Review on 🔧 Makita 6407 8 Inch Variable Reversible: Power and Versatility in One Tool by Joseph Stone

I bought this Makita drill to replace my worn out 35+ year old drill that finally gave up the ghost. I know Makita makes quality tools and I don't need a cheap drill from abroad which is why I chose the brand. ). Plugged it in and the boy was surprised at how it sounded. My old drill had worn bearings and sounded like a rock on its last legs. Makita made smooth, powerful gearing sound like a mini jet engine! Little did I know how bad my old drill had gone or how smooth and powerful the Makita was going to be. The body of the drill I believe is made of nylon (a very strong and durable plastic) and is "turquoise" in color. nice teal. The power cord is strong but surprisingly flexible. It lies solidly and comfortably balanced in the hand. The chuck key snaps into a special section on the underside of the handle. Very convenient. I specifically bought the "key type" metal chuck model because I've found that keyless drill chucks don't hold up as well as the key type. So what? How it works? Well I tried drilling some large test holes in wood with a 3" hole saw and in steel panels with a 1/2" drill bit (with a 3/8" shank). Wow! This kid is STRONG! I intentionally pushed the drill harder than I should have and this Makita barely changed RPM. More power available. Very impressive. The only "problem" (which isn't really a problem) is that the reverse switch works versus my old drill press. I flipped the switch to what I thought was "backward" and it went forward! Surprise! I will get used to it. Even without a load (just turning at full speed), there are no vibrations. The motor and gearbox are well balanced and use ball bearings instead of the cheaper and less durable sleeve bearings. The full RPM is a bit higher than my old drill and it's fast enough to do a good job with a small grinding wheel. Speaking of speed, the variable speed trigger control is very smooth. The more you press, the faster it goes. And the engine start button works great, keeping the drill at full speed and releasing it with a light pull on the trigger. The drill can be locked in any direction. A nice feature is that the directional switch is locked to the trigger. This prevents accidental pressing of the switch while the engine is running and "engaging reverse gear". To change the direction of rotation, the drill must be stopped. Nice gesture. My only regret is that I didn't purchase this drill many years ago. That's great! Two thumbs up for the Makita Model 6407 3/8" bit!