Drills Reviews

I bought the drill primarily to hang a lot of pictures with anchors in a new home -- new to me, old plaster walls, and I was disappointed in the drill's performance. It does better as a power screwdriver, but I wound up buying a more powerful drill later. Unfortunately, the purchase was not worth the cost since it wasn't up to the job I bought it for.

Really handy for driving screws.

Fits in your pocket while climbing a ladder.

Fits in a small tool-box.

Good for low-clearance uses (6 or 6-3/4 inches from driver tip to heel).

Plenty of torque for medium duty. Sinks drywall screws without pre-drilling.

At 130 rpm, it's painfully slow for drilling.

Nice feel, ergonomic handle and triggers.

A great value, especially if you find it with single digit pricetag at discount store beginning with "W".

The owners manual says to use only alkaline batteries (4-AA), but you'd be a moron to do that. 2100 mah NiMH rechargables work great, last a long, long time, and only cost as much as 2 or 3 sets of throw-aways.

One disappointment is the spindle lock, which you can use when hand turning a really stubborn screw. It does not disable the motor, so it does not serve as a safety OFF when stowing. It would be nice if the spindle auto-locked whenever the trigger is not pressed and if some safety OFF mechanism was included.

I had been looking at drills for a while in order to do those small jobs around the house, such as hanging pictures and shelves. I didn't feel it was necessary to get a large drill with many attachments for these types of jobs. When I came across this drill/driver I was absolutely thrilled! This tool is very easy to use and small enough that it doesn't take up too much storage space when not in use. Additionally, the cost of the tool is very affordable. I highly recommend this product!

I've never had problems with these Kodak Single Use cameras in the past, but this one is awful. My pictures had terrible detail and were slightly blurry. Get the 400 speed single use cameras which are better for all situations. The other bad thing is that the flash,once charged will flash in any condition..even in the sun.

It's happened to everyone--you get to an event and realize that you've left that nice new digital camera on your kitchen table. Tough luck. But there's a place selling Kodak disposable cameras right around the corner. You wonder to yourself if it's worth it to pick one up.

For only $8 or so, this is a good pickup. While this isn't a 5.1 megapixel digital camera, it will still take good photos. Having a flash is an added bonus. It's also compact enough to fit in most pairs of pants. There's nothing special about these cameras--no zoom or panoramic prints--but they are easy to use.

While it's still cheaper to use your own camera, the convenience is worth it in many cases.

I've taken Photos with these Kodak MAX Cameras a few times in 2001-2002. They Deliver Above Average Results at a Fraction of the Price of buying a $$-$$$ Camera. Depending on where you buy them. Early this Year in Australia, Kodak brought out the KODAK MAX HQ Disposable Camera which I think is supposed to be an Upgrade from the Kodak MAX Cameras. However I wasn't Happy with the Results so I switched back to the Yellow Camera which I feel delivers better Results.

I would love for Kodak Australia to release the UK "Kodak Ultra Compact Flash" cameras here, they look like Jazzy little Cameras that actually could be mistaken for a "real" Camera.

P.S. The Kodak Advantix One Time Use Cameras are also Fantastic, so if you get the chance pick up one of these as well. Great for Birthdays and Trips!

The flashlight is okay (no diffuser for the beam), but the drill is crap. I bought it to get a new charger and two new batteries. If you have a good drill/driver and need some batteries and a charger, this is a good buy. I have a twenty year old Makita drill (jacob's chuck) that is better than the one in this "anniversary edition."

We've owned several of this type of Makita 9.6v cordless for as long as 20 years and aside from a few minor glitches from time to time they're all still running fine. The NiMi batteries are an improvement over the old NiCad. Since we own several of them we've stayed with the 9.6v so we never run out of batteries as well as the fact that their performance is more than adequate for most of our needs. Considering that you can buy this whole package for nearly the price of a pair of batteries, it makes it a no brainer. I needed more batteries so I just bought another package. If you're a first time buyer of Makitas, you might want to go for the other models that allow the convenience of standing the drills upright, are slightly more compact and have a more power if you need it.

I'm a general contractor and have owned Makita tools for a very long time. I still have the first cordless drill I ever purchased and its still working. This kit is great, up to date cordless drill with better batteries than before, holds the charge longer. The flashlight always comes in handy. I use these tools every day at work and home and wouldn't leave home without them.

Larry Hobson

I bought this drill from amazon 2 years ago. Everything works great but, after 2 years of use chuck had worn out. You could tighten chuck and it would loosen itself up after a few minutes use. So, I decided to replace chuck with the same chuck from makita. Center set screw inside chuck was so tight (allen wrench head screw) I ended up having to cut part of chuck off and slot set screw so I could remove set screw with flat screwdriver. Then come to find out chuck was also threaded on end of shaft. Called makita was told to lock chuck in vise and use drills power to loosen chuck. Guess what stripped gears out of gear box in drill. Ended up having to replace set screw, gear box and chuck. Apparently makita overtightened chuck at factory. The allen set screw only is deep enough to get abought a 1/32 of the wrench to grab into the set screw. oh by the way I called makita service center before I cut chuck and the service guy at makita said there wasn't anything he could tell me why chuck wouldn't come off. You pay a big price and still get poor quality. How can you win with these odds?

I have owned this drill for about four years. It has a great fit in your hand and handles most anything. My only gripe is that it is just a little underpowered when it comes to 2 1/2 & 3 inch drywall screws. My DeWalt corded drill pounds these in.

The Makita 6233DWAE is one great drill the 14.4 volt has all the power you'll need. I knew it had more then enouff power for drill and driving in wood from Ash to pine but the real test came when I was ask to do some work at the store I work for. My boss ask if I could instill some eye bolts on the check stand so that chains could be added to block off the land when it was not in use. The sides of these check stands are made of stainless steel about 3/32" thick. The drill had more then enouff power. I was able to drill sixteen 1/4" holes with only one battery. But it took two drill bits. Anyone who has drilled through stainless knows just how hard stainless is. The Makita 6233DWAE is a top quality tool and is the best cordless drill I've owened. And with the two batterys that will recharge in one hour you'll never run out of the power you need. So if you are just drillign and driving in pine or you have yo drill throught stainless steel the Makita 6233DWAE is for you. It keeps (you know the rest)

I borrowed a similar drill from Makita a while back and I enjoyed using it. I bought this one at Home Depot based on its size, power, and hammer drill option.
The keyless chuck 'clicked' and felt like it would break if I tightened it further. I began drilling and after drilling 1" into a pine 2x4, the bit slipped. I tried to re-tighten the bit, but the same thing happened.
I promptly returned the drill after drilling the one hole. I was too afraid to attempt a second for fear that breaking the drill would prevent me from returning it. Makita must have out-sourced their manufacturing. It really isn't what it used to be.

I bought this drill a year ago. For 1/2" holes it works well. The hammer drill part works good also. I have had no problems with the chuck. There is not enough power for using hole saws. The lack of power is suprising because the amperage is high for a drill this size.

I finally burned this drill out. I don't know how Makita does it, but their drills always outperform the drills one step above them. This is a lightweight hammer drill and does great as such. The case it comes in has a problem with the latches breaking off, but for the money you can't do much better.

Overall this is a great tool. The power is great. Some reviews talk about on/off switch, I found it to be acceptable. Although it could easily be improved for safety. The tool case was design very well, all accessories snap in. (but kit does not come with all accessories) Power cord is nice and long. It is loud! Use hearing protection.

There are three complaints.

It is made off shore. I know most people do not care where tools are made anymore, but I live, work and pay taxes in the USA. I care. I still feel the quality of American made tools is second to none. Including tools made here by foreign companies.

Second, I dislike how companies say "KIT" and only supply you with basic tools with the tool. I feel most consumers who buy high end tools expect a tool case with the tool. This does not constitute a kit. On a jig saw I feel the basic tool should come with case, a few blades, anti-splintering device. A kit would include all above plus Combination Rip and Circle Guide fence, dust pickup attachment, Plastic Shoe Cover, and hearing protection.

It is a barrel grip saw and the plastic barrel housing gets slippery when you use it for awhile. I think the engineers should of used a rubberized grip. This is all the rage now with tool manufacturers. This helps in many ways. It reduces operator fatique, improves comfort and anti-slip for safety. I would bet the engineers who designed this never used a jig saw before.

I still like the tool. It is a keeper.

Well, I've used this saw on my job for two years now. It has power and cuts pretty smoothly or aggresively with a flick of the orbital action switch. I like the way it fit in my hand and the way the base adjust. But I did have the blade changing lever break on me. It seems a little flimsy to me and if you kept it together with other power tools in a bucket, it might break like mine did. I also have a bosch which cuts even smoother with less vibration and it hasn't broke on me in 8 years. I gave that jigsaw 5 stars

I recently purchased this jigsaw and have used it a few times. Here are a few things I've noticed in this short time:
On the plus side, I like how it fits in my hand, barrel grip saws just feel better to me than top grips. It's got plenty of power, and with the variable speed, you can dial in whatever you need. It cuts beautifully and leaves smooth edges, but that could also be that I only use Bosch blades.
While it is a bit heavy, I find this to be advantageous to staying online and reduce vibration. The plastic foot cover allows to to glide nicely as well.

On the minus side, there are a couple of safety concerns I'd like to mention. First and foremost, the switch to turn it on, while somewhat protected by the upper knob, pushes in for ON and pulls out for OFF. This occurs to me as easy to accidentally bump on and a little trickier to turn off quickly if needed. I'm a bit surprised that is configured this way as every other tool I've seen is designed to turn off if bumped, not on.
Second is in regards to the quick change blade system. While certainly a super idea and WAAAY faster than any other jigsaw I've used, I've noticed that after only being used a few times, the blade retaining sleeve, which should rotate back 90 degrees to completely lock the blade in, only rotates back about 20 degrees barely doing the job. As I previously mentioned, I use Bosch blades which are a bit thicker than the Milwaukee ones, but even with those it only closes about 40 degrees now. I've blown it out with compressed air in case there was sawdust in there, but that had no effect.

Against my better judgement(needed to finish the project that day), I've used it in this condition and haven't had any problems though I plan on contacting Milwaukee about this.

The last thing on the minus side is that the bevel adjuster lever is really easy to bump loose and thus inadvertantly slanting the blade over. Alas, I know this from experience. Now that I'm aware that this can happen, I'll have to pay more attention to that setting.

All that being said, I really do like this saw. It's SOOOO much nicer than my DeWalt cordless jigsaw. Once the blade retention sleeve issue is worked out I'll feel fully confident and won't have any worries, but I'll always keep an eye on the ON switch and bevel adjust lever from now on!

I bought this driver for a project and it worked great. Then I put it in the garage and when I pulled it out a year later it would not recharge. New batteries and chargers cost the same as the driver, so I think it was pretty expensive for one small project.
I would not buy this brand again.

This is a great drill for light to medium jobs. The battery life is good, get about 2 to 3 hours of steady use. Good control and touch. Not too heavy and very comfortable to handle. Would not recomend this drill for heavy or commercial use, but its stated by the manufacturer. Wish it had a bit more torque and two speed settings, but i guess that might take away from the great touch that this drill has.

I have been looking for 3/8" drill/driver. This is even better with a cordless version. Stud finder is definitely a bonus.

I bought this drill for my husband and he has yet to have any complaints and has used it for several projects since he got it a couple weeks ago.

After searching for a cordless drill, I decided to rely on Consumer Reports review of the Skil 14.4v drill. Although I was unimpressed by the battery life upon first testing the drill, I found the life to improve after a few charges, which I later read in the manual is typical for the first 3-4 charges to be weak. Apparently this is part of the battery design to extend the battery's life. Overall this is a great product for the money with good standard accessories (e.g. bit storage and index and one hour charger).

This is a great buy for me because I am a new home owner and need to get projects done around the house. I knew the 18 volt battery would be too heavy. I considered the 12 volt battery but Consumer Reports rated all the 12 v brands/models as average. The 14 volt is just right because I don't sacrifice power to get a project done faster. It is a little heavy and my slender arm did get tired after 1/2 hour of drilling but by then I was completely done anyways! So, model 2587 has accurate drilling, cordless freedom and better priced than competitive brands that rated as GOOD from Consumer Reports. Sweet deal and investment. I'm sure that the battery life will improve a lot after a few recharges, just like the owner manual says. As a woman, I am more confident about doing a great job on "assembly required projects"!

Previously, I tried two different sears craftsman versions which kicked out the release button when I tightened the holding knob.

At the home improvement show this fall, I got to play with this unit at the Wilton booth. It had a metal looking piece which kept the release unit from self releasing and if you overtightened-the unit just clicked but held on solid. I was pleased to see this. I found another Wilton in a hardware store with non-metal looking pieces which was what the sears ones had in them but didn't bother to buy it.

I find this a fine product for light work. It does double duty as a convenient wide-jawed clamp or spreader.

But whoever designed the hard plastic packaging should spend eternity in hell unwrapping these things. NO thought was given to the buyer's convenience. Even with sharp industrial shears, it is VERY difficult to remove from the packaging. I would not buy another for that reason alone. In fact, the one I received already had half the package cut away as if someone had given it up and returned it rather than bloody his fingers.

I already owned one but had the need for another. I have not found anything in the market which offers the flexibility that this product does.

Yes, the downside is that you will go through these more quickly than some. I burn through about 3 to 4 per season for a moderately sized lawn.

The upside is that this somewhat slender string will not kill and maim when you (inevitably) get your (or Fido's) foot or ankle in harm's way. It will sting, of course, but not slash and draw blood as most other gages do. In addition, the spool is pretty cheap, easily replaced, and available everywhere (no small point when you suddenly run out late on a Sunday afternoon).

Arrived quickly and in good condition. Since it is a part replacement, I have not had occasion to use the product.

I couldn't find this replacement spool at some major Hardware Stores. Actually found it at Amazon and ordered four of them (that made the order have free shipping). Doubt if I will ever need any more but now I know where to go!