Makita BTD200SH 24 Volt, 1/4-Inch Cordless Impact Driver Kit

Don't be confused; this is not an impact wrench but an impact driver (different chuck) designed for screws and lag bolts of all types. That being said, the Makita driver is a dream. I use it for installing big 1/2" lag bolts (use a 1/4"- 1/2" socket adapter) into thick pressure treated pilings. I previously used a hammer drill, now those days of jerked wrists and rounded bolt heads are over. This one is smooth. It can easily drive a 40 Torx screw through a railroad tie, almost effortlessly. No more stripped sockets. I can drive any ware from 1000-1200, 1/2 x 12 lags before it needs a charge. It does get a little hot from extended continuous use, but this is only a minor inconvenience. If you need the power to drive and work all day, this is the tool. This tool has been dropped, left in the rain, and worked harder then any tool should be, but it comes back for more every time. The Makita driver seems almost bullet proof. The charger that comes with it is easy to...Read more

This tool is a handyman's dream. I'm not sure whether this $549 price is for the impact wrench or the impact driver. The picture on this page is for the impact wrench, but the part number is for the impact driver (BTD200SH). The wrench version should have model number BTW200SH. I'd call up Amazon to confirm before ordering. I know for a fact Amazon is selling BTD200SH for $399. Do a search for BTD200SH on Amazon and you will see two entries: one 399, the other for 549. The price for the impact driver has tumbled everywhere else but Amazon, because Makita is reportedly phasing out this tool for reasons I don't know (hefty price?, hefty weight?, hefty size?). The price for the impact wrench version BTW200SH has not changed. An impact driver has a quick change 1/4" hex chuck, whereas an impact wrench has a square socket drive head. Only the impact driver has been discontinued. The identically built impact wrench version is still being manufactured and not discounted.

First a...Read more

This tool is a handyman's dream. The price on this tool has tumbled elsewhere because Makita is reportedly phasing out this tool for reasons I don't know (hefty price?, hefty weight?, hefty size?). Too bad the Amazon price is still very high. Note that the BTD200SH is an impact driver and not an impact wrench. An impact driver has a quick change 1/4" hex chuck, whereas an impact wrench has a 3/8" square socket drive head. Only the impact driver has been discontinued. The identically built impact wrench version is still being manufactured.

First a caveat: I am only a homeowner and not a contractor. I use my tools to fix my own home and a couple of my mother's rental properties. My views are from a novice user's/handyman's vantage point.

I bought this tool after a contractor, whom I hired for a major repair job, touted to me the benefits of impact drivers when used to drive long wood screws. The benefits are: no hand strain, dramatically reduced chances of stripping the screw...Read more