Makita 227 Piece Kit – Product Review

Good tools make working on your car easy. It’s just a fact. If you’re trying to carry out some maintenance or repair work with a selection of tools bought from the local market for three quid, you’re going to have a bad time. Things will break, buckle and bend and you’ll end up frustrated. We know, because we’ve been there. But does that mean you have to sell your house to the Snap On man in order to change a set of brake pads without swearing? Of course not. There is a happy middle ground out there, full of tools that will do whatever job you ask of them. Even better, there are often complete kits, like this Makita P-90532 227 piece one, that won’t cost the earth, but that are still proper quality.

Get your Makita P-90532 tool kit here

The Product

This little briefcase of fun from Makita is a brilliant gathering of all the tools you’re likely to need in the pursuit of removing and replacing parts. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for undoing things. It’s full of sockets, ratchets, drivers and extensions. And what a lot of each it has. It’s also a tough kit, too. You have the dinky but tough 1/4 inch drive, with sockets up to 14mm. There are also hex fittings, a hand driver that works with the ratchet, extensions and so on. Then there is a beefy 1/2 in ratchet with bigger sockets, bigger extensions, knuckles, and spark plug sockets. You get a full set of spanners, too. Oh, and there is a screwdriver with more bits than you’ll ever need. The whole thing comes in a nifty and very tough locking case. And it can all be yours for under £100. That is, make no mistake, an astonishing bargain. How much of a bargain? Well, we bought one.

The Test

Like the Sealey ratchet the other week, the test here is somewhat different as you can’t really buy one of these kits and then undo a few bolts and call it tested. You have to live with it, try it in a range of scenarios, so that’s exactly what we did. Bought at the tail end of 2021, we have used this kit for everything from exhausts to suspension to ball joints, track rod ends and even the removal of seats. It’s been battered, bruised and beaten on, and every time it still works. The little 1/4 ratchet is alarmingly strong, and when you use it you soon understand why this kit doesn’t have the more standard 3/8 drive. The little 1/4 can get in smaller spaces and it works hard when it’s there. As for the chunky 1/2 ratchet, you could use this to take the doors off a battleship. The extensions mean you can get it in most spaces, too. The spanners are excellent castings as well, and out of frustration have even taken a bit of a literal hammering on occasion.

The Result

This Makita P-90532 kit is, frankly, outstanding. It oozes quality, and feels like it should cost twice, if not three times as much. Certainly, if we had payed £200 for it, we wouldn’t think we had been short changed. It’s very well made, the case is excellent and the tools are as tough as the proverbial aged boots. But is it applause all round? Well, no. Some might think the 1/2 drive is overkill, and we get that. And it does mean that this kit only serves itself, unless you have other 1/2 drive stuff in stock. Also, there is no 18mm socket or spanner, and that drove us up the wall, frankly. We were told by a mechanic friend that it’s an odd size, but the three times – on three separate times – we have needed 18mm would beg to differ. Deeply annoying. But, that’s about all we can fault it on.

The Verdict 4 out of 5

Sort the 18mm issue out, and this would be five out of five. This is an excellent kit; it’s tough, it’s well made, the case is excellent and it all falls to hand in a pleasing way. There really isn’t a lot it can’t do, unless your car is full of 18mm fixings. But for £80 at the time of writing, we can forgive it that one misgiving. You’ve probably already got an 18mm spanner in your garage. As such, there is no reason to not buy this kit. Great name, everything you’re ever going to need and a bargain. What are you waiting for?