Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 22
 Driver April 27, 2006
SJKC
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This tool is pretty amazing. I have run the gambit of drill drivers from electric screwdrivers through all makes and models of cordless drills. This will drive a 3 1/2 " deck screw with little or no effort. At any time you can stop driving the screw and inch it down or up (truly variable with total control and power). Plus the battery goes and goes. Best tool in my arsenal.
Great tool! January 11, 2007
Kenneth C. Reed (Forest Ranch, California United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've owned several cordless drills in the past; Hitachi, Panasonic, Milwaukee, and others, but never an impact driver. What a difference! If you drive wood screws much at all this is the tool of choice. Light, well balanced and powerful. The impact action keeps the bit from camming out the driver or the screw head and it's easy to sink 6" screws into wood without a pilot hole. I bought a set of drill bits to use with this chuck and the instant bit changes are wonderful. I've also used it as a mechanic's tool, which works pretty good, but it is too bulky to get into a lot of spots. A good selection of extensions and universals is most helpful here. The Li-ion battery is worth the extra money as it's light and powerful and quick to charge. Just don't let them run down all the way; the instructions say to change them out as soon as you notice a drop in power which is different than the old Ni-cads. Well worth the money, especially if you get the CPO deal like I did. (Pre-owned, factory reconditioned.)
really drives screws June 26, 2007
G. Gersch
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've been using this impact driver on a major deck rehab project, and it is worth every penny. It will drive a screw non-stop into anything. Hit a knot? Who cares? Just let it ratchet away on it for a while. And all without breaking your wrist with torque. Much less finicky than a driver drill with bit and screw head alignment and pressure as well.
It's also fantastic at backing out old screws. Screws I couldn't budge with my driver drill, or just starting stripping the head on, back out with no fuss.
However, it isn't a replacement for a regular driver drill. There is no stopping at a particular torque setting. Forget using it on small screws. It's basically for larger screws only.
You need to pay attention or it's very easy to overdrive a screw too deep or strip the hole. With a little practice it's not hard to feather/blip the trigger and get it right. But don't let your attention wander. The transition between fast spin in on screw starting and the slower impact driving also takes a bit of getting used to.
It's also loud. A half dozen screws won't make you deaf. But more than than that and you'll want hearing protection. (My neighbors keep wandering over to see what is making the strange racket.)
The snap/impact action also plays tricks on your eyes. You often get a wagon-wheel effect where it looks like the screw is turning backwards as you're driving it in. Kind of disconcerting.
Overall though, I would buy this driver again in a heartbeat. I am very satisfied with the power and handling.
 Great Power, Battery but too fast. January 16, 2008
Woodshop Man (MINNEAPOLIS, MN USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I got this impact driver to replace my Bosch 14 volt. The bosch worked great, but the battery would run down fairly fast.
The Makita, with it's Lithium battery runs all day long. I previously had gotten a Makita Lithium drill/driver to replace one of my Porter Cable NiCad cordless drills, and I love it.
The problem with this Makita is that there isn't enough "feel" in the trigger. It's very hard to slowly startup when screwing in something. The driver wants to go right to full speed, so you slip out of the screw or tear up the head.
The balance of the driver is fantastic, and fit and finish is normal Makita quality, but I'm sad now that I sold my Bosch for the sake of extra run time.
Light and powerfull! June 25, 2006
Jcpilot (Lafayette, IN)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This impact driver is awesome. Lightweight, no torque on the wrist. A bit loud when the hammer kicks in. And a free hammer drill! Amazon rules.
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