6 Of The Best Cordless Makita Impact Drivers Available (According To User Reviews)
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Impact drivers are great when you need to drive fasteners quickly and easily into tough materials. They can save you a ton of time and energy when installing shelves or cabinets or assembling furniture or outdoor structures such as sheds, decks, and fences. Impact drivers are also immensely useful when you need to remove a stubborn or rusted bolt or screw that won't budge by hand. Makita, USA, which has factories around the world, manufactures a wide range of power tools that are available at many major retailers, so it's no surprise that the brand offers not one but several different kinds of impact drivers.
While all of Makita's impact drivers serve the same primary function, each model is different in some way from every other. Not only do some use different-sized battery packs (which are interchangeable with many other Makita cordless tools), but retailers often sell tools from previous generations within a certain class. For a variety of reasons, older generations are sometimes even preferred by professionals and DIY enthusiasts over their updated counterparts.
One good way to determine which impact driver is best for you is by relying on the user reviews of those who've actually bought and operated these tools. Unlike some brands — such as Milwaukee or Ryobi — Makita doesn't include customer reviews on its website, but retailers such as Home Depot and Amazon have hundreds, if not thousands, of their customers weighing in on Makita's power tools. Here are six of the best Makita impact drivers available according to user reviews, with product codes included so you can make sure you can buy the exact model you'd like. More information on how these tools were evaluated can be found at the end of this list.
18V LXT Brushless ¼-inch Variable-Speed Impact Driver
Many of Makita's impact drivers use 18-volt batteries, as it's a power source that's right in the sweet spot — not too strong and not too weak. It's unsurprising, then, that the Makita 18V LXT Brushless ¼-inch Variable-Speed Impact Driver is one of the brand's best-reviewed tools. Because there are so many different impact drivers available — not just from Makita but from other major tool brands as well — it's tough for any one tool to amass a lot of reviews, yet this 18V model (product code XDT13Z) is so beloved that it has over 1,300 customer ratings on Home Depot's website with an overall score of 4.8 out of 5. It also has the same score on Amazon, based on nearly 1,200 user ratings.
It's easy to see why it's such a popular tool. The impact driver is powered by a brushless motor that allows it to run longer, cooler, and more efficiently, as well as deliver up to 1,500 in-lbs of torque. It also allows for two different speed settings (zero to 3,400 RPM and zero to 3,600 IPM,) so you have options depending on the needs of your task. It's compact, only 5 inches long, and weighs just 3.5 pounds with an attached battery — so you can use it all day long without getting fatigued.
Features include a 0.25-inch hex chuck for quick and convenient bit changes, a rubberized soft grip for comfortable use, and two integrated LED lights to help see what you're doing as you work. Makita's 18V LXT Brushless ¼-inch Variable-Speed Impact Driver is available for $149 at Home Depot and just under $100 on Amazon.
12V Max CXT Brushless ¼-inch Impact Driver
If you're looking for a basic impact driver for low-key applications, you could go with Makita's 12V Max CXT Brushless ¼-inch Impact Driver (product code DT04Z). The tool has an average 4.7 score from 30 Home Depot customers and a 4.6 score based on 193 Amazon ratings. Thanks to its ultra-compact design, it weighs just 2.1 pounds and doesn't take up much space on the tool bench. The tool's brushless motor can deliver up to 1,200 in-lbs of torque, and it's equipped with two speeds (zero to 1,300 and zero to 3,000 RPM). One standout feature is its Assist Most (A-mode), which uses low speed until you need to tighten and helps prevent cross-threading and screw cam-out issues.
Like many of Makita's other impact drivers, the 12V model sports an ergonomic handle with a rubberized soft grip, as well as a built-in LED light. With just a 12-volt battery, it's one of the weakest impact drivers on the market, so this might not be the right product for you if you're planning on more heavy-duty work. If you're just in the market for a basic impact driver, though, the Makita 12V Max CXT Brushless ¼-inch Impact Driver is available from Home Depot and Amazon for $137.
18V LXT Cordless Angle Impact Driver
Depending on the nature of your job, you may benefit from having an angle impact driver that can work on close-quarter areas. The Makita 18V LXT Cordless Angle Impact Driver has an overall 4.8 rating on Home Depot (based on over 40 reviews) and Amazon (based on over 525 reviews). Rather than employing a trigger-grip design, this model has a long, straight body with a right-angle head at the tip that is just 2-⅛ inches in size, making it more suitable for harder-to-reach jobs. It weighs a little less than 4 pounds, so this altered shape doesn't make it less maneuverable, nor does it lack the rubberized soft grip that makes Makita's other impact drivers more comfortable to handle. Plus, it uses a large paddle switch that also has a soft grip for added convenience.
The variable-speed tool has two settings — zero to 2,000 RPM and zero to 3,000 IPM — and can produce up to 530 in-lbs of torque. The hammer and anvil are manufactured with high-quality steel and other raw materials, and Makita uses a unique heat-hardening process that gives the mechanism optimal fastening and driving power. The tool is also equipped with an onboard LED light and a 0.25-inch hex chuck for fast, simple bit changes.
The product also utilizes Makita's Star Protection Computer Controls, which help prevent overloading, overheating, or over-discharging and can automatically stop the tool in its tracks before any damage occurs. If you only need an impact driver for straightforward jobs with no tight spaces, you'll probably want to opt for a more ergonomic pistol grip option, which is also typically more affordable. Makita's 18V LXT Cordless Angle Impact Driver, which has product code XLT01Z, is sold by both Amazon and Home Depot for $219.
40V Max XGT Brushless 4‑Speed Impact Driver
For more heavy-duty applications, Makita has a line of cordless 40-volt power tools, including some new Makita tools that could be perfect for your next project. These products can share the interchangeable 40V batteries and chargers made by the company. If you're already invested in Makita's 40V line, you may want to go with the brand's 40V Max XGT Brushless 4‑Speed Impact Driver (product code GDT01Z). The tool has a 4.7 average score on both Amazon and Home Depot's website, based on over 40 customer reviews.
This hefty Makita impact driver can deliver a whopping 1,950 in-lbs of torque and uses two digitally-controlled Tightening Modes (T-modes) to prevent damage to both screws and work materials. It's also a versatile tool that uses an ultra-smooth, variable-speed trigger and four different speed ranges — zero to 1,100, zero to 2,100, zero to 3,200, and zero to 3,600 RPM). The tool is also suited for heavy-duty jobs thanks to its water and dust-resistant build while also being compact enough (4.75 inches) to work in tight spaces. Of course, if you're not planning on any big jobs and can get away with just using an 18V impact driver, you can save yourself a lot of money by doing so. But, if you like to have the most powerful tools available in your kit, you can find the 40V Max XGT Brushless 4‑Speed Impact Driver at Home Depot for $224 and on Amazon for $129.
18V LXT Sub‑Compact Brushless Impact Driver
Makita's 18V LXT Sub‑Compact Brushless Impact Driver is a great option if you're looking for a small yet efficient tool for your garage. On Home Depot's website, it has a 4.8 rating based on 95 reviews, and on Amazon, it has a 4.6 score, averaged from over 160 reviews. The subcompact tool weighs just 2.6 pounds with the battery attached and is only 5.25 inches long, which makes it a cinch to use for extended periods and in tightly confined spaces.
Despite its small size, it still has plenty of power and can deliver 1,240 in-lbs of maximum torque. The impact driver has two-speed settings, 0-1,300 and 0-3,000 RPM. Makita uses a ball-bearing design that minimizes bit wobble, and the tool is equipped with an Assist Mode (A-mode) to avoid cross threading and slipping out of the screw.
You can also expect the same LED assist, efficient brushless motor, and ergonomically designed handle with a rubberized soft grip that Makita uses on its larger impact drivers. The 18V LXT Sub‑Compact Brushless Impact Driver is one of Makita's most affordable impact drivers, but if you've got big hands or prefer heftier tools, you may prefer one of the larger options made by the brand. You can purchase the tool for $123 from Home Depot or for about $110 from Amazon.
18V LXT Hybrid Impact‑Hammer‑Driver‑Drill
Some tasks are more suited for a power drill vs. an impact driver, but if you want to avoid having the wrong tool on hand, you can opt for one that can perform multiple functions. In that case, Makita has you covered with its 18V LXT Hybrid Impact‑Hammer‑Driver‑Drill, which can be used for many different tasks. It has a perfect rating of five out of five on Home Depot's online store, though that comes from only six users. For a larger sample of customers, Amazon has the hybrid tool boasting a solid 4.4 out of five based on 75 user ratings.
Despite being four tools in one, it weighs less than four pounds and is only 6.75 inches long. The impact driver is still fairly strong, with three-speed options that max out at 2,700 RPM, which is also the ceiling for the hammer driver/drill and driver/drill, and it can reach 1,100 RPM in Screwdriver Mode. The tool is also capable of generating up to 1,330 in-lbs of torque, with a Tightening Mode feature that maxes out at 2,300 RPM.
Of course, to reap the benefits of such an efficient multifunctional tool, you'll have to pay more than you would for an ordinary impact driver — but you may find the convenience worth the cost. The Makita 18V LXT Hybrid Impact‑Hammer‑Driver‑Drill, which has product code XPT02Z, costs $314. You can purchase it from both Amazon and Home Depot.
How these Makita impact drivers were selected
Since Home Depot and Amazon both carry Makita tools and have large bases of customers reviewing the tool company's products, the user reviews from these two major retailers were sourced for this article. The more customers weighing in on a given product, the more accurate its average rating likely is, as it nullifies any extreme reviews that may have been made, positively or negatively, in bad faith. Most of the impact drivers included on this list had a collective total of at least 100 user ratings from Amazon and Home Depot, if not many more, with the least amount of reviews consulted for a given tool totaling no less than 40. Additionally, none of the cordless tools recommended on this list have scores below 4.4 out of five on either website, so you can rest assured that they work as advertised (or close to it) and aren't a waste of money.
An effort was also made to include a variety of different impact drivers for different needs. Between the assorted battery sizes, maximum torque, unique functions, and price ranges represented by the Makita tools on this list, there's a good chance at least one of these well-reviewed impact drivers is right for you and your next project.