Makita's XFD14Z is the compact 18V LXT drill/driver: brushless, two speeds, 65 Nm and a 21-position clutch in a 2.9 lb body. It is strongest driving fasteners and doing light drilling, where TechGearLab scored it 4 out of 5 and placed it near the top of its drill comparison, and its runtime is unusually good for a compact battery. Large hole saws are the exception; the drill drops into low gear, slows right down and empties the pack. Best for someone already on the 18V LXT platform who wants a small drill for fasteners and pilot holes rather than sustained heavy cutting.
Full review
Two speeds, 21 clutch settings, 65 Nm
The XFD14Z is Makita's compact 18V LXT drill/driver: a brushless motor, a two-speed gearbox running 0-500 and 0-2000 RPM, a 1/2 inch keyless chuck, 65 Nm of torque and a 21-position clutch. At 2.9 lb with a compact battery it sits between a sub-compact 12V tool and a full-size hammer drill, which is the point of it. It takes the same 18V LXT packs as the rest of the platform without the bulk that usually comes with them. TechGearLab scored it 4 out of 5 and placed it near the top of its drill comparison; a YouTube reviewer scored it 5 out of 5 and called it a staple for a home tool kit.
Drives lag screws with room to spare
Driving is where the drill earns its ranking. It takes large lag screws to full depth, starting in high gear and finishing in low, and the 21-setting clutch gives enough resolution to stop short of stripping softwood or over-driving a cabinet screw. Smaller drilling is similarly untroubled: 1 inch paddle bits go through stacked boards without stalling, and a quarter-inch twist bit clears sheet steel in about a second and a half. Pro Tool Reviews' coverage of the sub-compact 18V LXT combo kit, a neighbouring tool rather than this exact model, makes the same argument about the brushless motor and two-speed gearbox handling a wide range of fastener sizes.
Nine battery cycles before it quit
Runtime is the other strength. Comparison testing has the drill completing nine full charge cycles before dying on the tenth, run with a 2Ah pack comparable to what most competing kits include in the box. The brushless motor is doing most of that work, and the practical effect is that the tool stays useful through a full day of intermittent driving rather than needing a mid-afternoon swap. That efficiency is also what makes the compact battery viable at all: with a heavier-drawing brushed motor, the same pack on the same tool would feel badly undersized by lunchtime.
Large hole saws drag it into low gear
The limit shows up with large hole saws. The drill has to drop to low gear, takes around twenty seconds to finish a single hole, and empties the battery doing it, which turns a run of holes for door hardware or plumbing into a battery-swapping exercise. Larger twist bits show a milder version of the same problem. This is a compact drill being asked to do a full-size drill's job, and it is the clearest signal of where the tool belongs: fasteners, pilot holes and light drilling rather than sustained high-load cutting. Anyone doing much hole-saw work should be looking at a hammer drill instead.
Compact body on the full 18V platform
The compact format is the reason to choose this over a bigger LXT drill. It is short enough to work inside a cabinet carcass or between studs, the handle stays comfortable through a day of trigger time, and there is an LED and a battery-level indicator on board. Against the wider field it is heavier than a 12V-class tool from Bosch or Ryobi, outmuscled by a Milwaukee M18 FUEL or a DEWALT XR hammer drill, and it has no hammer mode at all. At its current price it reads as an addition to an existing 18V LXT collection rather than as somebody's first drill.
Strengths
- +Excellent performance driving fasteners with 21 torque settings for control
- +Great battery life with 2Ah battery tested
- +Short length design for use in confined spaces
- +Brushless motor technology for efficient operation and longer life
Watch-outs
- −Struggled with larger hole saw applications requiring lower gear
- −Heavier than some competitors in the category
How it compares
The Makita 18V LXT Brushless Cordless Compact Drill/Driver excels in driving performance and battery life compared to the Bosch 12V Max or Ryobi ONE+, but it's heavier and less powerful than the Milwaukee M18 FUEL. Unlike the DEWALT 20V MAX XR, it struggles with larger hole saw applications, making it less versatile than the DEWALT hammer drill.
Rating sources
“The Makita 18V LXT Brushless Cordless 1/2" Driver-Drill scored very well compared to the models in our best drill review, coming close to claiming the top spot.”
“this thing is an all-around Beast of a drill should be a staple for any tool kit in your home 18 volt Makita drill is highly recommended”
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
