91% of 46 verified owners recommend the Makita XFD13 Drill, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“Makita makes good tools but their battery tech seems to be lagging behind the others”
“I just picked up a xfd13 drill and it’s much nicer than the black option and not that much bigger/heavier”
“Been downhill ever since”
“I own that Makita d handle and it is just on or off full bore. I don't know what it's good for. I would get rid of that one”
“xfd13 is really good also but bigger”
“I personally consider Makita the pinnacle of battery powered tools even if I don't necessary work in construction and even use my drill so often.”
“The Makitas I was using back in the 90’s were top of the line then, but PURE SHIT compared to my current day Ryobi”
“Makita My cordless with spare battery and charger in a " suitcase carry box" is now officially 19yrs old, still use it nearly every damn day”
“My old ryobi bits now go through steel and the old petrified wood of my 110 year old century home like a hot knife through butter”
“Those Makitas are beasts, I've drilled thousands of 5/8" and 3/4" holes in truck chassis rails with one of those, very reliable”
“i smoked a makita once, and all it needed was new brushes/brushholder.. was a cheap part, and it still works fine to this day.”
“Ended up buying that exact makita (maybe slightly newer) and it cruised through everything I’ve thrown at it 5+ years later”
“If I could pick up that Makita at the right price that would be sweet to have as well. Great for mixing mortar and paint”
“Both are great drill motors but the Makita probably runs at a lower speed and has enough torque to twist you around”
“I inherited the same makita d handle from my fil and wasn’t sure if I would keep it or not, clearly I should lol”
“i beat the shit out these things to mix concrete, mix mud, the occasional giant holes saw. They last forever”
“I don’t think that would have happened with my Makita, it’s a Beast! I still use it to mix drywall mud”
“I’ve got an old Makita like that. They definitely don’t make them like that anymore. Awesome drill”
“Makita is pretty good, I remember a lot of jobs where DeWalt failed the Makita kept cranking away.”
“We had that makita drill at work and only used it for 6” hole saw through metal. Absolute beast”
“My Makita corded drill is 20 years old and I’ve replaced the brushes once I use it to mix mud”
“Keep the Makita, lower rpm and higher amps, better for heavy stuff that your cordless can’t”
“Makita because I like makita, especially older makita, and for the D handle and larger size”
“All i know is my makita drills and batteries are at least a decade old and working great”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XFD131 https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XFD12Z Did you even look at the specs? Xfd12 is a beefier model in all regards. Also as far as I'm aware the gearbox is all metal in xfd12 as opposed to plastic gears in xfd13”
“The red drills themselves would have issues running for long periods. Even if a battery was full charge a pilot drill (standard driving drill) would require alot of effort to push it through material.”
“I have the exact same model (XFD13) and problems removing chuck as the OP did and this method worked for me!”
“When trying this the xfd13/ddf485 turns off and rotates back a bit automatically. What’s up with that?”
“I have the XDT13 impact driver + XFD13 drill. 2 3.0ah batts. With standard charger. Got the 2 4.0ah batteries with rapid charger deal with the subcompact 6.5” circ saw which has way more power and lighter than expected! That thing is sweet. The kicker... recently got the Makita cordless handheld Vacuum.”
“It's also not an issue of them holding up, it's about how frustrating they can be to use. Trying to drill holes in a steel plate for example can be very frustrating when they just randomly keep stopping because the tool thinks it's overloaded. I barely use my xph12 because of this but use my xph14 all the time.”
“"fresh battery" Edit: OP replied below saying that they didn't actually charge the battery, just took it off another tool to test. Battery charged and the driver is working now!”
“Definitely check after cooling. Brushless is longer lasting - important if it gets a lot of use. The batteries included seem to be the difference.”
“This, definitely call the company and see if it’s under warranty. I got a new battery charger replacement and they didn’t even require receipt- they just shipped out a new one and told me to throw the faulty one out.”
“Is one got a hammer drill setting for going into concrete? No? You keep the makita, I would love to have the workhorse milwaukee”
“Most Makita drill and impact drills have a cover on the back held by two screws which when removed reveals all brushes.”
“The Makita is a single speed and the Milwaukee is variable. Higher likelihood to break your wrist on the single speed.”
“Even if it did get fried it is probably just the carbon brushes and the plastic brush holder that need to be replaced. The holder usually melts slightly and then the brushes no longer get pushed down to make contact. Very simple and cheap to do.”
“Did u push the little fwd/rev button in the handle? Make sure it isn’t in the middle position bc it will not spin.”
“Makita looks like a mud mixer if you do any drywalling or anything else that uses adhesive that needs stirring.”
“I use this Makita gear every day and it sounds like the battery is just dead - the light does come on with a flat battery. I've had mine to the point where they're smoking and they come good the next day with a freshly charged battery and time to cool down.”
“Makita will definitely replace it under warranty I've had to do it a couple of times on their impacts”
“Yes, OP should definitely try charging the battery if she isn't sure it was fully charged to start with. Unlike the old rechargeable batteries that would kind of slow down and tell you they were about to die, the lithium ones go from working to not in a snap.”
“Yeah sadly. I immediately disconnected the battery and let it sit overnight. I thought maybe it had a overheating cutout switch or something. Tried with fresh battery this morning. The light in front comes on but the drill dies not spin. Edit: Thrived to Tried”
“Failing that...it's cheaper here: https://www.cpooutlets.com/factory-reconditioned-makita-xdt11z-r-18v-lxt-cordless-lithium-ion-1-4-in.-impact-driver--tool-only-/mktrxdt11z-r.html Also, in the future...a drill would be better for that job rather than an impact driver.”
“Did you recharge the battery, too? Light on and no movement can happen with a dead battery.”
“This is not a drill, it's an impact driver. For stirring paint, you want a drill with the torque limit set to drill (there is a drill bit icon on the collet selector). An impact driver is only for driving screws, nuts, and bolts. Is the driver dead when you replace the battery?”
“Plausible scenarios, I’m sure you’ve tried some of these already, but just to cover all the bases: Motor is overheated, give it time to cool and try again. Impact Drivers are not designed to have the trigger pulled and held for long periods of time. Battery is empty or overheated, let it cool and charge.”
“Second pic is the same impact driver, third is that model and a similar drill. Try using it again after giving it time to cool off. If the batteries get too hot they'll shut off to keep them from getting damaged. If your husband uses it a lot, the brush (replaceable part on motor) might just be worn out.”