Makita - BHP454 18v Hammer Drill

Editor's Review: Tool Test: 18v Li-Ion Hammer Drills

This drill was reviewed by three different Fine Homebuilding contributors, here is what they had to say:

Camp: The Makita is my second-favorite tool in this review, but I admit to being a bit scared by its power when used in the low-speed/high-torque setting. An auger bit bound up during my testing, and the powerful tool spun my entire sawhorse around twice. The auxiliary handle is a must. I found the tool comfortable to use because the grip tapers nicely toward the bottom of the handle. The belt clip was functional and secure, and I found the pair of LED lights to be the best of the bunch. The lights are bright, and they stay on for a few seconds after the trigger is released.

Beasley: Finishing at or near the bottom of every competitive test, this drill lacks the punch of the top tools. Still, it’s a pleasure to use. The handle is easy to grip, and the auxiliary handle is the best of the bunch. Besides its below-average performance, the Makita’s greatest weakness is the mode selector, which too often got stuck in “drive” mode. This problem is acknowledged in the manual, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. The charger is the best I tested: Fast, fan-cooled, and easy to interpret, it even reports when a battery is above or below 80% charge.

Fink: This tool performed below average in terms of drilling speed, but it is smooth and powerful, and is the most comfortable for extended use. It is one of only two drills to include a belt hook and the only model with a depth gauge, a great feature when drilling into concrete. The chuck on my model was slightly off center, a problem that was hard to ignore when using a long drill bit. The position of the mode-selector switch reduces the chances of accidentally changing modes, but I had trouble setting the stiff switch to the middle position; I often overshot to the extreme left or right instead.

Editor Test Results: