Makita BTD142HW 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit

This is a great product. Easy to work with. Not only a good impact driver but when paired with the DeWalt impact ready drill bits, it's an excellent drill. Couldn't recommend the Makita drill bits because of lesser quality.

One hellacious tool, this impact driver is a powerful, incredibly useful one that has emerged as the item in my toolbox that I enjoy using most, simply because it does what it's supposed to and it does it so well. It is and it performs as advertised. In fact, its performance is much better than the impression you get from reading the content on Amazon's page for it. I won't go into every detail about the tool but will instead convey an anecdote that any contractor or DIY'er will understand in a minute.

I had to drill a 1/2 hole through the piped tubing of a heavy handtruck. I put the handtruck in my work table's vise and drilled, using a corded Milwaukee 1/2" Magnum Holeshooter. This drill, fitted with a side handle, has in the past when jammed almost broken my wrist. It generates a lot of torque, regardless of what the specifications say.

When I was about to get breakthrough, the bit jammed in the pipe/tube, but I continued. And to my surprise, with bit jammed in the hole, rather than breaking my wrist, the drill began to spin slowly a 48" and approximately 15-pound handtruck slowly out of the vise, rotating like a propeller.

When I had to put 3/8 diameter/3" lag bolts into garage studs recently, I naturally selected the aforementioned Milwaukee drill for the task, putting a socket adapter in the chuck to accommodate the large socket from my hand socket wrench set, necessary to screw in the bolt.

The Milwaukee drill did the job well--into it got an inch or so into the stud. Then it just stopped and groaned. I was left with the prospect of hand-tightening, which I'm too lazy to do, and, by nature, seems like a job for a power tool.

So I put the socket into the cordless Makita described on this page. Up until the last few threads, this tool pushed the bolt in like butter. Then it finished the job with slow revolutions and a lot of the noise that you commonly hear from a pneumatic wrench used in auto shops to remove tire bolts. But it screwed the bolts in very tightly. I was able to do 8 such bolts, and so far, I have much battery time to spare.

Similarly, especially putting long, drywall screws into studs, this tool pushes them in like butter compared to a conventional drill fitted with a phillips bit.

The tool is small, light, balanced well for the hand, and even has a small led light on it, which I found useful one night while working in an unlighted shed.

If this tool has any negative about it, it's the noise, which is definitive of all impact tools. This is simply not a tool that you can use in your garage late into the evening, without possibly disturbing your neighbors. Similarly, it's not the tool to use at night after house members have gone to sleep. It makes a LOT of noise.

Finally, what with the 15-minute charging and decently constructed case, if you consider price and performance of the competition, this tool wins hands down.

ADDENDUM:

*** This information I hope will be as useful as the review of the tool ***

I bought this tool reconditioned from CPO Outlets--They sell new and refurbished to factory specs tools from Makita ([...], etc.), Milwaukee, DeWalt, Porter-Cable--you name it. This is terrific way to get premium tools well below anyone's lowest price; let me explain.

I've purchased everything from a behemoth Milwaukee 15 AM orbital reciprocating saw (Sawzall) to 3/8" drills to table saws and to leaf blowers (Ryobi). It's a great deal for this reason:
You get tools that look like new, perform as if they're new, and carry the same warranty and policies as new tools. Except they're substantially cheaper. Whether it's because someone returned a tool after using it once, or because whatever condition it comes back in as they return it to factory spec, good-as-new appearance, I've been purchasing tools this way for years and have not had one problem. If I did, the warranties that the new models offer apply just the same.

So this buying channel you offers yet another option.

I would add that to a one, the CPO folks you get on the phone are knowledgable and polite, and some are genuine tool freaks. Overall, it's a pleasant, quick, and efficient buying experience.

EXCELLENT!EXCELLENT!EXCELLENT!EXCELLENT!EXCELLENT! I love this tool. so much torque you have to be careful. charge lasts and lasts. I use a lot of tools and this is an excellent one.

I purchased the BTD142HW to remove screws and bolts from ten sections of high school bleachers. The unit performed flawlessly and even suprisingly in that it removed half inch lag bolts from the hardwood floors. The light was also useful when working on the undersides of the seats in the darker areas.

Good power and battery life, but all these Chicom driver/drills have the same problem: the directional switch is too close to the trigger finger, constantly being unintentionally bumped to the center (off) or the opposite direction. The reversing switch should be nowhere near the trigger finger. Imagine the huge sweatshop where all these tools are assembled, brands distinguished only by the colors of the plastic housings. Makita might get ball bearings, Harbor Freight bronze sleeves. Ain't globalization grand?