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Best Makita cordless SDS drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

You want one Makita cordless SDS drill, and the three amazon.co.uk prices look close enough to pick the middle one. They are not the same purchase. On 21 October 2026 the DHR182Z body was £159.90, the HR166DSMJ kit was £204.95 and the DHR242RTJW kit was £549.49. The top pick depends on whether you already own 18 V LXT packs. The best value, if you own nothing, is the ready CXT carton, with a hard limit on chiselling. This page chooses among those three listings. It is not a lab test, and a qualifying Amazon purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The table without a winner is the [Makita cordless SDS drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/makita-cordless-sds-drill).

You want one Makita cordless SDS drill, and the three amazon.co.uk prices look close enough to pick the middle one. They are not the same purchase.

Our top picks

Makita Makita DHR182Z 18 V body

Best overall

Makita Makita DHR182Z 18 V body
8.2/10about £159.90
View offer
Makita Makita DHR242RTJW kit

Alternative

Makita Makita DHR242RTJW kit
6.3/10about £549.49
View offer
Makita Makita HR166DSMJ 12 V max kit

Best value

Makita Makita HR166DSMJ 12 V max kit
8.0/10about £204.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best if you already own 18 V LXT packs
  2. 2.Best value if you need batteries in the box
  3. 3.When the DHR242 kit is the one to pay for
  4. 4.Who should skip all three

Best if you already own 18 V LXT packs

If your packs are already 18 V LXT, the top pick is the DHR182Z: 4.6 from 304 amazon.co.uk ratings, at £159.90, with no battery, charger or case. UK reviewers describe hard brick a previous hammer drill had struggled with, and they call the tool light. Makita UK lists 1.7 J, 18 mm and three modes including hammer only. Quote that, not the 1.7 Nm cell. Skip it if you do not own the packs, or if you need 24 mm or a dust hood in the carton. The review file names only four UK write-ups inside that 304. Why an LXT pack will not run the smaller kit is on Makita LXT or CXT SDS.

Best value if you need batteries in the box

If you own no Makita packs, the best value is the HR166DSMJ at £204.95: two 4.0 Ah CXT batteries, a fast charger, a Makpac and a depth stop. The star line is 4.4 from 151 reviews. UK texts talk about lintels, tight spaces and roughly 200 picture-frame holes. It is not a smaller DHR242. Makita UK lists 1.1 J, 16 mm and two modes only, so do not buy it to chip tiles. A UK review dated 25 April 2018 reported a Euro 2-pin charger. The listing does not state BS 1363. Look at the pins. The body only or kit page sets that box against the bare DHR182Z.
Makita Makita DHR182Z 18 V body

Testsieger

Makita Makita DHR182Z 18 V body
8.2/10about £159.90
View offer

When the DHR242 kit is the one to pay for

Pay £549.49 for the DHR242RTJW when you need 2.0 J, 24 mm and a dust hood together. The Amazon bullets agree on 2.0 J, 24 mm and 3 mode operation. The carton has two BL1850B 5.0 Ah packs, a DC18RC, a DX06, a Makpac, a side handle and a depth stop. One UK review describes a kitchen and bathroom strip-out and praises the extractor. Skip it for ordinary plugs if you already own LXT packs. This ASIN is the RTJW kit, not a bare DHR242Z. The star line is 4.6 from six reviews. One UK write-up bought the drill and the extractor separately. The 970.6 Nm cell is a conflict, not performance.

Who should skip all three

None of these is the right tool for a core, a slab or a full chase. They sit in or just under SDS Drill UK's rule of thumb of about 1.2–2 J for plug holes up to roughly 16 mm. The 24 mm figure is the top of this set, not an SDS max. Call someone for suspected asbestos, work at height, or a day's concrete drilling without extraction and respiratory protection. If a detector is unclear beside a cable or a pipe, stop. The DX06 does not make concrete dust safe, and it is only in the DHR242 carton. How the hole is drilled is on how to drill brick with an SDS drill.

Common questions

Which is the top pick if you already own LXT packs?
The DHR182Z at £159.90. It is 4.6 from 304 amazon.co.uk ratings, and Makita UK lists 1.7 J and 18 mm. The box has no battery, charger or case, so you already need LXT packs. It is the wrong pick for 24 mm or a dust hood in the same carton.
Which is the best value if you own no packs?
The HR166DSMJ at £204.95, with two 4.0 Ah CXT packs, a charger and a Makpac, at 4.4 from 151 reviews. You give up hammer-only, which the UK page does not list, and you start on CXT. One UK review from 25 April 2018 reported a Euro 2-pin charger.
Is the HR166 a smaller DHR242?
No. The HR166 is 12 V max CXT at 1.1 J and 16 mm, with two modes. The DHR242 is 18 V LXT at 2.0 J and 24 mm, with three modes, two 5.0 Ah packs and a DX06. The packs do not interchange.
Do 304 reviews mean 304 UK reviews?
No. 304 is the amazon.co.uk count on the DHR182Z. The review file names four UK write-ups before other marketplaces. The HR166 sample has 11 UK reviews inside 151 ratings. The DHR242 line is 4.6 from six, and one UK write-up did not buy the kit as one carton.
Can the HR166 chip tiles?
Not on the evidence used here. The Makita UK page lists rotation only, or rotation with hammer, and no hammer-only mode. Chipping is why the DHR182 and the DHR242 are the three-mode tools. Picture-frame holes are what the UK reviews describe.
When is none of them the right tool?
When the work is a core, a slab, a full chase, suspected asbestos, or work at height. Also when you need SDS max, or the listing only claims to take Makita batteries. An unclear detector reading beside a cable or a pipe is a stop.

Related pages

Makita cordless SDS drill buying guide

Makita cordless SDS drill

Makita SDS body only or kit: what £159.90 leaves out

How to drill brick with a Makita cordless SDS drill

Makita LXT or CXT SDS: which battery actually fits

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Makita UK, DHR182 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Makita UK, DHR242 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Makita UK, HR166D (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE, hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. HSE, construction dust sheet CN3 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, supply of machinery safety regulations 2008 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Screwfix, Makita BL1850B 18 V 5.0 Ah (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. SDS Drill UK, advice when buying an SDS drill (retrieved 21 October 2026)