I considered all of the right-angle drills currently available in this class before making my purchase. Here is why I decided against each of the competitors and bought the Makita DA3010F:
br /THE COMPETITORS:
br /--Bosch 1132VSR 3/8" Right-Angle Drill
br /I have many fantastic Bosch tools, but this one does not impress me. It is less powerful than the others in its class, and the bevel gears generate a lot of heat when being worked long or worked hard. It has an awkward power switch, which for safety reasons requires a compound motion to actuate. This unit has no side handle option. It is also expensive.
br /--Milwaukee 0375-6 3/8" Close-Quarters Drill
br /This drill is also comparatively underpowered. It too has no side handle. Personally, I don't like the 55-degree angle, and physical shape of this drill. I have no first hand experience with this tool, but it seems as though the shape would preclude use in some tight quarter situations such as a hole close to (and parallel to) the floor in a half-width joist. I respect Milwaukee drills and doubtless this one shines in many aspects, but I don't like it.
br /--DEWALT DW160 3/8" Heavy Duty Right Angle Drill
br /This is a poor excuse for a drill. It has no side handle, it is severely underpowered, and does not reverse! This is a real surprise from DeWalt. It might not be a bad tool if it were priced at $59 but with a street price of $135 (Amazon) it's abysmal.
br /--Hitachi D10YB 3/8" Right Angle Drill
br /This tool really caught my eye. It's powerful, slim, and has a side handle. Being fully $50 cheaper than the Makita, it seemed like a real winner. HOWEVER it has 2 glaring problems. PROBLEM 1: The on-off switch is separate from the speed control. I find it essential to be able to vary the torque of the tool on the fly with my trigger finger rather than having to stop, adjust the speed, then restart. Furthermore, the on-off switch slides, and requires deliberate disengagement to turn the tool off. You are unlikely to be able to deliberately disengage the switch if your drill bit binds up unexpectedly as they often do. What happens is that the drill body begins turning instead of the bit. When this happens, there is a real danger of fingers or other body parts being pinned (read crushed) between the drill and some immovable object nearby. This is especially risky in a close quarter situation where your getting-out-of-the-way options are limited. PROBLEM 2: To make matters worse, the drill has feedback circuitry to maintain a constant RPM no matter what the load is on the motor. Normally that's a good feature in a power tool, but NOT in a compact right-angle drill. This is very dangerous. If your bit binds up as described above, and a body part gets pinned it will be exposed to the MAXIMUM force the drill can produce even if the drill is on the lowest power setting! When the drill notices that it's slowing down (because it's crushing your hand) it cranks up the power as much as possible to keep the chuck from slowing down. (Did I forget to mention that the power switch is still locked on?)
br /
br /SO I BOUGHT THE MAKITA DA3010F 3/8" Angle Drill with L.E.D. Light
br /The Makita does not have the dangerous feedback circuitry feature mentioned above. When my bit binds up, the tool either jerks to a stop because it's on a low power setting, or it gets yanked out of my control hand, causing my fingers to release the speed switch, and the drill just stops. No crushed fingers!
br /The Makita is very powerful, it is very compact, and it has a very nice removable side handle which attaches to EITHER side of the drill. Fit and finish is as good as I have ever seen on a power tool. I was impressed. The variable speed paddle switch has a speed limit dial. It is a excellent design. It lets you take advantage of the precise, light action of the paddle-switch actuator yet it caps your maximum speed to a pre-set limit. It really works well.
br /If I had to make a wish list, it would include adding an electronic brake and a pushbutton safety switch to this tool. The safety is of secondary importance, because you will quickly learn to turn the speed-limit dial down to zero. This works as well as a having a dedicated safety switch, but it would be nice to leave the speed limit dial set on something that works for your application, and then toggle a safety on and off when changing bits etc. I should probably mention that NONE of the other tools reviewed here had these wishlist features either.
br /The LED work light is a very nice touch. When drilling with spade bits in dark quarters I can even watch the color of the wood change as each layer of the grain is removed. Furthermore, when you lightly touch the paddle switch, the light turns on without actually spinning the chuck so you can use the drill as an impromptu flashlight without brandishing a spinning drill bit at whatever you're inspecting. I expect that you'll see LED lights on nearly every tool in the future. I just makes too much sense.
br /I give this tool my highest recommendation. It smacks of quality, and feels good in your hand.

I looked at a lot of right angle drills before choosing this one. My needs are to be able to drill holes for wiring etc, in floor joists, and also being able to access cramped quarters in building cabinetry. Additionally, I needed to have a drill that would not be too powerful for mounting screws. Well this drill uniquely fills that bill exactly. Not only does it have a larger amperage motor than the competition, in medium duty, moderately priced drills, but also it has an adjustable setting for the level of power, so it achieves a certain level of resistance. No stripping or overinserting screw heads. So combining the variable speed feature, with an adjustable default setting, makes it unique in the industry for a medium duty right angle drill. All this while maintaining enough torque according to the owner's manual, to drill a one inch hole in wood. I don't need to drill holes larger than that, if I did, and on a regular basis, I would look into the Hole Hawg. brPersonally, I am relieved to not be using an overtorqued drill for working in cramped quarters, using spade bits. I have the Milwaukee 110 volt hammer drill, and am always concerned about breaking a wrist when it catches a bit. The Hole Hawg is even more of a concern in that regard. Of course the ultimate is to have both. Back to the Makita: This drill reverses, unlike the Dewalt for a little less money, which also has a lower amperage motor, and other anomalies as reported in the reviews. The Makita having a work light built into it, that they claim will never burn out for the life of the drill, is a nice feature, for those cramped, less than well lit locations. I feel confident with the Makita name. brI also looked at the Porter Cable air driven right angle drill, for less than half the price, but I know that air tools do not have the torque of a 110-volt ac model, unless you are buying a monster impact wrench, but it does reverse. brI also opted for a corded 110-volt angle drill, since I would be using that for drilling holes in floor joists, and I know that can drain a cordless drill battery fast. brOne more item is that I like the keyed chuck. My cordless drills have the keyless chuck, and that is convenient for the cordless type applications. Keyed chucks are shorter in distance, than the keyless, which gives you even less head length for extra clearance, and they give you a one-time insertion step. Many times my keyless, needs to be retorqued, because it can come loose. If I need to have the quick speed change of the keyless, I can use one of the popular quick-change bit sets. brTheir are some very nice heavy-duty right angle drills. Porter Cable makes a heavy duty one, that is larger, and they make the air driven model I mentioned eariler. Milwaukee makes right angle drills with lots of torque, large motors and weight. In a day-to-day heavy-duty construction situation, I would be opting for one of them. But for my needs this Makita can't be beat. It costs a little more but I don't want to have to live without all of the different features it has. brSo there you have it, this drill is the ultimate niche for my needs. Hope this information is pertinent to yours as well.

This tool has so much torque at low speeds and control of rpm using the rotating locking switch that it is absolutely in a class by itself. Worked with some brass screws in tight corners in hard maple, and found out that no other power tool could do what this did, and so delicatly, no stripped screw heads.
br /
br /Control was so consistent and torque so reliable.

I am a home builder. Anticipating some close quarter work, I picked up the Makita DA3010F. It sat in my tool box for a few months while I was putting up walls, beams and joists. As I progress into more detailed internal framing, I've been going to the Makita for what I will call light Hawg work. Like the other reviewer says, its lighter and won't break your wrist like the real thing. The Makita will turn a 3 or 4 inch hole saw but it is not happy, becoming too hot to handle. Within its design limit, it will easily turn 1" flat bits and long augers to around 3/4" dia. I can corroborate that 1) the feel and sound of a precision tool, and 2) you can dial the no-load speed down to like one minute per revolution. Yes, the LED light is useful for working where the sun don't shine. One problem, not specific to Makita, is that when a angle drill with paddle switch is used close-quarters and breaks through the work, the tool can get jambed up against the work with no way to turn it off. Occupational hazard I quess. This tool is recommended to those who have everything else.

This drill was used while finishing a basement, especially boring through floor joists and 2x4's to install wiring.
br /
br /It was more than powerful enough and the LED proved to be more than a novelty - it ws very handy when sticking the drill into tight spots!
br /
br /The only knock I have against it is the same for all Makita drills: the chuck will not stay tightened for more than a few minutes and continually has to be retightened. My Milwaukee, Sears and DeWalt drills all stay tight without applying gorilla-torque.
br /
br /Other than that, this is a very good and easy to control tool.

I needed a nice right angle drill for tight quarters. This fills the bill quite nicely.
br /
br /The drill is beafy yet is compact. It has great torque and is comfortable to operate. I can vary the speed to my taste and the light is indespensible in those dark corners where the drill is used most.
br /
br /The quality is high. This machine is built with years of service in mind.
br /
br /After spending lots of money on cheap drills, I found this purchase most satisfying.
br /
br /I highly recommend this tool

This drill worked well when the bit would stay tight which was about 50% of the time. I kept having to stop, tighten the bit (it seems like the chuck was the wrong size or the unit was defective). I was using it primarily to drill 3/4" - 1" holes in stud for wiring. I liked the size, LED light and variable speed features, but stoppping OFTEN was extremely frustrating and I ended up returning this drill. I may reorder a new one with the hope that this was an isolated incident and not indicative of an overall quality issue.

br /This tool because of it's price and apparent utility seems perfect for the professional.
br /
br /Everyone in the plumbing and electrical trades has long waited for a small, powerful right angle drill that does the job in tight places without breaking your wrist, arm or noggin.
br /
br /What we are trying to do is bore holes in tight stud bays to accomodate, water piping or electrical conductors: usually using auger bits. Drainage/Waste/Venting often requires the use of a 2 7/8 hole saw.
br /
br /There are several reasons why this tool may be far less than perfect to handle these jobs:
br /
br /1. Right angle drills are most effective when using an auger style bit that pulls itself through the wood. Boring 3/4" holes with an auger tends to bog down this tool 2/3rds of the way through a pine stud. You have to reverse the drive direction to extricate the bit and then go at it again.
br /
br /2. Once the screw on the auger has reached the other side - one must apply significant pressure to drill completely through. Often the effort to force the auger (the rest of the way) leads to the whole bit length travelling through the stud. If there was something that could be damaged in the next stud bay you would have to adequately protect it.
br /
br /3. Hole saws and paddle/spade bits need to have force applied in line with the direction of boring. This is not the strong suite of the right angle drill when confined in tight places. Unless you can get your hand behind the head of the drill you will have a rough go.
br /
br /4. The chuck and it's key are both problems. The key does not mesh in the chuck adequately or is it large enough to provide adequate tightening for large bits. Because of this - the chuck tends to lose it's grip on the bit and needs to be retightened often - too often.
br /
br /5. The chuck key is attached to the cord in close proximity to the tool. It needs to be removed from it's holder to be used. If it were mounted in an appropriate manner - towards the end of the cord it could be used without separating it from the tool - saving it from being lost.
br /
br /6. The chuck has a problem tightening on hex shank and large bits - the hexshanks are prone to wobbling. Even when you get it right - the chuck soon loosens up and you have to play around with it again.
br /
br /7. That LED light that will last "forever" turns on when the you apply trigger pressure. Would it not make sense that the light should allow you to align the bit before you start drilling - not after?
br /
br /8. No carrying case! I kid you not. Everyone who lugs their tools into the field knows the importance of the carrying case. It's all about work/time management. You want a "kit" that holds the tool and all of the accessories that tool needs. The best designed carrying case will allow you to effectively manage the kit.
br /
br /8. When I first looked at this item 11/15/06 it was selling for $159.00. I purchased one on 2/1/07 for $178.00. Now 2 weeks later 2/17/07 it is listing for $202.10.
br /
br /I can only hazard a guess as to why the price of this item has risen so sharply in just a few months:
br /Recently the dollar hit a 6 month low with respect to the yen.
br /Of course supply and demand. Based upon amazon reviews - I purchased one - as I am sure did many others,
br /Increased demand - increased price.
br /
br /Unlike other reviewers - I found that this tool was not a good choice for driving screws in tight places. It just doesn't have the low speed torque to do the job.
br /
br /I have had the opportunity to use a Milwaukee 0375-6 3.5 Amp 3/8-Inch Close Quarter Drill and have found it to be more versatile and a far better value $138.00. It assuredly does a better job with paddle/spade bits and holesaws.
br /
br /Controlled driving of screws is best left to a cordless tool.
br /
br /caslo

I bought this drill for two things: drilling and driving wood screws. The Makita does not do a good job driving screws because it lacks the speed control necessary for such work. When driving a 3" screw into a predrilled hole in douglas-fir, the drill will torque stall with the screw driven about 2/3 of the way home. No big deal, just squeeze the trigger a little more -- but a slight increase in trigger squeeze results in the drill speed jumping to full rated RPM - which causes one to either overdrive the screw, or to twist off the head. Either result is not acceptable. The speed control seems to be a two-stage affair - a slow speed low torque range for driving screws (nominally) and another full speed range with high torque for drilling. The transition between the two is very abrupt.
br /
br /I also found the drill's chuck to be clumsy to operate. If a knurled ring were installed such that one could grip the chuck barrel by hand, one could hand tighten the chuck onto a drill most of the way. Some drill press chucks have this feature. As it is, one has to use the chuck key which takes a while, and furthermore the use of the chuck key tends to result in the spindle turning and the chuck key hitting the housing that the LED is mounted into. In any case, the mounting of tools in the chuck could be improved. The lack of a case to store a $200 investment is unfortunate.
br /
br /I liked the removable handle, the very nice fit and finish of the drill, and the generous electrical cord length.

I had purchased the Dewalt equivalent but did not like the way the switch worked. I thought it would be awkward when in use. The Makita will fit into a narrower space than the Dewalt. The LED light is very useful and the switch lever works well. This drill has tons of power even at low rpm. One caution. These right angle drills are harder to use when installing screws. The small head means it is easier to get "off center" with the screw versus using a standard drill. The result is that you can strip the screw pretty easily. You must use more caution, proceed slowly and make sure you don't have a worn bit to get the best results. Once you master its use, it will go places no regular drill can touch!!

3/8th right angle drills or compact drills if you will are misunderstood tools. They are often put to use on jobs the manufacturer never intended them for. I am just as guilty as the next guy of this. I often overtax a tool to test its limits.
br /
br /This tool is a light to medium duty drill. It is not a hole hawg or Timberwolf. It will not be able to run augerbits and self feed bits like those drills! It is a 4 amp 3/8ths drill-Much like other 3/8ths drills, I found this drill to be right at home drilling holes that were under an inch in diameter using standard twist bits or paddle bits for boring larger holes.
br /
br /Under extended heavy useage I found the drill got very hot. But I was pushing it pretty hard by making 3/4 inch holes to run romex through multiple studs.
br /
br /The drill itself is a nice piece of engineering- The head of the drill is only 25/8 inches wide, allowing you to get into some tight spots. The chuck is a keyed design that requires use of a key to tighten the bit. the chuck grips tight when all 3 holes of the chuck body are tightened with the supplied key.( there is even a holder for the key on the cord)
br /
br /There is an LED light that illuminates the work area when the bar trigger is depressed that is slick for when you are working in a dark area with little ambient lighting. The drill has variable speeds of 0-2400 that can be varied by setting a maximum speed control dial on the trigger, or just varying the amount of pressure on the trigger.
br /
br /This drill is reversible, but I found that the reversing switch placement at the rear of the tool made it difficult to access during use. Putting the switch up by the front might have allowed the user to manipulate direction with a thumb.
br /
br /If you are driving screws with this drill, I would recomend predrilling as I foud it difficult to get pressure behind the drill as easily as a standard pistol grip drill.
br /
br /I would have liked to have seen this drill come with a case. At 200 dollars, that is a feature many look for in a tool purchase. There are no bits either, if you were wondering. You get a cardboard box and a side handle with this tool. The side handle screws into either end of the head of the drill.
br /
br /In my decision to buy a compact 3/8 drill, I considered:
br /1) Dewalt 18 volt DW960- Bought it and found when pushed too hard it grenades the gears.
br /2) Bosch 1132 Compact drill- very similar to the makita, but no side handle and a slight bit less compact.
br /3) Hitachi D10yb- Again, similar to the Makita, actually has a bit more power(4.6 amps vs. 4 amps) Has a side handle, but other peoples reviews complained of the slide type switch. The speed is controlled by a dial, not the trigger.( in hindsight I might have bought this drill instead of the makita) 5 year warranty.
br /4) Milwaukee- Bad rep for weak geartrains.
br /5) Dewalt DW160- No reverse! Cannot back out a stuck bit!
br /
br /All in all I am happy with the purchase. The heating up is something I will have to watch out for and I will update if it leads to tool failure

Great Tool! Lightweight, compact, totally functional. The only improvement needed would be a compact Keyless Chuck.

I needed to drill some holes to screw in a railing on some stairs. The only problem was that the stair riser next to the post only gave about 4 inches of clearence. No way my Milwaukee hole hawg would fit so I needed a more compact right angle drill. All the other drills I found from Dewalt, Hitachi, Milwaukee, etc had a 3.5 inch or larger chuck length. This would not be small enough once the drill bit was inserted. So for my application, the Makita was the only choice.
br /
br /How does it work? So far, flawlessly. It has plenty of power, but you do have to be a bit careful when picking it up so that you don't squeeze the trigger paddle. But I honestly don't see how this could ever be improved. The variable speed trigger is nice and the LED worklight is great. Like the built in level on my Dewalt drill, I think all drills should have these features. The Makita also has a screw on side handle for high torque applications. A keyless chuck would be nice, but from what I've read, this would increase the chuck length. A drill like this needs to be as compact as possible because you never know when you'll need to get it in a very tight space.

One of its great uses is with a rotating sanding disc. The battery powered versions run out of steam too often

Great value, lots of torque, fits into amazingly small spaces, excellent speed control. Just be careful to unplug the cord before attempting to tighten or loosen the chuck. The paddle style trigger is easy to press accidentally if you're not paying attention.

I have all three good ones. Milwaukee, Bosch, and Makita. The Makita is the best, Bosch second, Milwaukee third. DeWalt did not place.

I am a Makita tool junkie. I have used their power tools for over 25 years in the home remodeling business. They build a quality power tool and dealing with their Dayton, NJ service team is an absolute pleasure!
br /
br /I purchased their 3/8-inch Right Angle Drill for installing kitchen cabinets. The narrow space between 6" to 9" upper cabinets makes it difficult to drill pilot holes for screwing the stiles together. This drill just made my life a lot easier !
br /
br /Right out of the box it had the feel of quality. The tool is heafty, fits the hand well and is built for hard use. The chuck is a key type and made of steel. The assembly is close to the drive mechanism meaning you can get into very tight quarters. The housing is Makita blue hard impact plastic and has a paddle switch. There is also a dial-type speed control on the paddle that can be adjusted from a slow screwing speed to a high drilling speed. Believe it or not, the LED Light actually works very well and is a joy to use in the back area of cabinets.
br /
br /My son-in-law and I used it over the weekend to install the cabinets in my own home and he also gave the drill a rave review.
br /
br /This isn't the drill an average homeowner would buy. But, if you're looking for a quality right angle drill for close-quarter work, this is the one to buy. You won't be disappointed !

I just received my drill and tried it out. Absolutely a great tool. Surprisingly quiet, powerful and easy to manage. The LED light isn't a gimmick, it is useful. I used it to drive a 3/4" Fostner bit and it didn't balk once.

This is the #1 right angle drill you could ever buy for small to medium drilling job. The variable speed control is absolutely great...you can actually set the max desired speed so you can not over speed on some material. The LED light is fantastic for undersink work where thing might be dark and hard to see. The drill can rip up to max RPM very fast...and still feel very solid in your hand. No doubt...! First rate top notch equipment. PERIOD!!! pPS: Would be a lot better if it comes with a impact resistance case...but that is not as important as the tool itself.

I just used my Makita for the first time for disassembling a number of basement storage shelves to move to a new house. Some of the shelves were in dark unlighted lockers and the Makita LED light made a difficult job easy. You simply press start, which switches on the light, identify the screw head, and bingo, out comes the screw! The Makita is light, easy to handle and the controls are intuitive and simple to adjust. I am pleased with this powered version because my several cordless drills are constantly running out of power and I won't have to worry about that with this Makita.

I would buy one of these again, it's that good!

This drill is worth the money. One safety precaution: be sure to unplug it before changing bits.

Makita specifically says the DA3000 has a reverse but their description does not mention this feature for the DA3010. If the DA3010 does not have a reverse feature I would only give it a two star rating.pI just learned from Makita that this unit does have a reverse

I'm looking for a right-angle drill, and though I have not yet gotten one or tried this one, I've read all the other reviews and considered the various qualities, and this is what I come up with:br *It's a Makita, a brand that I like because of its quality construction, ball bearings, etc. I have several (I also own Milwaukie, Porter-Cable, and DeWalt, so being Makita is not a slam-dunk recommendation by itself; on the other hand, it's not BlackDecker, a brand that often earns my curses in use).br *It's more powerful than most of the others, which can be handy at times -- one has to think of the nature of one's own work to decide whether the extra weight's necessary. It's also faster, a factor that often drives me to pick up my corded drill instead of my cordless.br *Many of the other reviewers have commented on the problems associated with paddle switches. Having used paddle switches on air tools, I appreciate their ease of engagement and the fact that your index finger doesn't wear out holding in the trigger. But controlling them precisely is indeed a challenge. So Makita's addition of a speed control dial is a real positive feature, and one that may be decisive for me.br Not having used it, of course, a lot of this is speculative. But it may give you some useful points to consider in your deliberations.

This is a great drill. Free delivery was quick. I am very satisfied.