Makita BHP451 LXT 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Hammer Driver-Drill

List Price: $558.00 Discount Price: $240.00

Features:

• LXT Lithium-Ion battery and optimum charging system produces 280% more lifetime work with 2x more cycles.
• 3-speed design produces 25% faster working speed with more efficiency in a wider range of applications
• Shift Lock Driver System quickly shifts from "hammer drill" to "driver" mode with one touch
• Egonomic shape fits like a glove with even pressure and easy control
• Compact design at only 9-7/8" length and weighs only 4.9 lbs for less operator fatigue

Accessories:
Makita 784827-A Quad-Driver 4 Piece Reversible and Self-Centering Pre-Drill, Drive and Countersink Set	Makita 784832-A Quad-Driver 13 Piece Pre-Drill, Drive and Countersink Set	Makita 845047-A MForce2 Heavy Duty Work Gloves - L	Makita 845042-A MForce1 Framers Fingerless Work Gloves - L	Makita 845038-A MForce1 Contractors Work Gloves - XL

Customer Reviews:

I love it! [Posted on 2007-01-13]
I needed a new drill for a couple of big home renovation projects and bought this based on the review in fine homebuilding. I was also attracted to the fact that lithium-ion batteries are a lot less toxic to manufacture and dispose of. the drill has been fantastic-- even better than i hoped. great power, balance, ease of use, and battery life.

So far everything has worked great. [Posted on 2007-10-25]
I have used it around the house and on small projects and still using the same battery. I used it to mix some mortar in a 3 gallon bucket without any problems. It has great power and a long lasting battery compared to most other cordless drills I have used. It is definitely heavy to carry around for bigger jobs and although I appreciate the attempt of giving me a light I wish they would have adjusted it to point on the tip instead of around it, it actually makes it a little more difficult to see the screw head or hole in low light situations.

great tools lxt 18 volt. [Posted on 2007-12-11]
we run a gutter installs all day with this light weight tool ti runs great. scott

The Bonber [Posted on 2008-01-18]
Great tool , couldn't ask for any better. Maybe a tad on the heavy side , but I love it.

Great Drill [Posted on 2008-02-11]
Purchased this drill last fall before beginning to replace the aluminum wiring in my 40 year old home. It replace a 15 year old (approx.) 9.6 volt Makita which still worked fine; but it needed new batteries. It seemed a good time to trade up.

The new drill is about 1 pound heavier than my previous drill. Considering that I've moved from 9.6 to 18 volts and added a hammer function this seems to be a quite reasonable tradeoff. While noticeably heavier the new drill seems better balanced than the old drill (stick battery in the handle). I didn't find it tiring to use.

In the past several months I have done a lot of heavy drilling and also drove a lot of dry-wall screws. The drill has all the power I needed to make short work of up to 1" holes often through multiple 2x4's. Since I often moved between drilling and driving screws I liked the ability to make that change quickly without changing the clutch setting.

Someone else commented on chuck run-out and holding power. I didn't experience either of these problems. However, most of my drilling was done with a set of old Craftsman spade bits that had terrible run-out as purchased. My father was a machinist at the time I purchased the bits and re-ground the forged drill flats true to the axis of the bit solving this problem. It also gives me bits that I know run true as a fair test of a chuck. There are a lot of bad bits out there.

My biggest disappointment was the case. The case my drill arrived in was designed to hold both the drill and an impact wrench. It is huge. Since I didn't purchase the impact wrench about 40-50% of the space is wasted. I did buy the Makita 18v flash light. It doesn't seem like it would have taken much creativity to design a case that would hold the drill and either the impact wrench or the light. (Listening out there Makita??) The only other complaint is the lack of adjustability of the light. I did a fair amount of work in dark (overhead) spaces. The light is fine when using the (longer) spade bits. But when I was driving screws with a short Phillips bit the light was no help at all.

Overall this is a great drill and I look forward to using it for a long time.

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