Tool Box Buzz

Makita LXDT06 18-Volt Brushless 3-Speed Impact Driver

Makita LXDT06 3-Speed Impact Driver

4/5

Manufacturer: Makita
Model number: LXDT06
Price: $359
Power source: 18V Li-Ion
Motor size: Brushless
Weight: 3.3 lbs

The Impact Driver is another one of the modern day carpenter’s workhorse. With the diverse amount of mechanical fastener solutions for job-site challenges every crew member needs a reliable and effective impact driver that will last.

The Brushless revolution has brought unprecedented power, longevity, and compact size to our drivers so as a professional contractor I have high standards for my primary impact driver. The Makita LXDT06 18-Volt Brushless 3-Speed Impact Driver delivers on the job site and brings some really nice features to the operator that enhances speed and efficiency. This Makita LXDT06 Impact Driver Review has all the details you need, but for more check out MakitaTools.com for more!

Product Features

• Quick-Shift Mode™ selector has an automatic electronic controller that downshifts and reduces rotation and impact speed prior to driving screw into place, and is engineered to minimize screw thread stripping, screw breakage and damage to work
• 3-speed power selection switch (0-1,400 / 0-2,300 / 0-2,800 RPM & 0-1,300 / 0-2,800 / 0-3,400 IPM) provides the user with precise fastening control for a wide range of applications
• Extreme Protection Technology (XPT) is engineered to provide improved dust and water resistance for operation in harsh conditions
• BL™ Brushless Motor delivers 1,500 in.lbs. of Max Torque
• Efficient BL™ Brushless motor is electronically controlled to optimize battery energy use for up to 50% longer run time per charge
• The BL™ Brushless Motor eliminates carbon brushes, enabling the BL™ Motor to run cooler and more efficiently for longer life
• The electronically-controlled BL™ Brushless Motor efficiently uses energy to match torque and RPM to the changing demands of the application
• 3 stage battery warning light indicates with its time to recharge the battery
• Compact design at only 5-1/8″ long and weighs just 3.3 lbs. for reduced operator fatigue
• Convenient one-touch 1/4″ hex chuck for quick bit changes
• Built-in L.E.D. light with an independent on/off switch illuminates the work area
• New redesigned rubberized soft grip provides increased comfort on the job
• Makita’s proprietary hammer and anvil impact mechanism are manufactured using the best raw materials with the highest quality steel and unique heat hardening process for maximum fastening and driving power
• LXT Lithium-Ion battery and Rapid Optimum Charger produces 430% total lifetime work with 3x more cycles
• LXT Lithium-Ion battery provides longer run time, 5x lower self-discharge (for use any time) and 16 firm holding contact terminals (for constant high power)
• 30-Minute Rapid Optimum Charger communicates with the battery’s built-in chip throughout the charging process to optimize battery life by actively controlling current, voltage and temperature

This kit includes:

• One (1) Makita LXDT06 18v Impact Driver
• Two (2) 18v 3.0Ah Lithium Ion Batteries
• One (1) Makita DC18RA S Fast Charger
• One (1) Battery Slide Cover
• One (1) Belt Clip Attachment with Screw

Comfort & Balance

The Driver itself has a great ergonomic feel and the tool is balanced well with a little more heft in the battery base. The forward and reverse slide button at first seemed a little clumsy, protruding too far from the grip and causing me to bump the driver to the wrong direction fairly often.

But this is a characteristic of the driver you get used to quickly and actually the button that protrudes out, reverse while in forward, and forward while in reverse, brushes on your thumb and index finger helping you find it quickly when you need to change the drivers direction.

The 1/4-inch hex chuck is “one-touch” meaning you can slide your bit into the chuck hands free for super fast bit changes. A nice to have feature of this driver is that the face of the driver just beyond the chuck the driver has a glow in the dark ring that remains illuminated, in a Makita blue, in darkness. Working in low lit and dark environments can be tough enough, Makita takes searching for your tool out of the equation with this little feature.

Battery & Power

The 18v 3.0Ah Battery last unbelievably long, which is obviously a product of the efficient brushless motor on this driver, but regardless when not driving heavy duty fasteners like Trussloks, Timberloks, or TapCons this thing seems to go on for days without needing a charge.

If you are in the business of driving those high draw fasteners this tool still outperforms and conventional driver and the Fast Charger gets your batteries at full charge in under an hour.

The most impressive characteristic of this driver is the 3-Speed / 4-Settings selection switch. A tap of the trigger lets you know the state of the battery’s charge and what setting the driver is in. The tool has 4-Settings Hard, Medium, Soft, and T-mode.

3 Speed Design

The Soft setting is perfect for utilizing an impact driver when maybe an impact driver isn’t the best application. I used it to remove stubborn screws without stripping the head, it is also useful for setting screws gently, or applying soft stainless steal trim-head screws. The setting is essentially a governor on the RPMs and IPMs on the drill, which makes for slow setting and removal, but when precision is needed, it’s really helpful.

The Medium setting is the “just right” comfortable impact driver action you are used to on a brushed impact driver. Great for setting screws when good finishing is needed. This setting is where  you’ll want to keep the drill when a specific application is needed, good speed, good torque, and versatile for most jobs.

The Hard setting is your high force, high speed setting to quickly drive your heavy duty fasteners. During structural framing nowadays you see a lot of speciality mechanical fasteners and engineered material, this combination makes having a powerful and fast driver important to working efficiently. When driving Trussloks and Timberloks into engineered material repetitively the speed and power of this drill on this setting is very helpful.

And the T-mode is designed to allow self setting screws to have the no load speed to set quickly and then finish well to tighten heavy duty fasteners. It feels like a speciality setting or sub setting of the Hard speed, helping the fastener set in a hurry and then the high RPMs and IPMs drive the fastener home just as fast.

Overall Impression

The overall impression of the tool is top notch. For an impact driver this tool has all the features you expect with the professional performance from Makita tools you want. The brushless motor makes this tool go from good to great. The ergonomics, design, and features are good, but the brushless 3-speed setting makes this tool great allowing you to drive your fasteners faster and easier than ever before. I really enjoyed using this drill, the battery life was very reliable, and the performance of the tool never let me down, it took a little while to acclimate to the multiple settings and speeds on the drill, but once you get a feel for the settings and how they are best utilized you become more efficient with your driving and can apply the tool to tasks you may have shied away from with while holding an impact. Overall we loved the Makita LXDT06 Impact Driver, check it out!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.