Makita is coming out with a new premium 18V LXT cordless hammer drill (LXPH03) that offers greater power, more speed, and a shorter overall length than their previous model. The new drill is said to offer higher torque delivery than any competing models.
Makita previously came out with a new 18V brushless compact hammer drill last spring, model LXPH05, and while it’s suitable for light to medium duty applications there are still many jobs that call for greater torque. It’s good to see an improved premium hammer drill hit the market, but we do hope the next one will be brushless.
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The New LXPH03 18V Hammer Drill
- “industry-leading” 750 in-lb max torque
- all-metal 1/2″ ratcheting chuck
- 4-pole brushed motor
- 0-400/0-2,000 RPM
- 0-6,000/0-30,000 BPM
- 8-7/8″ overall length
- “XPT” extreme protection – internal components are sealed for greater water and dust resistance
- 21 clutch settings
- dual LED work lights with “afterglow” illumination
- high capacity batteries with 30-minute rapid charger
How it Compares
The brushed-motor LXPH03 does look to be king of the hill in terms of torque, at least for the moment. Bosch’s HDH181, Milwaukee’s 2604, and Dewalt’s DCD 985 18V/20V Max hammer drills come close when also paired with high-capacity batteries.
We always like to see a boost in power, and the increase in speed might prove useful as well. But will the drill’s extra 25-50 in-oz lead in maximum torque delivery mean a noticeable difference in real world applications? Possibly, but we put little faith in numbers these days.
From what we can tell, the new hammer drill is definitely a competitive model. If you already bought into Makita’s 18V or 18V LXT lines, it will be a significant upgrade. Makita says the LXPH03 delivers 25% more torque than their previous model (BHP454), but our calculations show the difference to be 34%.
(750 in-oz is 34% greater than 560 in-lbs, while 560 in-lbs is 25% less than 750 in-lbs.)
But whether or not the LXPH03 offers enough of an incentive to choose it over Dewalt Milwaukee, Bosch, or other brands’ premium hammer drills remains to be seen.
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Conductor562
Good to see Makita put out a competitive model. I’m a little curious why they didn’t go brushless though.
Stuart
It could that they have a brushless model in the works, but perhaps a brushless model would have been too pricey for too little of a performance or runtime advantage.
Jeff Tieman
I see they switched to the ‘Seiko’ Japanese chucks that the Milwaukee Fuel/M18 hammer drill uses… I wonder why.
Kosmo
I see Milwaukee is making brush less tools like Panasonic, Festool, and Makita….I wonder why?
Jeff Tieman
Two different things there buddy.
Sean John
While they are two different things, I believe Kosmo made a comment about brushless tools as a way to say (albeit indirectly so you missed the point) that this is the nature of competition: companies often imitate competitor’s products. This is done for various reasons such as decreasing cost, increasing quality, fulfilling consumer demand, etc.
Strange as it may sound, Econ 101 teaches us that as a result of competition the customer typically benefits. As companies imitate each other, they are often forced to respond by driving down costs hence a lower price tag for you; they don’t always respond by innovating. Do you think that companies should ignore a competitor’s design choice (even when it’s superior) in an attempt to be original or innovative? If so, this is one reason you won’t be able to manage a multi-million dollar company. Imitation is a Good Thing(TM), and if it weren’t for intellectual property laws such as patent law, I suspect that we would see a lot more of it in industry.
Jeff Tieman
No, actually I got the point. I think you both missed mine.
I was being quite literal with my original question, which was then of course answered with a question, then your long explanation as to how I missed the point.
Economics, of course. Companies are in business to make money first and foremost. There is always a balance struck. I understand that, no need for explanation.
I just thought maybe someone with the actual reason(s) as to why they switched might have an answer to share… and apparently no-one here does know.
That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Thanks.
Javier
This must be makitas answer to milwaukees videos. I have to say this drill is a beast.