Tool Ratings

One essential tool is all most people need when working on a project, and a lightweight and powerful tool makes it all the better. When we get in to hammer drills and impact drivers, a cordless unit had better have those last two qualities and yet still be strong and durable enough to work in some very rough conditions. But, you also want something that does not require you to sell off your other tools to be able to afford either one of them. Makita has this down and covers it with the LXT202 18V twin pack consisting of a cordless hammer drill and cordless impact driver.

The Makita LXT202 twin pack’s 18-volt cordless hammer drill, the BHP451, uses a lithium-ion battery providing for more power, longer life, better durability and lighter weight versus the old-school NiCad. The quadruple-pole motor used here gives out some 560 inch-pounds (or pound-inch if the convention applies), delivers it very efficiently and is easily serviced by the end-user, should it be necessary. It uses an all-metal tri-speed transmission which can move up to 25% faster than its competitors. Two LED lights illuminate your working space and yet this hammer drill manages to only weigh in at 4.9 pounds (2.2 kg). That also includes the BHP451’s ergonomic – and protective - rubber trigger and forward grips, a sturdy left or right-handed belt clip, and a very balanced design.

In that same Makita LXT202 twin pack is an 18-volt cordless impact driver, the BTD140, that only weighs in at 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) and yet pounds out (pun intended) 1280 inch-pounds of torque and between zero and 3200 IPM (impacts-per-minute). Makita’s proprietary and patented “hammer and anvil” tech is implemented in this unit and gives it an enormous step up from others in its class. A couple of nice features of the BTD140 are its dual-speed trigger for superior control, saving the life of countless bolt heads, and the Insty-Bit all-metal, quick-change hex chuck system, which makes changing your bits an almost instant operation. And, as in its partner above, the Makita BTD140 impact driver has a well-made, ergonomic and rubber-coated handle.

Given there are two tools here, and they are quite similar in quality and construction, some qualities of these units are shared.

In fact, the two tools making up the Makita LXT202 twin pack are both significant improvements over their NiCad counterparts as they last almost three times as long, are stronger for more power, and they are lighter – all quickly noticeable when using the tools in the LXT202 kit. The Makita BHP451 cordless hammer drill has excessive power for most jobs, is easy to haul around all day, feels like a truly professional grade tool, and holds its charge far better than expected – it works hard and will do so for a long time to come. Likewise, the Makita BTD140 impact driver is strong and durable and eminently comfortable for the sort of tool it is and for what it is used. The Makita LXT202 twin pack is a tool set which will satisfy the needs, and wants, of any and every professional looking for power tools.

Makita’s LXT202 twin pack includes two LXT lithium-ion batteries, a 45-minute charger, the cordless BHP451 18V hammer drill, the cordless BTD140 18V impact driver and a very handy carrying case. Makita provides a one-year warranty on the batteries and a three-year warranty on the tools. Suggested retail for the Makita LXT202 twin pack is US$714, but you can easily find it for less at many locations.

Tool Rating: 4.6 of 5.0