In a battle of two premium professional brands, we’re diving deeper into the Makita GDT01 vs the Milwaukee 2953 impact driver in a head-to-head review. For Makita, it’s the flagship for their high-performance XGT line. For Milwaukee, it’s the 4th generation M18 Fuel model that came out in 2022 followed by the 2957 with a One-Key upgrade in 2023.
We’re going to lay out what we objectively know, but the ultimate question is… which one is right for you? Everyone has different priorities, so it could come down to the highest performance, lightest weight, lowest price, or something else. It’s your call.
Check out our best impact driver recommendations for the year!
Why Not Use a Makita 18V LXT Impact Driver?
Makita’s 18V LXT line is certainly the more popular of its three cordless systems, and we have a lot of love for our XDT16 impact driver. However, we wanted to test the hightest performing tools for this head-to-head, and we find that on the 40V max XGT line.
Makita Vs Milwaukee Impact Driver Specifications
Here’s what the manufacturers say about both impact drivers along with the head lengths and weights we measured:
| Makita XGT01 | Milwaukee 2953 | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Speeds | 1100/2100/3200 3700 RPM | 1700/3000/3900 RPM |
| Max Impact Rate | 4400 IPM | 4400 IPM |
| Max Torque | 1950 in-lbs | 2000 in-lbs |
| Head Length | 4.8 in | 4.5 in |
| Bare Weight | 2.2 lbs | 2.2 lbs |
| Weight Battery | 3.7 lbs (2.5Ah)* | 3.9 lbs (5.0Ah) |
Makita Vs Milwaukee Impact Driver Test Results
We ran three different performance tests to see what these impact drivers can do. For Makita, we used a 2.5Ah battery that has 90Wh of total capacity. MIlwaukee’s battery has the same 90Wh capacity, but as an 18V pack, it’s a 5.0Ah battery.
The first test compares medium-load by driving a 6-inch x 1/4-inch GRK Fasteners RSS screw into stacked OSB subfloor. The result is the average of three tests.
The second test is timed to see how far each model can drive a 10-inch x 1/2-inch lag screw into the same material in 30 seconds. The result is the average of how much of the screw remained proud in three tests—less is better.
The third test is to see how long it takes to break loose a nut that is set to 150 ft-lbs (1800 in-lbs). The result is the total time added together for 5 bolts.
| Makita GDT01 | Milwaukee 2953 | |
|---|---|---|
| RSS Screw Average | 12.8 seconds | 8.6 seconds |
| Lag Screw Average | 3.5 inches | 1.7 inches |
| Nut-Busting Total | 6.0 seconds | 2.5 seconds |
What if you have access to Milwaukee’s advanced High Output batteries? We tested that, too! The overall capacities of the batteries aren’t the same, but we used the 6.0Ah pack to keep them as close as we could.
| Makita GDT01 | Milwaukee 2953 | Milwaukee 2953 w/6.0Ah High Output | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSS Screw Average | 12.8 seconds | 8.6 seconds | 6.7 seconds |
| Lag Screw Average | 3.5 inches | 1.7 inches | 1.2 inches |
| Nut-Busting Total | 6.0 seconds | 2.5 seconds | 1.9 seconds |
Makita Vs Milwauke Impact Driver Features
Makita GDT01
- Brushless motor
- Additional mode selection button above the trigger (cycles through the four standard modes)
- Three smart modes – two for tightening and one assist
- Three forward and three reverse auto-stop modes=
- LED halo surrounding the collet
Milwaukee 2953
- Brushless motor
- Three standard modes and one assist mode
- Available customizable controls through One-Key (model 2957)
- Three LED lights surrounding the collet
- One-hand bit insertion
Makita vs Milwaukee Impact Driver Price
| Makita GDT01 | Milwaukee 2953 | Milwaukee 2957 One-Key | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bare Tool | $224 | $149 | $199 |
| Standard Battery Kit | $449 (2 x 2.5Ah) | $299 (2 x 5.0Ah) | NA |
| 2-Tool Combo | $469 GDT01 Impact Driver GPH01 Hammer Drill 2 x 2.5Ah Battery Charger | $399 2953 Impact Driver 2904 Hammer Drill 2 x 5.0Ah battery Charger | $449 2957 Impact Driver 2906 Hammer Drill 2 x 5.0Ah Battery Charger |
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years | 5 years |
