This is the second Makita set I've owned. The drill is excellent and the flashlight is bright.

So far, I have been very happy with this drill/light combo. I bought it because I was replacing all the interior doors in my house and needed to drill holes in the new slabs for locksets. My old 9.6V couldn't handle it, but it was no problem for this one. As for the light, it's great.
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br /Some VERY minor issues: the battery is a little tight going into the bottom of the drill; the motor originally had an interesting smell but it's now gone; there is a little spark inside the case each time the electric brake kicks in. None of these cause any problems, and they might be normal.
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br /I would buy this combo again, and recommend it to anyone. Can't beat it for the price (I think I paid about $115).

As a full time carpenter, I bought this drill a couple years ago. It worked great for light work, like drilling small holes in wood (not metal)and driving short screws (forget about lags). It was great for furniture projects where a delicate throttle and finesse was necessary. But if you plan on using this as your all-around, do-it-all drill, forget it. While driving some longer screws (3") on a job (my first 18v Milwaukee finally wore out) the clutch inside snapped some gears. I called Makita and they sent me a replacement clutch (in the meantime I rush ordered a new 18v Milwaukee to finish the job). After that I only used it for extremely light duty work. A few jobs later, the replacement clutch started slipping before giving out completely. I shouldn't have to keep putting parts into a tool to keep it running. I love my other Makita tools (circ saw, and 10" compound sliding miter) but this one is junk. Buy a real drill, stay away from this one.

Replaced an old 9 volt drill and this works great! Love how the batteries are interchangeable between the drill and the flashlight. Definitely a great kit for a beginner!

i am an electrician in business since 1986, my first makita cordless was a 9.6 volt which i still have several in use daily. this 14.4 volt is more powerfull and retains its charge longer, as you would expect the quality is excellent. the $100 price can't be beat. i like to use the cordless tools for installing screws, and use ac drills for drilling applications. i would think this approach gives the best overall performance and tool life, after all i have makita tools in service 1986, how many contractors can say that.

Got this kit as gift. Very impressed so far. The drill has a nice balance to it and has plenty of power for any task a homeowner will throw at it. I like the fact that the drill is small in size and light weight. This is not an industrial grade contractor tool. It is geared more towards the average homeowner. And it fits that bill perfectly. The batteries charge in about 30 min. The 1.3 ah Ni-cad batteries included in this kit dont last as long as the latest Li-ion batteries do but those batteries also cost twice as much too.
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br /If you are looking for an industrial grade tool with max power and run time look elsewhere. If you need a cordless drill to tackle weekend projects and the "honey do" list this is your drill.

For the average home owner to the hardcore DIY weekend warrior, this is an excellent combo. Flashlight beam is adjustable which when working in a crawl space is a great feature. You can set the light down to the side and still have a focused beam of light right where you are working. The driver is fairly compact, though not useful in 12" deep cabinets. The 14.4 volts is obviously underpowered for a full-time contractor, but I have had my set for nearly 7 years and it is still going strong. I've used mine to assemble furniture, remodel a house, hang drywall, assemble cabinets (except the 12" deep hanging cabinets), build a storage shed, and who knows what else. It is one of the most used tools in my collection.

This is a fantastic buy. As an ex-electrician I know the importance of having a dependable cordless drill. This one definitely fits the bill. I've been out of the business for 2 years now and used to use a Makita 9-volt cordless drill. One of my co-workers used to have one of these and I was more than impressed with it back then and now am very pleased to own one. It is light-weight compared to the bulky Dewalts, and is unbelievably well balanced. Has a great amount of torque for a 14.4V drill. The bonus flashlight here is amazingly bright, I wish I had had one of these when I was in construction. You can also count on Makita quality. I know this drill will stand up to whatever anyone can give it. If you want the torque of an 18V without the bulky weight, this is the drill for you. Basically, BUY THIS DRILL!!! You won't regret it.

As a contractor I have purchased a lot of Makita tools over the years and have been plaeased with there rugged professional grade products. But this is definitely a do-it-yourselfer grade tool. It belongs on the K-mart shelf only.

I bought this drill because of the mistaken impression Makita manufactures tools in the USA (Georgia?). But no, it's from China, just like BlackDecker, DeWalt, etc. So there is no reason to pay more for Makita. I heard somewhere Porter Cable manufactures in the US. So I'll look there next time.