5 Makita Tools Smart Homeowners Should Have On Hand

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Being a homeowner is a lot of work. Sometimes it feels like the list of projects is never-ending. As soon as you fix one thing, something breaks somewhere else. Some issues, such as leaky pipes and malfunctioning electrical outlets, need to be addressed immediately before they can cause further damage to your home. That’s why it’s so important for responsible homeowners to have a collection of tools to help them tackle these projects as soon as they arise.

Makita’s products tend to run on the pricey side, but it is widely acknowledged as one of the best cordless power tool brands on the market. This makes it an excellent choice for someone trying to decide on a single battery system to invest in for all their home maintenance and renovation needs. The company has been around for ages, and its products are renowned for their performance and build quality, as well as the technologies that are exclusive to Makita tools. But where should you start?

A good hammer and a decent set of wrenches are a given, but there are also a handful of power tools that every smart homeowner should have on hand. Some of these are necessary for basic repairs, while others are vital for emergency situations where you need to contain damage before it can spread. Starting with these tools will give you a great foundation for taking care of your home while building your power tool collection.

The drill is probably the single most versatile tool that there is. There are the obvious applications for drilling holes and driving fasteners, but there are also a number of useful extensions that have nothing to do with drilling that can help with household maintenance, such as paint mixers, burr grinders, and extendable brushes for cleaning out your dryer vents to minimize the risk of a house fire.

The Makita XFD131 18V LXT ½-inch Brushless Drill/Driver Kit is a great choice for this. The drill’s motor is brushless, which means that it gets more power while prolonging battery life and the life of the tool itself. This brushless motor generates up to 440 in-lbs of torque and has a two-speed transmission that can hit speeds from 0-500 RPM in the first setting and 0-1,900 RPM in the second. This is more than sufficient for basic household tasks and can handle some heavier construction jobs as well. It’s dust- and water-resistant, has a rubberized overmold on the grip for vibration mitigation, and has two built-in LEDs for visibility. The kit also includes a canvas work bag, an 18V 3.0Ah battery, and a charger, which is also useful for powering any other Makita tools you might buy.

The kit is currently priced at $179.00 on the Home Depot site, where it enjoys a 4.8 out of 5 star rating and is recommended by 89% of buyers. Those willing to spend an extra $20 might alternatively consider the CT225SYX kit, which also comes with a brushed version of the drill and the XDT11Z 18V LXT Impact Driver, though you get two 1.5Ah batteries in this kit instead of the single 3.0Ah one.

A good cordless light is something that every homeowner should have on hand. These are essential tools for when the power goes out during a winter storm, but they’ll also come in handy for any situation where you find yourself working in a dark corner, like down in a basement or under your sink.

One of the better all-around options that Makita makes is the DML805 18V LXT Cordless/Corded LED Flood Light. It has a simple but effective design with the box LED light on a swivel stand with a knob on the side to lock it in position once you’ve got it set to the desired angle. As the name implies, this light can either be powered by a cord or by an 18V Makita battery, giving you more options for different situations. The light itself has two brightness settings: A Low mode that delivers 450 lumens or a High mode that unlocks 750 lumens of brightness. Makita promises up to 10 hours of light on High mode or 20 hours on Low mode with a single 6.0Ah battery.

You can find this light at Home Depot for $145.26, where it has a 4.5-star rating and is recommended by 85% of buyers. You can also find it on Amazon, where it gets 4.6 out of 5 stars. Customers generally like the brightness and build quality, though there are a few scattered complaints that the cord can be a little difficult to manage. This light is a solid choice for most people, but it’s far from your only option. Makita makes several cordless lighting solutions that any homeowner would love.

There are a surprising number of situations that will call for a wet/dry shop vacuum. To start, you’re going to need something that will help clean up after all your other tools. Wood and drywall dust are no joke, and you don’t want to mess up your regular home vacuum’s filter trying to clean construction zones. On top of that, having a tool that can clean up spills and pooling water can help prevent mold and rot from taking root.

The Makita XCV11Z 18V LXT Brushless 2-Gallon HEPA Portable Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum is a good option for a few reasons. It’s one of Makita’s more affordable options; it has a HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of particulates 0.3 microns and larger; it has a brushless motor that delivers up to 57 CFM and 27 inches of water lift of suction; and it’s completely cordless. This means it’s highly portable and still works even when the power goes out. Makita promises up to an hour of continuous runtime on a single 18V LXT 5.0Ah battery. It also functions as a blower, has two different speed modes, and has a top handle and onboard accessory storage.

The vac currently goes for $225 at Home Depot, where it has a 4.4 score from 165 reviews with a 90% recommendation rate. It has the same price and score on Amazon, where it’s been reviewed over 2,800 times. It’s generally well received for its performance, though a few were less than pleased that its hose size was different from that of other vacuums.

A good oscillating multitool will come in handy more often than you might think. They’re great for making cuts in tight spaces; they can be used to remove grout; they’re really handy for making flush cuts during flooring and trim installations; they can start plunge cuts in the middle of a surface; they’re good for cutting drywall; and they also make for handy little sanders that can get into nooks and crannies that other tools can’t.

Makita’s XMT03Z 18V LXT Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool is a brushed tool, but it’s still able to generate between 6,000 and 20,000 oscillations per minute, which you can control via its variable speed dial. It has a power switch with a lock-on button to reduce trigger fatigue, a toolless clamp system for swapping out accessories, and a 2 ⅜-inch barrel grip for easy handling. The kit comes with a plunge-cut blade and adapters to help it fit most other accessories. It also has that little star symbol, which means it has Star Protection Computer Controls – a system designed to help protect against overloading, over-discharging, and overheating.

This little tool goes for $169.00 at Home Depot, where it boasts a 4.7 out of 5 score from over 4,400 reviews and is recommended by 88% of buyers. Meanwhile, you can get it for $140.35 on Amazon, where it enjoys a 4.8 score aggregated from over 5,400 reviews. People generally appear impressed by the lightweight, power, and overall utility of the tool, though a few have noted that it can go through batteries quickly.

You never know when you might just need to cut something. It could be a hole in your drywall to reach a leak, an alcove tub that you’re ripping out of a bathroom, a tree branch that’s dangerously close to a window, a deck railing that you’re replacing, or any one of a hundred other things. If you want to be prepared when those needs arise, then one option you might consider is the Makita XRJ05Z 18V Cordless Brushless Reciprocating Saw.

The tool has a 1 ¼-inch stroke length, and the brushless motor offers two speeds: Low, which runs 0-2,300 SPM, and High, which runs 0-3,000 SPM. Those are some pretty impressive raw performance numbers, but the saw has several other handy features in the wings as well. It has a toolless blade change system, a variable speed trigger, a crank mechanism that’s made to minimize blade deflection, a rubberized overmold grip for vibration reduction, a reinforced fixed shoe, an electric brake, and a built-in LED worklight.

This one has a 4.8 out of stars 5 based on 233 reviews at Home Depot, where it costs $229.00 and has a 96% recommendation rate. It also has a 4.8 on Amazon, where it has over 1,100 reviews, and you can get it for a little cheaper at $199.99. Customers generally appreciate the tool’s power and performance, saying that it easily cuts through dense branches and stumps, though this is another tool where many recommend investing in a higher-capacity battery, as it requires a lot of power.