Your favorite Makita cordless items

[ear3]

I recently converted my other guns over to cordless, and couldn't be happier with not having to lug around a hose and compressor.  I've got an elaborate trimming job coming up later this week, and so I've decided to get a cordless Makita pin nailer  -- stupid Dewalt doesn't make a 23 gauge unit, and so I have to get yet another battery platform (incidentally, why on earth would you redesign your cordless nailer line and not add a 23 gauge pinner?).

The unit is only sold as a bare tool, which means I have to get a charger and battery to go along with it separately.  Cost wise, it probably makes sense to buy another cordless tool kit just to get the free battery/charger that comes along with it.  Never owned any Makita cordless gear, so I'm wondering what are some of the stand-outs of their 18V battery operated line.  And preferably something other than a drill, since I really don't need another one of those.

 

[DB10]

I recently converted my other guns over to cordless, and couldn't be happier with not having to lug around a hose and compressor.  I've got an elaborate trimming job coming up later this week, and so I've decided to get a cordless Makita pin nailer  -- stupid Dewalt doesn't make a 23 gauge unit, and so I have to get yet another battery platform (incidentally, why on earth would you redesign your cordless nailer line and not add a 23 gauge pinner?).

The unit is only sold as a bare tool, which means I have to get a charger and battery to go along with it separately.  Cost wise, it probably makes sense to buy another cordless tool kit just to get the free battery/charger that comes along with it.  Never owned any Makita cordless gear, so I'm wondering what are some of the stand-outs of their 18V battery operated line.  And preferably something other than a drill, since I really don't need another one of those.

I hear you, I've got 3 cordless nailers from Dewalt and a 23 gauge from the same firm would have been handy. I recently noticed that Makita have just launched their new 23 gauge nailer the XTP02Z in NA, which replaces the XTP01Z, apparently the new 23 gauge is a major improvement on the old one, there is a recent review on Tool Guyd. unfortunately the new 23g hasn't been launched in Australia yet. We did get the new cordless trimmer the DRT 50 which I'm very impressed with for quick jobs but I'm not sure if it has been released in NA yet. If you don't won't to invest in another kit from Makita and seeing as their 18v tools have been around for so long you would probably be able to get a charger and battery pretty cheap second hand.

 

[WastedP]

The cordless right angle impact driver makes cabinet installation miracles possible.  I would have experimented with other brands of drills, including the green ones, but no one else makes a tool that does what the XLT01 does.

If you need a charger and batteries, sometimes you can pick up the cordless stick vac or a throw-away drill for $99.  The vac has a 2 amp battery, and the drill comes with a 3 amp battery.  Both have the same charger.

Because of my buy-in to Makita's battery system, I decided to retire my Tanaka weedeater this summer and replaced it with the brushless Makita trimmer.  I probably use it more for edging than trimming, and it will still do two blocks of sidewalk, curbs, and trimming on a single charge.  I don't have to wear earplugs, I don't burn myself on the muffler, and I was able to retire the 2-cycle gas can.  The Makita trimmer set came with two 5 amp batteries and a double charger.  It was $40 less to buy it as a set that came with a brushless angle grinder.  I put the NIB grinder on Craigslist and had it gone in a few days for $80.  I've been really happy with the trimmer and I am considering adding more cordless outdoor power equipment.  As soon as they announce a brushless lawnmower, I'll probably get one and be done with gas for good.

 

[Harry1561]

I recently converted my other guns over to cordless, and couldn't be happier with not having to lug around a hose and compressor.  I've got an elaborate trimming job coming up later this week, and so I've decided to get a cordless Makita pin nailer  -- stupid Dewalt doesn't make a 23 gauge unit, and so I have to get yet another battery platform (incidentally, why on earth would you redesign your cordless nailer line and not add a 23 gauge pinner?).

The unit is only sold as a bare tool, which means I have to get a charger and battery to go along with it separately.  Cost wise, it probably makes sense to buy another cordless tool kit just to get the free battery/charger that comes along with it.  Never owned any Makita cordless gear, so I'm wondering what are some of the stand-outs of their 18V battery operated line.  And preferably something other than a drill, since I reI ally don't need another one of those.

I have a few makita cordless,  the biscuit jointer l like ,as well as the multitool,blower and led light. Just waiting for the trimmer to arrive. Makita have a good cordless range at reasonable prices.

 

[BBuild]

I'm heavily invested in the LXT lineup with over 2 dozen batteries and probably just as many tools. My favorites right now are the new subcompact impact/drill set, brushless 6.5" circ saw, and the brushless recip saw.

 

[charley1968]

I got some of their gardening tools and i like the trimmer most. I bought a set of LTX tools
( circ. and recip saw, drillhammer, jigsaw, worklight) but most of those i sold/gave away. Only kept the recip saw and it' s doing alright but nothing to write home about. Then i got a nut driver that is very good for changing tires, really light-weight with the 1,3 Ah battery. Recommended!
Got an 115mm angle grinder coming for the Arbortech turbo shaft/ plane but have yet to use it.
As i said, most of my gardening stuff is Makita and all those tools are good with regard to runtime ( using only 3Ah batteries as they came with the set). What i like about Makita is their wide range of tools and their price point.

 

[Peter_C]

FWIW I would probably be inclined, depending on battery draw and amount of nails being shot, to use 2.0aH batteries. Saves a fair amount of weight over the 5.0aH batteries etc.

For finish work the Makita cordless planner would be handy. Some folks on here just bought their new cordless router. Go to the website and see if anything jumps off the page at you. Battery powered caulking guns are awesome!

 

[ear3]

Yeah, I love the cordless caulking guns.  Unfortunately I already got one from Milwaukee.  Cordless router sounds intriguing, though.

FWIW I would probably be inclined, depending on battery draw and amount of nails being shot, to use 2.0aH batteries. Saves a fair amount of weight over the 5.0aH batteries etc.

For finish work the Makita cordless planner would be handy. Some folks on here just bought their new cordless router. Go to the website and see if anything jumps off the page at you. Battery powered caulking guns are awesome!

 

[LooseSox]

What is the weight difference with different Ah Makita batteries like? I use Bosch cordless gear amd was really suprised when I put the batteries on the kitchen scales to see. I can't remember exactly what they weighed but I do remember there was less than 45g difference between the 4Ah and 6Ah batteries with the 5Ah battery sitting slightly above the halfway point. Most of my batteries came via a Bosch redemption promo so I didn't actually have to buy them so not too fussed what one cops more use, but I had it in my head to use the smaller packs for less fatigue when using my drills until I sussed out the battery weights. 15-45g over 1.8kg doesn't make a hugely noticeable real world difference to me.

 

[ear3]

Thanks for the heads up on the new model nailer [member=42735]DB10[/member]. Took delivery of the previous model yesterday, and when I was doing tests last night it would not sink long pins into 3/4 hardwood. It ended up working today on the 5/8 poplar trim I was installing, but I think what I'm going to do, since I ordered it from amazon, is just return it and get the new model.  That was actually my goal when I tried to stop by the tool nut yesterday late afternoon, but I discovered that they've temporarily closed their brick and mortar store.

I recently converted my other guns over to cordless, and couldn't be happier with not having to lug around a hose and compressor.  I've got an elaborate trimming job coming up later this week, and so I've decided to get a cordless Makita pin nailer  -- stupid Dewalt doesn't make a 23 gauge unit, and so I have to get yet another battery platform (incidentally, why on earth would you redesign your cordless nailer line and not add a 23 gauge pinner?).

The unit is only sold as a bare tool, which means I have to get a charger and battery to go along with it separately.  Cost wise, it probably makes sense to buy another cordless tool kit just to get the free battery/charger that comes along with it.  Never owned any Makita cordless gear, so I'm wondering what are some of the stand-outs of their 18V battery operated line.  And preferably something other than a drill, since I really don't need another one of those.

I hear you, I've got 3 cordless nailers from Dewalt and a 23 gauge from the same firm would have been handy. I recently noticed that Makita have just launched their new 23 gauge nailer the XTP02Z in NA, which replaces the XTP01Z, apparently the new 23 gauge is a major improvement on the old one, there is a recent review on Tool Guyd. unfortunately the new 23g hasn't been launched in Australia yet. We did get the new cordless trimmer the DRT 50 which I'm very impressed with for quick jobs but I'm not sure if it has been released in NA yet. If you don't won't to invest in another kit from Makita and seeing as their 18v tools have been around for so long you would probably be able to get a charger and battery pretty cheap second hand.

 

[WastedP]

What is the weight difference with different Ah Makita batteries like?

2 Ah and under batteries are significantly shorter than 3 Ah and up.  When I got the 5 Ah batteries, I checked them against an older (~10 yrs) 3 Ah and they are exactly the same size.  I didn't put them on a scale, but they felt like the same weight, too.

 

[oneeyesquare]

Does "all of them" count?  [big grin]

Just used the new 23 ga pinner today. Been sitting in the van for a few weeks. Worked flawlessly. Running some prefinished cabinet crown later this week. Will see how it does.

My next purchase will be the cordless tracksaw.

 

[ear3]

I ended up just buying the compact impact driver kit.  Although I love my Milwaukee Fuel impact, I've heard a lot of good things about the Makita, and it actually has a smaller form factor than the Milwaukee.  I figured I could always sell the Makita and make back some of the money.

 

[Pnw painter]

I've also got the 18V sub-compact impact driver and drill. So far I've really like both and I'm amazed at how much power they have for their small size.

In the future I'm looking to add the router and power planer to my Makita collection. The cordless "worm drive circular saw also looks interesting, but I personally don't have much need for it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nclemmons]

I have the subcompact brushless drill/driver, one of their LED lights, their 4.5 in angle grinder and their Grass shears, all in 18v.

Nice tools and a really amazing selection.  Got to be the broadest selection of 18v tools.

I've been very impressed with their line.  Still have my Festool stuff, but I was looking for an alternative for an impact and really like the Makita setup.  Once you have the battery and charger, they multiply!