Makita DTM50Z 18V Li-Ion LXT Multi-Tool - Batteries and Charger Not Included

Great tool!Pros:- Well built, as you'd expect from Makita.- Cuts really well, even with the cheap blades I have. (Hilka set for £13)- Slightly more oscillation movement than many other similar tools as far as I know. 3.2 degrees rather than 2.8 or 3 on many others.- Can be surprisingly quite when used at lower speeds, between 1 and 3 is not bad, especially for sanding and similar jobs. Although of course makes a bit more noise once you start cutting. Between 3-6 (maximum speed) it's still less than all other 18v ones as far as I know, although gets fairly loud. At high speeds I'd certainly use ear protection. At minimum speed with no material contact I measured about 65db from about 1ft away. Similar to a large room fan. At maximum speed while cutting soft wood with a wide blade I measured about 105db which is a lot. (Disclaimer: For safety please check the user manual.)- As far as I know this also has the least hand vibration compared to other 18v oscillating tools (Disclaimer: For safety please check the user manual.) I think this actually vibrates less than my cheap rotary tool, although of course when starting to cut material the vibration increases a bit. I hate vibrating tools but this wasn't bad at all for me.- Has a nice LED light at the front. This is why I chose this older model. Also there was about a £40 price difference which for me is worth it, as I can spend that on batteries or blades. I saw a cutting video on Youtube comparing the two, the noise seemed to be the same and the cutting speed seemed to be the same. This slightly older version is slimmer which is nice, and it has no quick release for the blades, which is perfectly fine for me. I have no problem with an extra 25 seconds to change the blade. A large hex key clips into the bottom of the unit and is easy to remove from its clip when needed.- Has an optional dust extractor accessory that costs about £12 if I'm not mistaken.I have Bosch 18v batteries, but the bosch multi tool is louder, it can't stand upright which is important for my small home-workshop, and costs double (Approx £160 vs £80) so for that price difference I had no problem just buying some Makita batteries. Two genuine ones are about £77 on Amazon right now, but I decided to save a bit with a non-original. I'm using a "Masione" 3Ah that cost £20 and it's working just fine so far.Cons:- Even though it's supposed to be the quietest option, it's still lot of noise. Certainly much more than an 18v jigsaw. Not a problem for a workshop (use ear protection obviously) but for my small studio with a cat it's too loud at high speeds when cutting. Not an actual issue with the tool but worth mentioning.My rotary tool is a bit quieter at maximum speed, but doesn't do all the same jobs, and also throws a lot of dust and sparks everywhere, compared to this which is slightly more clean, although still creates dust obviously. So for those times I want to work on small projects with a bit more quiet, I'll just have to build myself a noise isolating "glove box" which is also really nice for not getting dust everywhere.-No quick release for the blades. Not a problem for me.Conclusion:Extremely pleased with the tool, but for some of my uses I will need to make a box with a window to dampen the noise.It won't sand as well as a dedicated sander, and it won't cut as well as a jigsaw, etc. - But it's great for making small cuts, working in areas where other cutting tools won't fit, etc. I would say it's a great addition, but not something to replace all others.

Having bought a Makita cordless drill and impact driver earlier in the year, I was captured by the interchangability (is that a word??) of the battery packs - buy the body of the tool and use the same battery that you have for other items! Result!If you are wondering whether you need one of these tools - check out some of the Youtube videos. All those jobs where you can't quite reach with the hacksaw...pipes under the bath, little bits of timber that need trimming, a hole needs cutting into plasterboard, grout that needs removing, architrave that needs trimming because you're fitting laminate floor....this gizmo answers your prayers.If you are like me - quite enjoy the odd bit of DIY but often refrain from doing so because you don't have the right kit and consequently end up in a nuclear meltdown when things aren't going as they should, then this tool is for you. I've had it for a month and it's paid for itself (in saving my sanity) by just being there to finish jobs off - cutting a small section out of MDF that my jigsaw would make a mess of, for example.And of course, it's Makita. If you've ever owned any Makita gear, you'll know that they're not just good - they're THE BEST! Quality central. And this baby is no different. It feels good, weight is just right - balances well in your hand with the battery on. It has a small LED at the front to light up the work area - very handy when you're in a cupboard or dark corner. It oscillates at some ridiculously fast rate - controlled by a rotary switch towards the rear, so you can go from slow to very, very fast very quickly.It's a great addition to my toolbox and reassuring to know that I have a piece of kit that does all those 'tricky' jobs - for example, I have some 22mm copper pipe running up a wall and I was going to buy a pipe slice to cut it - now I don't need to! This little fella will do it for me! Huzzah!There is another version (slightly newer) that has a 'quick release' mechanism for the blades. I would think this would be very helpful if you were a tradesman and time was money. Changing blades on this model is via a hex key, stored near the battery, and to change from one to another would take about 30 seconds. This suits me - and the money saving it gives too.I love this tool. Oo-er.Buy with confidence.

Other than the lack of a supplied battery (Amazon really are bad with the misleading picture so be warned, read the description) this is a great product. Haven't tested this for longevity so we'll see how this fairs with future workloads. Good value if you've already got Makita tools with the LxT battery packs; I like the weight of this and advantage of not having to find a plug socket. Can be used in conjunction with universal blades from the likes of Saxton, etc. Would have been nice to have a spare hex nut as this is probably the weakest link; it needs to be done tight otherwise it obviously shakes itself loose and I can see the socket having to take some stick. The supplied hex key does fall out of the holder if not pushed in properly. If you're after something budget or you don't have other LxT tools then I'd stick with something mains powered.

Buy one of these now, I guarantee you will not regret it, this one uses an Allen key method of changing the blades rather than the quick release, but to be fair there is nothing hard about changing the blades with an Allen key. the amount of tasks this little beast takes on is constantly increasing, and I do recommend you get a decent set of decent blades and bit fittings as you will go through them! and invest in some good batteries and a charger as regrettably these are sold separately, and for the price you would expect it to at least come with a battery. other than that a perfect little tool that replaces a whole bag of tools.