Makita XWT14 VS DeWalt DCF921

[casualtyper]

Would like to hear your opinion on the above impact guns. They are rated similarly and on TTC channel numbers are in a favour of Makita just a small bit, but on other reviews looks like Dewalt have easier job on fasteners.

Main use will be to remove nuts and bolts on my Honda Civic, 99% suspension work to keep things easier and faster.

Don’t want to go for a larger tool to keep it compact and light, but capable at the same time.

Thank you for your input.

 

[308guru]

I don't have any experience with that particular Makita. All of my tools are yellow (and red).

I have put A LOT of miles on my DCF921 and it's awesome. I grab that more than anything.

I also have the DCF923 (same tool with a 3/8" anvil) but it only gets used as a second impact. It feels strange to be using 3/8 for impact and the sockets come off the anvil easier than I'd like.

 

[casualtyper]

I have put A LOT of miles on my DCF921 and it's awesome. I grab that more than anything.

After watching TTC and other good reviews of the DCF891….did you feel a need for a more powerful tool than the DCF921? I would rather spend a bit more and close my eyes to the larger size and a bit more weight than regret not getting something that can squeeze a bit more juice.

Never owned a power tool(except milwaukee cordless ratchet) and always enjoyed the struggle, but slowly Im getting there. Don’t want to make a bad choice.

 

[mike93lx]

I have the 923 and like it a lot. I figured I was getting it to be really small, so using stuff like my 3/8 nano sockets would be best.

I also have a 899 high torque and don't grab it much, but it's nice to have.

I think it would be hard to regret getting the 921, then get the 891 or 900 another time when you find the need arises

 

[finn]

I have both the 921 and 923, along with the 887 driver.

I use the 3/8” 923 a lot more than the 1/2” 921.

I use them both more than my m18 2854, 2962, or 2863.

I recommend you get the DCF923 first.

 

[Steel_Rain]

I own a Makita XWT16 (3/8” version) and it’s awesome. Lightweight, balanced and powerful:




I’m not a team yellow fan these days, but I’ve heard good things about the DCF921. My previous experiences with DeWalt impacts have been less than stellar, or I would have considered it.

I like my Makita’s for durability, comfort, balance and reliability. They might not have the MILLION ft/lbs of the team yellow and team red offerings, but I don’t chase huge bragging rights (numbers) anymore, I chase what works best for me.

 

[duneslider]

Do you already have other makita or dewalt tools? If you do I would stick with the platform you have. The majority of my stuff is makita so that would be my choice. I have a non-brushless 1/2" impact and like it a lot but I really only use it a few times a year. I should probably get a 3/8", I would probably use that more often.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Do you already have other makita or dewalt tools? If you do I would stick with the platform you have. The majority of my stuff is makita so that would be my choice. I have a non-brushless 1/2" impact and like it a lot but I really only use it a few times a year. I should probably get a 3/8", I would probably use that more often.

I'm heavy into the Makita LXT (18v) / XGT (40v), FLEX, Milwaukee (M12 only) and Hercules. I have a few odds from DeWalt (Grabbo x2, an older hammer drill and a new area light). I had trouble with my team yellow impacts about in the 2010's, but I know they made significant progress since them.

Makita has always been my most reliable brand after 22+ years of owning power tools.

 

[dnschmidt]

Makita makes good stuff but what pisses me off about Makita is their battery prices, which are insane, and their lack of either Powerstack or Forge batteries. Why they still use 28650 twenty year old batteries and have no 21700 packs available similar to the Milwaukee 3.0 that uses the 21700 cells when Milwaukee, DeWalt and Bosch have all already moved on is a mystery to me. In cordless tools the battery is at least half of the total package and Makita's tools are top notch but their battery technology is still stuck in the dark ages.

 

[finn]

Do you already have other makita or dewalt tools? If you do I would stick with the platform you have. The majority of my stuff is makita so that would be my choice. I have a non-brushless 1/2" impact and like it a lot but I really only use it a few times a year. I should probably get a 3/8", I would probably use that more often.

Having multiple platforms hasn’t been a problem at all for me.

2 Milwaukee, 3 Dewalt ( 12, 20, and Flexvolt, plus an adapter)., 2 Bosch, one Skil, one pole saw I don’t recall the brand. All have their place.

For example, some of the Bosh tools are pretty old now, and a bag with a driver and drill lives in the back seat of the truck.

I also have / had a few ancient tools that are phased out and in the recycling bin, ie Craftsman 9.6, Toro, B&D, Ryobi 14.4v. They served me well but are obsolete.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Makita makes good stuff but what pisses me off about Makita is their battery prices, which are insane, and their lack of either Powerstack or Forge batteries. Why they still use 28650 twenty year old batteries and have no 21700 packs available similar to the Milwaukee 3.0 that uses the 21700 cells when Milwaukee, DeWalt and Bosch have all already moved on is a mystery to me. In cordless tools the battery is at least half of the total package and Makita's tools are top notch but their battery technology is still stuck in the dark ages.

Amen! It's good to see they moving on with LXT 9.0Ah and 12.0Ah packs, but they need to offer tabless cells in better form factors for the LXT range, along with dropping the pricing.

With the XGT line, they are already moving that direction with the newest 4.0Ah & 8.0Ah tabless packs:



Like you said, they are GOD AWFUL expensive. ($275 - $475).

ALLLLL of that said...I've had to replace more battery packs with my M12 and FLEX stuff several times...but those 10-15 year old Makita packs have never let me down...so the despite the age, the reliable is there.

 

[Wamsutta]

Are these more of those mid-torque impact wrenches? Nobody talks about high torque impact wrenches no more.

 

[duneslider]

ALLLLL of that said...I've had to replace more battery packs with my M12 and FLEX stuff several times...but those 10-15 year old Makita packs have never let me down...so the despite the age, the reliable is there.

So, this is where it is at. For me it is the reliability factor. Sure, the price of batteries is too high in my opinion but I have only had a couple batteries in 20 years that got to the point of "I can't use them anymore". I have still hung onto them because they will still power the radio for several hours, or run the little led light for little tasks.

I think makita is using the 40v XGT line as their "extreme" duty tools instead of making giant 9-12ah batteries. For me, other than my lawn mower, blower, and weed trimmer I really don't need much more than the 5ah batteries I have.

At the end of the day, the 18650 and 21700 are better batteries when it comes to durability and longevity. 21700 isn't really a "newer" battery, just a newer form factor that is bigger, heavier, more expensive than 18650. I wouldn't mind some 21700 makita packs though.

Most of the pouch cell hype is just marketing hype, it does offer slightly lower weight and slightly better form factor than round cells but still mostly marketing hype.

I had a lot of bad experiences with the yellow tools when they first came out with the 18v line, so I bailed on them. Here at work when I see the tools on the shelf that need to head to the repair shop I see lots of dewalt, milwaukee, and hilti but rarely see any makita's. This isn't a total scientific conclusion because we do have a lot more dewalt and milwaukee in service than hilti and makita.

 

[finn]

So, this is where it is at. For me it is the reliability factor. Sure, the price of batteries is too high in my opinion but I have only had a couple batteries in 20 years that got to the point of "I can't use them anymore". I have still hung onto them because they will still power the radio for several hours, or run the little led light for little tasks.

I think makita is using the 40v XGT line as their "extreme" duty tools instead of making giant 9-12ah batteries. For me, other than my lawn mower, blower, and weed trimmer I really don't need much more than the 5ah batteries I have.

At the end of the day, the 18650 and 21700 are better batteries when it comes to durability and longevity. 21700 isn't really a "newer" battery, just a newer form factor that is bigger, heavier, more expensive than 18650. I wouldn't mind some 21700 makita packs though.

Most of the pouch cell hype is just marketing hype, it does offer slightly lower weight and slightly better form factor than round cells but still mostly marketing hype.

I had a lot of bad experiences with the yellow tools when they first came out with the 18v line, so I bailed on them. Here at work when I see the tools on the shelf that need to head to the repair shop I see lots of dewalt, milwaukee, and hilti but rarely see any makita's. This isn't a total scientific conclusion because we do have a lot more dewalt and milwaukee in service than hilti and makita.

90% of the time I reach for the smallest, lightest battery that will do the job at hand.

Ergonomics and small size win over bragging rights over who has the biggest, baddest battery.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Are these more of those mid-torque impact wrenches? Nobody talks about high torque impact wrenches no more.

Both of these would be considered a "mid-torque" impact wrench (400-450 ft-lb).

We live in a crazy world when 450 ft-lb is mid-torque, but some of the top end 1/2" & 3/4" units are pushing 1500-3000 ft-lb these days.

All this, using a battery, not air.

2026 is wild.

 

[Wamsutta]

Both of these would be considered a "mid-torque" impact wrench (400-450 ft-lb).

We live in a crazy world when 450 ft-lb is mid-torque, but some of the top end 1/2" & 3/4" units are pushing 1500-3000 ft-lb these days.

All this, using a battery, not air.

2026 is wild.

Harmonic balancer bolt on a GM 3800. The 1st Gen Milwaukee barely got it loose. Took probably a whole 10 seconds to break it free.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Harmonic balancer bolt on a GM 3800. The 1st Gen Milwaukee barely got it loose. Took probably a whole 10 seconds to break it free.

I’ve been there many times with crank bolts. That’s when the big boy impacts shine. And for lugs on the diesel pusher RV (3/4” drive).

 

[308guru]

After watching TTC and other good reviews of the DCF891….did you feel a need for a more powerful tool than the DCF921? I would rather spend a bit more and close my eyes to the larger size and a bit more weight than regret not getting something that can squeeze a bit more juice.

Never owned a power tool(except milwaukee cordless ratchet) and always enjoyed the struggle, but slowly Im getting there. Don’t want to make a bad choice.

For my purposes (auto/4wheeler/tractor maintenance) there's no way I'd buy the DCF891; it's unnecessarily large (physically) for what I need. My DCF921 does what I need 90% of the time and if that's not enough the IR2135 comes out of the drawer.

It wouldn't be bad to have the DCF921, but I know I would be wishing for something smaller/lighter.

 

[casualtyper]

Thank you all for replies.

I was thinking and decided if I had to have only one, it would be nice to have something with more power. Opted for DCF891 in the end. I has arrived today and it looked smaller than I expected. Not too heavy either.
I think it would complement well my Milwaukee M12 cordless ratchet that I use for smaller fasteners.

 

[American Locomotive]

Amen! It's good to see they moving on with LXT 9.0Ah and 12.0Ah packs, but they need to offer tabless cells in better form factors for the LXT range, along with dropping the pricing.

With the XGT line, they are already moving that direction with the newest 4.0Ah & 8.0Ah tabless packs:



Like you said, they are GOD AWFUL expensive. ($275 - $475).

ALLLLL of that said...I've had to replace more battery packs with my M12 and FLEX stuff several times...but those 10-15 year old Makita packs have never let me down...so the despite the age, the reliable is there.

I've seen some mention of the 9 and 12 aH packs, but nothing on the Makita website. Is it europe only?

 

[KnurledNut]

I've seen some mention of the 9 and 12 aH packs, but nothing on the Makita website. Is it europe only?

BL1890 - BL1890 LXT®, 18V 9.0 Ah, Li-ion

Product

www.makitauk.com

BL18120 - Battery LXT®, 12,0 Ah, Li-ion,

Product

www.makitauk.com

Not released in USA yet.

 

[casualtyper]

As a weekend DIY warrior I enjoyed wrenching(still do), but decided to get an impact gun to make things go a little bit faster and easier.

Dewalt DFC891 and Williams 1/2 impact sockets set.

Quick update - hub nut has been defeated in a second, maybe less. Im very happy with purchase.