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

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But perhaps the coolest innovation is what Makita calls its 45-minute Optimum Charger. It actually talks to the batteries it charges throughout the cycle, using a built-in memory chip in the battery and, believe it or not, a CPU chip in the charger itself, which analyzes the data stored in the battery chip to decide on the best charging method at that time.The hammer drill/ driver itself is fairly compact and lightweight, yet it's packing a powerful 560 in./lbs. of torque. It's got a super speed range of 0 to 300 rpm in low gear, 0 to 600 in mid-range and 0 to 1,700 rpm in top gear. But look at the numbers in hammer mode: up to 4,500 blows per minute in low gear, to 9,000 in mid-range and an astounding 0 to 25,500 in third gear. Wow. Sometimes, you may encounter a little resistance if you're switching directly from low gear to high; if that happens, running the tool in mid-gear for a couple seconds completely alleviates any snag. Switching from drill to drive mode is done with a simple push of the Shift-Lock switch. We really like the integrated worklight, too: It illuminates as soon as you pull the trigger, and it stays on for 10 seconds or so after you release the trigger, too - a handy little feature. Makita's always made ergonomically positive tools that feel good in your hand and take the strain off your body, and this one's no exception. The slightly curved grip is so comfortable, and the auxiliary handle gives you a super-secure hold on this powerful tool. It's an absolute pleasure to use and would be a great choice for a contractor, woodworker or exacting DIY-er.

It has tons of torque for a battery powered drill, and yet the variable speed function lets you go gently when you need to. 2) The built-in light doesn't point quite where the drill bit makes contact. The cons: 1) Switching between speeds or drill and driver modes can be a little balky. I have had a series of Makita drills since the 1980's, and this is the best. I don't use the hammer drill function much, but the drill and driver settings are very useful.After a couple of years, the batteries are going strong, something I can't say for other types I have had in the past. 3) It's heavy. Whether I run the drill hard all day (alternating between two batteries) or let it sit on the shelf for a month, it works great.The few imperfections I have noticed may have caused me to give it 4 stars when new, but now that I know how durable and useful this drill is it gets 5.

My $50 B&D finally stopped holding much of a charge after a year or so of hard use so I took advantage of the opportunity to borrow and use every other drill present. I'm an Engineer, and do a lot of projects on the side, but had never invested in a true 'construction' quality drill. In fact, I need to search for that drill on here and write up a 5-star review for it while I'm online. Feels like they rushed things a bit to get out the door with a Lithium model.*BTW - The clear winner of the bunch during our project was a year-old Panasonic NiMH that just kept on working like a tank, and had a solid grip on any bit, instant response to exactly where you pull the trigger, quick change of direction with no noises or loose feel anywhere. Had a plethora of brands and models available from a group of volunteer crew (fathers) over a month-long set-building project for our kids' musical. The friend with his "contractor-quality" Makita was quite proud of the price tag on his new Lithium driver, and I'll admit based solely on the battery tech and ergonomics, and reputation for eventually fixing problems within warranty - which he'll apparently need - I give it a hearty 3-stars. I am looking forward to seeing what the newer Lithium-Ion power can do for that dependable Panasonic design. That's about where it ends, though.It continually lost grip in the chuck on drill bits and drivers with quick changes.I tend to work fast once I'm 'in the zone' and had need to rapidly kick into reverse and back into drive, and the Makita transmission kept making grindy noises and not wanting to quickly engage.Basically, it was frustrating to have a drill that promised so much and turned out to be less than it could be, and felt like it wasn't quite as polished and solid as a professional-level tool should be.Comparatively, the cheaper B&D's, a Craftsman 18V, and a generic NiCad were all noticeably of a bit less hefty and quality build, but performed about the same as this Makita other than the obvious longer legs of the Lithium battery and extra power from the bigger motor, I'm just not sure the extra $300 is worth it until they do a line redesign.

While not used in a contractor setting, used pretty much daily building decks and such. The quality is just not there and with other better alternatives would not buy Makita again. After two years the transmission/clutch went out. Makita wouldn't warranty as I could not find the original invoice, only the credit card statement from Mastercard.

I do contracting work and have had many power drills in the past. But this one had the li-ion batteries and is a little lighter mainly because of the li-ion battery.Charges fast and I can interchange the batteries with other Makita power tools.Great purchase. This one's the best so far.I had a DeWalt for many years and it was a good drill.

The battery charger sounds like a 747 taking off; I later learned the noise is present due to the charger being defective. Since I purchased the drill it has been in for service 3 times. My case is literally held together with duct tape. I run a small construction company in the Chicago area. I purchased this drill from a local box store about 3 years ago. I use the drill daily on the job. The molded case is one of the worst I've seen in 16 yrs in the construction industry. This tool will probably suffice for the weekend warrior but for a professional it sucks (unless you like to wait 3 weeks out of every year to have it serviced).

My DeWalt 18V hammer/driver passed away(6yrs old) and I needed a new drill pronto. All 3 times the transmission and the clutch were replaced. I picked up the new Panasonic 21.6V and must say it is far SUPERIOR to the makita. B4 Christmas, once again, the transmission burned up.