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Makita launched a new 18V cordless impact wrench kit, XWT19T.
The new Makita cordless impact wrench featured a 1/2″ square drive, brushless motor, and 3 speed and power settings.
It delivers up to 780ft-lbs max fastening torque, and 960 ft-lbs max nut-busting torque.
Makita USA describes the impact as being:
an ideal cordless solution for pro users in the automotive, installation, and fabrication trades.
- 1/2″ square drive with pin detent
- 780 ft-lb max fastening torque
- 960 ft-lb max but-busting torque
- Speed Ranges
- 0-900 RPM, 0-1,800 IPM
- 0-1,000 RPM, 0- 2,000 IPM
- 0-2,000 RPM, 0 – 2,400 IPM
- Weighs 7.5 lbs with battery
- Dual LED worklight
The kit comes with 1x 5Ah battery, charger, tool bag.
Price: $329 for tool-only, $589 for the kit
Discussion
I’ve heard a lot of negative commentary about the torque output, and am not sure if it’s fair or not.
For comparison, the latest Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2″ impact wrench delivers 1200 ft-lbs max fastening torque, 1600 ft-lbs max nut-busting torque, 4 speed settings, and tri-LED lighting for fewer shadows. The Milwaukee also has auto shut-off and bolt removal modes.
The new Makita impact looks like a high-torque, and it would be by power and performance standards a decade ago, but it’s not in the same class as modern high-torque impacts.
While they advertise it as being for “automotive, installation, and fabrication,” trades and applications, the marketing images show the impact being used mainly for heavy installation tasks.
The Torque Test Channel didn’t have kind words to say about it. They tested it, and found a “massive truckload of torque between” the Makita and competing models.
The viewer comments to that video are extremely unkind.
So here’s my question: if this is primarily aimed at heavy installation tasks, does it need more torque?
The price… $329 for the bare tool, but $589 for the 1-battery kit? That’s a $260 difference. If you’re shopping for the impact, I’d say get the tool-only and find a more cost-effective battery and charger solution – maybe a different promo of some kind.
Milwaukee also has an M18 non-Fuel impact wrench kit, model 2666-21B.
It delivers 800 ft-lbs max torque, 1200 ft-lbs max nut-busting torque, and is kitted with a 4Ah battery, charger, and tool bag for $249.
This kit is less than half the price of Makita’s.
Is there something special about the new Makita XWT19 that we’re not seeing?
Here’s Makita’s promo video:
