Great for driving screws. Bad gears and chuck on mine.

Bought this in Dec. 05 and was initially pleased. Will drive screws all day long. Unfortunately, I did not put a drill bit in until 3 months later. Damn intermittent 1/2" wobble at the end of the drill bit. No, I did not drop the tool. I treat my tools better than my wife.^M
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I thought I was buying a quality tool. Had to take time out of my day to visit an authorized service center. Now two weeks later, they still have my drill. New gears and chuck on order from Makita. I asked the tech if this happens often straight out of the box. He said he sees it from time to time, and it all depends on where the parts are made. He said I should have bought a Bosch.

Best tool I've purchased...

This is my first cordless driver and I'm glad I didn't cut corners on it. We recently moved into a new home and many changes were required to make it our own including every lock, every bit of hardware on the cabinets, all switches/recepticles, etc. This things batteries last long enough to make sure you never need more than the two that come with it and they're NiMH so we don't need to worry about them losing power over time. The Jacobs chuck is effortless to switch from Phillips to standard on the included tip or to a drill bit while placing your bit in the on-board storage. Plus, it seems to be the only cordless tool that employed Americans in their production. Plenty of torque for 3.5" lag screws into studs, and delicate enough to drive screws into old/abused wood. Lot's of speed for driving a hole saw or through solid core doors and driving long screws like the ones in above-the-range microwaves. Oh, and no run-out, the chuck is laser straight.

High-Quality Drill. Never Broke. Period.

If you have read many of these tool reviews, you'll notice many seem to be spec-fights between brands rather than real-life use reviews. Whether a cordless battery specs at 2.5 rather than 2.4 Amp/Hour, a few more inch-pounds of torque, etc. It's all useless tripe, and I've learned from experience to ignore this stuff. I also care a lot less about whether a new locking chuck design is 'convenient' and a lot more about whether the chuck holds the darn bit tightly and securely without falling apart after a year. In the end, what really counts, to me, is whether the company is still making reliable, heavy-duty tools in the type of tool I'm considering. I don't like to take stuff back, either. From my experience, in cordless drills, Makita is doing the job. ^M
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This is an excellent quality, heavy-duty cordless drill, with the usual big Makita motor, great cooling, ball bearings, tight and secure metal head chuck, long-lived batteries, and reliable charger. I bought it reconditioned, used it for many hard jobs, used and abused it, and have never had any problems. If I had, I wouldn't hesitate to switch brands - instantly - but I don't change just for the sake of it, and I have seen what happens to tool 'guinea pigs' - I let someone else take the first plunge.^M
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I can't review Makita's warranty/repair service because I've never, ever needed it with any of their cordless drills or saws, which is about the best warranty any tool maker could provide. Isn't that what it's all about? ^M
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