Editorial Review
Experience the power and reduced weight of the new lithium-ion technology, without the high cost. Lithium-ion cordless tools provide more power with less weight. This cordless drill-driver is a more compact, lighter-weight version of the LXT 18 volt tool. It has a 1.5 amp hr battery, which is half the size of the LXT 3.0 Amp hr batteries. This is not a light-duty tool by any means; it kicks butt in the 18-volt category. It boasts 450 in./lbs. of torque! You can even use the longer run time 18-volt LXT 3.0 Amp-hr batteries in this tool (the higher the amp hr rating, the longer the battery will last before it needs to be recharged).
This cordless drill weighs only 3.5 pounds, the lightest yet of any professional 18 volt. It has a comfortable grip and excellent ergonomics, which is ideal for continual use. Located just above the trigger, are two "headlights." Headlights refer to small LED lights that provide light where you need it most. I was skeptical about this feature, thinking it was just another gimmick, but after using it for some time, I've come to depend on it. From lighting my way to the house in the dark, when bringing the batteries/tools on cold nights to providing light in a dark cabinet, closet, or under a desk, this a must-have feature. Rubber grips adorn the exterior of this tool and protect it during impact if it falls. For all that you get with this tool package, the price is unbelievably low. This 18 volt is perfect for the professional who needs a powerful cordless to use all day long.
This Makita drill also has the most advanced charging system available and it charges in only 15 minutes! Generically, it's called a "smart charging system." A computer chip inside the battery lets the charger know exactly how to optimally charge the battery, to completely charge each cell within the battery and for maximum battery life. Each battery is made up of smaller 1.2 volt cells. Often a battery will drain unevenly during normal use, at different rates within these internal cells. A normal charger will stop charging the battery when one cell reaches maximum capacity, not all of them. Once this happens once, it will continue to do so as long as you use the battery. What this means is your 18-volt battery is now a 16- or 17-volt battery and it can drop even lower. A "smart charger" will charge every cell independently until each cell is fully charged, so your 18-volt battery will remain 18 volts for its entire life. This charger has a fan in it and blows air through the battery to cool it down before charging so the battery can be charged right away, unlike other brands, where the charger waits until the battery cools, or even worse attempts to charge a hot battery pack and damages it or decreases the life of the battery. These Makita lithium-ion batteries will last longer than standard batteries and can be charged over 1200 times, as opposed to the standard of 600 to 800 times, which alone can justify the slightly higher price tag. -- Gabriel Shantara Ford
What's in the Box
Driver drill; compact lithium-ion batteries (2); 15-minute Rapid Charger; carrying case
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Customer Reviews
It's as good as the ratings say! 
2008-05-13
This is the most highly rated Lithium Ion drill/driver on the market and it is even better than I imagined it would be. Check the ratings out for yourself. But that is not all - it is a fantastic deal too. The kit comes with two batteries that are charged in 15 minutes. This means you can go pretty much non-stop with your work. This item is light and its compact size makes it easy to use. What is surprising is its torque and its "balls". Worth every penny!
Refurbished Drill 2008-05-09
The drill worked perfectly and has been a satisfactory purchase.
The stickers on the case were close to impossible to get off. The refurbisher should looking into labels that can be removed easily by the end user.
Not working as presented! 
2008-05-08
Factory recondition tags on everything, 2 batteries, charger & drill.
1 battery was not in working order, seller replaced promply. No charger
manual, seller sent one with repalcement battery.
Drill worked fine, used it for few prodjects. Time to charge batteries,
DC18RA charger turns on then when battery is put in it goes to a red &
green blinking condition and shuts off. No response yet from seller and
Mikita service has not given a yes or no on charger.
Wobble 2008-05-04
I really liked certain aspects of the drill, but unfortunately was still forced to return it and get something else.
I'll start with the good stuff. First off, the weight and feel was perfect, exactly what I was looking for. I'm a sculptor, so I need something light and compact when I am working all around a piece, sometimes in hard to reach, uncomfortable positions. The LED light is good in that it stays on for a little while after it is pushed. More manufacturers should add this feature. It doesn't center exactly on the bit tip, but the way it's positioned under the chuck, like all the drills I've seen, I don't think it will ever be perfect. The power is fantastic and it's the only compact I've seen with 450lbs of torque. I doubt I will ever need that much, since I'm not drilling or screwing into concrete or anything like that, but it could be useful for some people. The charger is the fastest I've seen at 15 minutes. I timed it and it really does charge in or under 15 minutes.
Now I have to talk about the reason I returned it for something else and few other negatives. I bought it at Home Depot, I like to get a feel for tools I buy and they had a power tools sale going on at the time. So I picked one of these up and tested it at home for about a day. I noticed instantly that there was some vibration I wasn't used to in drill. When I looked at the chuck I noticed it was wobbling a bit. I put a 1 1/4" spade bit in as I was drilling holes at the time. I spun it and looked at the tip of the bit, man this thing was wobbling all over the place. By my calculations it had a 1/8" wobble. That might not sound like much, but try to drill a big hole in plastic or a small hole through metal and see what happens. I decided to try and drill a hole out with the spade bit since I had it on anyway. I used a scrap piece of hard plastic as that was the material I was working with presently. Now I knew the bit was ok as I had drilled out some nice clean holes in some other plastic using my old corded Ryobi drill. After trying it out with various speeds and settings, the results were uneven holes, some larger than they should be and chipped edges. The drill was shaking and vibrating like you wouldn't believe too. So I take it back and get another one. After I get it home I test it out and guess what, same results. I even try to drill a small 1/16" hole through some sheet metal. After it flew across the metal for a minute it finally caught and started going in. Man, this bit was shaking back and forth, the whole drill shaking like crazy. I was afraid the bit was going to break off and fly into my eye. So back to Home Depot I go. This time I show the hardware guy and see what he has to say. Maybe I've just gone crazy and am being overly critical. He pops in a spade bit and even he can see the wobble and knows this isn't right. I tell him this my second one, so we take a new one off the shelf and open it up. He pops the spade bit in that one and guess what, same wobble. We decide to test out the comparable Milwaukee compact lithium drill to see if this is just something all the cordless compact drills share. He pops the spade bit into the Milwaukee pulls the trigger and no wobble, smooth as butter. He says maybe they got a bad pallet and could check to see if there was a new skid of the Makitas in the back. I decided to not take anymore chances and swapped out for the Milwaukee.
My reasoning is this is a Makita, not a Skil. It's supposed to be a quality product from a quality manufacturer, I should not have to go through 3 different ones to get a good one. I suppose this may be the world we live in now that everything is made in China, but I think I took more than enough chances on this drill.
Also Makita, don't be so cheap to not add a bit holder and belt clip, come on now.
This may be an isolated incident and I don't want to badmouth a good tool, but I can only comment on my experience. To all the people that are happy with the Makita, I'm glad. To anyone looking to buy one, I suggest you test it out in the store first to make sure there aren't any problems like I had.
On a side note, I didn't have the drill long enough to experience the battery problems some people have had. I don't know if that problem has been fixed or not. The batteries seemed good for the time I used it.
Great value! 2008-05-02
I have had this drill for over a year and it has performed well above expectations. I have come to appreciate the usefulness of the LED. The Jacobs chuck has worked very well.I haven't had a problem with the batteries and the charger functions well. I was worried that it might not have enough torque, but it has plenty in the applications I have used it. Weight is very light, which definitely helps.
I wish it did have a bit holder on it...
Makita BDF452HW - okay 
2008-04-22
Experience the power and reduced weight of the new lithium-ion technology, without the high cost. Lithium-ion cordless tools provide more power with less weight. This cordless drill-driver is a more compact, lighter-weight version of the LXT 18 volt tool. It has a 1.5 amp hr battery, which is half the size of the LXT 3.0 Amp hr batteries. This is not a light-duty tool by any means; it kicks butt in the 18-volt category. It boasts 450 in./lbs. of torque! You can even use the longer run time 18-volt LXT 3.0 Amp-hr batteries in this tool (the higher the amp hr rating, the longer the battery will last before it needs to be recharged).
This cordless drill weighs only 3.5 pounds, the lightest yet of any professional 18 volt. It has a comfortable grip and excellent ergonomics, which is ideal for continual use. Located just above the trigger, are two "headlights." Headlights refer to small LED lights that provide light where you need it most. I was skeptical about this feature, thinking it was just another gimmick, but after using it for some time, I've come to depend on it. From lighting my way to the house in the dark, when bringing the batteries/tools on cold nights to providing light in a dark cabinet, closet, or under a desk, this a must-have feature. Rubber grips adorn the exterior of this tool and protect it during impact if it falls. For all that you get with this tool package, the price is unbelievably low. This 18 volt is perfect for the professional who needs a powerful cordless to use all day long.
This Makita drill also has the most advanced charging system available and it charges in only 15 minutes! Generically, it's called a "smart charging system." A computer chip inside the battery lets the charger know exactly how to optimally charge the battery, to completely charge each cell within the battery and for maximum battery life. Each battery is made up of smaller 1.2 volt cells. Often a battery will drain unevenly during normal use, at different rates within these internal cells. A normal charger will stop charging the battery when one cell reaches maximum capacity, not all of them. Once this happens once, it will continue to do so as long as you use the battery. What this means is your 18-volt battery is now a 16- or 17-volt battery and it can drop even lower. A "smart charger" will charge every cell independently until each cell is fully charged, so your 18-volt battery will remain 18 volts for its entire life. This charger has a fan in it and blows air through the battery to cool it down before charging so the battery can be charged right away, unlike other brands, where the charger waits until the battery cools, or even worse attempts to charge a hot battery pack and damages it or decreases the life of the battery. These Makita lithium-ion batteries will last longer than standard batteries and can be charged over 1200 times, as opposed to the standard of 600 to 800 times, which alone can justify the slightly higher price tag. -- Gabriel Shantara Ford
What's in the Box
Driver drill; compact lithium-ion batteries (2); 15-minute Rapid Charger; carrying case
Two thumbs up 2008-04-18
Very lightweight and powerful. The Li batteries take very little
time to fully charge and hold that charge for a long period of time.
Very happy with this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great for the homeowner 
2008-04-17
So, it's not an industrial tool, but it gets the job done around the house. If you're a contractor, you should probably opt for their professional ine (cases are usually blue instead of this ugly silver). For example check out the BDF451. THat's an industrial tool which will probably (hopefully) be more reliable, has more power, and should be more precise. The silver stuff is made in China. However, not to hold that against them, it performs rather well. It has decent power. I returned it because the spindle doesn't exactly spin perfectly on axis (so you get a bit of wobble when driving screws, and skipping since it doesn't sit straight in the screw head as it turns). I have the BDF451 on order, and have higher hopes for it even though I am just a homeowner.
Great handy drill, batteries are hit or miss 2008-03-30
This is the first drill I go to for around the house work. It's light and comfortable to use. The chuck is very good. The 1-2 switch on the top feels cheap but works fine. It's a simple drill, and I do miss the bit holder.
I got it with 2 batteries, one of which was dead on arrival. The other one works fine.
OK for DIY projects - otherwise get Pro version 2008-03-17
Makita makes two versions of this tool The Pro version has 100ft lbs. more torque, twice the charge capacity, and includes the bit holder and the belt clip in the kit. This version is targeted at the homeowner and this is why the lower capacity batteries. For most purposes this will not be a problem as the kit comes with two batteries and a fan cooled charging station that can recharge a battery in under 20 minutes.
The chuck is also a DIY grade chuck and not nearly as good as the ones on most other "pro" level cordless drills from DeWalt or Milwaukee. It was also a bit bothersome to find that the bit holder and belt clip were left out of the kit as these are standard items with other Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, and Milwaukee cordless drills. These items are not even in stock at Makita's customer service center so even if you are willing to pay the extra $20 to purchase and have these 2-bit items shipped to you, this is not an option.
The drill performs well and the LCD lights that turn on and off automatically are very helpful in more situations than one might first realize. Having benefited from the lights with a number of projects I would not even consider buying a cordless drill that lacked this feature.
Torque although less than other 18 volt cordless drills is still more than adequate. I easily made 11" holes in my ceiling for in-ceiling mounted speakers for my home theater using the excellent Hole Pro hole cutter.
Hole PRO X-305: 1 7/8" to 12" Adjustable Twin Blade Hole Saw Cutter with Tungsten Carbide Blades 3" 4" 5" 6" 7" 8" 9" 10" 11" Capacity
