Cordless Drill - Driver

[pewe]

I am trying to establish a comparison between the Bosch and Makita cordless Lithium Ion Drill/Drivers.

I was looking at this and this

The drill would only be used for drilling timber/board etc and the important thing is the facility to do a lot of drilling in one session but always having a full charge battery when it is needed, so Lithium ion suits the bill. Also the lighter and more compact the unit the better

But with such a vast difference in price, what would the Makita offer that the Bosch doesn't?

[dirtydeeds]

the bosch's advert says it all "domestic use"

the bosch has been price engineered to a price that diyers will pay.

it doesnt mean its no good, bosch are just telling you it wont take day in day out use and abuse


the makita is a tool, ive been using it today it drives 25mm augers with no problem

[pewe]

Thanks DD.

I guessed that might be the case.
The only experience I have of Bosch is the 1300ACE router I've had for about 6 years which has never let me down. But with the lighter cordless stuff it's a different kettle of fish.

So I guess that the Makita is the one for 'trade' use constructing/fitting cabinets and the like on regular basis.

[belltools]

pewe


I sell Bosch power tools and makita power tools, Bosch have got a new 36v cordless sds I have sold about 30 and we Had problems with at least 20 of them mainly the batteries not holding charge or the machine wont hammer,

Makita cordless or corded power tools once i sell i forget about it no probs at all

the only cordless makita have had a problem with is the 8444D 18v 3 speed combi drill which was the gearbox which they have resolved

[andy king]

Hi Pewe,

The clue is also in the colour of the Bosch.
Basically, anything in green livery is the budget/DIY range, the blue range is the professional aimed range.

Andy

[pewe]

I sell Bosch power tools and makita power tools,

I note your comparisons with interest.
Although I have need of a new drill for my own personal use, my main interest was with regard to re-selling as part of a 'kit', and the last thing I need are regular returns or complaints from customers.

The clue is also in the colour of the Bosch.

I guessed that was the case, but very often there is a limited difference in the quality, the badging is sometimes just a justification to charge more for what is in essence the same product. But from what 'bellstools' says it seems the quality may be suspect whatever colour you buy.

To date I have not heard anything critical of Makita, but if anyone else knows different I'd appreciate hearing.

[Scrit]

I have had both Bosch (blue) and Makita cordless kit quite recently. I think that Makitas are popular on site work, partly because they are reliable (although they did have problems with the gearboxes on their 18 volt 3-speed NiMH combi drills - the MXT range a while back - now resolved), and partly because all Makita NiCad or NiMH batteries can be charged on a single charger, which is one less thing to carry around if you have two or more voltages

The big cordless SDS drills are less than stunning for a couple of reasons - they have b*gg*r all battery life and they are as heavy as an anvil. Combine that with the performance of a small 2Kg corded SDS (at the weight of a 4kg mini-breaker) and a price tag which requires you to be as rich as Creosus and you begin to understand why only BT engineers have them in their toolkit. Most joiners I know need to drill more than 10 holes a day.......

pewe said:

To date I have not heard anything critical of Makita, but if anyone else knows different I'd appreciate hearing.

Well, I have one. I find the shade of blue they use to be a tad lurid for my conservative taste.....

Scrit

[pewe]

I find the shade of blue they use to be a tad lurid for my conservative taste.....

So maybe I need to buy some tins of spray paint - maybe a nice shade of McDougal tartan - now where did I get my last tin from??

I've got the Makita rep coming to see me tomorrow.
Maybe I'll try and get him to leave me some tools to evaluate for a couple of weeks.
I'm also interested to see how much of a hammering their cordless 18v Li-ion CS will take cutting laminated MFC panels.

[mailee]

Not had any of the LI Ion powered stuff but can certainly vouch for Makita. I have a 9.6 volt cordless driver and it is over fifteen years old now and still on the same set of batteries it came with! That's what I call value for money.

[colincott]

Hi Peter

Before you look at the prices you have posted

Try ITS for some much better deals to compare with

[pewe]

Well, the Makita rep delivered me 3 items the other day for testing and evaluating.

They are all lithium battery units.

The first was their 2 Speed 18v cordless drill driver. So far I am well pleased with it. The battery holds it's charge well and recharges quickly if run down, allthough keeping the second battery on the charger means I never need to be without one. The charger is 'intelligent' so stops charging when the battery is fully charged.

The drill runs very smooth and is quite powerful compared to some I've used.

The second item was their 'pistol' impact driver (7.2v). It too is very smooth and inserts/removes screws (even stubborn ones) very easily. Even removing tight screws is very easy, and it does it without stripping heads.
It also has 2 Lithium batteries with it, and a holster.

The third item is the one that I am most pleased with.

It is their 18v 136mm cordless circular saw.
It is also very powerful and smooth, and has a brake on it.
I have attached it to my Cabinet Makers Table and use it for cutting down panels for carcassing. The life of the battery is about 2 hours continuous cutting, but as it too comes with a second battery which is charged within 22 minutes, I have not yet experienced a loss of use yet.
It is an ideal unit for cabinet making without the need of power cables trailing everywhere, and it is so light (2.6kg) it is a joy to use continuously.

The only thing I want to change is the saw blade - it is only 18 tooth, but they are sending me a 30 tooth to try which should be better, although for laminated MFC the smoothness of cut of the 18 tooth is more than adequate.

So, my initial impression is that you guys were right, Makita certainly seem to make quality equipment, although they will get a hammering over the next couple of weeks, and that will give me a better idea of their quality.

[Scrit]

pewe said:

So, my initial impression is that you guys were right, Makita certainly seem to make quality equipment, although they will get a hammering over the next couple of weeks, and that will give me a better idea of their quality.

10,000 site joiners can't be wrong? ;D Makita certaily seem have built a reputation for reliability/serviceability of their equipment coupled with excellent after sales service which even deWalt find hard to top - one reason why the "yellow peril" is no longer omnipresent, perhaps? I had the opportunity to talk to the service guy at my local trade power tool supplier yesterday about the Makita Li-Ion drills. He was telling me that they'd had a few 18-volt LXT combi drills back because of battery problems (although he admitted that DW were also having a few teething problems with their Li-Ion stuff) as well as a few where the drill had been abused and the gearbox was broken. It seems that people are trying to use a combi drill for heavy drilling (really an SDS task) and just pushing the tools too hard. Just goes to show there are rive-assed barstewards everywhere!

Scrit

[pewe]

Just goes to show there are rive-assed barstewards everywhere

;D ;D ;D

It's not unusual for manufacturers to have teething problems, but I'm sure that Makita will resolve them. More importantly though I'm sure they will offer a good service when things do go wrong.

So far I've not had any problems with any of the four 18v batteries I had, nor the 7.2V on the impact driver.

Time will tell though, and they will get a good hammering next week at the Harrogate show.

[Scrit]

pewe said:

Time will tell though, and they will get a good hammering next week at the Harrogate show.

I doubt very much that they'll get anywhere near as much of a hammering on a show as they receive on site

[pewe]

I doubt very much that they'll get anywhere near as much of a hammering on a show as they receive on site

I agree.

But as I don't do any site work, and my cabinet making has taken a back seat for a while, the show will be the closest they will get to a hammering before the new year

[Scrit]

I might pop up and see you, there. After all there'll be a few familiar faces and one or two I'd like to meet, like Sgain Dubh. Which day do you reckon will be the best day to go?

Scrit

[pewe]

Which day do you reckon will be the best day to go?

You'd be more than welcome - it would be nice to put a face (and body ;D) to the name.

I'm not sure about best days, I've never done the show before so am not sure what the attendance is like.

We are not listed in the exhibitors list as the stand was a generous last minute offer to share some space, so we will be on the side of the Mulecab/Oneida stand.

[jfc]

I might nip up for that one Scrit ( gotta go and see mum in York so will be a good excuse to get away ) Know any good B&B's local ?

[jfc]

PS all i can say is Hilti

[pewe]

PS all i can say is Hilti

Nice one - I like them too.

Has anyone yet seen the new Makita Plunge saw in the flesh??

Know any good B&B's local

It was a nightmare finding accommodation - apparently the Knitting show is on

[jfc]

It was a nightmare finding accommodation - apparently the Knitting show is on

I bet your not so busy now Senior ;D

[colincott]

jfc said:

It was a nightmare finding accommodation - apparently the Knitting show is on

I bet your not so busy now Senior ;D

[Lord Nibbo]

senior said:

next you will be taking the piss out of me because my hobby is embroidery.

Illusion shattered..... I had you down as a crochet man. Must be the string vests gave me the wrong impression.

[Lord Nibbo]

Here I just done 100 posts and I've got a full member, better nip off and have a piss... ;D

[jake]

I had a joiner round to do the little roof that caps off a bay window which we've rebuilt. I'd put up a tarpaulin over the hole in the wall, with some gert big screws through a piece of pine into the really solid victorian pine lintel. He had to borrow my Hitachi 14.4V impact driver to get the screws out again, because they wouldn't budge at all with his 14V Makita. Came out first time. He looked a teeny bit grumpy about it. Not exactly a scientific test, but interesting.