The best Makita drywall screwdrivers, compared.
Top pick: Makita FS4200 Best value: Makita FS4300/2 – A complete 240 V gun at about £119.99. The cheaper 110 V listing still needs a transformer, and the bare 18 V bodies are not a working gun at the sticker price. Updated October 2026.
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun with a depth locator, bought in the UK to fix plasterboard so the screw head sits just under the paper. You tell a suitable gun by the nameplate, the nose and the box. The nameplate has to match the supply in front of you: 240 V on a normal 13 A house socket, or 110 V centre-tapped to earth on a typical site, where the voltage to earth stays at or below 55 V. An 18 V body is a working gun only when the battery is already yours. The nose should be an adjustable depth locator. A 110 V gun does not belong in a 13 A socket. PH2 is the usual plasterboard recess. On construction sites the Health and Safety Executive wants cordless tools or a 110 V centre-tapped supply. In a house, a 13 A socket and a 240 V nameplate are the match. The [drywall screwdriver buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/makita-drywall-screwdriver/sub/makita-drywall-screwdriver-buying-guide) separates the supply and a UK catalogue code from a US one.
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun with a depth locator, bought in the UK to fix plasterboard so the screw head sits just under the paper. You tell a suitable gun by the nameplate, the nose and the box.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What supply is in front of you?
The FS4200 listing is a corded drywall screwdriver at 4,000 RPM and about £150.55, with 4.7 from 327 ratings, and the title prints 6 A rather than a voltage. Reviewers outside the UK praise it for hanging board, an easy depth adjustment, and a speed they call a middle ground for wood and steel studs. The only UK review in the file, dated 26 January 2017, says the tool was for USA use and was returned. Reviews in that file are mostly from the United States and Canada, so the 4.7 is not evidence the plug matches a British socket. A listed 60 Nm also does not line up with the 16 Nm on the FS4300/2, and this card does not treat those torque figures as the same measurement. Clutch complaints appear as well, including a clutch that kept releasing and wear under trade use. Leave it unless the nameplate in the photographs shows the voltage you will actually plug in.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already read the nameplate in the listing photos and it matches the supply you will plug in.
Less suitable: A 13 A house socket or a 110 V site lead when you are guessing that 6 A means UK 240 V.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this the UK 240 V model?
The listing does not state a voltage. It says 6 A. The only UK review says the tool was for USA use and was returned.
Does it have a lock-on switch?
Yes. The bullets list a lock-on button and a one-handed reversing switch.
How fast is it?
The table says 4,000 RPM. Recommended use is drywall installation.
The DFS251Z is an 18 V brushless TEK body at about £129.43, with a 5 mm drywall line and a 6 mm self-drilling line, and the title says the battery and charger are not in the box. Reviewers who use it daily describe cladding, sheeting and steel purlins, and they call the depth stop accurate on a tool listed at 1.13 kg. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.7 from 191 ratings. The supplied magnetic socket is the limit: reviewers say it does not take an ordinary 1/4 inch bit and is set up for cladding screws rather than plasterboard. The speed table prints 2.5 RPM and 500 RPM, which disagree, so this card does not quote a speed from that table. The listing warranty is 1 year plus 2 years if you register within 30 days, and non-genuine packs void it. At about £129.43 the amazon price sits well below shop figures such as Toolden's £235.68 for a DFS251Z body, so confirm the offer is this bare tool. It suits you when a genuine Makita 18 V pack is already on the shelf and the job is TEK or cladding.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own a genuine Makita 18 V pack and you are fixing cladding or self-drilling screws.
Less suitable: A first plasterboard job from a house socket, or anyone who needs a PH2 bit to fit the supplied holder.
Specifications
Common questions
Are the battery and charger in the box?
No. The title says batteries and charger are not included. The contents line lists a belt clip, a magnetic socket bit and the tool.
What speed does the listing give?
The table prints 2.5 RPM and 500 RPM. Those two figures disagree, so no speed is shown.
Will a standard 1/4 inch bit fit?
Reviewers say the supplied holder does not take ordinary 1/4 inch bits and is set up for cladding screws rather than plasterboard.
The FS4300/2 is a 240 V corded drywall screwdriver listed at 4,000 RPM and 570 W, so on a UK 13 A socket it keeps driving screws without a battery change. At about £119.99 and 1.4 kg it is the only listing in this set whose title states both 240 V and drywall screwdriver, with an adjustable depth locator and a 1/4 inch hex. Across 100 amazon.co.uk ratings the line is 4.6. Reviewers credit the speed against a drill and the fact the lead does not fade, and the single UK review in the file, from 31 May 2015, calls it well packed and worth the money. The depth collar is the recurring complaint: it is easy to knock off its setting, and people say they have to set it again. One reviewer reported three broken clutches after heavy use, and the LED is described as weak and the tool loud. The file's reviews are mostly from Germany and Italy, so the stars are not a UK-only sample. For a room of board beside a normal socket, this is the top pick and the best value here, as long as you re-check that collar.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are boarding a room from a normal UK 13 A socket and want the screwdriver, not a bare body.
Less suitable: A 110 V site lead, or a job that needs the current UK cordless DFS452 rather than this corded gun.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the FS4300/2 cordless?
No. The listing says corded electric, 240 V, at 4,000 RPM.
Does it have a depth stop?
Yes. The bullets list an adjustable depth locator and a one-touch locator, plus a silent clutch and a lock-on button.
What bit shank does the listing state?
The bullets say a 1/4 inch hex driving shank. A separate chuck line says 6.35 inches, which does not match that shank.
The FS2500/1 is a 110 V corded TEK screwdriver at about £99.99, listed at 2,500 RPM with a 5 mm drywall screw and a 6 mm self-drilling screw. At 1 kg on the listing it is the lightest gun in this set, and the bullets include an adjustable depth locator with a sure-lock. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.4 from 19 ratings. The file holds only two short UK reviews, from 4 August 2019 and 14 November 2019, both positive and neither naming a fault, so that 4.4 is too thin to treat as a settled verdict. Toolden's note on the 110 V FS2500 is that it needs a transformer and is not for a standard 240 V socket. A bullet also says Teak applications, which reads as a listing slip beside the TEK item type. Buy it when the outlet in front of you is already 110 V centre-tapped, and do not change the plug to make the lower price work at home.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already work from 110 V centre-tapped site outlets and want a corded TEK gun with a depth locator.
Less suitable: A house with only 13 A sockets, or any plan to fit a different plug so the lower price works at home.
Specifications
Common questions
Will the FS2500/1 plug into a UK 13 A socket?
The listing says 110 V. It does not state a 230 V or 240 V supply.
Can it drive drywall screws?
The bullets state a maximum drywall screw of 5 mm and a self-drilling screw of 6 mm. The title calls it a TEK screwdriver.
Is a battery included?
No. The listing is corded electric.
The XSF04Z is listed as an 18 V brushless drywall screwdriver at 2,500 RPM and about £294.98, tool only, with two insert bits, a 3 inch magnetic bit holder and a belt clip. US reviewers describe repeatable depth once the collar is set, and they use it on board, including cement board, in place of a drill. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.3 from 115 ratings, and every review in the file is marked United States, so there is no UK comment to read. Makita's US page is the home of this code, while the current UK cordless plasterboard gun is the DFS452 at 0–4,000 min⁻¹, which is not this ASIN. A contents line that says one battery conflicts with the tool-only title, and the listing's up to 50 percent longer runtime is a claim rather than a measured test in this file. Reviewers also say the nose can fail to stay together when depth is increased, and some units arrived looking used or in an opened box. At about £294.98 before a pack, it is the dearest row here and still not a working gun in the box.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already decided you want the US XSF04Z code and you have a pack that matches that tool.
Less suitable: A UK house that wants either the 240 V FS4300/2 or the current DFS452, which is not this listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a battery included?
The title says tool only. The contents are two insert bits, a 3 inch magnetic bit holder and a belt clip. A separate line says one battery, which conflicts with the title.
What speed is listed?
The title and the table say 2,500 RPM. The model number is XSF04Z.
Are the reviews from the UK?
Every review in the file is marked United States. The listing score is 4.3 from 115 ratings.
Five amazon.co.uk listings are scored here. This is not a lab test of depth, noise, clutch life or runtime. The score starts at the amazon.co.uk star rating times 20. Four cuts are applied once: fewer than 30 ratings (20 points), a corded listing with no voltage printed (16 points), a battery count that conflicts with a tool-only title (15 points), and two different RPM figures in the table (5 points). Those published cuts are the weights below. The star line is the base and takes the remaining 44, so the weights sum to 100. Review country stays in the note and is not a second penalty. The top pick and the best value are the same complete 240 V gun. The cheaper 110 V listing, the bare 18 V bodies and the corded listing with no voltage are not a separate value winner.
Amazon star rating
44%The score starts at the amazon.co.uk star rating times 20. A 4.6 becomes 92 before any cut. That line is a listing average, not a lab score, and review country is not scored again.
Fewer than 30 ratings
20%A listing with fewer than 30 ratings takes a cut of 20, applied once. The FS2500/1 has 19 ratings, so the 4.4 is a thin sample.
Corded listing with no voltage
16%A corded listing that prints an amp figure and no voltage takes a cut of 16, applied once. The FS4200 states 6 A and no volts.
Battery count versus a tool-only title
15%A battery count that conflicts with a tool-only title takes a cut of 15, applied once. The XSF04Z title says tool only while a contents line says one battery.
Two RPM figures in the table
5%Two different RPM figures in the same table take a cut of 5, applied once. The DFS251Z table prints 2.5 RPM and 500 RPM, so no speed is shown from that table.
Match the nameplate, then the nose, then the box. A house room on a 13 A socket wants a stated 240 V gun. A yellow site outlet wants 110 V centre-tapped, or a cordless body you can already power. A bare 18 V price still needs a pack.
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun with a depth locator on the nose. You use it to drive plasterboard screws until the head sits just under the paper. Torn paper is a failed fixing. A combi drill with a clutch is a different tool. An impact driver is the wrong driver for board. The usual recess on a plasterboard screw is PH2. Pozidriv is a different tip, and mixing the two chews the head. In the UK you match the nameplate to the outlet in front of you.
The DFS251Z and the XSF04Z titles say the battery and charger are not in the box. A battery on top of that price can pass a corded gun. That is a rule of thumb, not a pack price.
The DFS251Z table prints 2.5 RPM and 500 RPM. Those figures disagree, so the card shows no speed. The DFS251 manual states 0–2,500 revolutions per minute.
The FS4200 prints 6 A and no voltage. The only UK review in the file returned it as USA stock. Use the nameplate in the photographs, not the amp line.
The nameplate voltage decides whether the gun can be plugged in. A house job in the UK is 240 V on a normal 13 A socket. A typical site outlet is 110 V centre-tapped to earth, which keeps the voltage to earth at or below 55 V. The Health and Safety Executive wants cordless tools or that 110 V supply on construction sites. The IET describes that supply as good practice on harsh sites. A domestic room with a 13 A socket is a different job. In this set the FS4300/2 states 240 V.
The depth locator is what makes this a drywall screwdriver rather than a drill with a clutch. The FS4300 listing names an adjustable locator, a silent clutch and a 1/4 inch hex. The FS2500 listing names a depth locator and a 5 mm drywall screw. The DFS251Z and the XSF04Z also name a depth nose. The FS4200 listing does not state one. Without that nose, do not treat the tool as set up for plasterboard. Then read the box. The FS4300/2 and the FS2500/1 are the screwdriver.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are boarding one room from a normal UK 13 A socket and you want the screwdriver in the box. The FS4300/2 states 240 V, 4,000 RPM and a depth locator. Re-check the collar if it gets knocked. Skip a listing that prints 6 A and no voltage.
You already own a genuine Makita 18 V pack and the job is cladding or self-drilling screws. The DFS251Z is the bare brushless body. The supplied socket is described as a cladding holder, not a PH2 plasterboard bit. The current UK cordless plasterboard gun, the DFS452, is not in this set.
You work from 110 V centre-tapped site outlets and want a corded gun with a depth locator. The FS2500/1 states 110 V. It does not belong in a 13 A socket, and the 4.4 comes from 19 ratings. Do not change the plug on a 240 V gun to chase a lower price.
The top pick is the Makita FS4300/2 at about £119.99. It scores 92, the highest here: the title states 240 V, the box is the screwdriver, and the listing is 4.6 from 100 amazon.co.uk ratings. The depth collar is easy to knock, the review file is mostly outside the UK, and one reviewer reported repeated clutch failure. Best value is the same listing, because it is a complete 240 V gun. The FS2500/1 is cheaper at about £99.99 and loses 20 points for 19 ratings, and it still needs a transformer on a 240 V-only job. The DFS251Z and the XSF04Z are bare bodies, so the sticker price is not a working gun. The FS4200 is dearer and does not state a voltage. None of these scores is a lab test, and the current UK cordless DFS452 is not in this set.
Makita FS4300/2
A complete 240 V gun at about £119.99. The cheaper 110 V listing still needs a transformer, and the bare 18 V bodies are not a working gun at the sticker price.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and star lines are amazon.co.uk listing snapshots. This is not a lab test.
