Makita XPH012 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2” Hammer Driver-Drill Kit (3.0Ah)

After a reasonable amount of research online, I decided on this little power tool. Having sworn I'd never ever buy a cordless drill again after an experience with a pathetic Black & Decker specimen which I'd bought for $40, I settled on this tool to install a railing system in my garage. My primary requirements were quality, price, and hammer drill function as I was fastening garage organizer rails to concrete. The B&D drill, when pushed, would probably last about 20 mins, but then it would take about 5 hours to recharge. This little tool was the antithesis of my previous experience - you get what you pay for. It's a beast! I brutalized this drill for a solid 2-3 hours at a time - both drilling holes and tightening screw anchors. Eventually you could feel the tool start to take strain, but the battery would charge in about 25 minutes - incredible!You can probably tell I'm a weekend warrior and no tradesman. You will probably find more impressive tools in the Boche and Dewalt ranges, but I challenge you to find them at this price point - $99 at time of purchase. It's great that it comes in a really functional case.I have to say initially that I thought I'd made a blunder with this tool, as I was having problems drilling holes into the concrete in hammer function. I'd thought maybe it was under-powered at 3.0Ah. Some of the comparative Boche and Dewalt tools are 7.0Ah (twice the price though, and no case). My solution was to buy a corded hammer drill (7.0Ah). I used it for approximately 1 minute then packed it up and sent it back. The reason - with my garage door down, the sound was absolutely deafening, plus it didn't show any improvement in functionality. The culprit I discovered was the drill bits - they would only last about one or two holes. Ultimately, I spent a fortune in drill bits - must have used about 45. Luckily I have a tech savvy neighbor (a Toolmaker) - who sharpened some for me and saved me having to buy more.All-in-all, this drill worked liked a Trojan. Makita, I am a new fan - very impressed. Lesson learned - buy quality, even for home DIY - you'll only need to buy the right tool once (hopefully).

Reputable brand name seems to live up to the hype. This is the 5th battery powered cordless drill I've owned (over many years) and I was reluctant to spend the extra money when I hadn't thought it necessary in the past. However, I finally broke down and bought the Makita and it's been a delight to use. I charged it when I first got it, even though it seemed to have a good charge when it was delivered. I use it for household and RV maintenance as well as running the stabilizer jacks up and down on our travel trailer. None of the other drills I had previously produced enough torque to overcome the binding and stiffness of the screw type stabilizer jacks. The Makita didn't work at first either until I selected the "Hammer Mode" function and it worked beautifully. I used it on the 7 week trip we took this spring and didn't need to charge the batteries until we got home from the trip. Some of its features such as the spotlight are found commonly on other brands and there's nothing really different when it comes to features. What it does have is a smooth and quiet gearset that works flawlessly, a comfortable hand grip and nice balance for working with it in tight places. The keyless chuck works perfectly and the charger appears to be well above average. The charger on my previous Black & Decker took a dump and when I went to order another one on Amazon, I found the majority of reviews stating that the chargers are useless and guaranteed to fail just as mine had. So I've got a comfortable drill that works awesome with a great charger and a nice hard sided carrying case to boot. What's not to love.10/10/2020Gosh, it's been 5 years already !! I was just using this drill the other day and had to think what an awesome product this has been and how glad I am that I purchased it. It brings a warm smile to my face every time I use it.

Hubby loves this for drilling into our concrete outside walls to hang all the silly things we put up outside. It was almost impossible to drill into the concrete with a regular drill/driver. We have a typical Florida style "block" home and can't believe we lived without this for over 15 years. We always had to borrow our neighbor's (he has this exact one). So now we can be a better neighbor and let him borrow ours if his ever dies. It comes with everything you need, battery, charger, and great drill, all in a nice, neat little heavy-duty storage box. For drilling into concrete walls, you really need this hammer drill (so hubby tells me).I paid full price for these and would recommend it to anyone. I review many of the products we buy online. I only rate items 5 stars if I would pay full price for it. I do give 1 star (since you can't give 0) to items which are so bad that I return for a refund, throw away or wouldn't want even if free. I try to mention all the pros and cons of products, because I check reviews often for the hundreds of items I buy online. I have no affiliation with this company or any company for products I review, and my reviews are always totally my own. I hope my time spent reviewing this item helps others in making their purchase decisions.