Incredible Tool

Read this knowing I haven't used any other impect drivers. None the less, I have spent a lot of time with my Makita 14v Drill and have put in many screws. That said, this is one of the Best Tools I've Ever Purchased. I would venture to say there is no substitute for driving screws. Unless you determine that you need the clutch, there's no reason to grab the regular drill for screws. I should also note that there is a considerable amount of trigger control so that you can do fairly delicate work (hinge screws in cabinet doors). Works awesome on lag bolts as well. Much more compact than a 12v Makita Drill.

lartoolguy

When I first saw one of these "impact drivers" I was watching a contractor installing a kitchen cabinet and noticed the sound it made. I asked him what it was,and he asked me if I wanted to try it. I went out that day and bought one. I knew it had to be good if it was a Makita tool because I have owned a few of their drills and a framing nailer for years. I have had this impact driver for about three and a half years. I use it for everything from making furniture to screwing studwalls together. I also use it to install nuts and bolts with a 1/4 inch drive adaptor. I even used it to remove a frozen chuck on my Milwaukee drill that no one could get off.( I put a 1/4 inch hex bit in the chuck and used the Makita in reverse to impact it off ).I never use any of my drills to install screws any more.Once you use one of these neither will you.It will drive a three and a half inch screw all the way thru a treated 4x4 with one hand. I also like the fact that it is very compact in length and gets into tight places. I strip alot fewer screws eventhough it has alot more power. The only drayback is that I have broken or stripped a few Phillips head bits so now I buy harden tipped bits instead. You can use it to drill with hex type mandrills but a regular drill is better and you wont break as many drilling thru hard woods. I love good quality tools and this impact driver is one. I wouldn't want to be without it ,and if I needed to I would buy another one in a minute.

WOW!!, what a great drill and deal

I have had this drill for only a few weeks and am very happy. If you are new to impact drivers it takes a little practice to put in screws without breaking them (you have to pulsate the trigger rather than allow endless torque to build as you drill), but once you get the feel, it's the best tool around. ^M
^M
One reason I picked this drill was because the current rebate offer is that Makita will mail you a regular cordless drill in addition to the impact driver. But now I wonder whether I will even use the regular drill when it comes. I have used this drill for nuts and bolts, drilling wholes, and driving screws and find it phenonamal at all tasks. It spins faster, with more torque available, and is much lighter than regular drills. I purchased the Hitachi 25 bit quick change drill-bit set to take care of many common drilling (rather than "driving") needs until the new Makita drill arrives. These bits have the hex shape to simply lock in to the driver. I also bought a Makita 763097-7A 3/8" Keyless Chuck at Home Depo (cheaper at Amazon.com) which is a "conversion kit for impact drivers". It allows me to efforlessly use all my regualar round drill bits in the driver. Just drop in a bit, hold the keyless chuck for a moment while running the drill to tighten the chuck, and drill. Drill bits run perfectly straight whether they are hex bits in the hex drive, or regular bits in the Makita keyless chuck.^M
^M
The case the drill comes in is large enough for both drills, two batteries, and all of your bits. The drill's built-in flash light is very useful in any low light situation. ^M
^M
This drill is new and not yet available at local stores. I assume they focus on running out of current inventories before ordering the latest model. Very impressive Makita!