Makita 710W 13mm Hammer Drill HP1631K

Fantastic power considering the size of it with a nice keyless chuck and ergonomic grip. Really smooth to use and feels very sturdy compared with my VERY old Bosch Professional but to be fair to that, it was about 20 years old and had been hammered. Carry case seems very durable and is a nice compact shape. The price was superb considering I couldn't find anything similar at anywhere near the same price

Beware of the Keyless Chuck

I had it about half an hour before returning it. Chuck let go of the bit half way through one hole in a masonry block. My old not hammer drill held the bit fine and was about as good for drilling in masonry. I won't be buying Makita products without checking the reviews in future as they don't seem to be a premium brand anymore. It's a pity as I was a big fan. This chuck issue comes up a lot in the reviews.

Great drill with Really poor chuck!

I used it few times as hammer drill. It will not tighten the bit properly. Most of the times chuck will get stuck. I spend 4 hours in last 3 days to release the chuck without any luck. I spend online reading how to release the chuck without any hints from the manufacturer. Think twice before you buy this one. I am going to home depot shortly to pickup another hammer drill.

Great drill with a poor chuck

The chuck gave me endless grief. It has to be tight but then it would not release. Plastic outer shell broke when trying to release it in a vice. Very poor flimsy plastic chuck design. Resolved the problem by replacing the chuck with an all metal chuck that requires a key which is readily available from Makita as a spare part. Since replacing the chuck this has been a fabulous drill. It has far more power and torque than any battery drill. I have used it frequently for hammering 3/4 inch and 1 inch holes in concrete. Rating with original chuck is 1 star, rating with replacement keyed chuck is 5 star.

Keyless chuck awful, overheats

Really disappointed with this drill after one afternoon of use drilling into concrete.The keyless chuck just wouldn't grip larger diameter drills tight enough. I had to stop & retighten it constantly. It did grip smaller bits (10mm & smaller) well.Perversely, getting the chuck to release when I wanted to change bits was even worse. The texture on the chuck is inadequate to grip properly. The rear section is too narrow to grip with any pressure.I had particular problems with my 9mm bit jamming in the chuck even after the chuck had been released. May having been passing into a tight fit within the chuck and jamming tight under the hammer action. The bit was unused before I started.During use the front of the drill became too hot to touch, especially the black ... MoreReally disappointed with this drill after one afternoon of use drilling into concrete.The keyless chuck just wouldn't grip larger diameter drills tight enough. I had to stop & retighten it constantly. It did grip smaller bits (10mm & smaller) well.Perversely, getting the chuck to release when I wanted to change bits was even worse. The texture on the chuck is inadequate to grip properly. The rear section is too narrow to grip with any pressure.I had particular problems with my 9mm bit jamming in the chuck even after the chuck had been released. May having been passing into a tight fit within the chuck and jamming tight under the hammer action. The bit was unused before I started.During use the front of the drill became too hot to touch, especially the black section immediately behind the chuck. This made my problems with the chuck intolerable, I had to leave the drill to cool for 10 minutes just to change the bit.One minor irritation by comparison: The direction selector is too close to the trigger and to easy to switch unintentionally.Lesson: Buy a drill with a keyed chuck if you're drilling into concrete with a large bit.

Poor Product

Had it now for three years and used it only a handful of times. Now the chuck is blocked and cannot be adjusted anymore. Had to buy a new one, but it is impossible to get the old chuck off the machine. That means I have to buy a new one now. Even though it is a rather affordable product with overall perhaps 10 holes in three years, even the affordable price for the drill becomes pretty expensive per hole. Was my first Makita product and will be my last.

Rubbish chuck design

I used the drill for only 2 days before taking it back with a failed chuck.I was drilling 5mm pilot holes through 25mm battens. The instructions said to insert the drill bit all the way into the chuck, but my 5mm masonry bit showed less than 25mm of drill protruding. If I inserted the bit so that I could show enough of the bit to pass through the 25mm batten the chuck would not hold it firmly enough to keep it in place and after a couple of holes it was back to showing less than 25mm.Then I got onto the main 8mm holes for the plugs. This time I could insert the drill to the base of the chuck, but was unable to tighten the chuck enough to stop the bit slipping. Worse than that, when I tried to undo the chuck it had progressively tightened in use and had to resort ... MoreI used the drill for only 2 days before taking it back with a failed chuck.I was drilling 5mm pilot holes through 25mm battens. The instructions said to insert the drill bit all the way into the chuck, but my 5mm masonry bit showed less than 25mm of drill protruding. If I inserted the bit so that I could show enough of the bit to pass through the 25mm batten the chuck would not hold it firmly enough to keep it in place and after a couple of holes it was back to showing less than 25mm.Then I got onto the main 8mm holes for the plugs. This time I could insert the drill to the base of the chuck, but was unable to tighten the chuck enough to stop the bit slipping. Worse than that, when I tried to undo the chuck it had progressively tightened in use and had to resort to a pair of plumbing spanners to undo it. I will stress that I only tightened the chuck by hand.When undone the chuck had damaged the shaft of a new drill bit and the resulting 'burr' became locked into a hexagon recess at the base of the chuck and I had to resort to a vice and pair of pliers to remove the bit from the open teeth of the chuck.Fortunately I was able to take the drill back and get a refund, so please do not make the same mistake as I made. This chuck is badly designed.Makita really need to go back to the drawing board.

Rubbish tool.

Been using it on and off for the last few years. After 1 year had to take it to service at Bunnings as the chuck had jammed. They sent it off and replaced the chuck and only after a few jobs it's happened again while on a sign install at a client. Had to go and then borrow one to finish the project. Complete rubbish.

Simply poor quality

Bought a quality brand and it’s not. Lacks power, chuck wore out and broke. Tried to return to Bunnings and they refused. Told me to go to makita manufacturers warantee and wait weeks for a repair. Tossed it in the bin. Used it 6 times. Pathetic. I have since returned a new item makita also and never will buy again. 20 year old makita that I have arequality

The drill is good, the chuck is terrible.

Only owned the drill for a week and drilled 12 10 mm holes in concrete. The chuck is absolutelyuseless on a drill with this much power. It is incapable of providing a decent grip on the drill bit. I will be taking itback asap, either for money back or chuck upgrade. I am very disappointed in Makita for skimping on qualitywith this chuck.