4 Makita Tools You Should Avoid (According To Users)

There are loads of power tool brands to choose from, and while there's nothing wrong with mixing and matching to one's desire, many prefer sticking with one brand. Not only is color coding one's power tools visually satisfying, but some are considered better than others and have a long history of positive press. Makita, which has been a notable name in the power tool world for over a century, is one such brand that countless tradespeople and DIYers alike swear by.

Makita has remained well-known and popular thanks to its deep power tool catalog. It has everything one could need, and even some tools specific to certain tasks. To get the most out of it, though, there are a few things you need to consider before buying Makita tools. While it's not the most crucial, it's important to look at customer reviews of Makita offerings, and do some digging into the ones that have been assessed especially negatively.

Throughout the years, a handful of Makita tools have missed the mark. Some professional reviewers have even urged reconsidering certain Makita products. These are the ones that average users feel should be avoided and why.

A hammer and a box of nails can get you through most situations, but sometimes, a good nailer is a must. After all, hand nailing in floor baseboards or deck planks could get tedious, so a tool that can fire out nails in the blink of an eye with the push of a button is a game-changer. Makita has gotten in on the nailer market, though it hasn't found much success among many tool users.

Makita's brad nailers haven't delivered for many. "That brad nailer is one of the worst tools they've got," said Redditor u/No-Entertainment-703, with u/Gespuis recalling that not even the included instructions could help them resolve the nailer's misfiring issue. While some admit that most other Makita experiences they've had have been fine, the nailers were so bad that they went ahead and replaced them with those from other brands.

Over on the Home Depot website for the Makita 18V LXT cordless brad nailer, several customers reported major issues. Pa385 shared, "It jams constantly, at least every 20-30 nails shot. Doesn't matter nail brand or length. And the jams are so bad it's nearly impossible to clear some of them, as it fires right back in the nail slide." SHAUN added that it's quite unwieldy to use, being rather heavy and shaped in such a way that it can't reach tight areas most other nailers can. 

The tool might not be for everyone, but an autofeed screwdriver is a pretty handy piece to have. Monotonous labor involving repeated screw insertions is made easier with this tool, having multiple screws on deck so you can move from spot to spot without having to load more up. In the case of Makita's attempt at this appliance, sadly, the brand missed the mark.

The most glaring issue with Makita's autofeed screwdriver is jamming, which totally does away with the speed and efficiency this tool is supposed to provide. "I thought at first it was just my fault being unfamiliar with a new tool but even when I worked very slowly and methodically the jams still occurred," said Amazon user builder bob of their misfortune with the tool, with PaulA highlighting the jamming issue in their own review of the screwdriver.

As it turns out, jamming isn't the only thing to keep an eye out for should you use this tool. Per Amazon's ROBERT H, getting it to the proper depth setting is an unnecessary hassle: "This drywall gun will not let you set a depth far enough to drill the screw down into the drywall. I have taken the select knob off the top and [ground] it out so I could set a depth that would work for me." John mentioned in their review that finding compatible screws and other components is difficult as well.

A small vacuum is great to have around to tidy up small areas in a flash. Whether it's wood shavings after doing some carpentry work or food crumbs and other debris left over in your car after a family road trip, these appliances are incredibly handy. If you need to get one, though, many advise against going with one of Makita's models.

"Very underwhelming suction. Might be useful to clean your laptop keyboard of sandwich crumbs. Besides its poor performance, it uses non-standard attachments. Could have been useful if it had a normal round brush attachment," said Jack in their Home Depot review of the apparently underwhelming 18V LXT Makita handheld canister vacuum. Several others on the site echoed the claim that the unit simply lacks the suction power to get much of anything done, going on to give the Makita vacuum a mere one star out of five for its poor performance.

This poor suction isn't an issue limited to Home Depot customers, either. Even over on Amazon, users have discussed the vacuum's lack of power. Consumerist on Amazon commented, "Was great for the first time as we used it to blow dust out of switches, routers and servers, then vacuumed up some dust. Second time and it is not sucking a thing! Bag is almost empty, filters still crystal clean and absolutely useless." Richard B. suggested going for the Milwaukee equivalent instead, and Rob Pinelli said that even if it does meet your needs suction-wise, it's frustratingly small, so you can't get much done before having to clear it out.

Flashlights are pretty straightforward. Press a button or flick a switch and you have a strong light source. Some are meant to be used casually, others are designed with job sites and extreme use in mind. One would think that Makita, being a power tool brand, would boast some heavy-duty flashlights, but according to customers, they're not great.

"I also have this folding wand flashlight (DML816) that everytime I use it I feel like I'm going to snap it in half. I don't use it often, but it feels very suspect," u/McBigglesworth said of their Makita flashlight on Reddit, explaining that it feels cheap and flimsy in hand. In the same thread, u/bmx13 went as far as to claim that you're better off getting a less costly pocket-sized flashlight, as it'll fit your budget and meet your performance needs even more so than Makita's offerings. You could always see what the most popular flashlight brands have, too.

Even after admitting that they're an ardent Makita supporter, Redditor u/Rickhonda125 claimed that the brand's flashlights — not to be mistaken with the more impressive tripod lights — miss the mark. Adding onto the problematic elements, u/FR_Ray pointed out that the economics just aren't there for what you get: "Their lights and radios are way too expensive." u/bmx13 couldn't help but agree on this front, especially considering the disappointing output these lights have to offer.

Of course, it should be said that with all of these Makita tools, one's individual mileage may vary. Just know before you buy that these tools in particular have proven frustrating for many Makita users throughout the years, so much so that they took to the Internet to share their poor experiences.