Did you ever pick up a tool and it just feels right? That’s this drill. It sits properly in the palm of your hand, and has perfect balance-whether horizontal or vertical. This is a rare thing, and when you drive 1,000 deck screws with it you really appreciate the intelligent engineering that went into it. Oh sure it has the ability to knock out 25,000 hammer blows per minute at 1,700 rpm- but with the integrated electric brake you can just as easily drive drywall screws while sinking the screw head precisely where you want it. I’ve used it to drill in the concrete foundation of the house to anchor a toilet (making it much less of the thrill ride it used to be, thank you), and it did the job effortlessly. The drill is covered with a rubberized finish (Makita blue, of course), and when you sit it down it stays put, surviving the occasional bump that would send a lesser tool flying off the bathroom vanity and onto the floor.
There’s an integrated belt clip by the battery- and of course it can be easily removed or switched to the other side. It’s very easy to hang without looking on your belt, pocket or toolbelt, which has come in handy time and time again when I was convinced I needed three hands to get that sheet of drywall up. It also has a light, which I was sure was just a cheesy addon, but I’ve learned that you can actually see the screw head when you’re upside down in the cabinet without holding a flashlight in your teeth.
And then there’s the chuck. Growing up I lost a lot of chuck keys- much to Dad’s great annoyance. There’s no key! The chuck jaws ratchet down on the bit- no additional tools necessary. The side grip twists on and off effortlessly, and the depth rod makes repeated precision drilling a snap. The battery and charging system are computerized- it actually knows which battery is which and how to charge it to get the maximum life out of the already phenomenally long lived lithium ion cells. Take a look at Makita’s flyer for more details on that. While you’re reading, I have the manual for you here as well. Finally, if you want to save some money and are considering an impact driver, take a look at Makita LXT202 BHP451 18 Volt Hammer Drill & BTD140 18 Volt Impact Driver Lithium-Ion Combo Kit- the impact driver is rock solid, and the battery on one can serve as a backup for the other in a pinch.
Order the drill here: Makita BHP451 LXT 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Hammer Driver-Drill
Or try a the real time Makita Auctions right here.
(Review from Just Makita)
Colbri was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1971, Fred Levinger and his father purchased the company. Levinger went on to form the Colibri Group which makes and markets jewelry, lighters, clocks and accessories. Colibri sells its products through thousands of independent retailers and also large corporations, like Wal-Mart and Zales. The Colibri Group umbrella includes Colibri, Dolan & Bullock, Kreisler, Krementz, Linden, Princess Pride, S.T. DuPont, Seth Thomas (which happens to be oldest the oldest clock brand in America, founded in Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut in 1813). In June of 2005, Levinger sold a majority interest to Founders Equity Inc., and Main Street Resources. Levinger remained on as CEO and President.
Steve Jobs (co-founder Pixar) is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded with Steve Wozniak on April fools day 1976. Originally they just made computers, now the company is now well known for a mobile phone, and of course the iPod media player. They’ve sold over 110 million iPods, so the Touch comes from a history of innovation. Those first Apple computers were hand built by Wozniak in a garage, and financed by among other things, Jobs selling a Volkswagen bus. Last year the company made over $24 billion.
Alpaca wool is a true luxury fiber, and it’s popularity is growing for very good reason. It is warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, plus its fibers are semi-hollow, which makes it breathable, so you never get hot or sweaty wearing it.
American Power Conversion was founded by three electronic power engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who were originally working on solar power. There wasn’t enough money to make a viable solar concern, but there was in power protection. They produced their first UPS in 1984 (the 750). Rodger Dowdell, Jr. joined APC as its president in August 1985, where he stayed for more than 20 years. Dowdell’s expertise was in manufacturing, and he was in the right place at the right time with emergence of the personal computer market, and a need to protect those computers from spikes and lags. He moved manufacturing to Peacedale, Rhode Island where there was favorable tax advantages, real estate was cheap and the local workforce was skilled. They became a publicly traded company in 1998. APC has numerous product lines, including models targeted for home, small business and even large datacenters. Today they’re a billion dollar company with worldwide sales and manufacturing and also a Fortune 1000 company.
), and asked if I had any problems. Fortunately for me, I had purchased some cheap practical insurance in UPS, and didn’t have a problem. I have two of these particular UPS, both for a little over a year now. The main selling point for me (besides protecting thousands of dollars of equipment) is the LCD display. With the touch of a button I can see in the incoming voltage, and the load on the UPS. I used them to make sure I wasn’t overloading my breakers, and also to informally troubleshoot a power problem with the wiring in the house. Turns out when I turn on my treadmill it creates a load that drops the voltage on downstream electronics- the UPS solved that problem by smoothing out the voltage and cutting over to the battery as necessary. They also keep a simple log of outages and power problems, through the very easy to use Powerchute software. A common mistake people make is to buy the UPS and just plug it in. Make sure you install the software, and test the shutdown performance of the UPS. While running without the software is better than no protection at all, you’re not making the most of the technology, and you’re removing a safety net.