Click "Read more" to see all of the tool links. Watch Next: Ruthless Review of the Milwaukee M18 Trim Router - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/btucmrxqlc7Dnqc.htmlsi=5UBw-WMTjRiQUFbF Tools in this Video: Makita Router with 2-battery Combo Deal (Limited Time Deal on Amazon) - amzn.to/3U45aOh Makita 2-battery Combo with Free Tool (Acme Tools) acmetools.pxf.io/vNqnRy Makita Router (bare tool) - amzn.to/3U8Pol8 Makita Combo Kit with Battery and Case - amzn.to/3u4fmLZ Corded Makita Router - amzn.to/3SqKS00 All Makita Tools - amzn.to/4260hWJ Current Makita Rebates - www.makitatools.com/promos Fe Sharpens Fe T-Shirt I'm Wearing - bit.ly/4biT3TN The full list of tools and supplies I recommend can be found on my website: www.731woodworks.com/recommended-tools Join the TUBAFOUR NATION through Patreon to get access to exclusive member only behind the scenes videos, member only livestreams, exclusive discounts, and other cool member only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks Check this video's description for all the links to any tools and videos I discussed. If you use one of these Amazon and other affiliate links, I will receive a commission on qualifying purchases. Some other useful links: Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals Subscribe to our email Newsletter to get new content alerts, sales, and more! mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter Easy to Follow Build Plans - www.731woodworks.com/store Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter

I am a carpenter. My carpenter co worker and I built a deck, I had dewalt he had Makita. I had to change or recharge my batteries twice during the day. His Makita lasted all day without charging . This happened everyday of build. At end of that job. I sold ALL my Dewalt tools and bought makita. It was a good move and I am glad I did it.

Makita is my preferred 18v set. Did a whole test a few yrs back where we gave all our crews a different set of tools each week, Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Porter Cable and a few other brands.all consisted of Hammer drill, Impact, Saw, Recip-saw, oscillating, and grinder as well as a few odds and ends. After about 6-8 weeks every crew wanted the Makita's except the fence installation guys who wanted the more heavy Milwaukee's out in a field with no power access to charge, as they seemed to last a tad longer over the Makita. Everyone else (general residential construction) all wanted the Makita as it was the best balance of weight/power/comfort/lasting/reliability. Dewalt and Ryobi where the only 2 that had tool fail completely, Dewalt the Recip saw burned up literarily, and the drill chuck got all loose and bobbly, not bend though, just bobbled around so it was hard to drill straight. And pretty much all the Ryobi were dead after a few days with the fence guys LOL The one tool everyone wanted to keep that was Dewalt was the Oscolating tool though, just great grip/shape/comfort and we all preferred the trigger over a on/off switch!

I’m glad to see you checking out the Makita LXT line! I went all in with Makita LXT when I bought my first house this year for all the repairs and upgrades I’ve got to do. Been really happy with all the tools I’ve gotten from them so far. I’d say review the LXT 36v track saw as you’ve already gotten into the LXT line, and I’d love to hear your opinion on the LXT 36v rear handle circular saw as I’ve LOVED mine. It rips!

I own a 9.6 makita drill from the 90’s and still going on strong! It’s a smaller drill I use for finish work. Thanks for the review Mighty Matt!!

One thing that I feel should have been mentioned is that Makita is entirely self contianed. They are not part of a big tool/product conglomernat. That independence means that their attention and resoruses are not split like other tool makers. Also, one of the advantages of Makita is that their batteries are just better. They may not output the most energy in all cases, but they last forever and they are desiged to be actively cooled by the charger, so the cells last longer. The BMS is built into the battery, not the tool, so the battery can protect itself and not burn the tool up. I've always said that in most cases, a milwaukee will work a little harder, but it will work itself to death and burn itself up trying to finish the job. A Makita will work hard, but will depower if you ask it to do something it isn't designed for. This means it is very, very hard to over work and kill a makita tool.

I own that Makita trim router and your review could not be more on point. I like it because of its size and because I am already on the Makita battery platform. But your analysis of the micro adjust and the size of the base is right on. Generally speaking I use Makita for cordless tools and Bosch for corded. Just like your feelings about Makita until now, I feel like (probably unjustified) that Milwaukee is not what it once was and that DeWalt is what it is because of the huge advertising budget - I cant get past Black and Decker connection.

most of the 18v brushless tools are solid. The brushed line is little inconsistent though. The 40v line on the other hand is all solid tools. When you buy makita, you buy it for the light weight, ergonomics, smoothness and noise. Just a pleasure to use all around.

I started my Makita cordless tool collection in 2015 with the drill/driver impact combo and I have slowly added over the years (blower, trim router, jigsaw, circular saw, lights, radio ECT..) never once felt a reason to switch to another brand. Still have the tools from 2015 and they have been used almost every single day since then with the original battery's and charger. No complaints whatsoever.

I started replacing my cheap Parkside (UK & Ireland brand) tools with Makita a couple of years ago and I've definitely put them through their paces. Only had one SDS drill break but it was easy to diagnose the problem, source a genuine replacement part and even follow a KZfaq fix video. That's the difference - when an old budget tool has broken it's trash because even if I know how to fix it sourcing parts is next to impossible.

I started with Makita over 40 years ago. Have 4 trim routers that I leave set up for various tasks and a 6 1/2" circ saw. Have no issues with Makita. That being said... I really love my Festool Track Saw & Routers!!

I have the makita track saw and I absolutely adore it. It’s funny when Festool came out with the new TSV 60 with the material scoring feature, makita already had something similar. With the press of 1 button you can lock your blade at the depth of 2mm and make a scoring pass prior to your full depth cut. Great feature.

As a outsider from india and makita user in india all I can say is makita is the luxury brand here .. because we don't have a wide range of powertools for wood work . It's simple it's perfect and it works .

I am a Makita fanboy. I think their tools are so smooth, so accurate, so well-built. Not always THE most powerful option, but woodworkers don't need power as much as precision. And, again, the subjective feel of Makita is almost always the best of the bunch.

The Makita 36v worm drive saw comes up for sale on black Friday and Father's Day most of the time for $300 with two batteries and your choice of 2 extra batteries or a tool. It's a nice saw you should check out when it comes on sale.

Showing my age here I bought my first cordless Makita was back when Norm Nathen used his blue cordless Makita drill on the New Yankee work shop also Don't forget that Makita does make a cordless coffee maker.too. Keep up the good videos

Makita track saws for sure! Also the stock blade that comes with a makita circular saw is ultra thin and fantastic. It is the only saw I’ve ever had where I didn’t need to immediately change the blade to make it usable.

I highly suggest the Makita subcompact drill/impact. I use drills every day at work and have used pretty much every brand and these a by far my favorite. I don’t really care for their regular drills so much but the subcompacts are amazing.

40v track saw. Thanks. I have the corded makita trim router and it has served me well.

I bought my first Makita tools 18 years ago. Two of the batteries that were in that kit along with the drill and impact I still have. I used them in a trade job for more than 12 years before promoting to home/garage use.

Mostly a Makita brand guy myself, cordless drill combo, circular saw, router, track saw (36v). I purchased the dust collection for the router separately, it was pretty cheap, and I'll probably get a tilt base and larger base plate. None of these are expensive, so not a big deal if you're already in the Makita 18v battery line. So, with regard to the track saws, 36v vs 40v, if you are already in the 18v battery line, I think the decision is made for you. Get the 36v track saw and 2 5A batteries, gives you spare batteries for your other tools. Note that the 5A batteries may not fit some of the (older?) Makita 18v tools, but will on some of them (newer). If you aren't already in the 18v line, maybe consider going the 40v track saw option, especially if you got your eye on other 40v tools like string trimmers, blowers, etc.

I use the hell out of my Makita 18V trimmer. I became a Makita fan in the early 1970's while serving with the US Army on Okinawa, so when I returned to Japan in 1987 to become a permanent resident, I once again invested in Makita tools. However, when I went full-time into house building around Y2K, I bought and imported a group of DeWalt 18V battery powered tools. At the time, the DeWalt batteries lasted longer and did not get as hot under heavy use as the Makitas of my carpenter friends, but my DeWalt tools didn't last as long as the Makitas. I went back to having a full kit of Makita when they came out with their brushless motors and lithium ion quick charging batteries. I'm satisfied that I made the right choice. I even mow and trim the lawns of our country 1/3 acre and a neighbor's property with a Makita battery powered mower and brush cutter.

I have that same Makita router and I love it. Mine came with a dust collection shroud that attaches directly to the base as well as the edge guide. I’m surprised that yours didn’t have the dust port out of the box.

Makita was all over the job site when i started 34 yrs ago. Ive been a die hard fan ever since.

Been a fan of Makita for a while now. Once they got away from the old long handled NiCAd batteries, they really started rocking, but, let's not forget, they were the first quality tool company to come out with a cordless drill that I personally used as a carpenter about 30 years ago. The brushless line of tools they have now are really top notch and would put them right below Milwaukee and next to Dewalt. Some of each are the best in their classes.

I am heavily invested in red and yellow have 10 festool tools the sanders vacuum track saw and both dominoes and couldnt afford the kapex and went with 40v xgt 12" mitre saw from makita and i am very happy with that purchase ,thats the only makita tool i have and considering switching to makita because they make quality tools

If you're going to test trim routers, I'd suggest comparing the cordless routers to the old school Bosch Colt corded router. This is what many of us bought before cordless routers became available. It might be interesting to see how the power of the corded tool compares to the latest cordless models.

I recently bought a kit of makita 18v tools. Circ saw, recip saw, blower, grinder, hammer drill, impact driver, rotary percussion drill. Great investment. Bought for my school too. Got the 36v track saw for work. Very impressed with it so I bought another. Their corded tools are strong. I’ve had a circ saw for over 20yrs and I’ve got a grinder that was dads when I was a kid. I’m now over 50.

Thank you Matt. Makita is my favorite and I’m am happy to see you try one. I have the the electric Makita track saw I would like to see the 36v tested

Thanks Matt! I've never owned Makita, but I used their drivers working construction. The drivers held up well, so I suspect the rest of the line would too. How about Bosch trim routers for a head to head? I always enjoy your content and your honesty. Wishing you and your family well! 😊😊😊❤❤❤

Americans in general seem to think the only tool brands in existence are Dewalt and Milwaukee.

9.6v nicad makita is legendary and used my drill/driver to drive countless fasteners when I was a kid putting up window covering in the family business. When I started contracting 10 years ago and needed to re-up my battery platform I fell into Milwaukee. But much respect to Makita gear. Now in transition to Hilti Nuron, let's go!

This Makita was introduced to the market looong time ago. Actually that was one of the first cordless router… It has a lot of disadvantages comparing to more modern tools. It has problematic collet that should be overtightened to do not loose grip to router bit, wobbly and inaccurate height adjustment, no engine stop and so on. But it still a great router that I’m using for years and it works well

Matt, the part number for the dust collection attachment for the fixed base is 19559-1. Also, Makita does offer a router kit with a plunge base, it’s the XTR01T7.

The stick vacs are fantastic and you can get a optional cyclone attachment that adds a little length for us taller guys. 👍👍

The LXT router is great but the XTG 40v is almost identical but with WAY more grunt. Makes it a so much more capable tool. Almost negates the need for a half inch router. Have had Makita forever mainly because none of them have worn out yet! Love the channel. Thanks from Oz

I'm team Red but I bought a corded Makita trim router 10 years ago and it's served me very well. Makita I find is first to a lot of tool types and I like how they tend to be more compact to their equivalents. But I hate the Teal colour. Respect to any contractor that rolls up with Makita.

P.S. Grab the XGT GSA01Z dust blower. That tool is right up there with my Ryobi glue gun as one of my favorite “sleeper” tools that you don’t realize how useful they are until you have one. I seriously use it probably 10x times a week without really realizing it

Makita makes some solid products. I have the corded trim router in my CNC and it works flawlessly.

Makita is the brand I've invested the most into and I've mostly been happy. Would love to see you review their brushless big pack. It's the same as most other brands in that it contains an impact driver, Hammer drill, saw, grinder, 1/4 router and others. It's probably the best way to get into a specific brand without paying full price so worthy of a review imo.

FYI for anyone looking for a deal on a Makita jig saw, the battery deal from Homedepot has the brushless version of the variable trigger speed and dial jigsaw whereas that promo page just lists the brushed version.

I’ve been using makita stuff for the past 20 ish years, I love my makita track saw. I have the 36.

you definitely want to get a set of 2amp/hr batteries for it. It makes it more balanced and less top heavy

YOU MUST GET THE MAKITA DUST BLOWER, XSA01. I have 27 cordless Makita tools and 18 batteries and this Dust Blower has quickly become my favorite tool. You clear a bench, dust off tools, miter saws, and work surfaces, or just prep baseboards and trim before paint; its uses are endless, even to get a campfire roaring. It never leaves my hip. You HAVE to review that next. It is worth the $200, trust me! A legendary tool is the XSH03 6 1/2" circ saw. There are more powerful and faster saws, but there is no competition for its smoothness and light weight. Theyve even made a near exact clone on the powerhouse 40v platform because people love the size and form factor so much. An honorable mention is the latest Outdoor Adventure Green Bluetooth Lantern radio. The sound is decent, the USB port is nice for phone charging, and the lantern and flashlight are quite handy; especially for camping. This is not to mention my love for the best in class battery caulk gun XGC01, my 36v 10" miter saw, despite the weight (which i just swapped out the laser with an LED Shadow line using OEM Makota oarts from the XGT version) and the smooth XDT19 impact (although when the newer japan impact TD173 with ring light and centered battery comes here i will not hesitate to buy it right away). An off the wall yet incredibly useful tool I would love for you to review is the latest brushless stick vacuum XLC11z with integrated cyclone. I have the original brushed version XLC02 with the $30 cyclonic separator attachment, and if i have the incredible usability i like from that, i can only imagine the latest version would be awesome. All this, and many other of my 27 tools, yet I still long for the well loved more recent tools like the brushless planer XPK02, one handed saber grip recip saw XRJ08, 3" cutoff tool XCM01, and all of the various string trimme and other couple shaft attachments for the battery powerhead i have. Ive tried red, yellow, orange, lime green, blue, and so many other colors but they just cant ever sctualky compete by way of reliability and long term usability. Red and yellow hot rods and monster truck tools are nice, but your daily driver sedans and pickup trucks actually get the daily tasks accomplished.

Working at a dealer selling makita, the difference between the 36V and 40V tracksaw is negligible. To get more power from their 18V line they had some of their more power hungry tools use 2 18V batteries to get your 36V for more power. Now I believe it's 2 or maybe 3 years ago that makita started introducing their 40V lineup. That's 40V "max" as in the battery is still 36V nominal the same as the 2 18V batteries. So long story short the 40V tracksaw is the exact same tracksaw as the 2 18V tracksaw just adapted to use the single 40V battery. Explained to us by our Makita reps!

Makita user here and love them. The yellow guys always make fun of my light blue tools. but they work great for me. I stopped using my big porter cable plunge router and only use that Makita cordless palm router. And I bought an extra collar for it and put it into the new Rockler trim router table so I only have to quick swap the body and it's ready to go.

I’m an equal opportunity tool brand user, but I’d put Makita at the top of my list for palm router, circular saw, orbital sander, and drill/driver. Milwaukee comes in at close second. Bosch for miter saws, and dewalt table saw 😊 Love your channel 👍

36v Makita tack saw. Same 18v platform as your router and one less battery platform in the shop it nice

I love all my Makita tools. Just got the track saw.

I agree with you that they should include more than one sized base plate.

I have the 36v track saw and absolutely love it! The motor is so smooth. Also run the 36v wormdrive style circular saw. That's one of the best tool purchases Ive ever made. Only drawback to Makita is that they never seem to have good deals on batteries. Maybe that will change with the eRebates program.

I picked up the Makita 12 V impact driver and drill combo kit several years ago I still have the same two batteries they still last forever they are still great tools. It’s amazing what I can accomplish with a 12V in Makita. Personally, I think Makita tools fit better in the hand and are more comfortable and very versatile. The first time you hold the Makita driver, you know that they are quality.

I've never found anything about Makita cordless tools that set them above Milwaukee, Dewalt, or Hitachi. When I did professional trim carpentry we used Makita drill/impact driver kits that came in a square soft case from Home Depot. The impact would always be the first to give up, usually failing in the plastic carrier that supported the impact mechanism. The saving grace was that the kit was only $99 at Home Depot so replacing them was fairly cheap. Corded Makita tools have always been good though, I have always liked the 13A and 15A circular saws and they ran smoother than pretty much anyone else.

All I can say is it's about time Matt - Makita is one of the top (3) major brands (S tier) including DeWalt and Milwaukee.

I have the same router . I do have the track saw but its corded. It is powerful. I use Makita cordless circular saws too and they are very powerful. You should try the plunge base for Makita it is awesome.

I've used Makita tool for years back in my home country...and when I moved here a decade ago, I couldn't understand why everything was Team Red or Yellow. I bought a couple of the yellow brand, but when an awesome combo of Team Teal tools came up, I switched back to my old faithful. 😁 I think Makita USA could be better at marketing here in the States...cos all you see in big box stores are yellow or red...or blue...or some orange deals, on the ends of the isles.

Fine adjustment of the cut depth in this Makita goes like this: close the clamp half-ways, until the adjustment knob is harder to turn, but has not yet blocked the movement of the router body. From this point, use the knob for a precise adjustment before locking the clamp all the way.

As for the larger base, if you're a woodworker, making a plexiglass base that screws on shouldn't be an issue. I've made several different sizes and styles over the years. Cheap, easy, and you can tailor it to your needs. My only big complaint is that the plunge base isn't included

Happy to see you venture in the land of teal. When I threw Ryobi out the window four years ago ( story is too long for this video) I chose Makita for three reasons; 1: Choice. The Makita line in LXT 18v is as large as anyone's, and honestly bigger than most. 2: OPE. Makita has professional grade outdoor power equipment. Period. With the addition of their 40v lineup (launched one year after I buy in 😫) I can see them being in the forefront of lawn care for years to come. Especially with California banning internal combustion engines on OPE. I did get all of my OPE's in 18v x 2 to take advantage of the power. ...and 3: Batteries and Chargers. In my opinion...yeah, opinion...Makita has the best, most stable and longest lasting batteries on the market. Now having said this, I must acknowledge the advances in Li-ion systems made in the last year and a half, especially mentioning the flat pack batteries and the introduction of the 21xxx batteries. Makita uses highest quality 18xxx series batteries, and switching out to 21xxx series is going to be a problem as many of the 18v Makita tools have "just fit" battery wells. I do not ever see a change in the 18v lineup. I have not investigated the 40v battery. For all I know it could be loaded with 21xxx series units, and actually could have been designed for them. The chargers work like a dream. I use 5A in all my OPE. During our heat waves, y'know, when it gets upwards of 80°, after burning thru the batteries while string trimming, the charger actually fan-forces cool air thru the battery before it starts the charging procedure. Never had charging a 5A take longer than 1h10m...longer than stated, but acceptable as the charger actually acts like it cares about my battery and keeps temps in the battery within parameters. The duplex charger is even more efficient than the single. The brushed tools are kinda hit-n-miss. Just be aware of that. Typically Makita has an 'entry' level, a mid level (both brushed) and then a high end (brushless). I buy according to my need. Drills, impacts, routers I go brushless every time (except at the beginning when I was more concerned about fleshing out a working set) and chose the best fit with others. I have the full size recip saw w/brush. I don't use one that often and couldn't justify the difference between $130 and $200. I use the same tactic in the other areas. I have nearly 40 years in sawdust. I have used red, yellow, blue, green and gray cordless tools. In the end, I like my choice.

I’m in the same boat.. not too Makita products until late… personally love the 12 inch miter and track saws. Most of us hesitate to buy Makita since we have dewalt and Milwaukee batteries…But with the advent of adapters I can run the Makita stuff on dewalt or Milwaukee batteries. No need to do 3 platforms… Spencer Lewis does this on his channels. Plus unlike the snobby F stool Makita products can be discounted very easily. I even bought a Makita vacuum which is super quiet and handles fine dust easily. Great company in general.

The best what Makita does is supplying spare parts for their tools, even old ones. 👍

They make other baseplates, and you can make larger one's out of Plexiglass to suit your needs. The micro adjustment is used with the clamp in the half closed position. It's a little different than others, but once you get used to it, it's pretty straightforward.

I have the corded version of this router and will get the cordless at some point for convenience. I think the plunge base is pretty great and highly recommend adding it to the kit! The tilting base would be fun to have, but it’s probably only useful if trying to replication moulding.

Thank you for bringing Makita to the channle. I'd like to see any of the standard woodworking tools, i.e. Circular saws, track saws, jigsaws, drills. Ect. I know that they are pricey, but the one that I'm the most curious about are the 18v & 40v corded & cordless dust extractors.

40v makita is the way to go

I originally started with Makita tools many years ago and long before Milwaukee became a big deal in Australia. Then I switched to the German made "Metabo". (Green colored and Best tools ever) But then they started being manufactured in India (Blue colored) and the quality was pathetic. So after watching your above-video...... I'm switching back to MAKITA. Cheers to you my Christian brutha, you are the GOAT!!!! (Greatest Of All Time)

I like the M12 line in Milwaukee, so I’m team red. BUT. Makita, and Japanese engineering in general, tend to be superior. Not that others are *bad*, but Japanese brands tend to be better thought out and refined as a finished product. YMMV

Love my palm router. What i use most is the little hand held air gun/ blower and even have their vacuum cleaner. Makes cleaning up so much easier.

I have this tool and if you bought it as the full set in the sustainer it has a lot more accessories. I moved over to Makita 25 years ago, as I would go away to work, and come home 3 weeks later and need to buy a new drill, all the other drill brands could not cut working out in the scrub. In 25 years of Makita I have replaced 2 drills and one of those was my fault the other was the first Makita drill I bought. And I don't have the room or money to have 3 or 4 battery architectures. In the corded tools, you aren't stuck ina batteryy system.

Welcome to the teal club. Lots and lots of options. Great stuff.

I'm a Makita boy because their batteries and tools have been amazing for 30 years. My dad had the original cordless Makita tools in the 90's and they still worked until he upgraded 10 years ago. I forgot an 18v battery outside for an entire year, through the snow below freezing temps and the high 90 degree summer days. When I found it behind my shed I checked the battery status and it was still fully charged and has worked flawlessly ever since. DeWalt, Milwaukee, and all the others seem to have battery deterioration way faster than Makita. All the tool brands make good tools, but imo Makita makes the best batteries.

That micro adjust... I thought it would be a problem until I use it. Its on a clamp, so just put a bit of tension on the clamp, then turn the rack & pinion and you get very fine micro adjustments. Its a non-issue!

I was using the 9.6 stick pack makita tools with high capacity aftermarket packs until 2012. I had some Ryobi one plus mixed in there from 2006. Since 2018 I have enjoyed the current 18 volt line with all 5ah batteries. Cabinetmakers I wokred with all seemed to have Makita tools. It worked for them so i got on the bandwagon as well. I just reolaced the bearing in my cordless router this weeknd after 5 years in a Corian fabrication shop. In that fine dust 5 years is really good for sealed bearings.

Theirs a lot to like about Makita's 18V line but I think the best thing about them is that no matter what you need, Makita has a very high quality option. I've never bought a Makita tool that didn't perform and I've bought a lot... I think the sub compact reciprocating saw is probably the best quality tool I've ever purchased. My line of work uses requires that I use one in tricky to use situations. It's very small size and high power is a game changer.

I've used all the major brands as a carpenter for the last decade, but by far my favorite brand is Makita. It's the brand I started with as an apprentice, so I'm probably biased, but you can feel the difference when you pick up their tools. Once you try the 40v track saw you won't be able to throw away your Milwaukee fast enough. The cut quality, ergonomics and dust collection are all superior - only to be outdone by the Festool TS60 in my opinion. The only Makita product I've never had good luck with are their cordless miter saws. Out of the box they've all been great, but they don't stay PERFECT the way my Kapex does.

I would love to see a revised trim router shootout but please can you include the revised Ryobi Pcl424b variable speed brushless router. I have been using Makita for 20 year and own some of their LXT tools, they are so nice to use and just have a quality feel in the hand like the materials and even bearings are really good.

I have used the makita trim router for years and I prefer to use it with the smaller 2.5 ah battery. It dramatically helps reduce the top heavy feeling without sacrificing power, although you do lose run time, but if I need the longer time I simply switch back to one of the bigger batteries. Hope it helps.

For myself one of the biggest things with cordless tools is the life of the batteries. I have Hilti drill sets from 2006, use in my shop daily and haven’t had a single battery fail. All still function perfect 18 years later! My second longest lasting batteries are Makita, my oldest ones are 2012 also haven’t had a failure with any of them as well. I certainly can’t say that for the dewalt batteries 3 years tops. I do have some Milwaukee batteries that are 5 years old and still good. I do date all of my batteries when purchased along with tools. I do use my tools professionally so I try to make sure I buy tools that last!

Its an old design but it works well. I have the Dewalt as well and its got more power than the Makita and the height adjustment is more solid, but the Makita has great feel and works fine.

This is possibly my favourite router. But you're definitely right that the base is a bit small. I made a larger acrylic base for it.

Makita has at least three battery systems with LXT the most widely used. One of the biggest selling points of Makita is that spares are available for models decades after introduced. I have an electric plane & band sander that are older than 40 years and spares are still available.

I have a corded makita combo that came with I think 3 or 4 extra bases and dust collection. it works great.

Thirty-five years ago, when someone said they were going to grab the Makita it meant they were getting their cordless drill. Mikita was the first to offer a cordless drill with high torque, good battery life and durability. In the '80's and 90's MAKITA was the undisputed champion of cordless drills. It was the most commonly used cordless drill amongst professionals. Eventually competitors caught up. Makita seemed to milk it's brand loyalty for all they could by maintaining high prices while doing little to regain their once commanding lead in quality and performance. By the time Makita started making an effort to catch up with their competition the race had gotten much tougher. . . But back in the day, Makita was the king of cordless drills. Makita still has a strong R&D department and could produce something revolutionary again. I wouldn't count them out but I'm obviously an old fart who may be living in the past. 😜

Great little trim router especially with the plunge base

I have the mains powered version and i bought the kit with two extra bases. That bigger base is quite useful.

I have 4 akita routers, a track saw, heap vacuum cleanerand chop saw and they are all spectacular tools

Makita is known for making a really good circular saw. I have the 36v rear handle worm drive saw, and it's a machine. As far as track saws, I think the 36v LXT would be what most people would buy if they want to stay in the same battery platform that the majority of the tools use. I have a 40v chain saw, and it's impressive and expensive....

Milwaukee is available at Do It hardware stores, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Northern Tool, Acme Tool... A LOT of places. I've had to use Makita tools at the contractor I work for the most, and I'm not blown away by any of the tools I've used. They're solid, but that's about it. The batteries aren't the best, the tools aren't the most powerful, they're not the most feature filled tools... They're nothing to complain about, but they're also just nothing to write home about, either. I'm much happier with Milwaukee, but Dewalt is generally more rugged as far as the tools being thrown around, which they get a lot of when you're not paying for them.

For the track saw I would go with 40v XGT line. Obviously more expensive as you would have to get batteries and charger but it is more powerful and smaller foot print, so even for me being on LXT platform, for the track saw I would invest in XGT line, but currently I use a LXT DHS680 circular saw with a track. I'm an amateur living in an apartment so I don't have much need for a track saw, but I do want one. Recently bought a DTD172 (still no 173 available in Europe so went with the current one) which would be the XDT19 in the US, I think. Really like it, nice little unit! Good video!

If you check out the Metabo HPT/HiKoki compact router, it’s a lot like the Makita, but it comes with a larger acrylic base, dust port and can be used with 18v or 36v batteries. It’s powerful (for its size) and very nice.

Thanks for a great review. Makita needs more luv for the great tools that they have produced. The rear handle circular saws are awesome. I have been a carpenter / woodworker for over 40 years. I had never to tried a left bladed rear handled circular saw before the MAkita 36v saw came out. I was blown away. Awesome power and i can see the cutline! The Makita 40v XGT is ever more powerful and lighter! Thanks for giving Makita the respect it deserves. I also bought the 40v XGT lawn mower. No gas, no oil, no noise, and plenty of power. I even enjoy mowing the grass now.

I have mostly Makita stuff and first bought the black and white drills when they came out in the early 2000s. I will say that the oscillating tool I bought is kind of humongous compared to others, and I like the DeWalt better. I have the corded Makita with the full set of different bases and I absolutely love it.

I think that in Europe Makita is the go to brand for most carpenters and construction workers. where ever you go you see green makita colours. Plummers use mostly Milwaukee.

It would be great to see the Makita XGT 40v router in the head to head. When it comes to Makita the lxt and XGT are basically different brands the only compatibility between the two is the charger adapter and aws vacuum control

I have owned the Makita 18v for years. In the past they have had extra batteries on already discounted kits and the extra battery was provided at the point of purchase.

I purchased the Makita 36v Track Saw last year and it's great. You should compare it to the Milwaukee Track Saw.

Thanx for covering Makita! You are spot-on with this trim router review. The Makita batteries are great and you can use the lighter 2Ah battery for even less top-heaviness. I totally agree with you on the adjustment slop and the small base. The plunge base fixes both of those problems!

I got the same router a couple years ago and have been moving from Ridgid to Makita since

We need a track saw review ! So happy you’re finally reviewing my platform. 🎊 🎉 I love my Mikita tools ⚒️

I've been on the Makita 18v platform for 20 years or more. Ever since my old DeWalt nicad drill went out in the middle of a job and I needed something to finish it. Got the Makita drill and impact kit on sale at home Depot. Man, the difference even then between the lithium and nicad setups was insane. I had smaller tools with more power and they lasted much longer and charged in minutes. Since then, I've got the 18v x2 worm drive saw that can rip LVLs into studs, cordless trim routers, sanders, oscillating tools, grinders, etc. their 18v pin nailer is better than any of my air guns. I still rock a few other brands for corded tools, but their cordless tools are some of the best in the business, and they have had a lot of great woodworking tools out for a long time, while Milwaukee is really just starting to introduce. DeWalt was the last to jump on the lithium ion train, and they battery tools have really struggled to keep up with other professional brands to the point where I have trouble recommending them to people getting into the trades. On a job sight, makita and Milwaukee are the most common battery tools I see. I've been a trim and specialist custom carpenter for more than two decades. Festool has some amazing tools, but they are better suited for the shop than in the field. As for the Makita 40v system, I don't think it's really caught on and it's getting harder and harder to find, so if you want to review more makita tools, stick to the 18v or r 18v x2 lineup