5 Makita Tools That Will Help You Conquer Everyday Household Repairs
Owning a home is nice because you are, effectively, the master of your own domain. You can decorate however you want, install whatever appliances you want, and generally shape the property to your needs and preferences. However, the flip side of home ownership is that whenever something breaks, it is solely on you to take care of it. It's not like living in an apartment, where you can have a residential repair person take care of it for free. You either have to fix it yourself or hire an outside contractor to deal with the problem.
Unless you'd like to hire contractors whenever the need arises, you'd do well to learn how to take care of at least some basic, everyday repair work in and around your home. As long as you know what you're doing, these kinds of jobs aren't too demanding. In addition to the know-how, though, you also need the right Makita tools to handle jobs cleanly and decisively.
If you're in the market for some household repair tools, visit your local Home Depot and check out the Makita hardware displays. We've got five tools we can recommend for your everyday fix-it jobs, each backed up by recommendations from professional workers. More information on our selection methodology is available at the bottom of the page.
18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Quick-Shift Mode 3-Speed Impact Driver
One tool every proper household needs to have, either buried at the bottom of a junk drawer or squirreled away in an old toolbox, is a screwdriver. Screws quite literally hold our world together, but while a regular, handheld screwdriver may suffice for newer screws, if the screws are old or warped, you're going to need a little extra muscle, and that's when an impact driver can come in handy.
Makita's 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Quick-Shift Mode 3-Speed Impact Driver is intended primarily for driving heavier screws into planks of wood, but it also works just fine as a household fastening buddy. Just stick a drill bit into the 1-touch ¼-inch hex chuck, set your speed, and pull the variable speed trigger to get up to 3,600 RPM at 1,550 in. lbs. of fastening torque. The electronic Quick-Shift mode automatically downshifts the motor when a screw is almost fully driven or loosened to lessen the potential of stripping or damaging it, which helps to preserve its longevity.
Home Depot users have given this driver a 4.8 out of 5 rating. Additionally, Eric Jopp of Tools in Action rated it at 4.4 out of 5, calling it the ideal tool for fastening and loosening screws on cabinets, drywall, HVAC devices, and more. It's also lightweight and ergonomic, which makes it easier on users during longer jobs.
The Makita 3-Speed Impact Driver is available at Home Depot for $149.00.
18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Square Drive Ratchet
Rather than screws, the heavier devices and installations around your home are usually held together with larger nuts and bolts. You can't loosen or tighten these with a screwdriver, which is why you'll want to have a strong ratchet handy. The only problem is that these bolts tend to be in cramped, obscure spots, so a powered ratchet that doesn't require turning is an even better option.
Makita's 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Square Drive Ratchet utilizes a battery-powered motor to deliver up to 800 RPM at 35 ft. lbs. of torque to yank out and drive in even the most stubborn bolts on large appliances, not to mention the components of your car. The onboard control systems help to keep the ratchet's rotation optimized and safe even while under heavy usage, while the electric brake automatically stops rotation when the trigger is released to prevent over-loosening or over-tightening. There's even a work LED built into the tip to light your way in dark, cramped confines.
The Square Drive Ratchet has earned a 4.4 out of 5 rating from Home Depot users, as well as a 9.4 out of 10 score from Pro Tool Reviews' Kenny Koehler. Koehler was especially fond of this tool's interchangeable drives, allowing you to swap between ¼-inch and ⅜-inch anvils on the fly as necessary.
The Makita Square Drive Ratchet is available at Home Depot for $199.00.
18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Variable Speed Oscillating Multi-Tool
Fixing stuff around the house isn't always as simple as tightening or loosening a fastener. Sometimes, you'll need to pull or set flooring, cut and scrape grout or drywall, or various other obscure tasks around your floors and walls. Since you never know exactly what kind of work you're going to need to do until it actually needs to get done, it's smart to have a tool on hand that can handle a little bit of everything.
Makita's 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Variable Speed Oscillating Multi-Tool features a tool-less clamp system, allowing for fast and easy swapping of blades and accessories. You can plug in scrapers, blades, sanding pads, and more to handle all kinds of tasks. These accessories are regulated via a 6000–20,000 OPM head with a 3.2-degree oscillation angle, controlled by a variable speed dial for setting your ideal work speed.
The Makita Variable Speed Oscillating Multi-Tool has garnered a 4.7 out of 5 rating from Home Depot users, plus a thumbs up from D.I.Y. YouTube channel Tool Craze. The channel was impressed with both the tool's power output and runtime, and while it's a little larger than similar tools, the positives more than make up for the negatives.
The Makita Variable Speed Oscillating Multi-Tool is available at Home Depot for $169.00.
Variable Speed Random Orbital Sander
Have you ever lugged something bulky and heavy through your living room and dragged it across your couch, gouging off a big chunk of the wooden frame? In addition to looking generally unpleasant, that big scrape may have a jagged edge that could be unsafe for children and pets. Before you go replacing the entire couch, though, you can employ a Makita sanding tool to file down the jagged edge and get things smoothed out again.
The Makita 5 Inch Variable Speed Random Orbital Sander has both the precision and muscle you need to sand down any errant edges around your home. The 3-amp motor provides a range of 4,000–12,000 OPM to the ⅛-inch random orbit sanding pad, giving you smooth and consistent sanding action without scuffs or swirls. The base of the sanding pad has collection ports for the built-in dust bag, capturing dust as you sand and helping to cut down on messes.
Home Depot users have rated this sander at 4.7 out of 5. It also scored a thumbs up from Matt G. of homecare publication Dengarden, who makes extensive use of it to sand kitchen cabinets to prepare them for paint. His only word of caution is that the dust bag doesn't capture as much dust as he would have liked, so he recommends using it outside if possible.
The Makita Variable Speed Random Orbital Sander is available at Home Depot for $129.00.
18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 10 oz. Caulk and Adhesive Gun
Caulk is a vital substance used to seal up the various cracks and leaks in your house's building components. A spattering of the stuff was probably used when your house was assembled or remodeled, but with the passage of time and the digging paws of pests, it can occasionally wear out and let in a draft. If your home is in need of a re-caulking, you'll need a precision tool to dispense it carefully.
The Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 10 oz. Caulk and Adhesive Gun can load up and dispense a full tube of caulk, as well as similar adhesives, for fast and easy dispensing. The built-in motor delivers up to 1,100 pounds of dispensing force, really squeezing those tubes, while the 5-speed dial delivers a range of 0–66 IPM for when you need more or less caulk flowing. When the trigger is released, the drip reduction feature immediately removes pressure from the tube.
Home Depot users have given this caulk gun a 4.7 out of 5 rating. Tool review YouTube channel Tools Tested compared it to similar caulk guns from other major hardware brands and found that it had the fastest, most consistent speed of caulk dispensing. However, they found that the dispensing force was a bit lower than advertised.
The Makita Cordless Caulk and Adhesive Gun is available at Home Depot for $264.00.
Selection methodology
While Makita tools are designed more with professional contractors in mind, they can be put to use in a variety of household scenarios. While they're a bit on the pricey side, each of the listed tools can handle its designated tasks for years on end, ensuring you always have a solution ready.
Additional preference was given to products available for sale online or in-store at Home Depot, with a user rating of at least four out of five, and positive feedback from either a professional hardware publication or YouTuber with at least 10,000 subscribers.