Makita LCT300W combiIf you are looking for more than just a drill then the Makita LCT300W could be the one for you. Sometimes the information provided on a product is just not as straightforward as we would like it, so here is a run down of some of the features of this drill to help you decide if you want to go ahead & buy.

The Makita 3 piece combo set consists of a 1/2-inch drill driver,(this is the chuck size, the part that holds the drill bit in place) an impact driver and a flashlight to help you see what you are doing, even in tight dark corners..

Cordless drills are usually rated by the voltage, as a rule the higher the volt, the more powerful the tool will be. Most of the models sold for the Diy market will have a battery pack in a range between 9.6 to 16 volts. Those sold for the professionals can be anything up to 32V. With any cordless power tool it’s a definite advantage to have at least one replacement battery.

Many of the variable drills on offer will provide high torque & slow-start, this eliminates the risk of the bit slipping once the hole has been started, if this happened it would very likely damage your work. In order to keep the motor cool it is best to mix long periods of slow speed with intervals of high speeds. If your projects need continuous high speed drilling, a corded drill may be the best option for you.

A slow-speed also allows the use of a screwdriver bit in the chuck to drive screws.

Drill/Driver

This Makita has a 4 pole maximum torque motor and generates energy at 4 locations. Put simply a 4-poleMakita LCT 300W motor has twice the speed of a 2 pole & is the most common type of motor produced.

The fact that it has the ability to deliver 480 in.lbs. of Max Torque, means you will be able to drill through hard wood with minimum effort.

With variable two speed settings the 1/2” driver-drill will allow you to carry out heavy duty projects on no end of things including wood, metal & plastic. Weighing in at just 3.3lbs you shouldn’t find that you tire before the job is done.

The drill/driver in this combo set has a ½ inch chuck. The chuck is the part that holds the drill bit in place on your cordless drill. It is usual to find that a drill with a larger chuck size will have a more powerful motor fitted.

The most common chuck sizes are 3/8 and 1/2 inch (10 and 13 mm).

  • 3/8 inch – light duty, this size is suitable for most day to day tasks, fixings, small repairs etc.
  • 1/2 inch – heavier duty projects can be undertaken

Impact Driver

A cordless impact driver weighing less than 3lbs. This tool, sometimes called a battery impact driver is powerful & handy. It will release screws in a strong downward action aided by screwdriver bits & the rotary action of a motor. The direction can also be reversed to remove them, should they be misplaced or previously over tightened.

With max torque of 1,280 in.lbs the Makita LCT300W can install a fastener in cramped spaces that a corded drill, hammer or nail just can’t reach. A screw can be buried deep enough into the wood, to almost hide it from view.

Torque Explained

This is something that is not always easy for a novice to understand, I don’t mind admitting it took me a while for this to sink in. I was pleased to find during my research, that there were many others in the same boat.

To an amateur, the best way to think of it is this, a torque setting acts as a gauge of power, the higher the setting the more power you will get. But just a minute, put like that it doesn’t sound complicated at all. Well its not quite that straightforward, you will still have to have some idea of what you are doing. For instance you will need to be able to tell when your drill has reached the maximum torque for the setting you have selected, otherwise you may be in danger of over stripping a screw. For example if you are laying a deck, & you want to drive the screws flush with the surface of the wood, you are likely to need you to put your drill on the highest setting, as soon as you perfect the action & reach the setting where the drill stops flush with the wood you will be on a roll & the job will become faster & faster.

Once you have an understanding of the torque settings on your Makita all that’s left to do is practice, you’ve heard the saying practice makes perfect, well I’ve found that it’s usually true, the more accurate you are the more likely you are to achieve a professional finish.

Light

The flashlight has a Xenon bulb that runs up to two hours per charge. This high power bulb emits 4,500 makita flashlightlux. Lumens per square metre (lux) is the measure of total amount of light that is visible to the eye. Xenon bulbs are the commonly used lamps today & are made from a rare type of gas.The lamp will pivot in 4 different positions & will come in useful when you are working in dark areas, no more messing around setting up lighting with cords that you may trip over, I can just picture the scene, it would never be passed by a health & safety rep.

Battery

Makita claim that the Lithium-Ion batteries provide longer run time with 5x lower self discharge so that they can be used any time & provide constant high power.The way the batteries are manufactured has been proved to lengthen the shelf life. Another bonus is that Lithium-Ion can’t be overcharged, when they reach full charge they go into a maintenance mode which is monitored until you remove them from the charger.

makita batLithium-Ion batteries are lightweight & often provide more power than other types of battery. They have the added benefit of not having the problems associated with the “memory effect”. In other types of battery if you consistently only use them for 50% of the charge time, they forget that they have power left & do not perform to their original capacity.

The charger enables full charge to be reached in just 15 minutes, by communicating with built in chips & a fan whilst on charge & the life of the battery will be as effective as possible.

This charger has been awarded the ENERGY STAR® label for following strict energy efficient guidelines & reaching product specific standards.

The LCT300W 18V combi-set can be used for a variety of projects, from diy in the home to professional tradesman working on plumbing, electrical & woodworking jobs. Makita have almost 100 years experience in advance motor design. They carry out rigorous testing of their products, 19 quality checks on their motors, use the highest quality & premium grade materials. They have been named Vendor of the Year for 2011 by Do it Best for outstanding service, sales & products.
Makita claim this combi-set offers the best power to weight ratio due to its compact & lightweight design.

Warranty
This Makita cordless drill comes with a 3 year warranty on the tools. This covers repairs due to material or workmanship defects. A warranty of 1 year applies to the batteries, charger & flashlight.

What’s in the Box

  • 1/2-Inch Driver-Drill
  • Impact Driver
  • Flashlight
  • 2 x 18V compact Lithium-Ion batteries
  • Rapid Optimum Charger
  • Carry bag

What are they saying

Pros

The weight of the tools is phenomenal, very light and excellent balance

Nice compact case has room for drill bits and accessories.

Batteries do charge in 15 minutes.

These tools have serious power.

The combo of the drill and impact driver is unbeatable at this price.

You would spend twice this to get the equivalent from another manufacturer.

All three of the tools are a pleasure to use.

The led light on the drill and impact driver does come in handy when you are working in dark corners.
The light unit is significantly brighter than my 6-cell Maglight with fresh batteries, and will run seemingly forever on a charge.
I have used both the compact and the LXT version of the Makita Lithium cordless tool sets. Mostly the impact driver and drill/driver. I am a electrical contractor and am pretty hard on my tools.

Cons

The drill, however, doesn’t really have the ooomph I was hoping for (drilling into steel)

Run time might not be enough for heavy duty users (but quick charge makes up for it)
As I’ve read in other reviews it is lightweight to the point of feeling cheap, but in the end it performs very well. Also includes an extra bulb.

All in all, this combi set seems to provide a lot of benefits for your money, there were far more pros than cons, & it could be argued that the negative comments were more down to the wrong tool being used for the job than a problem with the Makita LCT300W itself. For instance is it fair to expect an 18V cordless drill to get through steel for any length of time? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

So where can you buy a Makita LCT300W 18V 3 Piece Combi-Set – head over to Amazon they offer delivery options which include free delivery on orders over $25, if you’re in a hurry you can opt for one or two day express shipping.

Click Here – To read more Makita LCT300W customer reviews

Amazon have some of the best priced Makita Combi Sets available