Makita BDF452HW: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An early 18V LXT drill kit. Retired, but the LXT battery mount it introduced is still the current one.
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The BDF452HW was a compact 18V LXT drill/driver kit from the first generation of Makita’s lithium-ion range. It was a well-regarded tool: light for its class, with a metal chuck and a clutch that actually held its settings.
It is discontinued. The battery platform is not, and that is unusual enough to be worth saying plainly.
LXT has not changed its mount
An 18V LXT pack bought today fits a BDF452HW, and the 1.5Ah packs that came with it will run a current LXT tool. Makita has kept that mount since 2005, which makes old LXT tools worth keeping rather than replacing wholesale.
If the drill works and the batteries are tired, a current 5.0Ah pack transforms it — more runtime, no memory effect, and better cell protection than the early packs had.
What wears out
The clutch and the chuck. A clutch that no longer stops at low settings, or a chuck with visible runout when you spin a long bit, has done its time. Both are technically serviceable and neither is worth paying for on a drill this age.
What to buy instead
The Makita XFD131, linked below, is the current equivalent: 18V LXT, brushless, 1/2 in chuck, sold as a kit with a 3.0Ah pack.
The brushless motor is the meaningful change. It draws less current for the same work, so an identical battery lasts noticeably longer, and it runs cooler on sustained driving.