makita brushless combi drill

[ExArmy]

I currently have a makita BHP 451 combi drill, but on too many occasions recently i've found it too big and heavy to do what i want it to do. In the US of A they sell a brushless combi drill LXPH05, and theres a seller on ebay offering them for £80 delivered. from looking at the specs i can see the BL one is 0.5KG lighter and 50mm shorter, it only has 2 speeds instead of 3, and the battery will apparently last for ever as it's brushless (actually i can confirm the battery on my brushless BHR242 SDS does seem to last alot longer than all other cordless SDS's i've used)
but the main thing i'm having trouble comparing is the torque, for the BHP451 it says S/H 40/80nm, and the LXPH05 has 400 in/lb (45NM). so is it more powerful or not? what is 40/80 supposed to mean? how can it have 2 max torque numbers! the bloody makita website is terrible for this, you can't compare any 2 power tools of the same type as they measure each one a different way so the numbers all get bigger to try and fool people!
and why doesn't makita UK offer the new brushless stuff here? is it likely to happen some time soon cos if so i'd rather wait and get a warranty

 

[i=p/u]

Well hitachi brushless stuff is out in uk, so soon I'd say, and at £350 for combi kit with 3 x 4 ah batts

 

[snoopydo]

the 40/80 most likely is the max in hi and low gear.

 

[ExArmy]

the 40/80 most likely is the max in hi and low gear.

but the BHP451 has 3 speeds, so surely there would be 3 numbers? i've e-mailed makita to find out what they mean.

in the meantime i've discovered there is a brushless combi drill available in the UK, the BHP458. it's the UK version of the LXPH05 and on the Makita UK website it says it has 25/45NM of torque, so that means it's got nearly half the torque of the 451, which means it's probably gonna be no good!

also discovered there is a new version of the 451, the BHP459, it's even heavier, but just over an inch shorter. again only has 2 speeds but can drill faster and has 8NM more torque. it says it has a new DC motor, but it's not brushless.

 

[ExArmy]

from makita customer service:

Question:

I'm trying to compare the BHP 451 to another drill with regard to the max torque, the BHP 451 says it has S/H 40/80NM and the "other drill" has 45NM, which one is more powerful? what do the S and H and both of the numbers mean

Answer:
S & H refers to Soft or Hard joint, the higher the torque the more powerful the drill!

does that make sense to anyone?

 

[Amp David]

Is it not the range you get from using the clutch selector switch?

 

[ExArmy]

Is it not the range you get from using the clutch selector switch?

well if it were then i would expect to see 3 numbers for the BHP451 as it's 3 speed, but theres just 2. and why soft and hard? surely if it were for the gears it would say something logical like H/L for high or low. and why do the american drills just have one figure for max torque, but the equivalent uk spec drill has the torque in 2 parts.
it's just some marketing flim flam if you ask me, and not even makita know what it means. just put more numbers and letters down it will sell more drills!

 

[Amp David]

I know its 3 speed, but does it not also have the rotary dial around the chuck which you select the clutch?

Is so the the 2 figures could be the min and max torque using these settings?

Or the torque is so poor in top gear they haven't bothered listing it?

 

[ExArmy]

i don't know. why is this so complicated? why do i care?

it has a selector switch where you can go between drill, screw and hammer.

 

[Amp David]

Why do you care, I don't know?

 

[ExArmy]

another response from makita:

Question:
why do you list 2 figures for max torque of cordless drills? i understand that S/H stands for Soft/Hard joint, what does that mean?what is a soft joint, and what is a hard joint?
Answer:
A soft joint can be explained as something with 'give' like driving a screw into a piece of soft wood that will countersink itself and gradually stop whereas a hard joint is like driving a bolt that once reaches home will stop instantaneously!