Put down that drill and pick up an impact driver. You’ll save yourself a lot of work. Impact drivers combine rotational speed with percussion to sink fasteners quickly without tiring out your wrist. Let’s look at these three kits to see which one will be the best for you.
Makita XDT09M 18V LXT Lithium-Ion 4.0Ah Brushless Cordless Quick-Shift Mode 3-Speed Impact Driver Kit
We’ll start off this review with one of my favorite tools, the XDT09 impact driver. The XDT09M kit also contains two 4.0Ah capacity lithium-ion batteries. The rapid charger can keep one battery pack ready while you work with the other. If need an excuse to have downtime, this is not the kit for you.
The XDT09 driver is a powerhouse with a brushless motor. It puts out a top torque of 1550 inch-pound and has a 3-speed transmission. The top speed is 3600rpm and the percussion strikes per minute hit 3800ipm. It won’t take you long to drive all those 3-inch lag screws now.
Let’s take a closer look at the 3-speed transmission. This gives you greatprecision when combined with the variable-speed trigger. The electronic controls (because there is no clutch) have a mode called “Quick-Shift” that slows and stops the driver once the screw is in place. That protects you from stripped screws.
The selector switch at the foot of the driver lets you choose between four options. “Hard” is for the highest speed and power—think lag screws and big bolts. “Medium” is for work in more fragile materials like finished wood and sheetrock. “Soft” is for small screws, or when you need to be careful about not breaking a delicate fastener. And the “T” mode has medium speed specifically for self-tapping or self-drilling screws.
There are some other smart design details to discuss. The housing of the XDT09Z has Makita’s XPT protection against dust and moisture and rubber bumpers near the motor. The ergonomic handle has a non-slip rubber grip and the driver’s weight is perfectly balanced.
The XDT09measures 4-11/16-inches long and weighs only 3.3 pounds without the battery. The built-in LED light under the barrel turns on and off as you use the trigger; there’s no shutdown delay. There is a convenient battery fuel gauge in the foot right next to the selector switch for the gears.
As for the batteries, the XDT09Z is compatible with any of Makita’s 18-volt LXT lithium-ion packs. The two 4.0Ah packs that come in this kit run 30% longer than 3.0Ah batteries, and 60% more than 1.5Ah packs. They do not have their own battery status indicator like the batteries in the XDT09MB kit described below.
The rapid charger will help maintain your batteries in good health. It senses if they are too hot or cold to charge and will delay to avoid damaging them. Both the charger and the driver communicate with the batteries to avoid overload and burnout.
More features of the Makita XDT09M kit
- Makita offers a 3-year limited warranty
- Comes with the driver, two battery packs, a rapid charger, and a hard plastic carrying case
Makita XDT09MB 18V LXT BL Impact Driver Kit
The Makita XDT09MB impact driver kit has only one difference from the XDT09M kit described above: its battery packs have built-in status indicators. The LEDs on the end of the pack show you how much charge they have. This is independent from the fuel gauge at the foot of the impact driver. This way you can see the status without inserting the packs into the tool.
Besides the slightly-different batteries, everything else in this kit is the same as in the XDT09M kit. It contains the same great XDT09 impact driver described in detail already.
One thing we didn’t discuss earlier is the brushless motor on this tool. If you already know why brushless is the choice of professionals, feel free to skip this part. Otherwise, let me tell you why you want brushless motors in your power tools.
One, brushless motors are more efficient. They get a lot done on a single battery charge. They don’t run as hot or with as much noisy whine as brushed motors do. They don’t need maintenance, and they tend to outlive a brushed motor so you spend less money repairing and replacing tools.
More features of the Makita XDT09MB kit
- Makita offers a 3-year limited warranty
- Comes with the driver, two 4.0Ah battery packs, a rapid charger, and a hard plastic carrying case
Makita XDT042 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit
Now we’ve arrived at a different impact driver altogether. This is the best-selling XDT042. It has a few differences from the XDT09 in the other kits above.
The XDT042 has a brushed 4-pole motor and a two-speed transmission with a variable-speed trigger. Its torque tops out at 1420 inch-pounds, and its top speed is 2300rpm with 3200ipm. This is still a fast and powerful driver even though it doesn’t have the specs of the XDT09. Pros often choose it because it offers lot of bang for the buck.
It weighs about the same as the XDT09 but measures a little more at 5-7/16-inches long. The typical ¼” hex chuck makes for fast, one-handed bit changes. Slide the sleeve back, insert the bit, and let it click into place. Slide back the sleeve again to remove the bit. Just remember you’ll need hex shank bits, not round shaft, for your impact driver.
Like the other impact driver, this one also has a built-in LED work light just below the barrel. It helps illuminate your work area, and shuts off when you release the trigger so you won’t run down the battery.
The XDT042 kit includes just one 3.0Ah lithium-ion battery. Neither the battery nor the driver have a fuel gauge. You’ll have to pop it on the charger to see its status. The battery is of a sufficient capacity to keep you sinking deck screws for quite a while before you get a break. Just keep the battery cool when you’re not using it so it will last you as long as possible.
More features of the Makita XDT042 kit
- Makita offers a 3-year limited warranty
- Comes with the driver, one 3.0Ah battery pack, a rapid charger, and a hard plastic carrying case
Recommendation
If you’re a pro looking for an advanced impact driver with top precision and power, the XDT09 is your tool. The brushless motor will stand up to years of use and get good mileage out of your batteries. Choosing between the two XDT09 kits might be a little harder.
If you like having batteries with fuel gauges, get the XDT09MB kit. Otherwise, if the price is better, get the XDT09M kit.
Pros also choose the XDT042 impact driver because it’s reliable and powerful enough for just about any driving job. If driving fasteners isn’t a primary part of your job, get the XDT042 and find out for yourself why it’s so popular.