Thanks for taking your time to read our review of the Makita DHR242Z 18 V cordless SDS Plus rotary hammer drill.
This drill is compatible with the Makita 18V range of batteries, specifically Makita BL1830 and BL1840 models. One touch sliding chuck enables quick and easy bit changes
This Rotary Hammer is capable of drilling through steel, wood and masonry with ease. It is fitted with an electric brake, forward and reverse rotation, a job light and a variable speed trigger. You can also choose between Rotary Hammer Action or Rotary Only Action.
As with most Makita products, this drill comes with a 3 year warranty once you register it. Really this in an ugrade from the DHR202Z , with a brushless motor and is around £40 more expensive.
Below we have included a full and detailed review of this highly popular choice for UK buyers.
How Buyers Rate the Makita DHR242Z?
96% buyer satisfaction based on 500+ online buyer reviews
- 87% of all online buyers gave this a full 5 star review
- 2% of all buyers gave this a poor review and that was because one user had a faulty battery
It is clear that with 500+ online buyers having left a review, that this particular Makita model has sold really well. Overall, based on that very high number of sales, it has also maintained an extremely high buyer satisfaction rating, with little to no complaints.
These types of high reviews are hard to find, so you can be sure that this is a top quality drill that has been tried and tested by thousands of users.
What Buyers Say about the Makita DHR242Z?
Pros
Cons
Makita DHR242Z Specification
- Brushless motor
- 0-4700 blows per minute
- No load speed 0-950 RPM
- Triple operation mode; rotary only, hammer only and rotary hammer
- High comfort grips, LED job light with afterglow and one touch sliding chuck for ways bit changes
- Conveniently located push button for forward and reverse
- Maximum in wood 27 mm, steel 13 mm, concrete 24 mm
- Measures 37 x 12 x 25.5 cm
- Weighs 3.08 Kilograms
- Body only ( no battery supplied )
- Can choose between Rotary Hammer Action or Rotary Only Action
- Electric brake
- Needs to be powered by a Makita 18v compatible battery
- LED light illuminates drilling surface for more productivity in low light application
Makita DHR242Z - 3 Key Features
3 Mode Operation
3 mode operation, rotation only, hammering with rotation and hammering only. With the built in torque limiter, the clutch disengages with the motor should a bit start to bind.
This drill will really do it all. You can drill into nearly any material, the hammer action goes straight through brick or concrete and the chisel works extremely well to break up mortar or any stubburn material that you may need rid of. Its especially good at removing old tiles.
Drilling Capacity
Maximum in wood 27 mm, steel 13 mm, concrete 24 mm
These are the sort of depths you would expect with a drill of this quality. You should be able to use this model for virtually any job and its unlikely you would ever need to have any greater capacity.
That being said, these figures are only a guideline and I have personally used this drill to go through a block wall to fit a vent for a tumble drier.
Chisel Positions
This model has 40 different chisel positions. This is a really handy feature as it allows you to turn the chisel to any angle through 360 degrees and lock it in to that position. That saves you having to hold the drill at an angle and is much less tiring on the hands.
Its always important to let the "tool do the work" so having a chisel at the exact angle takes a lot of pressure of the user and you will tire a lot less quickly.
A Quick Video Review
We looked for video reviews on this drill and this is the best we could find. We really like this guy, he has reviewed most of the Makita range and he gives you a quick review on the drill and what it can do. It's always best to see something with your own eyes.
Best Makita Battery
- 18 Volts Lithium-Ion battery
- 6.0 Ah
- 55 minute charge time
- Weighs 660 grams
- Includes a battery capacity indicator LED so you know how much charge is left.
- Works with all power tools that feature a yellow connector plate or has a star on the connector plate
- Suitable for tools like saws, blowers and trimmers
90% buyer satisfaction based on 50+ reviews
If you are not sure which battery is best for you then have a read at Best Makita Battery for some more helpful information. However, these types of drills are very heavy on the power so I would advise you to go with this model of battery as its the most poweful in the range at 6Ah.
Makita DC18RC Battery Charger
- This will charge one 18V or 14.4V Makita LXT slide battery
- It is classed as a is a compact sized fast charger
- Takes 15 minutes to fully charge an 18V 1.5Ah Makita battery
- Takes 22 minutes to fully charge an 18V 3.0Ah Makita battery
- Takes 36 minutes to fully charge an 18V 4.0Ah Makita battery
- Takes 45 minutes to fully charge an 18V 5.0Ah Makita battery
- Takes 55 minutes to fully charge an 18V 6.0Ah Makita battery
- This is a 240 Volt charger and comes with a UK 3-pin plug
96% buyer satisfaction based on 100+ reviews
The MAKITA DC18RC has a cooling fan that blows cool air into the battery. A digital power display identifies the condition of the battery and charging condition.
It measures 23.6 x 16.4 x 30.8 cm and weighs 820 grams.
The Makita Brand
The Makita brand sell a wide range of cordless tools and tools for the construction and demolition industries. They also sell some garden machinery. They sell their tools through various stores in the UK including B&Q, Screwfix, Cromwell, Jewson, Buildbase, Bradfords, Wickes and more.
Their HQ is in Japan. Their Telford manufacturing plant is the only full-production facility for power tools in the UK and has been successfully running construction on many of our top line cordless power tools since 1991.
Makita believe that for a good tool you need a good motor, and Makita makes every effort to make sure their motors are of the best quality. They use premium grade steel to produce armature shafts and gears, and only steel of the highest grade is used.
They also complete quality control tests on each and every, machine that leaves their manufacturing plants.
Makita DHR202z vs DHR242z
- Average price £122
- Brushed motor
- 0-4000 bpm
- No load speed 0-1100 RPM
- Maximum in concrete 20mm
- Maximum in wood 26mm
- 38.5 x 9 x 24 cm; 3.2 Kilograms
- Average price £159
- Brushless motor
- 0-4700 bpm
- No Load Speed : 0-950 rpm
- Maximum in concrete 24mm
- Maximum in wood 27mm
- 37 x 12 x 25.5 cm; 3.08 Kilograms
So here you can see in a nutshell the difference between the DHR202z and the DHR242Z. Everything else is the same. Basically the newer model is slightly smaller and lighter because it has a brushless motor. It is a bit more powerful because it has more blows per minute and also it can drill a bit further.
It's up to yourself to decide if the DHR242Z is worth the extra money but probably the motor will last a lot longer and it will be much easier on batteries. That would make the decision easy for me.
Please note prices vary all the time, and the prices we have shown are the average at the time of publishing this review.
Our Verdict on the Makita DHR242Z?
If you have never owned an SDS drill before, then one like this will make light work of any heavy duty serious work.
It is not designed for light work around the house, it's built for hard labour !
It goes through brick and concrete like butter and makes chiseling stuff up or off easy.
We would suggest that if you have any heavy building work to do then this is definitely the drill for you.
We have absolutey no hesitation in recommending this drill. It will do virtually any job and you know, with the Makita brand, that you will be getting a reliable and a top quality tool. All backed up by a manufacturers 3 year warranty. Hard to beat!
If this is not the model for you then check out our article on the Best Makita Cordless Drills for some more information.