With the battery, the Driver-Drill weighs only 2.8 pounds, which means less fatigue for the person who is using the tool.
Small and easy to use: 6-3/8″ wide “for a long tim.
A 2-speed mechanical transmission (0-500 and 0-1,700 RPM) for a wide range of drilling and driving tasks.
BL Brushless Motor has 350 in.lbs. of Max Torque, which is more than enough for most jobs.
When it comes with a battery, the impact driver only weighs 2.6 pounds, which means less fatigue for the person using it.
People who buy the Makita 18-volt LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless sub-compact cordless 2-piece Combo kit (CX200RB) can do more with less. It comes with two ultra-compact cordless tools that can be used for drilling, driving, and fastening in a more compact size and with less weight. The 18-Volt sub-compact driver-drill and impact driver are a new type of compact tool. They have the same size and weight as lower voltage tools, but they have the power, performance, and compatibility of 18 Volt tools. If you have a Makita 18-Volt LXT tool, you can use the battery from that tool to power the 18-Volt driver-drill and impact driver that come with the CX200RB. There is a 2-speed Brushless driver-drill and a 2-speed Brushless impact driver in the kit. The driver-drill weighs only 2.8 pounds and the impact driver weighs only 2.6 pounds. The impact driver has a “assist mode” (a-mode) that helps prevent “screw cam-out” and “cross threading” by driving at a low speed until the screws start to tighten. You can use it with 18V Lithium-Ion batteries, which make Makita’s 18V Lithium-Ion Series the world’s largest line of cordless tools that run on 18V Lithium-Ion slide-style batteries. 18V lithium-ion batteries from Makita have the fastest charge times in their categories because they work more and don’t have to wait as long to be charged. It has Star Protection Computer Controls (TM) that make sure it doesn’t get too full, get too low, or get too hot.
There is a good chance that Makita moved these tools from the 12V Max CXT platform to the 18V sub-compact tool class in the process. It looks like Makita engineers were able to figure out a “what if” scenario about whether or not it would be practical to add an 18V LXT battery to their 12V Max CXT brushless tools. The 18V LXT Sub-Compact was born.
So, because these tools have a lot in common with the 12V Max CXT models than with their larger LXT counterparts, this review focuses on a comparison between the CXT and the larger sub-compact LXT tools. From a physical point of view, these 12V and 18V tools, with the exception of a few minor features and cosmetic differences, are almost the same as each other. Putting this to rest are the misleading or dishonest tool reviews that say this new sub-compact class is smaller than Makita 12V tools. This is clearly not the case when you compare the 18V brushless with 12V brushless tools (instead of 12V brushed).
At best, the differences in features and appearance are very small. In terms of the 18V models, the rubber bumper materials on the sides and the back of the motor housings are a little different. The all-black design of the LXT sub-compact platform, on the other hand, makes these look like completely different tools when compared to the traditional Makita teal and black color scheme. The tool nose protection on the impact drivers is a little different for some reason. The DT04Z has a clear plastic guard with a luminescent (glow) ring at the front of the nose, like the Makita XDT09Z or XDT12Z. The XDT15ZB has only a rubber bumper at the tip of the nose (similar to the Makita XDT14Z). There isn’t much to say about the features of the tools. The 12V tools have a single LED work light, and the 18V sub-compacts have dual LED lights, which is probably because the batteries have more power. Assist mode (A-Mode) is a feature that only Makita has. It helps to avoid screw cam-out and cross threading by driving at a low speed until the impact starts. Because the XFD11ZB is a driver-drill, it comes with a 1/2″ keyless chuck instead of the 3/8″ one that comes with the FD07Z.
To see a quick comparison of the CXT and LXT models’ features, performance specs, and other characteristics, look at the tables in the attached photos. For comparisons of the CXT and LXT models’ features, performance specs, and other characteristics, look at the tables in the attached photos (impact driver).
The 18V XDT15ZB impact has 40 in-lb more torque than the 12V XDT15ZB impact, which is about the same. There are two things that the XFD11ZB driver-drill gets from having more voltage: 200 rpm and 70 in-lb more torque, which isn’t bad for a drill. One of my biggest gripes about the FD07Z has always been that it can only reach a maximum speed of 1500 rpm.
Before you make a decision, think about the size and weight of the battery and the weight of the tool. In this case, the 12V CXT models are no exception. These tools weigh half a pound less than the LXT sub-compacts with a 2.0 AH battery and are almost 3/4 of a pound lighter with the 4.0 AH option. The CXT tools weigh about 2 pounds, and the LXT sub-compacts weigh about 3 pounds. Size-wise, the 18V LXT batteries are also a little smaller than the CXT batteries, which are about the same size. There are motor housings for both of the lxt and cxt tools that have a nominal 2 in “girth isn’t the only thing that affects the width of the battery. An LXT battery is almost 3″ long, while the CXT battery is about 2-1/2″ long. This means that the CXT models can fit into smaller places than the LXT models can.
They aren’t meant to drill through 1″ steel plate, mix mortar, or drive 3/8″ x 5” lag screws all day. However, these sub-compacts, as well as their 12V cousins, have enough power when compared to popular driver-drills and impact drivers. They can do about 80% to 90% of common construction and maintenance tasks.
If you’re a first-time buyer, or if you already own an 18V LXT platform, you won’t be disappointed with this one. There are two Makita BL1820B battery packs that go for about $120. You’ll get a brushless driver-drill, a brushless impact driver, a charger, and a tool bag for less than $100. At the end of the day, this tool set is a great buy, especially because there isn’t a better deal out there. For example, if you don’t care about the weight of your tools or if you already have Makita CXT models and are happy with their performance, you should stick with the Makita CXT line.
For the sake of being complete, here are a few more thoughts. Some people who comment on tool review websites, even the people who write them, say that this new Makita sub-compact tool class is bad news for the 12V platform. After a lot of hand-wringing, of course (regardless of manufacturer). This is completely and utter nonsense, almost to the point of political rhetoric. It’s like saying that 18V and 20V tools don’t need 28V and 36V tools or tools that work at even higher voltages. This all comes down to using the right tool for the job at hand, and that’s it. Using a big hammer drill to install switch plate screws is too much, and it’s also awkward and inconvenient. Instead, you could use a small 12V driver-drill or a 4V screwdriver, which are both more practical. 18V and higher energy sources might be better for bigger tools that use a lot of power, like angle grinders, circular saws, SDS hammer drills, and so on. This isn’t always true for smaller tools that use less power. It’s clear from this that one size doesn’t fit all. From my point of view, Makita didn’t “re-invent the wheel” or create a new type of tool here. Instead, they saw an opportunity to move some of their newer 12V brushless tools over to their 18V LXT platform.
