotten too used to turning the clutch/mode setting ring on these cordless drills by now.
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br /The Makita has a built-in LED light. Makita placed the fixed-angle light just above the trigger switch as a one-size-fits-all approach to accommodate all lengths of bits. The drawback is the placement entirely favors long bits at the expense of short and medium length bits because short bits will be hit by a large dark shadow cast by the big chuck. For driving screws and drilling with a short bit, the exact point where you want light is the exact point where the large dark shadow falls! The ideal LED light should be placed lower near where the battery is and have an adjustable angle to accommodate different length bits.
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br /One thing no lithium-ion power tool maker would like the potential customer to know is that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries permanently lose capacity over time as a function of storage temperature and the state-of-charge. For example at room temperature(25 degrees C), a fully charged (100%) Li-on battery permanantely loses 20% of its rechargeable capacity in just one year. At higher temperatures, the loss is even greater. Please don't misinterpret the above as to mean that you have to leave your tool and battery unused for a whole year for it to suffer from capacity loss. The capacity loss occurs at different rates at the different temperatures and states-of-charge but it's all cumulative, and the deteriotion occurs even when the tool is constantly being used, as well as during short-term storage, and not just during long-term storage. If you have a spare Li-on battery that you don't constantly use, the best way to store it is at a 40% charge. At 40% charge at 25 deg. Celsius, it loses only 4% capacity after one year. At 40% at 40 deg Celsius, it loses 15%. Heat is detrimental, even at a mere 40-degree Celsius. Yes, I said a "mere" 40-degrees, which is "merely" 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Most pros WILL have frequent, perhaps daily, occasions to leave their tools in the trunk or cabin of their truck, where it will easily exceed 104 deg. Fahrenheit in a hurry. Makita is giving these lithium batteries only a 1-year warranty for very good reasons. (Note: The above comments about capacity loss apply only to rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with a manganese oxide cathode. This applies to Milwaukee's V28 line, and I have every reason to think it applies to Makita's current Li-on and Bosch's upcoming Li-on batteries as well. I am not sure whether it applies to DeWalt's new lithium batteries which use an aluminum anode coated with nano-particles). The above comments on rechargeable Li-on batteries I learned from reading technical postings and articles on the WEB.
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br /Overall the biggest advantages of the Makita lithium over the Bosch NiCD are: 1. the lighter weight, 2. the 25% longer battery life (i.e. 3 Ah vs. 2.4 Ah), 3. a much flatter discharge curve than those of NiCD and NiMH., 4. much longer charge retention. Ironically charge retention matters infinitely more to a casual user (who may use the tool once a month) than the pros (the target market segment of these tools) who use their tools daily.
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br /The Makita is lighter, noticeably lighter when you first pick up the tool, but in actual use when comparing it to the Bosch, the Bosch's greater weight seemed to disappear over time as my hand got used to the greater weight. The Makita feels perfectly balanced in the hand and is contoured just right that it's a pleasure to hold.
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br /If you are already happy with your other 18V NiCD or NiMH drill, switching to lithium likely won't give you much better satisfaction.
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br /As for the impact driver, it's very light and compact and is a total pleasure to use. I love the LED light. However, I take issue with Makita's big claim that it has 18V power at 12 volt weight. That maybe so comparing Makita's 18V lithium to Makita's 12V NiMH or NiCd, but definitely not true comparing to the other brands. Makita's impact drivers have never been known for high torque or long battery power with respect to their voltages. You can find that out by reading reviews on other websites. Ridgid has a 14.4V impact driver, model R82320 or Cat # 20588, that has a much larger 1400 in-lbs. of torque than the Makita lithium's. The Ridgid is 4.3 lbs. vs. Makita's 3.3 lbs.
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br /Overall I give the Makita 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 stars. ;-)

I'm building an owner built house. I have several new Makita tools and like them all, but the 18 volt lithium ion drill has problems. To begin with, the bits fall out of the chuck too frequently (To be up on a ladder and to hear the sound of that bit hitting the floor is infuriating. I know immediately what it is and it's infuriating) My helper also bought one of these drills after using mine because he liked it so much. The helper went went to another job, but I spoke to him a couple of days ago and he said, "hey, remember when you told me the bits fall out of the chuck a lot?, well, the same thing has been happening to me, Makita sent me a new chuck." A $300 tool just should not do this.
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br /More importantly, 3rd gear has gone out on my drill THREE TIMES!!. (third time was just today after getting it back from serice department just last week, which prompted me to write this review.) The guy at my local hardware store, has told me that Makita has a known problem with this issue. He told me if it happens again, Makita will stand behind it, don't send it into the factory, just bring it back and we'll give you a new one.\ He told me they've redesigned the gear, but as I stated, I just got mine back and it broke again less than a week later.
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br /That's it. I love how the tool feels, I love the design, I love the power, I even like the fact they stand behind the product. but the tool has problems and I would not buy another one unless I was assured the issues have been resolved.
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br /Good luck

I've been lusting after a new Dewalt XRP 14 volt cordless drill for at least two years. Having no extra money and plenty of exposure to various trades on job sites I had the time to save my pennies, ponder my decision and ask a lot of questions. After speaking to many people on job sites and in shops I discovered that the drill I had been drooling over was NOT worth owning. Nobody but nobody is going to give you a more honest answer than someone who uses a tool day in and day out to earn a living; and when they say the batteries are no good, the clutch is a constant problem, the overall durability of a tool is poor and the manufacturer seems to not care about your problems... you listen. In recent months I started to see many of these Lithium Ion Makita's showing up in job boxes and without a single exception the response to my "What do you think of this drill" question was always, "awesome" or "fantastic" or at the very least "great". I asked one installer about the Makita driver he was using and he actually got down off a scaffold and set-up a demo for me to try it myself. I was impressed with the tools and the way the trades held them in high esteem. You can't get a better endorsement than someone using a tool 8-12 hours a day and loving it.
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br /So when I discovered that the batteries for my last cordless drill were no longer made and the ones I had were dead, I used this excuse with the better half (no really honey, they don't make the batteries anymore) to rush right out and buy this combination set (of course I need both the drill and the driver sweetheart... all the guys have them). Having now used both drill and driver for several months I will state without any hesitation that Makita have hit an out of the park home run with these tools. The balance and overall ergonomics are right on, the battery life is out of this world, the weight is more akin to a 12 volt tool than an 18 volt, the chuck on the drill is the best I've ever seen on a cordless tool, the variable speed trigger sensitivity on both drill and driver is excellent, the driver is small and wicked powerful and finally the LED light on both tools is bright and highly functional. These little lights on the business end of both the drill and driver initially struck me as only semi useful... until I installed a countertop. I'm amazed nobody thought of this absolutely brilliant idea before!
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br /I'm also very pleased that Makita put a great deal of thought into the battery charger combination. There is a chip in the battery that the charger reads to properly condition the battery during charging; so you are not killing your batteries every time you charge them AND you don't have to wait until the battery is fully discharged to charge it. Double bonus. The only minor criticism I have is the lack of a clutch on the driver. It takes a bit of getting used to if your accustomed to letting the clutch stop driving the screw. This little bugger is so powerful it will strip the screw hole or snap the screw head off on you, and you'll likely do both a few times prior to developing a feel for easing off on the trigger when the screw is as tight as it needs to be.
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br /A highly recommended combination.

i use this kit for steel stud framing and a lot of commercial construction. it's a very good combo that covers pretty much everything. i use the hammer drill to drill 1/4" holes into concrete and then i hammer concrete anchors to hold down metal track. the impact driver is incredible for fastening track to studs. i even use the impact to drive tek-5's into structural steel and red iron columns. this impact will sink tek-5s into steel 1/2" thick. VERY impressive! i recently built a 7000sq/ft medical clinic and i used nothing but cordless tools. these tools are great.

I bought this set about 4 months ago. I use it in my home shop almost daily. I love the drill. It's balance and feel are just right and there is plenty of power. It feels even stronger than the Bosch that I had before. I've not had any problems with bits falling out or with the drill wobbling when drilling.
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br /I also love the driver for basically the same reasons, although it's almost too strong for a lot of the carpentry work I do and can quickly twist the head off a #8 square drive screw if I'm not careful. Both drill and driver are of the quality I expect from Makita tools and I'm not disappointed.
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br /My complaint (and the main reason for this review) is about the charger that came with it (model DC18RA). It is, apparently, fan cooled and the fan runs almost continually when there's a battery in it, literally days if I leave it there and even if I only used the battery for 10 minutes machine time before plugging it back in. Only once in a while, to no pattern I can discern, it stops. It makes a droning whine that can be heard all over my shop when it's quiet. I really doubt that any top-up charging taking place once the battery is initially charged needs to have a fan running, and it's a waste of energy, aside from the noise.
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br /The physical design is also a mess, in my opinion. The battery mounts from the back, sliding forward to lock, but still protruding out the back of the charger. To remove it you reach behind the battery, press the button toward you, then slide it rearward. That means it must be out from the wall another 2-3 inches and it already has twice the footprint of any charger I've ever had. There is no provision to mount it on a wall. Lately, I've taken to turning it around backward and it seems to be easier to use, but of course the lights are harder to see. That probably doesn't matter as it announces it's actions audibly and, I may already have mentioned, continually. I recently purchased another Makita charger (different model: DC18SC) and backup battery with the hope that I might be able to just dump the original charger, but it does the same thing. All three batteries do this in both chargers.
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br /Aside from the irritation of hearing it all the time, I'm totally puzzled that Makita, a company who practically pioneered the move to more ergonomic and efficient portable power tools, has produced these chargers. My next drill and driver won't do this.

I've recently needed to replace my old Makita 14v cordless 3/8"drill which gave me good service for 10 years. It was truly quality built. I've been a hardware manager and was fortunately given the opportunity to test several of the drills on the market and hear feedback from customers from returns or if they were happy with what items they had purchased. This is what pushed me to buy a Makita drill. Yes, everybody has a different purpose of use for there drill. Some people require heavy duty and are willing to spend a couple extra bucks while others just want a $20 drill to do the job and then their drill will sit on the garage shelf for years without ever seeing heavy use. My old Makita had to be replaced because I broke the clutch. (They have really nice people in their service department.) I ordered replacement parts but then realized that the batteries would need to be replaced which I would then have to buy a new charger because of a new battery type. Now $34 in parts escalated to $290 needed to fix my old Makita. It's a shame because all of this very well built drill will end up in a landfill because of the cost of the batteries and a new charger. At this price you probably realized that it would be cheaper to buy a new drill; so I did. The Makita LXT202BHP451/BTD140 combo kit is well worth the money. I've used both the impact driver and the drill. I am really impressed with them; especially the impact driver. I seem to use that more than my drill anymore. The impact driver with its tremendous torque takes old decking screws out with out breaking a sweat. While with proper inserts you can even do some light drilling. For the heavier jobs that's where the BHP451 comes in to play. With 3 modes: hammer drill, drill, and screw driver and 18 volts it sure is ready for action with LED lights to light the way! The 18 volt is slightly heavier than my old 14v model and the switch for the different modes is tricky to operate. I've found that I had to turn the drill on shortly to switch between modes just like driving a manual shift vehicle. The casing of the drill does not seem built as well as my older model but only time will tell. I'm truly not impressed with the quality of construction of the case that they come in. It was broken when I received it. I like the compartment for spare tools but the case is not built anywhere like my old Makita's case that was double wall construction. You could have dropped that from a 3 story building and nothing would happen to it other than a scratch. My new impact driver fits in my old case minus the battery charger. But that is defeating the purpose of paying all this money for a new drill kit. I still would like to see a good quality universal case built that you could use for several tools should one break. All I can say now is that I hope this new drill kit gives me the 10 years of heavy service that my old Makita drill kit did.

I work in a hardware store in one of the New England States. We sold about 20 of these 18v. Li-Ion Hammer Drills between 1/1/07 and 3/30/07. Since then, 5 of them have been sent back to Makita with bad clutches. That is a 25% failure rate. The gears seem to slip or get locked into place. Maybe Makita spent too much time on their battery technology and not enough time on the gears.
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br /If you need a Li-Ion drill now, buy the Hitachi. I suggest you wait and see what Makita will do to fix this gear/clutch problem.

I replaced my Ryobi 18v drill with this combo kit. The ratcheting chuck on the drill is something I didn't know I was missing until I used it - very cool. Driving difficult screws, like cement board backer screws, is made much easier with the impact driver's automatically adjusting torque, I got far fewer cam-outs, stripped screws, broken screws, and broken bits. Yesterday a friend and I ran both the drill and the driver for 8 hours installing decking with the Deckmaster fastening system (twice the number of screws as a traditional surface screw installation) and the batteries held up fine (they weren't even starting to slow down at the end of the day). Lastly, the LED turned out to be more useful than I thought - while working under a deck, in a demolished bathroom without power, etc. I was very impressed with the quality of these tools. I am relunctant to admit that the 14.4 NiMh makita combo set may have served me just as well for a bit less money, the battery life on these is very nice tough.

Before I start on the review, a little disclaimer... I'm not a pro, just an avid tool collector/home user. I've owned a few impact drivers from DeWalt, Craftsman, and Ridgid. They all pale in comparison to the power/weight ratio of the Makita in this kit. I recently built a protective "cage" around my generator for hurricane season and had to drive lots of 3" lag bolts through pressure treated 2x and 4x lumber. I did some quick non-scientific testing using my trusty old Dewald driver.
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br /Using the DeWalt, the hammering mechanism would engage almost immediately when the bolt starts encountering a little resistance. It was painfully slow to drive them in and I was never sure if they were really "all the way in". I then switched to the Makita and it was like driving bolts through styrofoam! The hammering mechanism engages much later, almost 3/4 of the way in, giving you much better control. The weight of this little marvel is what makes it a pleasure to pick up time and time again to do all of the driving needed for a project.
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br /I haven't had the pleasure of using the hammer drill yet. Its a beast and also my heaviest drill in the arsenal, so I'm waiting for a project that truly calls for this kind of power.
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br /I got this kit because I was mostly interested in the impact driver. I had originally purchased the impact driver alone at Home Depot and then realized that for the same price I paid at HD, I could have both of these marvels from Amazon! So I basically got the drill for free.
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br /I can't comment on the battery other than to say I could not run it all the way down. I used it heavily for two days on this cage project and was not able to run it down to where it needed to be recharged. At the end of the project, I recharged the battery and it was done in under 45min.
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br /Great products from Makita! Also good experience purchasing from Amazon... go for it!

This drill (I cannot speak to the impact driver since I have not used one) is not a heavy duty jobsite ready drill. It has plenty of torque for sure, but the chuck is a piece of junk (home depot sells the replacement for $25) and the brake is flimsy too. The chuck loosens instantly if you bump it while drilling. I have already broken one while simply hand tightening, returned the drill for another one, and then promptly knocked the chuck out of round so it vibrates in high speeds (like your car wheel when it's out of balance). I can't believe Makita put such a flimsy chuck on a 560 inlb hammer drill. It clearly can't handle those kind of forces. I loved the light weight, torque, battery life, and even the LED, but with such an awful chuck, it's like driving a truck on bicycle wheels. I would only recommend this drill to a novice DIY'er who wants a ton of torque and speed, but won't actually ever need either. I had a Dewalt XRP hammer drill for 5 years before it was stolen and never had a single problem. The new Dewalt is even better with the patented self tightening chuck. It is made by ROHM, a company that makes industrial grade machine chucks, unlike Jacobs, who only does hand drills. The difference is night and day. Don't fall for the torque gimmick, buy the Dewalt, or wait until Makita fixes the chuck problem.

Start off with "Made in China". It seems all of the best power tool companies are making their stuff elsewhere. Followed by fairly severe runout on the hammerdrill chuck. Don't expect precision out of this drill. The chuck is garbage. I like the impact driver, but even then, there's a lot of wobble in there. I'm only a homeowner and I'm disappointed. The selling point of the kit is the depth and weight of the impact driver. You can get this thing in lots of cramped spaces, and at least it has enough power to effortlessly drive 3" screws into a 4x4 with relative ease, and far less exertion from the user. I think this is their heavy duty line, so I'd hate to see what their silver-colored models are like.
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I bought the 18v Makita Drill and Driver for a upcoming project. I didn't believe the others that the drills/bits fall out of the drill. I have to remember to re-tighten the chuck often or it falls out. It is a pain. This is my first Makita product and I probably would not buy anything else from them. I will stick with Bosch or Porter/Cable.

GREAT DRILL AND THE IMACT EVEN TAKES OUT SEAT BOLTS. VERY POWERFUL DRILLS
br /LOVE EM

I'm replacing a 14 volt Milwaukee drill, which has been a great drill for the last 4-5 years, but I can't afford to keep buying batteries for it. I've gone through 5 of them so far, and can buy a new drill with batteries and charger, for a little more then the replacement batteries.
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br /I've had the Makita for about a month now, and have no complaints. It's light weight and powerful. The chuck is just "OK", and not as secure as the Milwaukee, but it's good enough.
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br /The most pleasant surprise has been the screw gun. I sort of thought I needed one of these, but have discovered that I can't live without one. I was inside a dark cabinet the other day, screwing down a counter top, and I thought "a compact impact drill with a light on it is just what I needed". Someone said that the bits fell out - if you use the "insert" style bits that came with the drill, they will, but the "power" style bits can only be removed by pulling on the spring loaded collar.
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br /The lithium-ion batteries don't self discharge either. You can pick up a tool that hasn't been used for awhile, and the battery is still ready to go.

I purchased this combo kit just over one year ago. I waited to write a review so that I could address any problems that might come up with it.
br /I will do as another reviewer and break mine up into a few sections.
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br /The impact driver is the main reason I bought this kit, and I was not disappointed. Driving screws before using this beast was a a chore at best. Using an impact driver makes the task SO much easier. It may not be the most powerful one out there, but I have broken heads off screws and small bolts, so for me, it is rather adequate. While it will drive long deck screws and lag screws without a pilot hole, I drill one anyway to avoid splitting. It is very light, extremely comfortable in the hand, and superbly balanced. Really, Makita hit a home run with this particular tool.
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br /The drill was a bonus for me, since the kit was only a little more expensive than buying either tool separately. It is powerful, and nice to be able to use full half inch shank bits with it. It is heavier than the impact driver, but surprisingly well balanced and ergonomic. The clutch positions are easy to manipulate and are handy for the most part. The switch for different modes (hammer-drill, drill, driver) can stick at times, so a quick pull of the trigger is necessary to free the action (minus one). The hammer-drill function works well and is a lifesaver for small jobs. I have not noticed excessive run-out in the chuck, however, I do not consider cordless drills precision tools. For precise drilling I would use a drill press or an expensive corded drill. I give up precision for convenience with cordless. Loose bits are also not an issue with me, I crank the chuck down then ratchet it home tight.
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br /The batteries are amazing. They deliver seemingly endless power. I am not a contractor, just a serious DIY type. That said, when I use the tools for a project, I don't have to recharge more than once. That is a huge plus for me, even though the project may only be a half a day (though the tools get used constantly). Self discharge is so low that I can pick up the tool a month after last using it, and have more than enough power to drill a few holes and drive several screws. They are also very light. Compared to the boat anchors of NiCd technology, these things are a stark difference. One VERY important note, however. DO NOT run these batteries into the ground! Doing so can drastically reduce the life of the battery pack. Makita does not include a "fail safe" system to automatically shut down the tool when the batteries become critically low (most consumer products using Li-Ion batteries have this). Hitachi tools apparently have this, unfortunately Makita does not (minus two).
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br /The charger is rather delicate looking, and can be a little noisy when in use. The fan is there to keep the batteries cool, so I can live with a bit of annoying whine if my expensive battery will last longer. The lights can be confusing, so make sure to read the manual on how to decipher them.
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br /Miscellaneous things to touch on include the case. It is actually quite well designed, with room for an extra battery pack (which I bought separately). Also, there is enough room for a small drill bit set and driver bits in the case. I utilize this extra space for those items plus a few masonry bits. This gives me a complete kit to drill holes in wood/metal/masonry as well as drive screws all in one easy to carry package. Very convenient. The lights on the tools are more useful than you'll think, especially on the driver. The drill's lights are indeed blocked by the large chuck, as another person pointed out (minus three). The belt clips really come in handy, especially when you're on a ladder. Everything except the battery cells themselves are made in China. The cells are made in Japan, the rest of the tool kit is made and/or assembled in China (minus four).
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br /So with that long review, and my four main points of dissatisfaction, it is with a heavy heart that I give this combo kit four stars. The drill's lights and selector switch I can forgive, but the lack of the battery saving feature (for lack of a better term) and the fact that the whole thing is made in China are unforgivable for me. That notwithstanding, I am overall very satisfied with my purchase and I do not regret my it at all. Make sure to read the owners manuals, two times.

br /Very good item and value for money. All you need from a drill set.

The ultimate in cordless drill/drivers! I use more than 20 pounds of fasteners per week, and after having burned out more Ryobi (joke tools) and De Walts than I can count, and developed a popeye forearm, I wouldn't dream of another brand. Try also the Makita trim saw!!!!

Excellent product that was attractively priced along with FREE shipping. The long usage life of the 18 volt batteries plus the handy charger makes working with these tools so easy!

My boyfriend missed his chance to purchase this kit at The Home Depot. By the time he finally decided 'I must have the impact driver' they had stopped selling this kit. He swears by it and begged and pleaded for me to order it. Aparently its the best drill he's ever owned and he works in the custom sheet metal business. I recommend it. And its a great deal to get them together like this.

After trying all other brand name cordless tools, I was tired of using all of that junk so I purchased these cordless tools and I am very satisfied. I work in many areas of construction and use the tools on a daily basis. They are very comfortable to use and my hand does not get tired. They are very powerful and have a good battery life. These are the best tools that I have ever used in my entire life.

I recently had to upgrade my drill/driver combo. As a professional Finish carpenter, I need cordless tools that can work all day, and not tire ME out. Have used most brands, and still own a collection of older makita cordless. I used some of my co-workers 18v li-ion and was instantly sold. The impact driver actually seems lighter than my old favorite 12volt!!
br /Don't get the white combo, spend a little more for the upgrade. I've never said I wish I hadn't spent the extra money for a good quality tool. I've often said I wish I had spent a few dollars more for better tools, but not this time...worth every penny.

the drills work great and the batteries charge really fast compared to other drills i had. the impact driver is awesome and both of the drills came with belt clips which i thought was cool and they were not to heavy to hang on your belt for a period of time i just wish they had these drills in a bigger combo kit

I did the research, bought a Sears 18v took it home it was ultra heavy old Nicad battery technology, and tried to start a putting up shelf project. I wanted to drill some small starter pilot holes but the chuck on the Sears wouldn't even grip the small bit. This was going to be a huge problem since I also uses small carbide bits for drilling safety wire holes in metal for my car and race motorcycles. So I took the heavy beast back. Dewalt use to be a good brand but now even the Home Depot guys said the industrial guys would just bring them back broken for returns.
br /One of my friends has the smaller 18v Lithium Makita in white/grey and likes it but doesn't like the battery life, and that's where this unit is superior to the other units and this combo rocks! Two Expensive batteries are already included and the other nice thing is I don't use my drill that often but I like to use it for small jobs. That's where the lithium Ion battery shines.. because you pull it off the shelf and it's ready to go, my old Nicad would be dead and I would have to wait 45minutes plus to charge it before I could do anything.
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br /Couple of big PLUS: Dual LED so that it really lit up what I was drilling, the cool thing about this kit was I kept my drill bit in the drill and my screw driver on the impact and with the two built in clips I could hang the drills so I didn't have to come down off the ladder, measure, level, mark, drill, screw... It saved a ton of time, plus the hammer drill just pounds the screws like it's butter. There is no need for a second corded drill that's for sure. I love the fact that the Makita comes with a plastic box to hold everything so I know exactly where everything is.
br /+ This is a huge savings to get both tool, but the biggest thing is that you get two batteries which are expensive.. buy the kit instead of just the drill!
br /Minus's or Regrets more like it...
br /Wish I had done this upgrade years ago!

The company I work for bought one of these for use in our plumbing training class. We bought it through a local tool store. I was so impressed I wanted one of my own and purchased one through Amazon at a great savings. The battery life is great. The impact driver makes driving screws simple and fast. After using this tool, all of our trainees want one of their own to use in the field. I would recommend this combo to anyone in the construction business.

i like it . good tool i had a makita before then i got a dewalt i perfer the makita anyday of the week.

Its perfect drill for making a holes in any material and the impact its unbelievable for screws. Probably the best set of cordless drills on the market.

This drill and its companion impact driver are durable well built tools. Every time I use them I smile. They are way better than anything I've used before. Complaints about the chuck may have some merit as it seems light weight, but it has never caused me a problem. Once you learn how to use the chuck properly (tighten and then a quick twist to lock it), you'll never have a bit fall out. The charger thankfully has a fan to keep everything cool while charging. If the sound of the charger fan bothers you - turn up the radio a little. Batteries last long enough for most all-day projects, and if they run low they recharge in 15-20 minutes. Overall - 5 stars!

My first Makita kit was stolen and a co-worker convinced me to buy the Dewalt. That was a mistake as I missed the refinements, weight, battery life and plain funtionality of the Makita. They started the cordless revolution and in my opinion, still make the best cordless drills. The hammer drill has changed the way we drive screws.

Use this kit everyday in production trim. Hang cabinets, set doors, install hardware. Not sure if the lithium ion batteries are worth the extra cost as we also have a couple of the older makita kits with nikel metal hydride batteries that have held up well. From a daily use durability standpoint, makita drills and impact drivers hands down beat the ridgid, porter cable, and bosch tools that I have had experience with.

After using my old 14.4V Makita for years (and it's still going strong with the new Lithium Ion batteries), I purchased this combo for my son recently. Love the lights on the Hammer drill and the driver seems to be strong. All in one case a big plus also. The only downer is that it is his set and not mine.

I purchased this about two months ago and have used it all day every day since. The impact gun is very, very light and is actually the tool I use most out of this kit to drive screws. The lights are great when working inside cabinets and such and the belt hooks are great too. It's amazing how long the batteries hold a charge and they recharge very quickly. I was a little worried when I read some reviews about the chuck on the hammer drill not being well made but I have had zero issues with either tool. I would absolutely buy this set again but I don't think I'll have to for a long time.

This was a gift to my husband, and he absolutely loves it. It has all the power he needs on his job as a HVAC technician. Although he wishes the LED light were a bit brighter, as far as the rest of the unit, he gives it an enthuiastic two thumbs up.

Absolutely fabulous - every detail thought out with much engineering expertise. First class quality.

Got this combo for Christmas. One of the best gifts ever. The drill and driver are both dynamite tools. Fantastic charge time, easy to use, I'm impressed.

Bought these for my Dad for Christmas, he loves it, his only comment is that they are too good for him. He has used the impact driver extensively and is amazed at the power in the small device. If I can afford my own, I will buy these some day.

Picked up the combo at Stock Lumber. Charged up the batteries in about 20 minutes a piece. The charger looks impressive and makes a great deal of noise with an active fan while charging.
br /Seemed pretty awesome. Fired up the impact driver on some 3" screws and smacked them in really well.
br /BUT, big but, I then inspected the drill...
br /The drill is complete monkey dung. The thing vibrates like crazy. The whole chuck assembly bumbles around, 2mm off center.
br /I was really hoping Makita would be the answer to my lithium ion hankering, but they crapped up what would have been a good set of tools with lame parts and ASSembly.

my husband was thrilled at the price and the combination. He had previously worn out a similar model. he noticed the ergo grip in the handle and liked the longer life for the battery

This product is great!!! Batteries last a long time easy to handle. love the light