Makita’s new 18V sub-compact brushless 3/8″ impact wrench, XWT12ZB, seems to be dropping soon.
This little guy features a brushless motor, 3/8″ drive size, compact design, 130 ft-lbs max torque, and 2 speed and torque settings. It also has a special “reverse rotation auto-stop” mode, which stops rotation and impact action when a fastener is adequately loosened.
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The new sub-compact brushless impact measures 5-5/8″ long and weighs 2.7 lbs with a battery pack (not included). From the looks of it, and what we know about Makita’s other sub-compact brushless tools, it will pair best with a compact 2.0Ah battery pack.
Makita shows the new 3/8″ impact wrench being used in heavy duty applications, such as on lug nuts as shown here.
It’s a little surprising, but welcome, that they opted to make this a 3/8″ wrench, and not just 1/4″.
Price: $159 for the bare tool
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Makita’s 18V sub-compact lineup so far includes a drill, impact driver, rotary hammer, and reciprocating saw.
First Thoughts
130 ft lbs converts to 1560 in-lbs, which is very competitive with full-sized compact impact wrenches.
What are the downsides? The best user experience will likely require pairing the tool with a compact battery pack, which could mean an extra expense for some users. But is that really a downside?
Looks to me like a nice effort by Makita to expand their 18V sub-compact lineup with another useful tool.
The yeti
They do look good in black.
pete
these subcompact 18v class tools are really nice in the hands, it feels and handles like a 12v but you aren’t limited to the dead makita 12v line.
That said 130ft/lbs seems pretty weak to me, it’s the same as using a impact driver and a socket adapter. that my opinion. i don’t know if i would like the auto stop feature as well… seems like it could drive me nuts.
Rock Hound - (J.Sutter)
Isn’t that the point? To drive your nuts.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Joe
Love new innovations from every company,but this subcompact 18v line is not on any jobs I see and it’s weaker then the M12 line……
Adam
130 puts it on par with the M12 Fuel 3/8 wrench.
If I was buying from scratch, the Makita line would be in consideration this time around.
JC
For a not much larger tool (little bigger up top is all) the m18 impact is a consideration and with 90 additional ft lbs to boot. I can only see this tool being chosen by someone already on the Makita 18v line, otherwise fuhget about it.
Bill
I’m invested in the Makita line, primarily for their carpentry/wood working tools. I’ve been asking for them to make some of the brushless impacts that are available from Dewalt and Milwaukee for a few years and they finally have the two models I’d actually use.
I’d prefer this model have a bit more torque but I think it should suffice as is. Unfortunately it takes a while for new models to make it to retail outlets so it will be a bit before I can get one.
Jalopy_J
1560 in/lbs is going to be pretty weak on things like the aforementioned lugnuts. I have the 1400in/lb M12 fuel 3/8 impact and even with a 6.0 XC Pack I wish it had more power. I was hoping it would be close in power to my 12 year old craftsman 3/8 pneumatic I use, but it isn’t.
Diplomatic Immunity
I think a wiser choice would be the XWT11Z with 210 ft lbs. This is the only subcompact that I’m not really sure as to why they released it. I mean I don’t think the XWT11Z is that much bigger if at all. Doesn’t look it it. And the price is pretty similar.
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XWT11Z-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless/dp/B01NCJQH1I
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XWT11Z
Diplomatic Immunity
XWT11Z – Compact and ergonomic design at only 5-3/4″ long weighs 2.7 lbs with a battery pack, $159 bare, 130 ft lbs torque, 3/8 inch square drive
XWT12ZB- The new sub-compact brushless impact measures 5-5/8″ long
with battery net weight 3.8 lbs, $189 bare, 210 ft lbs torque, 1/2 inch square drive
I don’t think I would pick the subcompact in this case.
chris
This size can be extremely useful in tight areas like zipping off the plastic guards under an engine when doing an oil change. I have 2 vehicles where the bigger size is too long without jacking up the car to remove. I do my oil changes without a jack and the time saved with these small impacts is huge to me.
steven
chris I hear you, but what bolts will this new 3/8 impact wrench do that the original impact driver with adapter can’t? Most who love the sub-compact already have that kit that was released a few yrs ago so I don’t think this thing has enough power for the price. That other impact can be bought new for much cheaper and provides 103 inch lbs vs 130 on this new product. This thing should have at least had 180 for it to be a viable option between the XWT11Z and the original impact driver.
Only Buy Quality
I just bought a XWT11Z. It is an amazing tool. So much power in a small package. Easy to control. Best socket retainer I have ever encountered on an impact wrench.
Nathan
it looks to me like a 3/8 square drive model of a decent 1/4 hex impact driver. Size, weight, torque it almost matches my dewalt 895 imactor.
And I’ll say this I use that impactor with a 1/4 hex to 3/8 socket adapter to run bolts and nuts on occasion. I would never use it on a lug nut though at 120 ft lbs it should work that on my one car.
I have instead a dewalt _____ impact wrench which is a good bit bigger for things like lugnuts because they can get very tight with age. Sure you can torque them to 110 per the manual spec but after 6 month with grime and corrosion or whatever they need closer to 150 to come off.
ANyway looks like a good tool – if I was in the makita battery set I’d look at one. There is a dewalt thing that is similar to the impact driver but with a 3/8’s anvil. I’ve thought about buying one but I use my adapter. This reminds me of that.
Allen
Nice to see the Lego toy look color patterns are on the way out.
Frank D.
This series seems like a smart choice … more compact tools on any of their 18v batteries.
Sadly I went from 12v NIMH Makita (discontinued) to Ridgid 24 v (discontinued) … sigh.
Why could they not keep their own battery platform alive like Ryobi???
firefly
You are right about the Ryobi platform. Even though I don’t own a lot of Ryobi tool they do have a very viable platform. They do have a very decent line up for the core tools along with some very interesting tools that are unique to Ryobi.
Joe Smith
I look forward to trying to find one of these in tall grass at night.
Matt
All of my battery tools are Craftsman and DeWalt but I think this is great! I use my Craftsman C3 3/8 impact all the time and for most stuff it has plenty of power. I’ll break out the C3 1/2 inch impact for rusty truck lugs and such. I have a DeWalt 1/4 inch impact driver but I hate using the extension adapters for larger impact sockets because they tend to snap and it makes the entire thing too long for tight spots. So 99% of the time I use the 3/8 Craftsman because of the square drive. Click my socket on and go… It has 130 ft.lbs of torque just like this and as I said, it’s usually plenty for anything. Heck my 1/2 inch is something like 300 ft. lbs and is overkill for anything I’ve ever needed. I think they have a winner here. It’s compact and perfect for guys like myself who do a lot of automotive stuff.
Toolfreak
I don’t think the rotary hammer or saw is that compact, given the compact 18V designs of Bosch and Milwaukee, but I do like the idea of a 3/8″ drive impact wrench with 130 ft/lb of torque. Seems a good amount for the drive size, though taking off lug nuts is a little much, better to use a 1/2″ drive with more torque for that rather than constantly stressing the 3/8″ anvil or motor.
ktash
I have the drill and driver in this subcompact line and they have become by far the most used drill and driver. Even though I have a Makita compact drill and driver I don’t use them near as much as I once did. Since I do woodworking, don’t see much use for this one, but if I did that’s what I’d get. For me, the ergonomics and maneuverability in all kinds of spaces win out, and enough power for what I need.
Sorry to see that baby recip saw because now I want one! Where maneuverability is a real plus sometimes. Perhaps Father’s Day sales time.
Jack
Slightly off topic, but could someone explain the difference between Makita’s XZ models versus Z models? The Z usually denotes the bare tool, but the descriptions say the same for XZ as well but there are marginal differences in price for the two which leads me to believe something’s gotta be different. Could it be the case it comes on?