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

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(More customer reviews)This is merely a first impression and as I use more of this tool, I will update my comments. I am not a pro contractor, but only a weekend handyman warrior type who appreciates good tools. I opted to buy Makita instead of the Milwaukee V28 entirely because of Makita's lighter weight. To me ergonomics means almost as much as tool power. Also I've never had any complaints or durability issues with any of my Makita tools and so felt comfortable buying Makita again.

I bought this drill with Makita's free impact driver offer when the lithium line was first introduced.The case for the drill can accommodate Makita's lithium impact driver side by side with the drill. The same is not true with the smaller impact driver case. At the time I ordered mine, they cost roughtly same, $329 for the drill and $319 for the impact driver. I think the price differential has since increased with the impact driver now only at $279.With the free tool offer and the $75 off promo offer from Amazon at the time, I paid only around $254 for both tools.

Onward to the tool itself.I will structure this review by comparing the Makita drill with my Bosch 18V Brute Tough hammerdrill, model 13618, that I've been using the last couple of years.This Makita 18 lithium hammerdrill is definitely much lighter than the Bosch 18V hammerdrill. Whether the Makita can survive a 2-story drop on concrete as can the Bosch Brute Tough is another matter. The Makita has three speed ranges. The slowest speed range (0-300 rpm) is useful on large spade bits, metal drilling, or hole saws, etc where extra control and extra torque are needed. I tested my Bosch side by side against the Makita using a 3" hole saw on redwood. The Bosch's low range is 0-600 rpm. In the 0-600 rpm range both the Bosch and the Makita were about equal in performance. At 300 rpm, the Makita did not show any advantage compared to drilling at 600 rpm with this particular test. As for torque, the Makita has 560 in-lbs; the Bosch has 475 in-lbs. The supposed extra power of the Makita did not manifest itself during this 3" hole saw test. Perhaps other more demanding tests, such as drilling large holes in metal, might bring out the advantage.

One way I judge a drill driver is how gentle it is in driving delicate screws.Unfortunately, in screw driving mode, this drill has so much torque even at the lowest setting that it will easily strip delicate screws long before the clutch kicks in.I have a feeling this problem is common among the powerful 18v drills.

The auxilliary handle on the Makita works really well, but the metal band mars the finish on the drill body. It kind of hurts to see the drill scratched up the very first day by the aux. handle.It does grip tightly and stays put, unlike the lousy one on the Bosch.

I like the Bosch chuck much better because the carbide teeth on the Bosch's jaws have a better bite and less chance of slipping than the steel teeth on Makita's Jacobs chuck. The Makita Jacobs chuck also has a tendency to unwind and self-loosen its grip on a bit during heavy drilling, something that has never happened on my Bosch drill.

A major shortcoming with the Makita's Jacobs chuck is the large amount of runout it has.Runout is a measure of eccentricity. When I have time I will measure the runout precisely using a dial indicator, but for now I will state that the Makita's Jacobs chuck on this model has roughly twice the runout as that found on my Bosch's chuck.The effect of this large runout is a very pronouced gyration of the drill body when drilling at low to medium speeds, such as when drilling metal or drilling with a hole saw or spade bit.The large gyration is a safety hazard as it can cause the operator to lose balance while standing high on a ladder, for example.It can sometimes be corrected by rechucking the bit after rotating the bit 90 to 180 degrees relative to the chuck.Sometimes this fix works, but sometimes not.I checked this runout on another brand-new Makita lithium hammerdrill and the result was identical.This is a troubling.

The slider switch that lets me instantly switch between drill or driver or hammerdrill mode on the Makita is a plus, but in my opinion is not a big deal. I guess I've gotten too used to turning the clutch/mode setting ring on these cordless drills by now.

The Makita has a built-in LED light. Makita placed the fixed-angle light just above the trigger switch as a one-size-fits-all approach to accommodate all lengths of bits. The drawback is the placement entirely favors long bits at the expense of short and medium length bits because short bits will be hit by a large dark shadow cast by the big chuck. For driving screws and drilling with a short bit, the exact point where you want light is the exact point where the large dark shadow falls! The ideal LED light should be placed lower near where the battery is and have an adjustable angle to accommodate different length bits.

One thing no lithium-ion power tool maker would like the potential customer to know is that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries permanently lose capacity over time as a function of storage temperature and the state-of-charge. For example at room temperature(25 degrees C), a fully charged (100%) Li-on battery permanantely loses 20% of its rechargeable capacity in just one year. At higher temperatures, the loss is even greater. Please don't misinterpret the above as to mean that you have to leave your tool and battery unused for a whole year for it to suffer from capacity loss. The capacity loss occurs at different rates at the different temperatures and states-of-charge but it's all cumulative, and the deteriotion occurs even when the tool is constantly being used, as well as during short-term storage, and not just during long-term storage. If you have a spare Li-on battery that you don't constantly use, the best way to store it is at a 40% charge. At 40% charge at 25 deg. Celsius, it loses only 4% capacity after one year. At 40% at 40 deg Celsius, it loses 15%. Heat is detrimental, even at a mere 40-degree Celsius. Yes, I said a "mere" 40-degrees, which is "merely" 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Most pros WILL have frequent, perhaps daily, occasions to leave their tools in the trunk or cabin of their truck, where it will easily exceed 104 deg. Fahrenheit in a hurry. Makita is giving these lithium batteries only a 1-year warranty for very good reasons. (Note: The above comments about capacity loss apply only to rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with a manganese oxide cathode. This applies to Milwaukee's V28 line, and I have every reason to think it applies to Makita's current Li-on and Bosch's upcoming Li-on batteries as well. I am not sure whether it applies to DeWalt's new lithium batteries which use an aluminum anode coated with nano-particles). The above comments on rechargeable Li-on batteries I learned from reading technical postings and articles on the WEB.

Overall the biggest advantage of the Makita lithium over the Bosch NiCD is really just the lighter weight, and also perhaps the 25% longer battery life (i.e. 3 Ah vs. 2.4 Ah) and a much flatter discharge curve than those of NiCD and NiMH. The Makita is lighter, noticeably lighter when you first pick up the tool, but in actual use when comparing it to the Bosch, the Bosch's greater weight seemed to disappear over time. The Makita feels better in the hand. If you are already happy with your other 18V NiCD or NiMH drill, switching to lithium likely won't give you much better satisfaction. This tool and the lithium technology is a slight improvement over the 18v NiCD or NIMH versions, but it's not a quantum leap in improvement overall, in my humble opinion.

I previously gave this drill 5 stars, but now with the large runout that I noticed, I am more inclined to give it 4 to 4.5 stars instead, but Amazon's software doesn't permit me to update the stars rating.

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Product Description:
The Lithium-Ion technology means 1,400 battery life cycles, longer run time, lighter weight, a great reduction in the self-discharge rate and built-in shock-absorbing features to protect your battery.
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.

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