Mobile distributors interested in learning about the power tools offered by Makita had a chance to hear from Tenille Redman, national account manager, automotive division, during a training seminar at the recent Ace Tool Co. national dealer expo in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Redman began by offering an overview of the company, which she said assembles more power tool models in the U.S. than any other power tool manufacturer. The Makita U.S.A. manufacturing facility is located in Buford, Ga. Makita Corp. currently provides approximately 450 power tools and 5,000 accessories to the professional user.
At the expo, Redman showed Makita’s offering of 65-plus tools which utilize the same 18V lithium ion battery platform. Makita led the professional power tool industry with lithium ion (LXT) in 2005 and currently offers the largest selection of 18 volt lithium-ion cordless professional power tools of any major power tool company in the market, she said.
“When you buy any 18V (battery platform) kit, you have the ability to use it for many Makita tools,” Redman explained. All Makita tools and some of the accessories are offered in kits (with battery and charger) or as bare tools (tool only). The bare tool options allows user to personalize their kit to include only what they need, without the added expense of purchasing additional batteries and chargers.
Some of the more popular automotive kit choices include the LXT311FH (Driver Drill, 3/8”Impact Wrench and Flashlight) and the BTW450 (High Torque ½” Impact Wrench). Both kits include two batteries and a charger.
Makita’s 18V driver drill is one of the more popular automotive tools, has 480 lbs of torque, and weighs 3.3 lbs.
Makita’s 12V Max cordless line offers tools in various configurations. The most popular are the three-piece combination kits. One such kit is the LCT309W, which includes a 3/8” impact wrench, a 3/8” driver/drill and an LED flashlight. Another kit, the LCT314W, has an impact driver, a 3/8” driver/drill and an LED flashlight.
In discussing the company’s Impact Gold line, Redman noted that over the years, speed and torque of impact tools has dramatically increased. Made out of Japanese tatara steel, the Impact Gold line of impact-rated driver bits last 10 times longer than the best competitive offerings. Combining a high level of snugness when seated within the screw, powerful rare earth magnets, and Xtreme torsion technology, Impact Gold dramatically reduces the pain of bit-destroying “cam-outs,” Redman said.
