I received this product via free shipping, and like the other reviewers, mine was poorly packaged. No box in a box, just the mfr box. Corners were dented, box was torn up, looked like it had been dropped on one end a few times. Inside, I found all the tools, but some of the items had shifted and were scuffed up a bit. Some items were floating around, like the screwdriver bit, and the sawsall bit.
However, all the tools functioned properly, and I got this set for a good price. These are top quality tools. Even the radio sounds decent, with a aux input for a MP3 player. Would have been nicer if the radio played CD's, but it doesn't.
For the price, this is a great deal, so just refuse the package if it arrives beat up so you can avoid the return shipping charges and get another one.
A little unrelated, but when I first found this item it was priced at $494, but when I checked out about two hours later, the unadvertised "sale" on this item ended, and the price went up to $549. Called Amazon directly, and they wouldn't budge. A little cheesy in my opinion, but still a good deal at the new price.
Would be a five star with sturdier packaging. Makita LXT702 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 7-Piece Combo Kit
Absolutely love the tools!! The shipping problems also appear to be fixed, mine was shipped placed inside of a stronger exterior box with everything intact. I would also agree with previous reviews that I'm not too keen on the duffel bag, it has pockets for two drills, the recip saw, and the charger, most everything else just lays loose in the bag. I did find that if I packed the radio in the bag as well things fit snugly and didn't get banged around too much. A solid case would have been nice but on the other hand most likely would have been extremely large. Quick review of tools -
Drill - better than awesome
Driver - Even better than the drill, already survived a drop off the ladder unscathed
Recip saw - Very strong, yet soft to operate
Angle Grinder - Like it but rpm seems slow, doesn't back down though and it has a cool overload indicator
light
Circular saw - Great for a battery powered saw
Flashlight - Bright, but would have liked to see LED and also a flexible goose neck design
Charger - maybe time to update to a more modern looking design but works well
Radio - Compact design is very nice, much smaller than other job site radios and it isn't an odd shape so it packs well. Looks very sturdy. Would be cooler if it could charge a battery.
I wanted to get a good set of cordless tools for about under a year. I figured there are so many little side project around my house, one of my biggest deterents is set up, making sure the extension cord is long enought or sometimes requireing two, finding the right plug; then there is the packing up. In all the time it would take me to set up my work station, I'd talk myself out of doing my side projects.
I had settled on the Makita combo set or the Milwakee 28V. I hear great things about Milwakee, plus my dad corded Milwakee sawzall has been going strong for over 15 years.
But, this was the kicker for me in my decision making. I got more tools from this 18V set than I would the Milwakee 28V set. If I needed more power, then I could just get the corded tools which I happen to have. i.e. this hammer drill could not drive a screw through some old wood, I could neither back out the screw or drive it in. So, I brought in my Corded Porter Cable screw gun, and it drove the screw no problem at all. I know I could have drilled a bigger pilot hole, but needless to say, by that time, the screw was stuck.
The set from what I found cannot replace your corded tools power... But, that is if you have a good set of corded tools already. If you need max power in a battery pack, you should do more research on the 28V tools.
Quick run down of tools:
1) flashlight... Tremendously bright. Will light up a room even if you have it on the ground.
2) Sawzall... Tooless blade change is great. Has quite a bit of power. You could have endless uses for this sawzall even if it isn't construction handy work. I could see situations where I can trim 5" tree limbs with the right blade, no cables to cause dangers.
3) Circualr saw, cuts 2X4's well. I was able to cut several plywoods as well. Of course I'm not contractor so I'm not going to drain the battery with my small use of it.
4) Impact drill will screw a screw in with authority - the screw will be pipping hot when you take it out. I tried using this to remove the above mention screw, but the hammering action was eating the head of the screw.
5) Grinder, I haven't worked with it, but seems to give a good kick when you push the trigger.
6) Hammer drill... I had problems with utilizing as a screw gun. But the drill works quite well. The Hammer drill option works good as well.
7) Portable radio... works well. But, I find you have to move it around in order to get optimal reception. When I put it in certain places, the static will be bad, but if I move it around, I can put it where the reception is crystal clear. The MP3 plug is a good option, but the "SOUND IS LOW" in comparison to the normal radio option. You won't have to squint your ear to hear, but you will notice the difference.
Side note, you get all or nothing power, which is good. When the battery runs out, the tool just will not work. But you will get power up until the power drains enough not to operate the tools.
In short, I love Makita, I really like their products, but I would have chosen the 5 piece combo without the radio. Also, if you are undecided on Makita, depending on your needs, you might want to choose DeWalt or Milwaukee.
Pros-
-Great battery life. I used the skill saw and drill and screw gun to cut and install 8 different shelves in my garage and did it all with one battery.
-Grinder is great. The whole reason I got the kit was because I needed a battery operated grinder, and the price of it as a singular item is almost half of the price of the kit. So I got the kit. It will last for 15 min straight with decent power on one battery.
-Circular saw is impressive for being full sized. All of the adjustments are super easy to use and as long as you don't try to rip too fast, it works flawlessly.
-Battery charger has a fan in it to cool battery while charging and before if it is too hot to charge.
Cons-
-The batteries. A couple things. 1. They have a computer chip inside which is ok, but I driped some water on my grinder and the grinder survived, but the battery is dead now. So I have a twice charged paper weight. Older battery systems could get wet, dry out and be fine. Not now, so if you work with or around water, think twice.
-Even though they charge quickly, it would still be nice to have a dual charger to charge two at once. If I'm out in the field, I don't want to have to come home and worry about switching them to charge them both. I don't care about price, but there should be that option. Also, a replacement charger is over 100 bucks. Which is a little pricy for a charger.
-Power. Although I have not desired more power. I have been happy with the tools, my father has a DeWalt set and there is surprisingly more torque when you punch the trigger of the drill and screw gun. That might not be a concern, as it is not with me. But if you really need the hammer features, you will get more "hit" with another brand. Other brands offer dual chargers.
THE RADIO..... the radio is the biggest waist of 100 dollars that I have ever seen. In theory it is good, but the speakers are so small, and its top volume distorts and isn't very loud to begin with. I really wish I had saved the 100 bucks and gone with the 5 tool set instead of the one with the radio. There are cool features, like an internal aux jack in the battery compartment so your mp3 player can be shielded and clean. It has a great antenna, but it is supposed to be a job site radio, and it is definitely not that.
Conclusion.
I am not unhappy that I got this. I `m buying two more batteries and another charger. Even on Amazon, it is cheaper to buy the two drill set (which comes with those) than to buy just the batteries and charger. So I guess I'll have a spare drill and screw gun. - Makita - Combo Packs - 18 Volt - Combo'
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