Makita BHP454 reviews
Makita never fails
Had access to a Makita drill/driver a long time ago and remembered it worked well. The Crapsman I was using finally died a tragic death and after a lot of searching the BHP454 came up. Overkill for what I need but having something with the hammer function could come in handy. Had read reviews about switching directions and changing functions being difficult but I found the action to be fine on mine. Charger is nice also.
If you use the tool continuously one should probably pick up a third or possibly fourth battery. Heat is a high contributor to battery death of any manufacturer. Makita is the only one I have seen address it directly. There is basically a 1.5hr wait time between a battery going dead and it being ready to be used again. When using a batt and it runs down it will be hot. It should be left to cool prior to charging (Makita recommends up to 30 minutes). Then there is the 30 minute charge time for the battery. After that another 30 minute cool down period from charging. Having extra batteries would reduce the down time between charges.
7/1/2009
Believe the hype
Popular Mechanics' glowing review of this drill is well deserved in my opinion. It is light, fast, well-balanced, and easy to use. Bosch's competing model feels faster and stronger, but it also weighs a ton, is a bit lengthy, requires you to switch between driving and drilling modes by rotating the clutch selector all the way back to zero, and the side handle slipped around a lot on the floor model I played with. With the 9-9/16" Makita you can instantly flip between driver, drill and hammer modes with a little switch, and the forward/reverse selector is also much easier to hit. Throw in the handy depth gauge thingy and the belt clip and it's tough to miss those extra few BPMs Bosch has to offer unless you plan on dropping your drill on concrete with any degree of frequency. If you really need more power, get something with a cord.
This will certainly not replace anybody's rotary hammer, but if all you need to do is plant some Tapcons or knock a hole through some brick to pull cable through, it's a wondrous jack of all trades drill indeed. I have no complaints so far.
12/12/2008
Light weight yet Very Powerful
This has to be the best hammer/drill/driver that i've ever used.
It's power/weight combo is perfect. I could use this drill all day without being fatigued and the battery would keep on going.
Drilling 1 1/4" holes with speedbore max bits does not pose a problem for this drill. It eats through lumber with ease.
This drill easily drills in 3/16" holes in concrete (just as fast as our corded hammer drill) to drive in anchors and it doesn't take much to drill up to an 1" holes in masonry (not quite as fast as the corded but very convenient to not have a cord)
The added handle is NEEDED in most cases, with all the power it could easily rip the drill out of your hand.
As others have noted, i've experienced the "chuck wobble" but I've also noticed this on all of the other drills that my co-workers have, from dewalt to milwaukee, they all seem to have a little bit of wobble, maybe it's somewhat normal in a hammer/drill/driver?
This drill has convinced me to purchase alot of other 18v lxt makita stuff and all of it has proven to be great stuff. From the recip. saw to the new btd144 impact drill, plus the LED lights on these tools comes in handy quite often!
Makita > all others.
7/15/2009
The right tool to choose compared to other wimpy drills
I'm a contractor and have burned thru many tools over the years including cordless drills. After doing all the research on specs for various other drills this seemed to be the one. So far this drill has been flawless and perfect with no complaints. Our company gives these tools a true workout every day and all of our techs love them. The specs on the 454 model is worth the extra [...] bucks versus the next model down, specificaly the extra tork is what you want. I would at this time recommend this tool to freind. Jim
7/4/2009
Best I've used
I bought this hammer drill to use for home projects and helping friends with theirs. This drill is without a doubt the best I've had (have owned Dewalt, Hitachi & Milwaukee before). Useful features for me have been low battery self-discharge rate, useful and well-designed accessories and comparatively moderate weight for the torque capability. Although I haven't seen it yet, the 2nd tool rebate is also further inducement to purchase this well-priced hammer drill. So far I have used it to drill and sink thirty-six Tapcons in concrete block for garage shelves and it had plenty of battery left. Have only owned for about 3 weeks.
6/5/2009
Makita BHP454
Recieved item exactly as indicated when purchased. Works & handles very well as both a regular and hammer drill with plenty of power. Did not feel that it preformed as well when installing 3" screws as my Hitachi 18V drill/driver. Had to apply more pressure to drive the longer screws & avoid slippage. This may be due to being new & that I am not as familiar with it as the Hitachi.
5/26/2009
Super Drill
After reading numerous woodworking reviews which identify this drill as the "drill to own", I recently went to one of the big box stores to check it out. Surprisingly, I found that it is on sale now for significantly less than Amazon's current price. It weighs less than my old 14-Volt Dewalt drill and seems more balanced. Fit and finish are superior. Power to spare and agile enough to handle my cabinet making.
9/17/2009
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