I’ve been sitting on this Makita Impact XPS screwdriver bit set for some time now – the pandemic has really disrupted my concept of time – and finally had a chance to put them through some use this week.
To be clear, I’m not yet ready to do the full spectrum of testing that I have in mind for these bits. But, I put a couple of bit styles through heavy use today, and felt compelled to write about them while the experience was still fresh.
Advertisement
Here’s what happened: I couldn’t find a pack of the screwdriver bits I needed, and this Makita XPS screwdriver bit set caught my gaze from its place on my “I really need to test these power tool accessories ASAP” corner. So, I opened the packaging and grabbed some bits.
What better time to test anything new than when you really need them for a project, right?
Today I went through Robertson/square #2, Torx T20, Torx T25, and Phillips #2 bits.
Unfortunately, I can’t really show off my experience with these bits – not right now at least, as I only paused for a couple of quick snapshots. But, I can still tell you what happened.
First, I was floored at how good the fitment was. It’s almost too good. I had to put in some grunt work with pliers to remove a sheared-off screw head at some point.
Advertisement
The fit is seriously amazing.
I sat they’re almost too good because these bits do behave a little differently than I’m used to, but it could also be the style of fastener I was using, as I very rarely use longer Robertson screws. I spun the bit inside a couple of fasteners, even when I caught myself being too easy with the pressure. I’m going to chalk this up to a personal learning curve.
I think the problem is that I got comfortable in starting screws without having to be very careful about fastener retention – these bits do a great job of that – and so I was lighter on the pressure than I normally am.
Uh-oh, did I ruin a good bit by shallowly free-spinning it in a couple of fasteners? Nope! I expected to see the type of rounding-off damage that I recently experienced with another brand’s Robertson bits after about the same number of fasteners as I put in today. But, the bit emerged in pristine condition.
These bits are crazy durable!
Now, here’s the part that I’m embarrassed about. I wasn’t well-versed in the bits’ marketing claims before now. Either that, or I read up on them and forgot what was supposed to be so good about them.
Makita Impact XPS – what’s that all about? Yes, they’re shiny, silvery, and new, but why should we care?
To start, I saw firsthand today that they are very durable, even more so than some of the other impact-rated screwdriver bits I was using today.
I was shocked as to their initial durability, and how much of a difference there were compared to some of the bits I had been using.
I should mention that there is never any guarantee that my lasting impression will be an extension of my initial thoughts and experiences. But, barring major flaws or surprise disappointments, I can see myself very strongly recommending the Makita Impact XPS product family.
According to Makita, their new Impact XPS screwdriver bits last up to 90X longer than standard bits.
I took a peek at user reviews online, and there seem to be some mixed impressions. There is a lot of positivity, but also some complaints about bit breakage.
Usually, if hardness goes up, toughness goes down, and brittle failure becomes more likely.
I stripped a screw (#10 x 3″) and sheared the head off another one – (#10 x 3-1/8″), but I didn’t break any tips yet.
Looking deeper at the product info, here are some official bullet points:
- Exact fitment – machined tips fit with minimal variance
- Unique steel blend – carbon alloy steel blend flexes for a longer-lasting bit
- Engineered to withstand the hardest-hitting impact drivers
- Pulse torsion rings distribute forces to prevent breakage
- Matte nickel finish for best in class corrosion resistance
Yes, right now I’m in the “honeymoon period” where these bits haven’t done anything wrong yet, but I can’t remember a time when I was as surprised about any other pro tool brand’s impact-rated screwdriver bits.
Not every style of impact-rated screwdriver bit works for all users, but that’s what small quantity bit packs are for, right, testing the waters?
Over the years, many cordless power tool brands have improved their impact-rated screwdriver bits, nutdrivers, and other accessories. There’s a limit as to how durable a bit can be without suffering from a drop in toughness. Higher hardness and lower toughness can increase brittleness.
Still, I encountered a couple of jammed screws, with one situation shearing the head off, and there were zero breakages. Maybe that will change with some of the smaller bit styles or sizes, I don’t know yet.
I feel that I was missing out, and that I should have cracked open this review sample bit set a lot earlier – it probably could have saved me some of the frustrations I experienced with other bits recently.
The fitment was so good that I didn’t need a magnet or careful attention to starting my screws, and the durability was so good that I don’t need to rummage around for fresh bits for this weekend’s projects.
It might seem strange, but I also really like the color. The gold bits performed very well, and were easy to spot, but I sometimes had trouble finding bits in less popular tip styles.
I was going to say that I still can’t find a bulk pack of T20 Torx bits in this style, but with a quick search, yep – they’re available online after all, just not on the XPS Impact splash pages I came across.
If you pick up a pack, please let me know how well you like them! In the meantime, I’ll be keeping these right near near my drills and impact drivers.
So far, these bits are raising the bar a bit, and I wasn’t prepared for that. *Thumbs up* to Makita.
Example Pricing:
- 60pc set for $25
- 15-count Phillips #2 2″ bits for $15
- 15-count Phillips #2 1″ insert bits for $12
Buy Now: XPS Shopping Page via Amazon
Buy Now: 60pc Set via Amazon
Buy Now: 60pc Set via Acme Tools
Buy Now: XPS Bits via Home Depot
Buy Now: 60pc Set via Tool Nut
Thank you to Makita for providing the review sample set!
John
Not a fan of the stubby bits at all even with extensions. Down right hate the shorty crap. So rarely ever use them unless I have no choice. 2” – 3” one part bits are far more useful. Hopefully Makita will make a set with extended lengths for all the bits. I have 3 sets of Norske bits with mostly 1”-3” bits and those have been excellent over the past 2 years in my commercial work.
Jim Felt
Totally agree about the extended bits. Regardless of brand. Just more useful.
Clayton Allison
I use the Phillips #3s for assembly work all day everyday and love them. I don’t think I can go back to another brand now.
Frank Campbell
good to know
Greg T
I was about to make that same comment, why do all packs of bits have all these stubbies ? they dont even fit well in an impact and using extensions is just fiddly. I can understand the occasional use of a stubby when lacking space but my default is always at least the medium size and sometime even longer. I found a Irwin set that has long bits and mostly philips and torx which i end up using all the time
fred
When you say “stubbies” – I presume you mean 1 inch (25mm) long insert bits. Its funny but in our fabrication shop the folks used this style bit almost exclusively with Cleco pneumatic screwdrivers. Bits were changed out very often. So this is where we’d buy in bulk (e.g. boxes of 250 bits). I said almost exclusively – because we had some Hios drivers that used their longer bits with proprietary tang drive.
In the remodeling and plumbing businesses that I had an interest in – the crews seemed to request the longer power drive bits in most cases – so that would correspond to your observation.
So maybe its what you are used to – or the application – but it would seem for carpentry and DIY users the nod should go to the longer bits. Perhaps this is another reason to shy away from bit sets – and buy the sizes and lengths that you really want/need.
Dom
I agree, I hate the shorter bits too
I believe companies included them to increase the piece count on the package and makes for good marketing.
Garrick Moe
home depot is now stocking the mid and long length XPS bits..individually though just like the milwaukee selection.
charlesinrichmond
I agree. Hate the stubby bits that require a holder. Companies need to stop forcing 1999 bit styles on us
Gordon
I don’t normally like the stubby bits with the mag holder. But I did find that they’re nice when you need to change out bits one handed. It’s rare, but nice when you need to do it.
Diplomatic Immunity
The previous version gold ones were tested on Project Farm and at a certain measured torque point they would twist out of the screw head rather than actually breaking the bit. I’m guessing they even improved upon that old version with the fitment of these new ones.
Oflannabhra
I love Project Farm, but have some issues with that test. He used Phillips, which are specifically designed to cam out. Secondly, he used static torque to test impact bits, which are designed for impact torque. Impact stress is very different from static stress, and even has a totally different failure more in most alloys.
Together, those things make his results significantly less useful for real world application.
Once again, I love the channel, but I take issue with that test being used to proclaim a “Best Impact Bit“, which it now is in every thread I’ve seen.
Diplomatic Immunity
Yeah forgot about the using Phillips part. Would have been more useful to use square drive or torx. Just mentioned it though as the other bits were actually snapping under the static stress whereas the Makita bits weren’t. They were twisting to torque out.
Plaingrain
It looks like only two nut drivers in the set. I would be interested in their quality. Do they have magnets in them? I noticed a set online(Klutch 45 piece impact grade bit set). Probably not the best quality, but does come with an abundance of nut drivers($28).Amazon only had four reviews on it.
Plaingrain
After further research, I discovered the Klutch tools are from Northern tool. I guess I’ll think about the Wera tool check plus set with sockets.
Josh
I gotta say i like the bits, but in all honesty, the bosch impacts fit better. I havnt used the makitas as much as the bosch yet, but i drove about 500 screws on one p2 bosch, and it was almost like i never even used it. I drove about 25 t25 (stainless #10×3) today with the makitas, and they wont stay in the bit tips. I purposely use stainless to make sure its not just a magnet aspect from either party. I did slip on a few of them with the xps, but the only damage was to the screw, the bit was still just as good as normal, with almost a fraction of a sign of wear?
Stuart
I had to focus a little more on proper engagement pressure with the R2 bits, but had zero issue with the T25, #10 x 3-1/8″. I’ll see if I can find a different brand of T25 screws to test for fitment.
Lance
Encouraging first look! I switched to Wiha Terminator bits a while back and I’m happy with them. Might have to give these a try too.
fred
Sets like these come with both advantages and downsides.
The advantages include a presumably good price per bit, a convenient case to store them in and an assortment of commonly used sizes.
The disadvantage is that you are probably buying some bits that you will use infrequently if ever.
We’d buy these assortments once in a while to cover contingencies – but bought often-used bits like PH#2 in bulk (100 or 250 pieces at a time from folks like Apex). It would be nice if Makita offered this sort of bulk buying option – beyond just 25 packs.
High&Mighty
They just keep getting bolder with claims of longevity and durability. I’m gonna go ahead and call bullshit on the 90x longer claim. Who’s bits are they talking about that’s made with 90% less quality? I didn’t know that bits that poorly made were available. Didn’t Milwaukee already try the carbide bit thing and wasn’t it discontinued because they didn’t hold up and kept breaking? As you mentioned hardness jeopardizes toughness and elasticity and if makita is following the same recipe or something similar to what Milwaukee did, then less than ideal results will surface sooner or later. I don’t know what sort of testing was done to write up a partial review, but I expect more information will soon be known as to whether these are trash or smash. Put them through the ringer and then discuss. Partial reviews don’t account for much of anything. I like the gold bits they came out with a few years ago and they’re definitely more corrosion resistant than offerings from Dewalt Milwaukee or Bosch which nearly every set I bought from them is now covered in rust. They speak of torsion flex blah blah bs, but they don’t know how to coat them so they won’t rust. What gives? That’s one thing that makita already has a leg up on.
Stuart
“Standard bits” is also loosely defined.
“90X longer” doesn’t hold much quantitative meaning, but to me it signifies that but harness and durability were the main goals.
Doug N
Blog post idea, only partially tongue-in-cheek. Catalog the alphabet soup of Makita’s three letter acronyms. LXT, XGT, XPS, AVT, AWS off the top of my head. Probably missing some. I love Makita tools, but how about some variety, guys.
Anthony Gillesse
Can’t understand why Americans don’t use Robertson screws? They don’t strip out like Philips and as a Canadian your hard press to find anything but Robertson to the inferior Philips for construction use.
Greg T
Yup and i’m even more shocked to see slotted heads pretty much everywhere ! It’s torx all the way for me.
fred
These days in making furniture its almost 100% slotted brass screws for me. Phillips and other style drives just don’t comport with reproduction brasses. The same is true for some items that use nails – where cut nails are preferred to look more authentic than wire nails.
I would not. however, think of using either for general maintenance or carpentry work where I look for Torx or Robertson.
In our fabrication business – the client often spec’d the fastener style – which might have been one of the Torx variants, or a cross point like torq-set. Lately – I’m told that Aster recess has become more popular with what were our aerospace clients.
Randy
This may provide some historical background of Phillips and Robertson development.
https://youtu.be/R-mDqKtivuI
Curious, what head type do they use when using screws to install drywall in Canada?
Kevin
All drywall screws are Philips in Canada. They are meant to cam out at the proper depth. Square drive and Robertson are compatible but not the same. A tip of a Robertson driver is a separate piece. The back end of the tip is tapered and fits inside the shaft of the screwdriver/bit. The tip is harder to last longer. The softer shaft is not too brittle. These Makita bits are not Robertson as they seem to be one piece like the other bit styles. They may work just as well.
Gordon
It’s amazing that it always gets spun as “you silly Americans” when the reason is 100% due to Robertson not willing to license the patent.
I think nowadays, torx is an equal or superior drive type. I don’t think Robertson is really needed in the states.
Rob
Our collated deck screws are Robertson drive. Pretty much any wood screw from a woodworking store is square drive since Canada dictates that market. All of the Kreg screws are square drive. The American made PSU I just disassembled was square #2 through and through. Sure, homeowner consumer oriented hardware is often Phillips (actually, mostly awful phillips/Robertson/slot hybrids). But I have not seen anything but torx and Robertson in assembly and construction for quite a while.
Frank Campbell
I use them here in the US all the time Best drive yet Even ball square works okay
Gabriel DeLapp
I would like a full on review. Preliminary stuff is akin to just posting what they put on the package. We want to know they they preform under stress and abuse. I would hope they could survive 5 cam outs. Most bit I have that is used has endured at least that much. Put them through a real torture test and compassion. I did a lot of checking and the Makita seems to be 2nd best on torx 25 bit tolerance. The new Milwaukee bits had less slop than the Makita. It wasn’t a perfect test because my Bosch and Makita Gold bits were partially used. I compared 6 different bits. Initially I thought they were terrible, but then I did a more thorough comparison. So to be clear. The new Milwaukee bits in T25 were the only bit I tried that had a tighter, less sloppy fit. The Makita bit could still decently hold a variety of torx screws with out them falling off or wobbling terribly. If you use GRK torx, which is mainly what we use, you will notice they have different tolerances for their bits and screws. The bit is almost like a t25.6 and the screw is like a 25.9. it’s annoying. Even new GRK bits have slop in the grk screws. There is alot more that can be said, but this is a comment and not a full on review:) thanks guys for covering so much. Please just go a bit more in-depth.
Gordon
Deckmate screws also have shitty tolerances. I put a fence gate together with some. I went through about half the box and had a dozen strip. The bit was also not impact rated and all the flutes are twisted. It didn’t last as long as my Black and Decker screwdriver set bits which were never intended to be used in a power tool.
charlesinrichmond
Makita’s old torx bits were garbage, to the point my guys won’t even use them. I hope these are a noticeable improvement
TheTool
It’s called Square not Robertson.
Paul West
I bought them and love them! I have both the Bosch and Milwaukee impact bits and find Makita far superior. Already bought more and don’t ever see myself buying anything else. My first impression were the same as yours. Fit. Unbelievable. Durability. Amazing.
Alan
The one thing I like about Makita is that they seem to pay a little more attention to fit and finish – just having a little more “polished” feel. I will also admits that almost all my battery power tools are Milwaukee Fuel due to the power and durability and capability to absorb some (some?) occasional abuse. But I love Makita a lot. They try to do a good job.
I got this as part of a set from Home Depot where 1 pack was all the 1 inch and the other pack was all the 2 or 3 inch bits in the various sizes WITH the extension for all the 1 inch bits. I have sooooooo many of these from Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Bosch plus a few from Craftsman from my “early days” when they were still American made. I needed a new set like I needed another hole in my head. I LOVED the easy to read labeling (remember what I said about “polish”) which is awesome for my aging eyes. I need reading glasses to tell the difference with most tips (at a glance) so this labeling makes it MUCH easier to pick out the 5 or so tips I use for just about everything (Phillips #2, Torx 30, Torx 25, Torx 15, Robertson #2, and occasional Robertson #1). I actually bought it for the case and will swap in new tips from other sets as I wear them out. I can find the exact tip glasses or no glasses, good light or poor light.
The interesting thing is if you use that little 2 inch extension with a 2 or 3 inch bit, it is practically locked on due to the spring/magnetic design. Holy crap! I had to put the extension in a vise and pull the tip out with vise grips. Never going to do that one again.
There are tons of complaints about the 2 inch/3 inch tips being permanently locked in. Pretty darn close when you don’t have a vise to pull the tip out.
I swapped out my Milwaukee magnetic extension and put it in the Makita kit to make sure I NEVER mix the Makita extension with 2+ inch bits. I put the Makita extension in one of my 1 inch Milwaukee packs for when I REALLY want tip retention and don’t want to lose the tip (like pulling out of fully sunk Torx deck screws while still pulling the trigger on an impact driver – pulls the tip right out).
These fit pretty well without a lot of pressure (Phillips). Dewalt tips can fit pretty well as well. I find they fit better than Milwaukee but might be a bit softer. Though I haven’t bought Mikwaukee tips in the past 5 years and they have upped their game a lot since then in almost everything they make. I don’t worry two much about wear as tips are pretty cheap. If I am driving hundreds of screws in a day, you pretty much go through a handful of 1 inch tips on an extension vs wearing out 3 inch or 6 inch tips.
I have found that just about any brand of 1 inch tips works best in Dewalt extensions due to their patented tip release/retention as well as the magnetic collars that can be removed. The slip on Makita magnetic collar works well on just about any 2 inch, 3 inch or longer bit when you want screw retention and are not using aluminum or stainless steel screws (non-magnetic).
rob
I notice everyone is putting these against Bosch and Milwaukee. How do these hold up against Zephyr, Apex, PB Swiss, Witte, Wera, Wiha, Felo, Vessel and so on?