Which Makita impact, combo kit or corded driver

[James Nugnes]

Really need some help with this one as it may not be cut and dried. But since I really appreciate the opinions here, anything you guys turn back my way will really help me out.

I have lately been abandoning battery powered handheld tools. I now have a Dewalt corded 3/8 drill and a 1/2" Hitachi corded monster. But I need to round out the drill collection with an impact. Have waited and waited on impacts mainly waiting for the moment when I needed one and waiting for improvements.

So one could still get a Festool TI15 hybrid but I think the price of that thing is ridiculous for what it is and for what I need and it is a battery unit.

For me the real competition is down to either the Makita corded 1/4" hex impact or the Makita combo kit which includes a 12V. 1/4" hex impact, a vari-speed drill, two batteries and case. Really nice set at a nice price these days.

All of my cordless drill stuff is basically dead at this moment as the batteries have died. The impact which is what I really need to handle some Confirmat screw work would be the corded Makita at 1062 inch pounds of max torque or the impact from the Makita cordless combo at 850 inch pounds max torque. I am guessing that either would have enough juice to handle the Confirmat screws. Got some 5x40 and some 7x50. Maybe the 7x50 would enjoy the extra juice of the corded impact. But I would end up with a decent small cordless kit if I went the other way and would likely not ever revisit cordless drills or any drills for a long while given what I already have.

Just looking at the issue from the standpoint of handling the Confirmat screws for screwing 1/2" and 3/4" ply to 3/4" mdf and avoiding for a moment whether Confirmats are a good method, which of the two Makita 1/4" impact drivers do folks think would be better at just driving the screws. The cordless has 800 inch pounds of torque max and a single LED light. The corded has 1,062 inch pounds of torque an no light. Price is the same for both but you get much more in the combo bundle for the same price. Confirmat screws in question are either the 5mm x 40 or the 7mm x 50 screws. The cordless is a little heavier with its battery but very small and easy to move around and has the single light and no tail (cord). The corded is a little lighter but not tons lighter. Has no LED but has the extra grunt which might be debatable if I have to use an extension cord which I likely might.

What do you guys think. Gotta' get something on order ASAP.

[William A Johnston]

I have always been a huge Makita fan because they seamed well balanced and of good quality for cordless tools. But my last combo set I purchased had the drill, impact, circular saw and a flashlight. Within a month of getting the set my flashlight quit working and it was not the bulb. A month later my drill burned up and had to send off to repair, no cost to me as it was under warranty. Got back in a week or so. About six months later one of the batteries died so I'm down to one. About a year after I got my drill back it burned up again and my other battery went bad. Needless to say I'm going to try the Ryobi brand next time. I'm not a fan of cheap tools but a friend of mine uses them professionally and has had fewer issues than me. My suggestion would be go with the corded drill especially if ur not going from job to job doing small repairs. Maybe I just got a lemon set? Who knows.

[James Nugnes]

That is really a very interesting review...sorry you had such a bad time with it. Makes me wonder if suppliers make up these sets out of tools that just barely made it past quality assurance. I can "assure" you that there is a range within any quality assurance standard and there are units that fall at the top, middle and bottom and the supplier knows exactly what is where. it would certainly not surprise me if these combo kits which are in truth sold separately under separate SKU's are made up out of units that are at the bottom of the quality assurance standard with the supplier taking his chances but taking them having provided the customer with what he will consider a value, softening the blow if one or the other starts to develop problems.

Just to add some spice to the discussion, the Mikita combo not only made it into the top 10 best impact drivers of 2015 but heads the list!!! But I get it...about this battery stuff and as stated earlier basically gave up.

So that is a vote for the corded Makita. That one has more power.....so I guess maybe I kill three birds with one stone....get more juice.....stay corded as I have of late with drills....end up filling the impact driver hole in my tool lineup and oh yea....get the job done.

Do we think the 1062 max torque corded Makita has enough juice for the job I have in mind or might that not be enough?

[William A Johnston]

James, after rereading my post I think I came off a little negative. I apologize for that. The drill and the batteries besides the flashlight which is a non issue anyway are the only issues I have had on the Makita set. I do like the impact and the circular saw. They are very well balanced and have plenty of power. I do have another friend who does contract work for me and has only had some issus with the batteries. Maybe I am asking to much as paying a premium for a set I expect to get a premium product which the impact and saw are.

Back to your question I think either would work fine for your situation. A cordless is more portable and your not tripping on cords. But a corded impact would have a little more torque as you stated. I have been using a corded drill for drilling grommets and maybe I have torqued my Makita drill to many times and have burnt it out and overheated the batteries.

On the confirmat screws you are going to have to drill a pilot hole anyway. So I am sure even the cordless set would be sufficient. My buddy has told me about the set your probably talking about and the price point I believe was around the $200 mark. Which is an excellent buy.

A cordless drill also would probably be a little easier to control.

I would lean towards the cordless set.

Bill

[Doug Ladendorf]

James, I wouldn't expect much from a 12 volt driver. Those are the low cost product and corners cut no matter which manufacturer. I have the 18v brushless drill/driver set and it has been fantastic. The driver has exceeded my expectation and I can highly recommend this set, though it is a bit more expensive. If you don't have a cordless set to me it's a good idea to have on hand.

Doug

[Bob Grier]

James, Two years ago I bought a Makita 18v lithium-ion brushless motor impact driver. It has 3 power settings, is variable speed with LED work light and came with 2 batteries. It has fallen off fences and ladders onto concrete, has many hours on it and looks beat up. It is one of my most favorite tools and is used for everything from driving light duty screws such as for electical recepticals to large lag bolts into old dry lumber. The three power settings are a favorite of mine because I can push the low power button (which I use most of the time) and not have to worry about accidently snapping a screw and the high power will drive anything I have tried. The batteries are 3.0 Ah and last a long time between charges.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Yeah - what Bob said ^^^^^.

Me too, with each of his observations, with the exception that I don't think I am quite as brutal with the tools.

I love 'em. I have the cordless "green" impact driver and cordless 1/2" "green" hammer drill, plus the "black-and-white" 3/8" drill - because is is lightweight and good as a daily driver. The 1/2" hammer is a monster to be holding in your hand to drill small holes............

They have all worked out very, very well. I dunno the combo kits....did not study those.....just got the pieces I needed......including a 2d charger and extra batteries. I think that some of what I got was a quote-kit-unquote, in that it came with a tool and a charger and an extra battery........but other than that, I bought the pieces.

[Neil Gaskin]

I'm an owner/partner of a remodeling company and we swear by Makita cordless tools. We probably have a dozen +/- makita drills and impacts and I wouldnt look at another brand. They have enough torque and battery life to last, we do not typically replace the tools so much as the batteries. All of ours 3 amh batteries, though I believe they have released 4 amp hour now.

We have both brushed and brushless, I dont know that I would spend the extra $ for the brushless again.

[James Nugnes]

I wonder if I should consider the Bosch cordless impact drivers? There is the issue of whether that cord would get in the way on a driver. There are other tools where the cord is just not an issue for me. But if there is one power tool in this world where it might be, this would surely be the one.

I have given up on battery power because in truth it is impractical for a home shop. Your batteries die before you ever get the full usage out of them and then you are really kicking yourself because buing replacement batteries is galling to no end. The batteries designed for your tools are always at that point ancient battery technology yet the replacements are ridiculously expensive. Your corded tool never really lets you down in that way.

How about the question of whether that corded Makita should have the grunt to handle the Confirmat screws? Nobody has touched that question of whether 1062 inch pounds of torque max should get the job done.

I did find one more Makita compact cordless option that gets their cordless back in the game again. The FD01W has an adjustable clutch. None of the impact drivers I have mentioned so far has one. Frankly if you have an impact driver with an adjustable clutch and already own a corded drill, I don't see the combo kit as anything more than adding a tool I don't need while losing a feature that is useful, the adjustable clutch on the impact driver. In fact, if you just have an adapter to get back to your 3/8" bits, you can drill with your impact driver in a pinch. I really don't favor having extra tools that don't really do anything for me especially if they cost me a useful feature on the tool I really want.

[Bob Grier]

James, I really think you should try the Makita 18 v (or higher voltage) lithium-ion impact driver with the 3 power settings before making a decision. I have had clutched drivers, I have the festool drill/driver (not impact because I bought before they came out with the impact), and corded drills. There are two technologies that in my view replace the clutches. One is what Festool uses and that is electronic control, the other is the impact driver with optional power settings. The Makita with the power settings is easy to control because a power setting can be selected that allows how fast the screw is driven using the variable speed trigger. Also, it drives screws with less snapping and with less rounding out the head. It will drive 3" x 1/4" lag bolts with no problem using a nut driver tip. I thought I liked the Festool for driving screws until I tried the Makita. I promptly went out and bought one. Kinda high priced but worth it to me. I have seen crews show up on a job and every person had their own Makita driver. My brother tried it and went out and bought a less expensive brand and I don't think he is very impressed with the functionality. I know I am not. It is bigger and less easy to use and less functional.

[Bob Grier]

I just realized I have been sounding like a pusher for Makita. I expect there are other impact drivers just as good and maybe better. It is the size and functionality of the Makita I am impressed with. I am not trying to push Makita unless you don't find a comparable impact driver.

[Rick Johnston]

Another idea. Rigid - lifetime warranty including battery's .

[Andrew Joiner]

I have given up on battery power because in truth it is impractical for a home shop. Your batteries die before you ever get the full usage out of them and then you are really kicking yourself because buing replacement batteries is galling to no end. The batteries designed for your tools are always at that point ancient battery technology yet the replacements are ridiculously expensive. Your corded tool never really lets you down in that way.



.

I agree James. I went with one corded driver and a Ridgid for cordless because of the warranty.

[Ole Anderson]

Not Makita or corded, but that new 20v PC combo set is going for about $150 now. I bought one for my son , I have used it and it is much nicer than my 5 year old PC 18 v combo which is still going strong. Only recommended upgrade is to get one bigger battery at some point. They keep the cost down by going with the smaller batteries. To me the convenience of not having to deal with a cord overpowers the issue of the typical 5 year battery life. I am on my third battery on my old DeWalt 14 volt XLT. My old Ryobi won't hold a charge for any length of time, so I keep it in my RV and charge it just before I need it. I am getting way too many drills including a PC 3/8" HD corded and a PC hammer/drill. Still have my first cordless, one of those 9.6v stick style Makitas. The battery is relegated to the flashlight that came with it.

http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-P.../dp/B00CM7Z2KW

[Ed Labadie]

When I updated my ancient full size 12v cordless stuff I stayed with DeWalt, their stuff has served me well.

I stepped up to the window and got the brushless 3 speed impact. The brushless tools and li-on batters will change your perception of cordless.....the runtime is so much improved over the old ni-cad stuff it can be hard to grasp.

IMO, the 3 speeds on the impact is the only way to go, set to 1 for small jobs, 2 for normal use and 3 when you want to break stuff.

Ed