Customer Reviews:
 True variable speed May 3, 2005
James Oitzinger
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
Makita has two 14.4 impact drivers on the market. The older one is the 6932 and the newer the 6935. While both are priced about the same, the older is widely promoted packaged with a drill/driver unit. I chose to forgo the allure of a free drill/driver unit and bought the newer 6935 model. While both units are described as "variable speed", the newer was advetised by Makita to have "true variable speed". I took the addition of "true" to mean that torque would remain constant even when rotational speed was reduced. The quick and easy way to acheive variable speed is to reduce speed by modulating power. The draw back is that reducing power also reduces torque, to maintain full torque high speed is necessary.
The 6935 has meet my expectations. With the 6935, when driving a long screw, you can start fast and as the surface of the wood is approached, slow the speed and have the constant torque to continue driving the screw to the desired level. Of course, the deeper the screw goes, the more torque is demanded. and for shorter screws, the declining torque provided by an "untrue" variable speed driver will still get the job done. With longer screws, more demanding operations the need for full torque comes into play.
I think I made the right choice and passed on the free drill/driver that comes with the older model. The with the 6935 there is virtually no need for a drill/driver unit. The 6935 is far superior as a driver whether driving screws, nuts, or spade bit. And as a drill it has greater rotational speed than the drill unit. For me its better to carry one tool rather than two.
To complete the comparison, the 6935 has more the 10% greater speed and torque than the 6932, or for that matter other 1/4" impact drivers on the market.
As much as I like the 6935, and think it was the best choice at the time of purchase a few months ago. If I where to be in the market today and knowing what I know now, I would be hard pressed not to go for the new Panasonic 12 volt which permits the choice of three different torque levels. While the 6935 permits good fingertip control, it requires close attention and a mistake can be a broken screw or an over driven screw. It would be helpful to choose a maximum torque.
 Great Replacement for the One I used to have November 2, 2004
Paul A. Bowman (Hyde Park, Utah United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I used to have the 1st gen 12v impact and I used it 4 to 5 days a week in and week out for a couple of years. When someone walked off with it I went and bought the 14.4v and I am even more impressed. I use it to drive 3-3 1/2" screws for most of each work day and just love it. The light is fun but not really necessary as with the glow ring but hey the drill is awesome so who cares. Some people don't seem to like the new case but it has been bouncing around in the back of my truck along with all my other tools for two months now with no damage, also I like all the extra room for different and extra drivers. At any rate I love this little drill beats the snot out of my 18v drill/driver.
small package big power January 19, 2005
evil jack
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
this thing is great! this is the first cordless impact driver iv'e purchased and i cant tell you how impressed i am. ive been a pro. contractor for ten years and i'am used to being dissapointed my tools living up to my expectations, not the case here speed, power, great speed control, and all in a small lightweight package. i know there are complaints about the case maybe there valid but i wouldn't care if they shipped this thing in a porcelin vase its still a great tool and well worth the money, i couldn't imagine anybody not loving this tool.
Love it April 29, 2009
J. Dawson (Sparks, NV United States)
If they still make this little impact drill and the price is right, buy it. Mine has lasted a long time. The new Li-Ion is better though.
Drills are for drilling, this is for driving fasteners! January 24, 2009
Andrea F (NJ United States)
Like most people, I had been using a cordless drill to drive screws. This is no longer the case thanks to my Makita Impact Driver.
An impact driver drives a bit in rotation, much like a drill does. But the difference occurs when the driver bit meets resistance-Then it "hammers" the bit in a rotational direction. No, this is not like a hammer drill that hammers the bit back and forth while rotating.
As you may have noticed, the torque on this is significantly higher than any cordless drill.Weighing just 3.7 pounds, this tool is much lighter than a cordless drill, alot more compact.And, cranking out 0 - 3,200 impacts per minute, this tool gets the job done fast, too.
This tool is not without limitations- For example, it really is only meant to drive fasteners, not drill holes. It will do so in a pinch, but the bits have to have a 1/4 inch shank with a quick connect type end.(there are aftermarket conversion chucks for these, but I have no experience with them as of yet...)I would not recommend bits over 3/4 of an inch.
When the ratcheting action kicks in, some find it to be loud. I don't, but I may just be used to it.The results are even the longer fasteners are driven home painlessly, effortlessly, and without stripping the head of the screw!
Better quality driver bits are highly recommended for use with this tool as the higher torque will quickly wear out and even snap the heads off of cheaper driver bits!
There is no clutch on this tool, so you have to be careful and develop a feel for seating screws without having them blow right through the material. Used correctly, this tool could be right at home hanging drywall.
With your purchase of this tool,you get: 2 2.6Ah (Ni-MH) Batteries that offer significant improvement in longeviety and run time over their NICAD counterparts.
1434 Universal Charger That charges Makita batteries from 9.6-14 volts, bot NICAD and NIMH
2 Battery Cover To protect the terminals when you throw the battery into your tool bucket at the end of the day with a bunch of other tools...
Tool Case with ample room for a drill, flashlight and accessories.
The tool feels great in the hand, with plenty of rubber overmold grip. The batteries slide in and out easily, locking in very securely. The trigger feel is excellent, with no flat spots, very responsive!
The light weight of this tool makes it a pleasure to use doing overhead work. It drives a wole lot more screws per charge than any cordless drill I ever used.The LED light comes in handy when working in dark spaces. My brother in law has the Dewalt 18 volt model, and he wishes that it had a light.
My impact driver came with a rebate for a free drill, so that made it even sweeter! This offer still looks to be available.
There are so many uses for this tool that I only wish I'd gotten one sooner. This tool would have made quick work of driving the 3/8 lag screws(without pre drilling!) on the arbor that my brother in law and I built in my backyard.
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