Light, strong and well balanced

I’ve been using the 12V Rigid cordless you can see in the photo for quite some time. I figured a cordless drill is a cordless drill, but once I held this Makita in my hand, I was forever changed.

Pros:

• Power: This little guy is loaded with torque.
• Trigger speed control: The range from just barely turning to fully wound up is all accessible. The trigger has good resistance and feedback. Once you’ve found the sweet spot for the task at hand, it’s easy to repeat.
• Weight in hand: They found the right balance of lightness with just enough mass to allow controlled and stabile operation.
• Ergonomics: Grip diameter and trigger location are spot on for my medium sized hand.
• Task Light: This is a great feature when you’re back in a corner or other dark spot, but see my Cons below.
• Battery Life: The driver and batteries are still new, so I don’t have a true sense of their longevity, but out of the box, I was not disappointed.
• Quick Charge: They say 15 minute charging and they mean it! The charging battery is done well before I can wear out the battery in use, even under heavy loads.

Cons:

• Location of the light: Because it’s tucked under the clutch ring, it gets in the way when turning the clutch. Seems minor, but when changing bits, drilling and screwing, I tend to change the clutch with every different operation.
• Bit holder is an upgrade: it seems ridiculous to me that they don’t include this standard. Perhaps I’ve just gotten used to what I’ve had in the past, but having to set the dedicated driver bit down every time you chuck something else up, is irritating, I’m sure I’ll loose it before too long.

All in all, this is a great tool! I highly recommend it!

-- Fritz Oakland, Ca http://www.muegenburg.com (dedicated to my other hobby)