This is our UK review of the expensive, but popular Makita XFD10R 18V compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2" Driver-Drill Kit. Buyers rate this drill highly, and this is a great choice for anyone who wants to own a high quality drill, and can afford to pay the higher price.
This cordless drill ticks all the important boxes in terms of power, durability and is a great choice for those who need a tough and long lasting drill. This is aimed more at the professional contractor market, than at the homeowner market.
Who Would Buy This Makita Cordless Drill Kit?
Makita have made and designed this for the professional contractor market. In fact, it has been specially engineered to provide a high level of dust and water resistance. That makes it a very good choice for anyone working outside, or working on any type of jobsite.
Any serious DIY homeowner, or in fact anyone who does a lot of work with a drill, should also consider this drill as a strong option. It has an excellent battery life, the charger really does charge the battery quickly, and it all comes in a hard plastic case.
If this is not the one for you, then why not also check out my top 10 cordless list of drills
However this article is about this Makita cordless drill, so let's get on with that.
For anyone in a hurry who doesn't have time to read our full and detailed review, then we have summarised this kit below. It gives you at a glance, the main information that you need to know.
Underneath that section is a section on what real life buyers have to say, including what they liked and didn't like. Then finally we give you a detailed review that gets into this 18V cordless kit in a lot of detail.
After that we have our own verdict based on our collective years of experience.
Summary Review
This is an expensive option with an average online price of around £150 depending on where you make your purchase. The reason for that price is simply down to the high quality of build, and also the fact that it is built to last.
It is a 1/2" chuck, with dual LED lights, all metal 2-speed transmission. It comes with 2 batteries, a rapid charger and the tool case.
This model comes body only so you will need a battery for it.
How Do Buyers Rate the Makita XFD10R?
Before we dig into the details of what is in this kit, we like to have a section that covers what the real life buyers have to say. These reviews are left online, at various websites, by people like me and you, who have bought the product, used it, and then taken the time to leave a review.
We include this section early in our article, because at the end of the day, if buyers have rated the product with a bad rating, we assume that it isn't something that you would buy, and probably will not want to waste your valuable time reading about it any more.
Most buyers however don't have the time to read all of the reviews from all the selling websites. Here at "Tool and Go," we do have the time and that is why we do that for you and then summarise it.
Just below you will see an actual summary breakdown of how buyers rate this Makita 18V cordless drill/driver kit. Buyers have rated this with an excellent 92% buyer satisfaction rating.
What Buyers Said About the XFD10R Model?
You can see that overall buyers rate this Makita kit very highly with an average 92% buyer satisfaction. The price is not cheap and is likely to put many people off. There are serious DIY people, and a lot of professional contractors who do see genuine value in owning a high quality drill/driver kit like this one.
We now know that overall this drill gets very good ratings. Now we shall dig a little deeper, to see what buyers are actually saying about this Makita model
That of course includes the good and bad features. We have summarised those below in a an easy to read "pros and cons" list.
- 85% of all buyers gave this a full 5 star rating and that is always a very good sign
- Almost every buyer stated that the drill was light weight, meaning that it helped reduce arm fatigue
- The majority of buyers said this was a very powerful drill.
- Buyers likes the feel of this drill in their hands - had a very nice balance to it
- Buyers also loved the bright dual LED lighting system
- 0% of all buyers gave this a bad review (always a good sign)
- This is an expensive purchase
- A few buyers said that there was a significant amount of chuck wobble
Hopefully that gives you a sense of what buyers had to say about this kit choice. It is good to see that there are no major. However if you do get a drill with any type of chuck wobble, then send it straight back, as this is an engineering default that can not be fixed.
To test for that take it out and squeeze the trigger. You will instantly see if there is severe wobble. To test it fully though, put in a drill bit and test it on some wood. It should be as straight as an arrow, with no play or movement in the chuck.
In the section below we get into the actual details of this kit, so as you know what you are getting for your money.
Makita XFD10R 18V Specification & Important Details
This kit comes in a hard plastic case which is great for keeping everything together. It is the standard heavy duty case from Makita and has been designed to hold the tools and accessories neatly in place.
Batteries and Charger
We have said this so often, but we always repeat it. Any cordless tool is only as good as the battery that powers it. As this is a cordless kit, the batteries are vitally important.
With this kit you get two "18V LXT Lithium-Ion Compact 2.0Ah Battery (Model Number BL1820B)" These are part of the Makita 18V Lithium-Ion range, and that makes them compatible with many other Makita power tools.
By owning this type of battery, you can then buy other Makita "bare tools" which are much cheaper than having to buy a battery each time.
According to buyers the run time on these are excellent.
Charger
The charger is an18V LXT Lithium-Ion Rapid Optimum Charger (DC18RC) - 100 Volt charger
Now let's have a look at the actual drill as that is the key part of this 18V cordless kit.
We shall look at that in more detail below.
XFD10Z Cordless Drill
- This has an XFD10Z model number drill
- 4 pole motor for long lasting power
- 2 speed levels, 0-600 and 0-1900 RPM
- All metal gear construcion
- 1/2" ratcheting metal chuck
- Integrated LED
- Battery level indicator
- Very light weight (3 lbs)
- Measures 5.2 x 16.6 x 12.4 inches and weighs 3 lbs
- 3 Year Warranty
Click to Enlarge
This is classed as a small compact drill/driver that will allow you to get into confined spaces. The LED lights are very useful. The power is excellent and this model has a normal brushed motor. The all metal transmission means this drill is certainly built to last.
Please note this drill does have a hammer function, so good for drilling through concrete. This one is primarily designed for drilling wood, metal and plastic. If the main purpose of your purchase is for drilling through concrete, then you are always better off buying an actual hammer drill.
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.
A Little About the Makita Company
Makita's vision is the constant strive for innovation in their technology and their products. They are considered to be a high end brand, and they are very well known for making high quality tools.
Makita manufactures its tools in plants across the globe, from its headquarters in Japan. They believe that for a good tool you need a good motor, and Makita makes every effort to make sure our motors are of the best quality.
Premium grade steel is used to produce armature shafts and gears, and only steel of the highest grade is used. They quality control test each, and every, machine that leaves their manufacturing plants.
They state that "Our high standards go a long way, which is probably why when you buy Makita, it's likely to be a lasting relationship."
Our Overall Verdict on the Makita XFD10R 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2" Driver-Drill Kit
With a 92% buyer satisfaction rating, it is pretty clear that the huge majority of buyers think this is excellent value for money. It is also clear that the majority of buyers are happy with their purchase after they have bought and used it.
There is plenty of power with this particular dill and it has certainly been built to last. It also comes with a 3 year warranty. This is a good all round cordless drill which is suitable for professional use and also suitable to be used around the home.
The batteries charge really quickly in around 30 minutes, and the charger has a small fan built into it, which will also extend the life of the charger itself. A battery will last most of the day, and with 2 batteries in this kit, they will last you all day long.
If however this is not the one for you, then it is worth checking out our list of cordless drills, by clicking here.
Overall though this is small, lightweight drill with great power. It fits well in the hand and buyers have no major complaints with it.