6 Useful Third-Party Accessories For Your Makita Tools

Makita is often counted as one of the best power tool brands on the market – and for good reason. Not only are the company's tools powerful and durable, but they also feature proprietary technology that you can't get from any other brand. On top of that, Makita has an absolutely massive catalog consisting of hundreds of different products that are good for everything from minor home repairs to professional-grade construction equipment. This makes the company's products popular among weekend maintenance warriors and professional contractors alike. That said, there are a lot of things that Makita doesn't make.

There are several useful accessories that you can purchase for your Makita tools from third-party manufacturers. Makita makes plenty of accessories itself, but it's ultimately just one company and isn't able to make every conceivable add-on that you might find yourself wanting — particularly if you find yourself needing something specific to address a less common problem. 

Some of these handy additions might be as simple as a belt clip, while others might change the way the tool functions altogether, but all of them expand the capabilities of your Makita tools. We chose these tools based on our woodworking and carpentry experience and selected tools with high overall user ratings and reviews. A full look at our methodology can be found at the end of this article. 

Have you ever been trying to drill a hole or drive a fastener, only to discover that the drill itself is stopping you from being able to access the place you're trying to work? Like it or not, power tools don't always fit in the places that we need them, so we need to find creative solutions that allow us to come at the problem from a different angle. One of the most useful accessories you can get for yourself is a right-angle drill adapter. A lot of companies sell impact-grade adapters that are designed to curve the angle of the bit away from the chuck of your drill or driver. This makes it so you can come at the pilot point from an angle that the drill itself wouldn't typically be able to manage.

The Ares 70790 Right Angle Driver, for instance, is an impressive accessory that boasts a max torque of 504 lb-in. It's rated for 18V drills or drills that are able to produce up to 2,000 RPM, meaning that it should work well with just about anything in the Makita LXT 18V lineup. It's able to hold any 1/4-inch drive bits and has a small handle for support and leverage. This accessory has a 4.5 out of 5 on Amazon, and it ranked as one of the best right-angle tool attachments by Family Handyman.

Alternatively, you could get something like the CIGOTU 4-in-1 kit of 360° rotatable hex shank impact driver socket adapters. This set is one of Amazon's best sellers in addition to being quite well-rated, boasting a 4.4 out of 5 star rating with over 8,000 reviews.

Have you ever needed to use your Makita circular saw to make long rip cuts on sheet goods like plywood or MDF? It can be pretty to free-hand a straight line, even with a laser line to keep you on track. The best way to get carpentry-quality straight cuts is to use a guide. You can always clamp a spare 2x4 to the board and use that as a guide, but it can be difficult to make the line square and there's always the chance that the 2x4 itself isn't perfectly straight. A much better solution is to buy a dedicated aluminum saw guide.

A few different companies make these, but the Kreg KMA3700 Accu-Cut XL Track Saw Guide is one of the better options out there. It's a bit on the pricier side compared to some of its competitors, but Kreg has a reputation for outstanding quality that's tough to beat. The XL is particularly good because it has extensions that allow you to make rip cuts that are up to 100 inches in length, making it long enough to cut the length of a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood. It's completely portable, works with both left and right-bladed circular saws, and has anti-slip guide strips that help prevent chip-out and remove the need for clamps.

The accessory has a 4.4 out of 5 on Amazon. "The guide track did not slip at all during the cut and I could walk along moving the saw without having to bend over and watch a guide and pencil line," wrote Jeff Fleisher of Highland Woodworking in his review. "Not having to clamp the guide was a real plus and really speeds up resetting the track for each cut."

Drills and drivers are among the most useful tools that any craftsperson has in their arsenal. Part of the reason that they have such widespread utility is because there are hundreds of different kinds of bits that each of them can use. It doesn't matter if your tool has an adjustable chuck or a quick-release hex-lock, there are going to be a lot of different kinds of bits that you're going to be using with it. Trying to juggle all of these different bits can be a hassle, and setting them down is an easy way to lose them. A great way to keep a few of your most used bits safe and at the ready is to invest in a set of magnetic bit holders.

Simon Tools makes a set of magnetic bit holders that are specifically designed to universally fit most drills and impact drivers–including those made by Makita. These are an affordable solution that can hold a wide range of bits. They're made of silicone, have a slight curvature, and adhere to the side of the drill using a durable 3M adhesive. Just make sure you clean up your tool with a bit of alcohol beforehand so it can get a good, clean area of contact when you install it. Each bit holder can store up to three different items. The magnet can also double as a screw holder if you need it.

This product has a 4.3 out of 5-star rating on Amazon, with customers praising its functionality, magnetic strength, and fit. However, there were a handful of complaints from users who complained that the adhesive eventually detached from their tool.

Makita's random orbital sanders are extremely useful tools. Not only are they powerful when it comes to removing material, but Makita is also regularly regarded as one of the best in the business when it comes to vibration absorption. That's important on any tool, but it's particularly nice on sanders, which can turn your hands numb after hours of use if you aren't careful.

That said, the sanding disks themselves aren't anything special, and they tend to be on the pricy side when compared to third-party options. You can pay $24.99 for a set of 30 Makita-brand sanding disks on Amazon that only comes in three different grits, or you can get a set of 150 sanding pads in 10 different grits from Neiko for only $19.97. That's five times as many disks for 20% less money.

These sanding pads have a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Amazon. The vast majority of reviews were from customers who claimed these sanding disks worked just as well as the hardware store brands while offering a wide variety of grits at an extremely reasonable price. I myself bought one of these sets when I first got into woodworking. I've found that they do get clogged or wear out a bit faster than some other brands, but the difference in quality is negligible when compared to the difference in cost, and slapping on a fresh pad only takes a few seconds.

There are a lot of different ways to join two pieces of wood together using Makita tools. Using biscuits or dowels to create an internal bond is popular since it leaves the surface of the wood completely intact. There are carpentry joints, like mortise and tenon, dovetail, miter, or lap joints, that require a fair bit of precision and often need specialty tools. Or, you can get a simple pocket hole jig.

A pocket hole is essentially an angled countersink that you place at the edge of a piece of wood so that you can drive a screw into it and form a joint. These are quick, strong, and easy to work with. They use special, self-piloting screws that are designed to fit the pockets and hold the joint firmly together. There are a lot of different companies out there that make these jigs, but Kreg is easily the most popular. The company is so synonymous with the technique that many people call them "Kreg joints" and "Kreg screws."

Kreg makes several types of pocket hole jigs that have a variety of different specializations. The Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 320 has everything you need to get you started. You can clamp it to just about any edge, and the kit even comes with the pilot bit and driver bit. "Because of its compact size and easy adaptability, the Kreg PHJ320 makes a great choice for most projects," wrote Mark Wolfe of Bob Villa, "It is well sized to work with small to midsize furniture and repair projects, or to drill pocket holes in plywood, and it can be customized into a variety of configurations for the project at hand."

Have you ever started cutting a piece of wood, only to realize too late that you forgot to turn on your dust collection system? It's happened to the best of us, but what if there was a way to connect your dust collection devices to your Makita power tools so that the latter will automatically activate the former?

That's where the iVac Pro Tool Plus Automatic Power Sensor comes in. This is a device that automatically detects when your tool is activated and sends a wireless RF signal to the iVac Pro Automated Switch connected to your dust collector, telling it to activate. It has three different programmable sensor modes: Auto, On, and Off.

These devices are sold separately, but they are made to work together. They each have a 4.5 out of 5 on Amazon, with customers praising the functionality and ease of setup for both of them across the board. "Overall, I'm happy with the system and it's great not having to hunt around for a remote anymore!" wrote The Wood Whisperer in their review. "The biggest challenge with this system is the price. If you're looking for basic automation, the simple iVac Automated Vacuum Switch is probably a good bet. But if you're planning on outfitting a full ducted shop, it's going to be a sizable investment."

I've been using power tools ever since I was old enough to hold them. I have a background in woodworking and furniture making. I've also done a fair bit of home repair and automotive work. I'm certainly no stranger to using third-party accessories with my tools, either. In constructing this list, I started by taking a look at the most popular third-party accessories that were available on retail sites with aggregate rating systems, such as Amazon and Home Depot. Relying on my own experience and expertise, I chose six items that I felt would be the most useful in coordination with Makita tools for the average craftsperson.

Once I had a list of useful products, I consulted independent reviewers to find the most reputable, reliable, and high-quality manufacturers of these products. Many of the best-selling products on sites like Amazon are rated so highly due to their affordability and not necessarily due to their quality. I wanted to ensure that the products we suggested not only worked with Makita products, but also matched the quality that the company's fans have come to expect in their tools.