Makita 18V Drill

Makita 18V drills are generally thought to be superior tools by their users. They provide an abundance of torque and are well-balanced. They are not the cheapest drills around, but they are high quality, durable, and they deliver a ton of features.

These drills use the Makita 18V Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery, and come with a rapid optimum charger that allows charging in 15 minutes. Yep, it's true, fifteen minute charging. However, some Makita drills, like the 6347DWDE for example, use a Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery instead.

Price Range and Features

The BDF452HW - Goes for around $185. It's very compact with a good ergonomic design. Weighs only three and a half pounds and is eight inches long. Has a built-in LED light to illuminate your work area. Three year warranty.

The 6347DWDE Cordless Drill/Driver Kit - Roughly $200. Comes with two batteries and a multi-volt charger. Has a shift-lock drive system that allows you to easily go from drill to driver. It has an all-metal gear transmission with dual speeds. Comes with one-year warranty
 
The BHP452HW Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Driver-Drill Kit - Sells for around $192. Motor offers 450 in.lbs. of maximum torque, and has a variable 2-speed transmission. Has the fifteen minute rapid charger. Comes with three year warranty.

The BDF451 Driver-Drill Kit - Sells for around $299. Motor has 560 in.lbs. of maximum torque, with variable three speed transmission. Has two built-in LED lights,   and tool belt clip. It's 9-3/8 inches long and weighs 4.6 pounds. Has 45 minute optimum charger and comes with two batteries. Three year warranty.

Of course, these are not the only Makita 18V drills. For example, they have a bare- bones option on some of the drills above. In other words, you can buy the tool only, with no battery or charger. You can buy a Lithium-ion battery for around $65 and a charger for around $35. You can get an NiMH battery for around $75.

One of the things we like about Makita is that it's relatively easy to get a hold of parts if it's ever necessary. You can't say the same thing for a lot of other brands, in our experience. We have heard reports of the batteries dying on occasion, though we've never had that experience. In fact, these batteries are actually one of the things we love about these tools. Basically, NiCad batteries suck in our opinion, at least when it comes to tools. Nearly everyone we've talked that has used a Makita 18v drill though, has pretty much said that they feel it is of superior in quality to most of the other stuff they've used. 

In our experience, these Makita drills are well-balanced, comfortable to use, durable and supply plenty of torque to get the job done. We certainly feel good about recommending them. We have used DeWalt drills in the past, and while we don't want to knock them, we do find the Makita drills to be superior in just about every way. There are certainly other options when it comes to cordless tools, and of course there are lots of applications where don't even need compact and cordless, but when it comes to the 18 volt cordless, we feel you can't go wrong with these.