Makita 12V CXT Cordless Power Tool Launch Lineup

We have learned that Makita will soon be refreshing their 12V Max compact cordless power tool platform with brand new offerings. Not only will there be new tools, but there will be a new battery pack form factor.

Makita’s 12V Max lineup has grown a little long in the tooth, compared to what Bosch and Milwaukee have been bringing to market. Bosch and Milwaukee both have brushless drills and drivers, and Milwaukee has an expansive lineup of compact M12 power tools.

Makita has been steadily adding to their 12V Max lineup, such as with a recent tile and glass cutting saw, and I just spotted and interesting new 12V Max LED lantern/flashlight combo device. But nothing new has happened with their core drill/impact/fastening tool selection – until now.

Thanks to a reader comment, we learned that the new Makita 12V Max CXT cordless power tool platform will launch with more tools than we previously knew about.

Given the designs of these tools, I think it’s clear that Makita plans to replace their current 12V Max lineup with this new one. If so, there will likely be a transitional period.

Makita 12V Max CXT Tools

• Impact Driver (DT03)
• Drill (FD05)
• Screwdriver (FD06)
• Hammer Drill (PH04)
• Circular Saw (SH02)
• Reciprocating Saw (RJ03)

Update: These model numbers are the tool’s USA launch designations.

Buy Now: Makita CXT 12V Drill & Impact Driver Combo

Makita 12V CXT Power Tools Common Features

As previously mentioned in our initial post and when a new CXT combo appeared in retailers’ listings, Makita designed the 12V Max CXT platform around a new sliding battery pack design.

This means that Makita 12V Max CXT tools will look and feel more like the brand’s 18V cordless power tools.

According to a translated Japanese press release, since Maktia USA has yet to deliver on their promise of more information, the Makita 12V CXT tools will offer “improved high-capacity, ease of use, and durability” compared to their prior generation of 12V Max cordless power tools which are designed around a “plug-in” battery form factor.

Additional common features include:

• Easy to hold grip shape
• Improvement in durability
• Fast charging

According to the same Japanese release, the sliding battery allows for engineers to adjust the placement of the battery. This means slenderer handles which are easier to grip.

The CXT sliding battery pack design also leads to improved battery retention and “increased power supply terminal contact.” This means less “rattling and poor contact of the battery,” resulting in increased durability.

Additionally, as with Makita’s 18V batteries and chargers, the new 12V Max CXT battery design will allow for rapid charging thanks to the charger’s built-in cooling fan. Charging time will be 22 minutes for a 1.5Ah, which is a lot quicker than the 50-60 minutes their current/last generation 12V Max batteries took to recharge.

Maybe something was lost in the translation, but it seems that Makita is really harshly reflecting on their previous generation of 12V Max tools. Things like “rattling and poor contact of the [plug-in] battery” elevates the design of the new CXT tools, but at the expense of the old ones.

The 22 minute charging time is for Makita’s 12V Max CXT 1.5Ah battery (BL1015) and DC10SA charger. There will also be a slower charger, DC10WC. With the slow charger, a 1.5Ah battery pack will take 50 minutes to fully recharge.

Following specs are subject to change. All of the listed specs are for the international models, which might change slightly for USA models.

A product manual that I caught glimpse of listed 3 battery packs: BL1016, BL1021B, and BL1041B. The BL1041B battery pack weighs more than the other two, indicating it is probably a higher capacity battery pack.

And batteries with B at the end of the model number have a fuel gauge!

This is important enough to emphasize: some Makita 12V Max Li-ion batteries will have a built-in fuel gauge! It’s about time, and could we please see this feature come to Makita’s 18V battery packs too?!

Makita 12V Max CXT Impact Driver DT03

The new Makita CXT impact driver is reasonably powerful, and fairly compact. Although it lacks the power and electronic speed control of the category-leading Milwaukee M12 Fuel impact driver that we reviewed, it should be a nice sidekick for light to medium duty fastening tasks.

If you need more than 1,000 in-lbs of fastening-driving torque, you’re usually better off stepping up to an 18V model anyway.

For casual use, this looks like it could be a solid budget-friendly offering.

• 1/4″ hex chuck
• 0-2,600 RPM
• 0-3,500 IPM
• 970 in-lbs max torque
• 6.02 length
• Weighs 2.3 lbs with battery
• LED worklight

Makita 12V Max CXT Drill FD05

Makita is coming out with two 12V Max CXT “driver drills,” which we’ll simply describe as a drill and screwdriver.

As with the impact driver, there’s nothing seemingly spectacular about the new cordless drill, but it does have an appealingly slender handle grip.

While Bosch and Milwaukee’s 12V Max and M12 drills and drivers feature the same “plug-in” style battery form factor as Makita’s previous generation of 12V Max tools, their ergonomics are still quite good. I don’t even mind the slightly extra girth of Milwaukee’s latest generation of M12 and M12 Fuel pistol-grip tools – not at all – as they are quite nicely ergonomically shaped.

Still, the slender grip of Dewalt’s 12V Max drill, which I reviewed long ago, fits a little more naturally in my hand. I would expect nothing less of the new Makita CXT drill/driver.

• 3/8″ drill chuck
• 0-450 / 0-1,700 RPM
• 250 in-lbs max torque
• 7-7/16″ length
• Weighs 2.4 lbs with 2.0Ah battery
• LED worklight

Makita 12V Max CXT Screwdriver FD06

There doesn’t seem to be much difference between the new CXT drill and screwdriver, aside from the chuck type. On the drill you get a standard drill chuck, and on the screwdriver you get a quick release 1/4″ hex chuck.

If I were the type that liked to use hex-shank drill bits, I might share in how Makita calls this a “drill driver” instead of a screwdriver. Just keep in mind that, even though I like calling these types of tools screwdrivers, they’re designed to handle drilling applications just as well.

• 1/4″ hex quick release chuck
• 0-450 / 0-1,700 RPM
• 250 in-lbs max torque
• 6-3/16″ length
• Weighs 2.1 lbs with 2.0Ah battery
• LED worklight

Makita 12V Max CXT Hammer Drill PH04

The new Makita 12V Max CXT hammer drill is very similar to the drill/driver and screwdriver, but with the addition of a vibratory hammer mode for masonry drilling applications.

• 3/8″ single sleeve drill chuck
• 0-450 / 0-1,700 RPM
• 0-6,750 / 0-25,500 BPM in hammer mode
• 250 in-lbs max torque
• 7-7/8″ length
• Weighs 2.5 lbs with 2.0Ah battery
• LED worklight

Makita 12V Max CXT Circular Saw SH02

Ah, a Makita CXT trim saw! This goes a long way to convince me that the 12V Max CXT lineup is meant to replace the previous 12V Max power tool lineup.

It’s surprising that Makita chose to carry over the 3-3/8″ blade size, the same as their 12V Max version, but blades of this size aren’t too difficult to find.

There’s still room for Makita to come out with larger 12V Max CXT circular saws, especially if they plan to join Milwaukee and Bosch in the brushless tool arena. So far Dewalt has been another holdout.

Since this is only the launch of Makita’s new CXT cordless power tool lineup, there’s no basis to predict or guess as to what might be on their long-term roadmap.

• 3-3/8″ blade size
• 1500 RPM
• Max cutting capacity of 1″ at 90°
• Max cutting capacity of 5/8″ at 45°
• Weighs 3.5 lbs with battery

Makita 12V Max CXT Reciprocating Saw RJ03

As with all of the other new Makita CXT tools, the new 12V Max CXT reciprocating saw bears a strong resemblance to the previous 12V Max recip saw, which came out in 2012.

I like that it has both trigger and paddle switches. Makita says that the trigger switch is especially handy for when you work at heights or in narrow places, while the paddle switch is especially useful for when you “want to work with retention need of force.” I suppose this means you can trade some of your switch-pressing effort for control and pressure.

Or you can simply use the trigger or paddle switch as your comfort or application requires.

• Paddle AND trigger switches
• 2″ max cutting capacity
• 0-3,300 SPM
• 1/2″ stroke length
• Weighs 2.9 lbs with battery

First Thoughts

Time and testing will tell whether Makita’s 12V Max CXT compact cordless power tools stand competitively against other brands’ offerings.

There will likely be a transitional period during which Makita releases additional CXT tools. Looking through our Makita 12V Max tool news category, the brand released very few 12V Max tools in recent years, and so it might not take long before there’s a CXT tool for every existing plug-in-style 12V Max offering.

Makita’s 12V Max lineup has grown long in the tooth, but there were some neat tools, such as their new LED flashlight/area lantern. For the most part, Makita’s drills, drivers, and saws had been outshined compared to what the competition brought out in recent years.

I am very enthusiastic about Makita’s 12V Max CXT offerings, and optimistic as well.

We’re still waiting on official information and tool specs from Makita USA, but I don’t see any reason why this full CXT lineup wouldn’t be released here. Let’s hope that they are, and that they prove to be strong competition against current Milwaukee, Bosch, and Dewalt (is Dewalt even interested in the 12V-class market anymore?) offerings.

The idea of a new Makita 12V Max slide pack form factor is very exciting, as it could indicate a roadmap of new tools and innovations, especially if there will be both compact and high capacity battery packs.

Oh, and a battery fuel gauge on select 12V Max CXT battery packs? YES!! And if Makita is building 12V Max batteries with fuel gauges, maybe it’s only a short matter of time before we see fuel gauges on their 18V battery packs.

I’d like to see brushless everything and anything – drills, impact drivers, circular saws – the works. Maybe Makita could mirror some of the convenient and unique tools that are currently only available in Milwaukee’s M12 lineup. I think that, given Makita’s presence in the masonry tool market, a compact rotary hammer would be a great idea.