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Makita LXT or CXT for an SDS drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The small blue kit looks like a compact 18 V SDS drill, and the title is easy to skim as Makita, cordless, hammer. It is not. On amazon.co.uk on 21 October 2026 the HR166DSMJ at £204.95 is a 12 V max CXT kit, while the DHR182Z at £159.90 and the DHR242RTJW at £549.49 are 18 V LXT tools. The packs do not interchange. This page is that fork: which slide fits which model, and what you give up on the smaller platform. It is not a lab test. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The whole table is the [Makita cordless SDS drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/makita-cordless-sds-drill).

The small blue kit looks like a compact 18 V SDS drill, and the title is easy to skim as Makita, cordless, hammer. It is not.

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.Two slide packs, not one family
  2. 2.What you give up on the 12 V max tool
  3. 3.What the 18 V tools add
  4. 4.Packs that are neither

Two slide packs, not one family

Makita UK splits the systems. CXT is 12 V max. LXT is 18 V. XGT is 40 V max. In this Amazon set only the first two appear. The HR166DSMJ bullets say a 10.8 V or 12 V Li-ion CXT slide battery. They do not say 18 V. The voltage cell prints 10.8 V beside a 12 V max title. That is one CXT family, not a clue that an LXT pack will fit. The DHR182Z and the DHR242RTJW are the 18 V rows. If you own CXT packs, the HR166 is the match, and it arrives with two 4.0 Ah packs. This page did not test a forced fit. A 40 V pack is not a third option here. If the brand is not settled yet, the buying guide puts that check first.

What you give up on the 12 V max tool

The HR166 is the tool for small holes in a complete kit. Makita UK lists 1.1 J and 16 mm in concrete, just under SDS Drill UK's rule of thumb of about 1.2–2 J for plugs up to roughly 16 mm. UK reviews still describe lintels, tight spaces and about 200 picture-frame holes on the two 4.0 Ah packs. That is the case for CXT: reach and weight, not capacity. You give up the third mode. The UK page lists rotation, or rotation with hammer, and no hammer-only line, so this is not the tool for chipping tiles. The two 4.0 Ah packs will not run a later DHR182 or DHR242. The speed cells print 850 RPM beside 680 RPM. Do not use them to claim it is faster.
Makita Makita DHR182Z 18 V body

Testsieger

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

What the 18 V tools add

The DHR182 and the DHR242 are both LXT. Makita UK lists three modes for each, hammer only on the DHR182 and chipping on the DHR242. Impact energy is 1.7 J and 18 mm for the DHR182, and 2.0 J and 24 mm for the DHR242. The DHR242 bullets agree. That is the addition. It is not the 970.6 Nm figure on the Amazon row. The DHR182Z at £159.90 is a body, 4.6 from 304 ratings, with four UK write-ups named in the file. The DHR242RTJW at £549.49 is two 5.0 Ah packs, a DC18RC, a DX06 and a Makpac, with 4.6 from six ratings. The best Makita cordless SDS drill page makes that choice. Both tools are LXT. The HR166 is not.

Packs that are neither

G-series is named only on the DHR242 bullets, which say those batteries are not compatible. Do not generalise that line to every blue Makita pack, and do not assume a G-series pack is close enough to LXT. XGT stays outside the set. If your other tools are 40 V max, none of these three shares that pack. You would be starting LXT or CXT for one rotary hammer. That can still make sense for a plug hole with no mains lead. It is a new platform, not a spare slide for the grinder. The HR166 manual also says not to change mode while the tool is running.

Common questions

Can the HR166 use an 18 V LXT pack?
No. The HR166DSMJ listing says a 10.8 V or 12 V Li-ion CXT slide battery. It does not say 18 V. The DHR182Z and the DHR242RTJW are the 18 V rows. This page did not test a forced fit.
Is 10.8 V a different battery from 12 V max?
On this tool they are the same CXT family. Makita UK calls the platform 12 V max. The Amazon cell prints 10.8 V, and the bullets say 10.8 V or 12 V Li-ion CXT. The two 4.0 Ah packs do not fit the DHR182 or the DHR242.
Does the HR166 chisel?
The Makita UK page lists two modes, rotation only or rotation with hammer, and no hammer-only mode. The manual says not to turn the mode knob while the tool is running. Chipping is why you look at the DHR182 or the DHR242.
What is G-series, and is XGT here?
G-series is named only on the DHR242 bullets, which say those batteries are not compatible. XGT is Makita's 40 V max platform, and it is not one of these three rows. LXT is 18 V and CXT is 12 V max.
If you own neither platform, which page does the price?
This page stops at the fit. With no packs yet, the HR166DSMJ is the ready CXT carton at £204.95, without a chisel mode on the UK page. The DHR182Z still needs packs and a charger. The DHR242RTJW includes two 5.0 Ah LXT packs and a DX06. The sums are on the body-only page.
Which tools in this set are LXT?
The DHR182Z and the DHR242RTJW. One is a bare 18 V body at £159.90. The other is an 18 V kit at £549.49 with two 5.0 Ah packs, a DC18RC and a DX06. The HR166DSMJ is the CXT kit.

Related pages

Makita SDS body only or kit

Makita cordless SDS drill

Best Makita cordless SDS drill for the packs you own

Makita cordless SDS drill: checks before the price

How to drill brick with a Makita cordless SDS drill

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)