Makita Drill Set Review
If you are looking for a drill set to combine a number of tools together then you have come to the right place. We love the Makita sets and have compared two of the main Makita Drill Sets – one which comes with two tools and another which comes with every tool you could possibly imagine!
Makita Drill Set Overview – DLX2188M3J
The Makita drill set that we are looking at specifically in this review is the Makita DLX2188M3J. This drill set from Makita includes the following:
- DHP482Z LXT Combi Drill
- DTD152Z Impact Driver
- 3 x BL1840 4.0Ah Li-Ion Batteries
- Battery charger
- Makpac carry case
- Electric brakes
- Equipped with battery protection circuit
- Led job light to illuminate the work area
- Compact and lightweight
- DHP482Z Hammer Driver Drill with 2 speed transmission
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
We really like this Makita drill set and feel that the tools that are in the pack are a great general purpose all round set that allows you to accomplish the most amount of tasks a day on site or any DIY task will throw at you. There are more powerful combi drills and impact drivers available from Makita but these bring weight and size increases. This is fine when required but for a general purpose that can take a good hammering with great features, this set is great.
Who are Makita?
Makiisare the UK’s largest manufacturer of power tools. They have placed themselves as the go to brand whether you are a DIY enthusiast who takes pride in what you do or a tradesman needing dependable tools. They have a diverse product range backed by fantastic customer service and product quality.
The products they sell stand the test of time and the toughest conditions. We have personally dropped several Makita products from the tops of ladders (not intentionally) and they have carried on with rarely a visible mark on them!
The Kit
Let’s look a little bit more at the kit that is included with this Makita drill set
The DHP482Z LXT Combi Drill is a brushed combi drill that is great all round and provides ample power. Whilst it isn’t perhaps as good as it’s brushless counterpart, it offers exceptional quality and power for a fantastic price. It comes with the following great features;
- All metal gears
- 62Nm of torque
- Twin job lights
We think it was a wise choice of Makita’s putting the DHP492Z in this Makita drill set. It is the perfect all-around drill and steps up when extra power is required. Its hammer function is second to none.
The DTD152Z Impact Driver is lightweight, powerful and a new improved version of the popular impact driver from Makita. They have increased the maximum torque available, increased the number of impacts per minute and made the thing even more compact. You can see below the great feature set it comes with;
- Electric brake
- Variable speed control trigger
- Twin LED job light
- Ergonomic soft grip handle
- A compact overall length of 137mm
- Lightweight design
- Battery protection circuit
- All metal gearing
We also like the 3x 4.0Ah batteries that are included, 4 hours gives you a great amount of working time with one on each piece of kit you still have a spare. Change it over, put the other on charge and you are ready to work again. Makita really has thought of everything with this set.
Positives
We loved the following about the Makita DLX2188M3J drill set;
- 3 Year warranty
- 3x 4.0Ah Li-ION batteries
- Free carry case
Negatives
A few niggles about the Makita DLX2188M3J drill set;
- We would have liked a dual charger
- A brushless model would have been great
- There are cheaper alternatives from different brands
What’s included in the box?
When you open the box of the Makita DLX2188M3J you will find the following:
- DHP482Z LXT Combi Drill
- DTD152Z Impact Driver
- 3 x BL1840 4.0Ah Li-Ion Batteries
- Battery charger
- Makpac carry case
The High Points
In this review we have looked in detail at the Makita drill set Makita DLX2188M3J, featuring a combi drill, impact driver, 3x 4.0Ah batteries, a charger and a case. This set whilst not the most powerful set of tools on offer from Makita gives you plenty of power to get most jobs on site or at home done. With great hammer action from the combi drill and great torque output from the impact driver, this really is a fantastic choice.
One thing that sometimes lets these sets down is either the lack of batteries or they come with a 1.5Ah battery. This set comes with 3 of the 4Ah batteries. This gives plenty of power and the ability to always have one charged ready to go. We really are impressed with this collection of tools and the carry case really finishes the set off.
Accessory Kit
The Makita drill set DLX2188M3J is brilliant and comes with two PZ2 bits for the impact driver in the box. What you are lacking is drill bits, different sized impact bits and other accessories. Makita offers various accessory kits for their tools but we feel the one below is the best of the bunch.
The set comprises of a tape measure and hand tools, which are nice freebies but not really the main event. It comes with standard and long series flat bits and masonry bits, torx, hex and square driver bits, Phillips, Pozi and flat screwdriver bits. It has 216 bits inside and is the ideal accompanying set for to go with this Makita drill set.
- Electric brakes
- Equipped with battery protection circuit
- Led job light to illuminate the work area
- Compact and lightweight
- DHP482Z Hammer Driver Drill with 2 speed transmission
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Great bundle deal!
- DHP453Z 18V Li-ion LXT Combi Drill
- DHR202Z 18V Li-ion LXT 20mm SDS+ Rotary Hammer
- DJV180Z 18V Li-ion LXT Jigsaw
- DSS611Z 18V Li-ion LXT 165mm Circular Saw
- DTD152Z 18V Li-ion LXT Impact Driver
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
The Makita drill set we have just reviewed above I am sure you will agree is a fantastic set! The power, convenience, all round use and amazing power from the batteries make this the ideal set if you are just starting your Makita journey or require a new combi drill or impact driver. It is often cheaper to buy a set and get the batteries than buy the headless unit and batteries.
One criticism we have of the above is we don’t think it is necessarily the best value for money if you are looking to purchase a number of tools, whilst great we think Makita could do better… Then we stumbled across this little gem. The deal we have found here includes all of the following;
- Makita DHP453 Combi Drill
- DTD152 Impact Driver
- DHR202 SDS+ Rotary Hammer Drill
- DJV180 Jigsaw
- DSS611 Circular Saw
- DML802 Flashlight
- DC18RD Dual Battery Charger
- Large Heavy Duty Trolley Bag
- 3x 5Ah li-ion batteries
The impact driver and combi drill included in the set again allow for getting most jobs undertaken no problem at all. High torque output from the impact driver and a great hammer action from the combi drill allow for even tougher jobs to become a breeze.
An SDS drill is a whole other ball game, Makita haven’t included their highest specification combi drill in this kit for good reason, if the hammer action on the combi drill can’t get through the brickwork you require, crack out the SDS! This drill is capable of taking care of nearly every tough situation you will find yourself in.
Jigsaws people tend to use wrong, applying lots of pressure and force. The Makita DJV180 is great on most materials, we have used on wood and sheet metal with the appropriate cutting blades. It does a fantastic job, but take your time.
The DSS611 circular saw comes with a built in blade that can be swapped out should you require a thicker or finer cut. But the one that comes with it allows for a nice tidy cut with minimal collateral damage to the material. In testing we were cutting MDF at 16mm, it was cutting through it like butter.
The Makita DLX6068PT 6 Piece Li-Ion Combo Kit also comes with a plethora of accessories. Firstly a flashlight, not the brightest torch in the world but a great addition to your tool bag, it works with the same batteries as the rest of the tools and if you need to look in a ceiling space it is fantastic! It comes with the dual battery charger, something we felt should have been included with the main Makita drill set we were reviewing. This means 2 of the three included batteries can be on charge at once!
Makita have included 3 of their premium 5.0 Ah batteries with this set, these on their own aren’t cheap to buy and provide plenty of work time from each. The advantage to the three is you can have them on each of the devices you need to complete a job without having to keep swapping over.
Finally the kit bag, we have reviewed these Makita tool bags before, they are fantastic. They fit a great deal inside them, can easily take the weight of all of the kit plus more. They are hard wearing and take a fair amount of abuse.
All in all, this is a fantastic bundle offer that we would highly recommend and if you have the money you will save money in the long run purchasing this.
Frequently Asked Questions
What warranty do Makita tools come with?
Almost all Makita tools will come with a three year warranty. It is worth checking the warranty though as for many tools this will only cover personal use. This means that if the tool appears to have been used a lot for commercial use and has suffered unnecessary wear then this will not be covered?
Where are Makita tools based?
Makita is traditionally a Japanese brand, however they now manufacturer products and have headquarters all over the world. They originated in 1915 in Japan but are now based in over 10 countries.
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