6 Makita Tools Every Home Mechanic Would Love To Have In Their Tool Kit

As a mechanic working on my personal vehicles and those belonging to friends and family for the past four decades, I know that using quality tools is important. Those tools also need to be budget-friendly since payment for services rendered typically comes in cans or bottles. Scrolling through Makita's online catalog, several tools caught my eye as possible upgrades or additions to my tool box.

Shopping online is my best option, since Lowe's doesn't sell Makita tools and the nearest Home Depot is an hour away. Fortunately, Makita's website offers a wealth of information about its cordless and corded power tools. While the corded power tools are simple enough, the various battery systems are more complex. Even though the 40-volt XGT batteries are the most powerful in the lineup, I find that the Makita 18-volt LXT and 12-volt CXT battery powered tools strike a balance of value, power, and size most useful in the home garage. Let's take a look at six Makita tools I'd love to add to my home garage tool kit.

Makita's 18V LXT High-Pressure Inflator, available from Home Depot for $189, is one of the most underrated Makita tools you can have in a home garage. Most of us have a larger air compressor at home to provide compressed air for pneumatic tools and inflating tires. However, having a portable inflator is invaluable when someone calls for help with a low tire or if you don't want to stretch an air hose out to the driveway.

The Makita High-Pressure Inflator weighs just 4.6 pounds without the battery, and 6.1 pounds with the 18V LXT battery attached. Its compact 12.5-inch length, 4.25-inch width, and 9.13-inch height allows it to easily fit into the back or front floorboard of most vehicles. With a maximum output of 160 PSI, the cordless Makita inflator provides sufficient pressure to inflate common bicycle, car, truck, and trailer tires to their required specifications. It's also useful for Presta valve-equipped tires, inflated sports balls, and beach balls with the included adapters.

From experience, using a cordless inflator to inflate an extremely low tire can take several minutes, but the Makita unit relieves you from the worry of over-inflation with its auto-stop feature. Simply set the unit to the desired pressure and wait for it to stop. Or, you can keep an eye on the back-lit pressure gauge if you don't trust the auto-stop.

A portable source of light is another useful tool for working on a car. Options typically include corded varieties using either an incandescent bulb, a fluorescent, an LED, or a flashlight. Makita's 12V Cordless CXT LED Lantern/Flashlight, on Amazon for $89.97, features a cordless design that provides three lighting modes for multiple uses. The three lighting modes include use as a 360-degree lantern, a 90-degree lantern, and a flashlight.

With its 20 LED bulbs, the CXT lantern provides 710 lumens of illumination in a 360-degree arc surrounding it, for up to 5.5 hours when equipped with a 12V max CXT 4.0 amp-hour battery. Run time increases to 17 hours when switching the lantern to 90-degree mode and 19 hours as a flashlight using the same battery. The unit also accepts the 2.0 amp-hour 12V max CXT battery from Makita, but the lower-capacity battery provides shorter run times. The unit weighs 1.4 pounds with a battery attached and measures 13.13 inches in length. It even has a USB port that allows charging for your cell phone or other electronic devices.

While cordless grease guns are the norm, the task of pumping one of the mechanical varieties often requires three hands, when combined with holding the gun to the grease zerk while lubricating your car's suspension or lawn mower deck bearings. The 18V LXT Cordless Grease Gun eliminates the need to pump the contraption to deliver grease to parts that need lubrication.

Makita sells its 18V LXT Grease Gun as a kit that includes a 2.0 amp-hour battery, a battery charger, and a carrying case, or as a tool only option on Amazon for $167.99. The cordless grease gun weighs 11.3 pounds with the battery and uses standard 400-gram grease tubes. The attached 47.25-inch flexible hose delivers grease to the zerk when the operator applies pressure to the unit's variable speed trigger for two-handed operation.

The 18V LXT Grease Gun provides up to 10,000 PSI to push grease into mechanisms while forcing old grease out, where designed to do so. With options for low and auto speed modes, and the variable speed trigger, it's possible to deliver the required amount of grease. In addition, the unit's 10 fluid ounce per minute maximum flow rate and trigger lock button allow quick completion of the largest jobs.

Whether loosening lug nuts or removing stubborn bolts, you'll find yourself reaching for an impact wrench often. Sure, pneumatic impacts and long breaker bars can get the job done, but the convenience of slapping a fresh battery into the Makita 18V LXT Brushless High-Torque ½-inch-drive Impact Wrench, available at Tractor Supply for $289, and taking it anywhere beats the pneumatic. Plus pulling its trigger provides easier operation than a breaker bar.

The Makita LXT Impact Wrench has up to 740 lb-ft of fastening torque and 1,180 lb-ft of nut-busting torque, as Makita calls it. The cordless impact features three selectable speed options with settings capped at 900, 1000, and 1,800 rpm for improved operator control. In addition to controlling the unit's rpm, the speed selector controls the impacts per minute as well. The low-speed setting delivers up to 1,800 impacts per minute, medium gives up to 2,000, and high-speed cranks out 2,200 strikes per minute.

With a battery, the impact wrench weighs 7.9 pounds and measures nine inches in length. The standard ½-inch square drive fits common ½-inch drive sockets and adaptors and uses a friction ring to keep them secure when in use.

Another battery powered tool that combines the pneumatic version's speed with hand-held convenience is the Makita Cordless 12V Max CXT Ratchet featuring interchangeable ¼- and ⅜- inch drives. The CXT Ratchet comes as a tool only option or as a kit like the one carried by Home Depot for $214. While the tool only CXT Ratchet is a good option if you already have compatible batteries, the kit includes a 2.0 amp-hour battery, compatible battery charger, and a storage bag.

The 12V max CXT Ratchet has a variable speed of up to 800 rpm and provides up to 35 lb-ft of torque. If 35 lb-ft isn't enough to get the job done, the tool's ratcheting action allows the application of additional hand pressure like other cordless ratchet wrenches. With the battery, the ratchet weighs 2.35 pounds and measures about 13.5 inches in length. An added feature not found on conventional or pneumatic ratchets is the built-in LED light for use in those dark recesses too small for a ratchet and a work light.

If your mechanic duties include polishing and waxing the vehicles under your care, the Makita Five-inch Dual Action Random Orbit Polisher, available as a kit from Home Depot for $499, is a great tool to have in your garage. In addition to the 7.8 amp corded five-inch random orbit polisher, the kit includes a five-inch diameter hook-and-loop backing pad, white, orange, and black foam polishing pads, a tool bag, and a wrench.

The orbital polisher provides variable speeds up to 780 rpm, with a 5.5mm orbit. The polisher's dual action allows options for up to 6,800 random orbits per minute with forced or free rotation for a variety of applications. If you haven't used an orbital polisher before, you'll want to do some research before starting as there are some things you need to know before using it on your car. The polisher alone weighs 6.2 pounds and has an overall length of 17.75 inches. The unit's double insulated power cord is protected by a guard and the air vent intake is covered to prevent fibers and dust from fouling the motor, ensuring longer tool life.

As a lifelong mechanic, these tools appear to possess the functionality required to make a variety of jobs performed in the garage (or on the side of the road) easier, more comfortable, and better overall. There are other Makita tools that almost made this list, like the 18V LXT Cordless Fan, 18V LXT Cordless Angle Grinder, and 18V LXT Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum. These are currently on my Saved for Later shopping list.