Power packed into Makita cordless kits

Makita has added a 10.8-volt driver/drill and impact driver to its LXT Series of lithium-ion battery cordless tools.

Ethan Haughawout, the company’s associate product manager for cordless products, says this is the first time Makita has launched 10.8-volt cordless tools, which feature a 1.3-amp hour battery capacity with an estimated charge time of about 50 minutes.

“They’re ultra-compact and have an ergonomic design with plenty of power. The impact driver weighs only two pounds and the driver/drill weighs 1.9 pounds,” says Haughawout.

The driver/drill delivers 200 lbs. of torque with variable speed options at both the high- and low-speed settings. Haughawout says when Makita was engineering the tool, most of the competitor’s 10.8-volt models offered one speed that maxed out at 500 to 600 RPM.

“The driver/drill has a low speed of zero to 350 RPM and a high speed of zero to 1,300 RPM, so it basically allows the user to get a much faster RPM. But they can also drop it to a low speed that has 18 different clutch settings where you can fasten with the exact amount of torque that you need,” he says.

The impact driver offers up to 800 lbs. of torque, suitable for driving lag bolts in wooden decks, according to Makita. It has a variable speed range of zero to 2,400 RPM.

“For drilling and light-duty fastening, most people would go for the driver/drill with the two-speed variable speed and clutch settings,” says Haughawout. “But with the impact driver having 800 pounds of torque, it offers four times the amount of torque that the driver drill does for heavy-duty applications.”

The driver/drill is sold as a kit for $149, while the impact driver kit sells for $159. Both tools can be purchased in a combo kit for $179. Each kit includes two batteries, charger and hard case.

Makita provides a three-year warranty that covers repairs because of defective materials or workmanship.

Contact: Makita U.S.A. Inc.,14930 Northam St., La Mirada, CA 90638. Tel: 800-462-5482. www.makitatools.com

This article originally appeared in the October 2008 issue.