.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}

Makita DHR171Z Review 

Thanks for taking your time to read our review of the Makita DHR171Z 18V LXT brushless rotary hammer drill. This model is one of the biggest selling rotary hammer drills on the UK market.

The beauty of this drill is that it is lighter then most rotary drills and that is great if you have to do a lot of high level work. It is great for fitting standard plugs and concrete bolts.

We think this would be a great choice for window fitters, carpenters, electricians and plumbers as it is compact enough for restricted spaces, and yet packs plenty of power.

Below we have included a full and detailed review of this highly popular choice for UK buyers.

How Buyers Rate the Makita DHR171Z?

94%
Buyer Satisfaction

94% buyer satisfaction based on 3,000+ online buyer reviews

  • 82% of all online buyers gave this a full 5 star review
  • 3% of all buyers gave this a poor review

What Buyers Say about the Makita DHR171Z?

Pros

  • Buyers loved that this drill is small and lightweight but is powerful enough for most jobs
  • Most buyers agreed that this is a good choice for working overhead or when on a ladder
  • The majority of buyers said they used this for drilling 10 mm holes
  • Overall, most buyers were also impressed with how long the 3.0Ah battery lasted

Cons

  • A few buyers said this is not powerful enough compared to a mains powered SDS drill

Overall it's very easy to tell from these comments that this is more suitable for DIY around the home, or for drilling smaller masonry holes for people in the trade. It  isn't a heavy duty drill, but the compact design and light weight make it a great choice in restricted spaces or when working overhead.

Makita DHR171Z Specification

  • This is an 18V cordless rotary only or rotary hammer drill
  • Measures 50 x 30 x 35 cm (273mm overall length)
  • Weighs 1.0 Kg (2.8Kg with a battery)
  • 480 watts of power
  • It does have the newer longer lasting brushless Makita motor - this can deliver 0-680 rpm, and 0-4,800 ipm
  • It has a variable speed trigger that allows you to adjust the speed based on the type of material being drilled or the application you are using
  • It also has a one touch sliding chuck
  • It has an LED job light
  • Capacity in concrete 17mm
  • Capacity in steel 10mm
  • Capacity in wood 13mm
  • SDS-Plus shank
  • Comes with a side handle and a depth stop

Makita DHR171Z - 3 Key Features

Brushless Motor

The brushless motor eliminates carbon brushes, and that allows the motor to run cooler and more efficiently for longer life. This type of motor also efficiently uses energy to match torque and rpm to the changing demands of the application.

Drilling Capacity

Maximum in wood 13 mm, steel 10 mm, concrete 17 mm. It is worth remembering that the size of this drill is small, it is also light, but drilling capacities are smaller than standard SDS drills.

Useful Features

Buyers liked the variable speed trigger and the useful LED job light. The one touch sliding chuck does make drill bit changing quick and easy.

A very quick video review

We have looked over all the video reviews and found this great short presentation on this Makita power tool. It gives you an instant idea of what to expect as well as telling you all the features and spec in and easy to understand format.

I hope you enjoy watching it as I always think its much better to see a tool in action rather than just reading about it or seeing pictures. This guy is particularly good at explaining the features of the drill and he is well known for demonstrating Makita tools.

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, this type of drill is quite hard on the battery so if you have a big job to do then I would advise you to go for this top of the range, 6Ah battery.

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.

Our Verdict on the Makita DHR171Z?

This is a useful drill for general purpose trade use and for home DIY. Rotary drills are usually heavy, but this one has been designed to be lighter.

As we mentioned it doesn't have the full power that larger rotary drills will have, but is is still powerful enough for many tasks.

It wouldn't be our first choice for a main rotary drill, but we would use it a lot on the smaller jobs, where there is restricted space, or smaller drill holes to be made quickly.

If this is not the model for you then check our article on the Best Cordless Makita Drillls for some more information.

Leave a Reply:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}