MakitaDP4000 1/2" Drill

Quality product. To date, I have used this drill for woodworking projects and for cutting holes (1 to 1.5 inches) in aluminum sheet metal. It worked really well. The drill grip and side handle are both comfortable and well-designed. As the trigger is depressed, the drill accelerates smoothly and evenly with the variable speed. I could smell a whiff of some lubricant from the drill at high speeds, but I expect this will burn off in time. The motor is nicely balanced inside with no vibration to speak of. The drill has a narrow profile which means it doesn't need as much clearance on the sides as some drills. The chuck mechanism has a large key and tightening gear that makes it easy to crank. I really appreciate the extra power of this drill over the 3/8 inch models. Cutting sheet metal was no problem with a carbide-tipped bit. If you haven't used a 1/2 inch drill before, keep in mind the extra power means more heat on the drill bit and the surface of your materials. I was able to buy this drill for about $95.00 new on Amazon--an excellent value!

Fantastic drill. Typical solid Makita construction (made in Japan!). This drill delivers on power, torque and solid build. As some reviewers mentioned it WILL torque your arm or wrist if you are not careful. He variable speed trigger control is smooth and precise, and while drill is solid and beefy it does not feel unwieldy or too large. Yes it's bigger than a 3/8" drive but not by much. Excellent drill highly recommended.

Great drill, quality Makita product made in Japan. Plenty of power and cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else.*Update*This drill was just under 80 bux when I bought it new from amazon in 2015. It's a great electric drill but for $179 I might steer towards a brushless battery hammer drill instead.

The drill is fine, but it is let down by a poor quality chuck key that makes it almost impossible to tighten properly. It seems that the chuck does not fit properly - the teeth on the key do not line up exactly with the teeth on the chuck. The key is poor quality steel and the teeth have rounded off due to the poor match with the chuck.

Very good quality drill has no problem running a honing a big paddle bit or Stir for grout

After rendering my trusty 20+ year old makita 6303 inoperable (operator error, me) I was in need of a 1/2 inch corded drill.A contractor who worked for me bought a HF holeshooter knockoff and I laughed at him. It broke in two (literally, he was lucky he wasn't cut by the plastic) within minutes using a spade bit.He then bought a milwaukee holeshooter 1/2 inch drill (Milwaukee 0234-6 Magnum) which although made in china was pretty nice. Nice size and smooth. The only downside to that drill was the trigger was so long it was almost impossible to let go of the trigger and not the handle if you get into trouble (which happens with these powerful drills and spade bits). So I bought one of those.But mine made bad clackety gear sounds (spotty qc in chinese tools imo) so I returned it.I then bought this dp4000 having never seen one although liking makita in general (lots of makita tools).I haven't used it much yet but my first impressions are very favorable.pros:very very smoothfantastic trigger control from slow to fastvery comfortable grip and hand positioningpretty light consideringchuck action smooth and chuck key is not huge and fits most of my other makita drills, even 3/8handle is great and the easy way to put it on and off and in a number of positions is super handy as opposed to the usual screw in handlesreverse switch convenitent location leverthis grade of makita is made in japancons (minor)a bit long but not a problemcord not easily replaceable like the milwaukee (although I am not sure I see that as a negative really)quite a bit of after run as you would expect due to the inertia of this size drill so that is not a gripe at all. This drill is not meant for regular screws.A small bit of runout in chuck. So far I don't think it will be a problem.So it is even nicer and more industrial than I expected except for very slight chuck runout (I am pretty picky with tools).A joy in the hand and a major step up from my 6303 which I liked alot until I had this drill.I'll add I picked this drill in part because I wanted something that could turn at least 850 rpm to allow use of smaller bits as well If a person needs even more grunt and control at extremely low rpms, they should consider drills with a max of say 550 rpm.

I purchased this drill to augment my 1/2" stud drill and take some load off my 18V LXT cordless drill. I have used it to spin long straight augers and a large paint mixing attachment.I've mixed paint, grout, thin set and drywall compound and this drill has not complained once.The single low speed seems appropriate for auger bits and mixing and the variable speed function adds control over other drills I have used for this application.I would not hesitate to buy this drill again if the need arose.

This is a fine drill, it felt sturdy and comfortable. However, I did return it and exchanged it for the Makita DS4011 1/2-Inch Drill which has more amps and better handles for the job I need it for (mixing clay and paper). Both drills worked great with the "Bon 15-187 24-Inch Carbon Steel Drill Mixer with 5-Inch Triple Fin Wheel" I bought for the same purpose. For normal drilling purposes The DP4000 would be great (you can never go wrong with a Makita) but it strained a bit while mixing my clay and paper. I exchanged it for the DS4011 for more amps AND the very helpful top and side handles.I like both drills, but the DS4011 is better for my needs.