Makita BHP451 LXT 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Hammer Driver Drill Review

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. 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.
Manual for you here.

You can find it at Amazon here:

	Makita DC18RA Rapid Battery Charger for Li-Ion Batteries List Price: $160.00 See Reviews For This Product
	Features Charging Technology: Controls current, voltage & temperature to maximize battery life Central Processing Unit (CPU): Analyzes data from the battery's memory chip Forced Air Cooling Fan: Cools the battery by forcing cool air through the battery's built-in air vents Fast Charging: Quickly charges an 18V 3.0 Amp hour Li-Ion battery in only 30 minutes Energy Star

Makita LXT211 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 2-Piece Combo Kit List Price: $674.00 See Reviews For This Product

Features 2-speed 1/2-inch hammer driver-drill (0-400/0-1, 500 RPM) with 4-pole motor delivers 450 inch-pounds of max torque Variable-speed impact driver (0-2, 300 RPM) provides 1, 330 inch-pounds of max torque Tools feature built-in LED light to illuminate the work area and a rugged tool belt clip LXT lithium-ion battery and Energy Star-rated 30-minute charger produce 430 percent total lifetime work with 2.5 times more cycles Three-year warranty on tools and one-year warranty on batteries and charger

	Makita LXT218 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 2-Piece Combo Kit List Price: $714.00 See Reviews For This Product
	Features 18V LXT 1/2" Hammer Driver-Drill (BHP454) & 18V LXT Impact Driver (BTD141) Makita-built, 4-pole motor delivers 560 in.-lbs. of maximum torque 2-speed all-metal transmission (0 to 400 RPM and 0 to 1,700 RPM) covers a wide range of drilling, driving and hammer applications Compact design at only 9-9/16" long Built-in LED lights illuminate the work area

	Fix NICD Makita Battery btw251 bhp451z 5093dz 18V 12V 14.4V List Price: $7.00 See Reviews For This Product

	Fix NICD Makita Battery bjv180z btw251z bhp451sfe 9.6 10.8 24V List Price: $7.00 See Reviews For This Product

	Fix NICD Makita Battery bhp451 td020dsew bhp441 18V 12V 14.4V List Price: $7.00 See Reviews For This Product

	Makita CASEBTD141 Heavy Duty Hard Plastic Carry Case NEW See Reviews For This Product
	Features Designed to hold one of these drills: BHP451, BDF451, BHP452, BDF452 or the LXFD01 And, also hold one of these impacts: BTD140, BTD141 BTD142 at the same time. Made of heavy-duty industrial grade plastic. Ideal for tool and accessory storage.

And here's the latest eBay prices:

Makita LXFD01 CASE ONLY FOR DRILLSBHP451BTD140BHP452BTD1 $14.99 Time Remaining: 17h 17m

MAKITA 18 VOLT BHP451 1 2 DRILL BTD141 1 4 HEX DRIVER $91.00 (14 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 15h 38m

MAKITA 18 VOLT LXT LI ION HAMMER DRILL 18V BHP451 $181.97 Time Remaining: 2d 3h 54m Buy It Now for only: $181.97

Makita LXFD01 CASE ONLY FOR DRILLSBHP451BTD140BHP452BTD1 $13.99 Time Remaining: 2d 17h 13m

Makita BHP451 18V Li Ion Cordless Hammer Drill $50.00 Time Remaining: 2d 17h 29m

makita lxt kitbtd 140bss610bhp451impact driversawdrill $360.00 Time Remaining: 3d 18h 34m Buy It Now for only: $399.00

Makita LXFD01 CASE ONLY FOR DRILLSBHP451BTD140BHP452BTD1 $14.99 Time Remaining: 4d 17h 8m

Makita BHP451 18V LXT Cordless 3 Speed Hammer Driver Drill Bundle $19.99 Time Remaining: 6d 17h 3m

Makita LXFD01 CASE ONLY FOR DRILLSBHP451BTD140BHP452BTD1 $14.99 Time Remaining: 6d 17h 5m