Fake Makita Impact Better? Let's find out! Makita XWT11Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 

I’ve had a lot of requests for this one, and sorry it’s taken me so long. Please let me know which specific models of impact tools you'd like compared in the future. I'm ready to begin testing them if there's enough interest. I have some additional test to include in the next showdown too. Thanks to everyone for helping support the videos through your generous Patreon support. www.patreon.com/projectfarm. I look forward to reading your comments and video ideas. Thanks again!

Man... NOBODY on RU-vid does a more thorough, complete and non-biased review of tools and/or products than Project Farm! Period... I love this guy!

You buy both. The cousin eddy is the one you lend to your neighbor.

$30 for a brushless motor is incredible value and for the casual DIYer it might just do the trick. On the other hand the Makita is definitely for the professional tradesman who will use this tool on a daily basis and get a good service life out of it.

Good engineering for the Makita to use a much heavier anvil, more material for the body for strength but still have essentially the same weight as the knock off. Also very good engineering and production efficiency (and probably the removal of QC) to be able to make a decent tool at $30 and still make it worth it to the company who makes it!

That missing one gram could literally be attributed to the Makita logo taken off.

That makita is worth the 130$ but that was a good 30$ tool also

I have the cheap version and to be honest as a 'home workshop' tool its fantastic value, it does what it does well and saves a huge amount of time which is its main attraction for me. Sure the Makita (and other good brands) will be better but its hard to justify the price difference since I will probably get years of service from my cheap one and I have the extra 'seconds' to wait to spool up the nut... As always a fantastic video, I would never have thought to put them actually head-to-head but what a test that was, I think you're scientific enough and real world enough to make your comparisons so very useful.. Love your work.. and I love your sense of humour too...

I can't express how much I loved the dance off lol you're normally so professional and to the point (which is part of what makes your channel so great) but it made me incredibly happy when you put that in

Are you telling me there’s actually a unit of measurement called “nut-busting torque”

I've an idea that I haven't seen before (or at least found): Hand Cleaners I work on motorcycles and constantly get mucky hands due to the Carbon, Rust and Associated Particles. I tend to use Swarfega but don't care what flavour, my firend uses swarfega but ONLY the orange one ("Because it's got citrus in it, which is, like, an acid isn't it!"), I know some people just use Fairy Liquid (dish washing liquid in the UK) and my dad is more old school and uses normal soap, then vinegar if that doesn't do it, then 99.9% Isopropyl as a last resort. I'm sure no matter what tools or projects people do then wanting shiny clean hands without taking a layer off is something we can all relate to :D P.S. Best trick I've ever actually seen played on a newbie mechanic - tell them they can avoid all the mess if they spray some lube (WD40, GT85, etc.) on their hands first. "Really coat it on there good as a barrier." It's mean, but watching them play grab-the-spanner is hillarious. Even worse, they then have to try and wash off the WD40...

At the end of 2020 this video made me buy Cousin Eddie, and there's still no regret whatsoever. The battery lasts very long, because the hammering is a very efficient method of power transfer. I keep being amazing by the speed and power, compared to a conventional drill. You must be very careful with smaller bolts and screws, because they'll break before you can say "whoops', but for undoing screws, nuts and bolts, and tightening bolts and nuts beyond 5 mm (1/4" and up) it's an awesome tool with a ridiculously low weight.

Over 7 million views and the poor guy can only get 114,000 likes come on people this man did all his work and that many people can't even hit a button

The amount of tests you performed on both and the amount of time it took to edit the whole video makes me exhausted to even think about

“Took a month to arrive.” Cousin Eddy always has been a little slow.

Your videos are VERY well done. I always enjoy them. Additional questions: Did the batteries interchange? Drain time for the batteries / capacity.

Great video, I definitely could see a person getting the knock-off if you're not going to use the tool daily for your job since it won't see as much abuse. I also really appreciate how you aren't annoying and ask for a like and/or a subscribe like most people, so for that. Have a like and an subscribe!

This guy always makes me smile because he's so enthusiastic about literally everything he does

Did anyone ever stop to consider how much this guy spends for our entertainment

Great tests.. You have a good point on the 30 dollar tool. It's 5 times less than Makita, but is Makita also 5 times better? If so the 30 dollar knock off is not bad actually. It could get someone going until they can upgrade to something more durable.

I've paid compliments to the work done here previously. I am doing so again. The quality of work here is outstanding. Thank you very much for all of your attention to detail, creativity, and excellent understanding of what a product should be tested to do.

Twerking impact wrenches were not what I was expecting to see today, but I'm not mad about it.

Nut Busting Torque: Giggity

Long term review of my Cousin Eddie (appears mostly identical to the one in the video - even down to the yellow trimmed brushless motor, except mine was a ball detent model). The unit is still performing well - ordered May 2020 (a month before this video went live!), review date 2/13/2023. Used for weekend automotive work on my daily driver cars - mostly suspension components and lug nuts, and it still works the same as when new. Occasional drops from a short height with a 5ah battery, no cracks or stress marks/deformations in the shell. It seems to max out at about the same in the video - between 90 to 115 ft lbs, even after years of weekend use. About a year in, the detent ball disappeared and was never seen again, so I've been holding the sockets on as-needed. Shortly after that, the hammer seized up. A quick disassembly of the forward cap and gentle persuasion resolved the issue and the unit worked fine after reassembly. A year and a half after that (a week ago, actually) the four screws holding the forward cap on came loose, so I partially disassembled the unit again and did an inspection. Everything was still greased up and looked/worked great. Threw some threadlocker on the screws and reassembled it. I've used this for: frequent tire rotations, regular suspension replacements, an engine replacement/teardown/reassembly, a transmission replacement, and regular maintenance when there's enough room. Because of the limited torque, on higher torque fasteners like axle nuts or front control arm bushing nuts, I would sometimes have to break them loose by hand. On one occasion I had to use a strangers high torque Milwaukee in a junkyard to remove the axle nut on a CV axle still installed in a spindle off-car. Sometimes Cousin Eddie (and even my breaker bar) struggles on other bolts in mostly rust-free junkyard cars. I was wanting a bit more removal torque for those rare occasions, so I went ahead and ordered an authentic Makita impact that is smaller/lighter but is rated at more torque than Cousin Eddie has tested out to. But, considering Cousin Eddie was about $40 shipped and provided almost 3 years of use before I wanted something better, I'd say it was definitely worth the money. Not bad, Cousin Eddie.

Project Farm is educational, entertaining and simply an amazing channel for the residential toolman!

I came here expecting cousin Eddie to disappoint me, but oh boy, not this time. You did a great job Eddie !

Don't know why this was recommended to me but I'm not disappointed

Thanks. After viewing this video, I was amazed by the cheap impact wrench. Went ahead and bought one. Cannot be happier with the performance/cost ratio. Excellent for mower blade removal/mounting. Effortless! The 1/2" center is hollow. It takes hex-base bits. An impact driver for me. Cool. I don't expect it to be used on a daily basis and long lasting. Great for a casual DIYer.

Sir: I am constantly ever so impressed with your incredibly intelligent, well executed and thorough testing methods and procedures. As a mechanic while putting myself through University, and a retired applied physicist, I am by no means easily impressed, but, again, you certainly earn accolades.

This man needs a tv show. He even adds little jokes in and laughs, really great stuff,

Reminds me of an AvE episode but with a different accent and less swearing.

Really enjoyed watching this video! .. it's the first time I've ever watched a video on tools and I must add I loved the speed at which the video was carried out! I wish more videos were like this video in their speed delivery of continent etc. All too often videos like this get bogged down and I find myself wishing they were moving along a lot quicker so kudos to you sir great job!!!🤗

Excellent comparison. You didn't do an endurance test: how long does each last putting out high torque. I had a cheap drill that was a de Walt knockoff that did very well but would go dead in half the time under load.

He wanted to laugh so bad at the dance off but held it back. 😂

The knock-off tool only has two battery contacts, they skipped the temperature sensor. This could result in reduced lifespan or damage to the battery. The effects would be worse on lower capacity battery packs too.

Great job on the video, I have 2 makitas and 0 knock offs. They have worked flawlessly for years. One is brushless and the other is not but it still has worked great.

I don't know why I'm watching this. I don't even own a screwdriver

"wacha' watchin'?" *Drill dance battle* "...wha-" *Drill dance battle!*

What a great video and review. I really enjoy the video content you provide not only because it demonstrates how good a name brand product performs over the knockoff but also provides insight on whether a knockoff version is a good purchase for the non-professional. Do you reuse any equipment built for other videos?

I had a Makita 1/4" impact several years ago as well as the drill/driver. Used both of them daily for garage door installations & replacements. Both performed great given their price point, I couldn't see paying more for anything else. I also had the 18V XRP Dewalt 1/4" impact and the hammer drill/driver....the Dewalt was quite a bit heavier, and after a day of use you felt it in your arms and shoulders using the heavier Dewalt impact and drill.

That torque measuring device is a work of genius. I've seen tools like that on other channels but never understood how they worked. Now, seeing your video it's so clear to me. Great video and amazing job coming up with these tests.

If this dude was my teacher, i'd never skip a class

I have a Rigid impact I use in the garage but might be interested in picking up the knock off to leave in the car for roadside tire changes.

Fake Makita looks a lot like Make Fajita. That's how I ended up here. Excellent review BTW, very thorough.

I think this had the perfect amount of light-heartedness.

I should be in bed, but instead I'm watching a vid of 2 impact wrenches dancing... 🙄

Thank you for the practical video! Next times you can do more interesting projects such as real makita vs. domestic chinese made impact wrenches. We Vietnamese love to watch this! several suggestions for you: Lanbiao, HBM, Dekton, Pinneng.

Your level of detail and accuracy is just outstanding! Keep up the good work!!

The dance off had me laughing.

I’d pay $30 bucks for that thing just to have around in case it’s needed. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to more impact videos!

You give the best comparisons out there and you cover everything,your very thorough and I appreciate you.

I love how you build the testing tools. great work and great video

Best channel ever. I want cousin eddie for the sweet dance moves

How about a video comparing some welders? Perhaps entry-level flux-core offerings from harbor freight, Eastwood, ultra cheap Amazon mystery brand...😁 Love the channel. Always happy to see a new video in the feed! Thanks for the time and effort you spend on them!

I really appreciate your video's and the work you go through to make them happen. As for Cousin Eddy.... I would absolutely buy a him. The amount of work he can still do is fantastic and I would welcome him into my garage any time. Makita is a very good tool but for the quantity of work i do, Cousin Eddy is just fine.

Спасибо! Очень грамотный тест с инженерным подходом. Я получил ответ не все свои вопросы.

I’d call Cousin Eddy a darned good tool for $30.

I’m going to change everything I’ve learned about tools and just make my choice on dance moves 😂😂

Tous ces tests, quelle imagination! Bravo!

I use the Makita everyday for aluminum gutter installation. I've had the brush motor fail but the brushless have been flawless with no fails. Even dropped them 35 feet to the dirt and still worked. They are great tools.

I would be interested in seeing how a Dewalt and an Earthquake wrench would compare to the Makita. Very good test and really shows the differences between a cheap tool and the real deal.

Yet another painstakingly-produced video with so much attention to detail! Really appreciate the hard work that goes into these.

I tested this product on site as I’m a scaffolder, the first unit lasted 3 months and just to be sure I purchased a second unit which lasted four, this was tested on a daily basis usage. Really not that great for professional use. Makita all the way. But as someone else stated it’s not a bad tool for the odd job at home for diy.

Bought cousin eddy early 2021 Use it for 2 months, then suddenly it stop working. Leave it in the tool cabinet for months. i forgot to throw it away. Rarely i tidy up my cabinet. Then i came across a video that shows how to fix impact wrench switch. So i remember cousin eddy. All i have to do is open up the switch box, pry out a little bit of the copper contact, filled it up with Vaseline, assemble it back. countless of customer cars, still works like a charm today.

In all honesty $30 for that tool even with the lag and lower torque ratings is one hell of a deal!

Knockoff is a lamb in Wolf's clothing. It is probably fine for light duty occasional use but not much more. I gotta say tool comparisons are a great idea. Everything you compare has much better testing that everyone else's and as usual with an unbiased opinion. Love the dances BTW. 🙂

Hey Todd, not sure if you've seen, but there's a bigger and badder cousin eddy they recently released that's much bigger and claims to have 1800N*M of torque. Might be a fun comparison for one of the bigger makita impacts.

A series of videos on your test rigs and jigs and how you conceptualize and construct them would be very interesting.

Man, you've got so many cool testing tools I didn't even know existed. The rigorousness and accuracy of your tests is what makes your channel my favorite!

so happy this was on my recommended, I don’t even own an impact drill

Cousin Eddy is the perfect gift for the friendly neighbor you wish wasn’t your neighbor. I love the name and enjoyed your compassion.

Great video. Would love to see a Cousin Eddy series, also including tests of hammer drills etc.

*ON THE TRENDING TAB* Well deserved my friend... Well deserved!!!

I have to agree; considering he's a $30 tool, Cousin Eddy did pretty bloody good! And he does have the best dance moves.

Attention to detail, unbiased reviews. This is my go to channel for tool comparison. Thank you!

Brilliant review comparrison, just purchased a cousin Eddie & I love it for the £40 uk price which is excellent in the current COL crisis & it includes 2 batteries & a case! I will only be using it mainly to remove car wheels as a DIY mechanic & didn't want to spend on an expensive tool for the job

For $30 I'd invite Cousin Eddie to my garage any day.

I love how you give everything fair criticism even when things are not even a competition. That being said I do think it seems to be worth it for 30 at least until you can find yourself able to afford a better one.

Imagine a project farm hardware store, we’re buying tools while he’s in the back breaking shit. I’d go every weekend.

love your videos and you actually do in depth evaluations and test .

I feel like the knockoff should be good enough to leave at your grandmother's house in case she needs it. Saves money and realistically doesn't need to be too strong.

~30 bucks for such a useful tool is actually quite a good price. As long as you don't expect it to last through heavy and regular use, it's surprisingly useful. A nice, cheap tool to have laying about in the shed/garage for occasional use. Better that than an expensive tool you rarely use. Reliability and durability is the most important part. Power can always be found cheaper, so it's not a defining factor. So.. if it is a tool one needs to have working any time it is pulled out (even if it is rarely), then the expensive and original option is the way to go. If just a tool that is nice to have, but not really important, the knock-off.

Love these type of tests always want to know the real difference between the real and the fake brands and how far apart they really are

So many times I bought whatever by looking at the real thing pic and the knockoff pic. I’ve no idea if what I’ve bought in the past is remotely close to the real thing. I’ve no idea if they are or not. This video is great.

It would be nice to see a dewalt vs Milwaukee impact wrench showdown.

I would have never thought I'd be watching two impact wrenches have a dance off on RU-vid 😂

If you don't use tools daily and just need something to get by, it's often nice to know where you can save a buck. Very impressive video 👍

Fantastic! Thanks for your great information video. I was caught between Conentool £50 & Milwaukee £150 but will probably go for 'Conen the Impact driver' mainly because it'll be for DIY. Thanks again, you've helped me decide!! 🎸🔨

This was a great test, if you combined your testing with AvE's tool breakdowns, there's no way you couldn't make a more informed purchase decision. One thing to note is cousin eddie doesn't have a battery thermal cutout pin to shut the tool down. Other than that, for $30 you can't go wrong if you use the tool sparingly or want to throw one in your car/truck and don't care if it gets damaged or stolen.

I have a suggestion for you. You've done showdowns for a lot of different kinds of saw blades and cutting tools. I recently bought an oscillating multi-tool and have noticed that there is a huge price difference between the name brand blades (DeWalt, etc.) and the presumably Chinese knockoff brand blades sold on Amazon. I'd like to see a comparison of these blades to see if the price difference is worth it. Some of your other comparison videos have proven that better brands typically are worth it.

I love your videos! Thanks you for this it helps my tool box get filled correctly!

Great video. For $35 with just a bit slower tightening/loosening than the Makita, I'd say that's a great value. I actually bought an Enegitech 1/2" impact wrench for those occasional tire removing/installing uses.

YES! I love impact drivers/wrenches! Can you compare several different ones like Ryobi, Makita, Milwaukee, dewalt, reigid, etc?

Dude. I was literally JUST wishing (yesterday) that you’d break into tool reviews. Your unique style of quantitative analysis and experimentation would be awesome for tool comparisons. Keep going with this!

Another great video - thank you! Did the Cousin Eddy come with a battery? I thought I saw both using a Makita battery which would make sense for testing I suppose, but I would have liked to have seen a battery comparison.

Always interesting. He has the personality and humor of a shop teacher.

NUT BUSTING TORQUE :awesome:

He always looks like he is moments from bursting into laughter😂

Thank you for the effort, this is useful information! Subscribed!

Your tests are worthy of an engineer, congratulations. I will not buy anything without going through your site first. Thanks for your videos. Juan Carlos from Belgium.