Makita v. Milwaukee v. DeWalt

[Ken]

Are there any real differences in quality between these tool brands (looking to pick up a cordless drill, hand grinder, and a reciprocating saw).

Did I just open the tool equivalent to the STI vs. SVI debate?

[Loves2Shoot]

If you get their good stuff they all are quality it my experience. I'm partial to Dewalt yellow

[short_round]

I like the way the DeWalt's are balanced. The Makita's are nose/top heavy.

... this is regarding the cordless drills only.

Edited August 6, 2004 by short_round

[D.Hayden]

I look tool by tool...

for normal woodworking tools, probably all around, I look at Porter-Cable first (except I hate thier routers).. sanders, bisuit, saws

Cordless... drills/saws.. I have mostly Makita, good value, and light.

Recrip - I have the dewalt... it was cheap, it's a workhorse

No need for the shop to be all the same color, pick the one that fits you best.

[old shooter]

Cordless drill get makita 14.4v or hatachi 18v they area both very good with a nod to the makitka, but batteries are very expensive. I found that the dewalt chuck slips more than these when using the larger drill bits. Also, look at the ridgid brand at home depot, I think they have a lifetime warrany going on.

Grinders, the dewalt grinder is good. Look for accessories.

Reciprocating saw. Porter Cable. It won't break, and you don't need a tool to change the blade.

Almost every brand has something they are known for and do best.

Mike

[Dan Burwell]

I had some construction guys working on my house and asked them Why they all had yellow I have always liked my milwaukee. They said that in "torque fights" they attach drills to each other hold on and and see which one strips out first, the milwaukees almost always win. So, I asked why they all had dewalt answer- if the break you can exchange them, rather than send them back for repair.

take that for what it is a story from construction guys.

[Nik Habicht]

Modern Milwaukee Sawz-alls have toolless blade changes. Since I used to use 'em to carve on cars, it's what I bought for the house when I needed one.

The other suggestion: See if you can find a kit that includes everything you need --- and perhaps some other pieces that you'll need later. If I had to start over, I'd look hard at one of the six-eight piece kits and budget for a couple more batteries....

[Airedale]

I work for a residential builder and buy all the tools. For cordless I always go DeWalt. We have had great luck with them for both function and durability. All the trucks carry 18 volt tools and the guys are fairly rough on them.

A few years back, I ran a 9.6 cordless drill under water for about 5 minutes. (flood situation). It functioned flawlessly and worked another two years until I passed it on.

Good luck,

Dave

[Liota]

For cordless, you guys also might want to look at Rigid. The 18V 1/2" cordless drill has a few more inch/pounds of torque. Mine has been a workhorse. Recharging only takes a maximum of 30 minutes. The charge seems to last longer than with the DeWalt, too. The recharger is fan-cooled and can be plugged into a vehicle with the right adapter.

Just a thought.

L

[Ted Murphy]

I use Milwaukee for my sawzalls,drills, hole hawgs and other stuff. Mostly cause my dad and grandad used them too. Milwaukee has a factory svc center not too far from me too and that accounts for some of my bias.

I like Bosch and Porter cable for woodworking stuff. Senko for air tools. Just had my stapler repaired today; 15 years old and it's the second repair. 5 years ago for a full rebuild and this year for a little thingie that broke. Not too bad.

Pretty much if you buy the higher end stuff of anyones catalog you will do okay. Only one I can condemn wholeheartedly is Ryobi.

Ted

[dajarrel]

I perfer the DeWalt. I guess I like the yellow color . But in heavy use at work in an electrical/instrument maintenance shop where the drills are really used (and abused) I have found that Dewalt and Milwalkee both hold up rather well.

FWIW

dj

[texasag93]

I do commercial electrical work and my company(that I work for) runs about 200 cordless drills. We are VERY hard on the drills. We have tried them all over the last 8 years. Craftsman, DeWalt, Milwakee, Makita, Bosch, Metabo(sp?). I would have to say that Milwakee cordless drills are gutless POS's. They are not made for industrial use. Craftsman, don't even bother if you want a serious drill. Metabos are crap as well. I have had the best luck with Dewalt and Bosch. They hold up well to abuse and are stout. I don't care for the 18v anything. They are to heavy for continuous use in an 8 or 10 hour work day. 14.4v are ideal for the work I do. I lean toward DeWalt because I have used them the most.

As for recip. saws, I like the Milwakee corded saw. Blades are easy to change and they work well and hold up the abuse. Have not tried the cordless Milwakee saws. As for any 110v tools, I like all the Milwakee stuff.

If I had to buy a combo kit for a do it all, I would have to go with the Dewalt 18v package. Drill, recip. saw and circular saw all in one. I know I said 18v is to heavy but they do have plenty of power. In conclusion, DeWalt first, Milwakee second, Bosch third only because I haven't used the Bosch stuff enough to give it a really big thumbs up. TXAG

[EricW]

In general, I've found that Makitas are flimsier than Milwaukee or DeWalt. OK for the occasional use homeowner, but a bad idea for heavy duty use. In general, Milwaukee tools seem to be brawnier than DeWalt, but if DeWalt has a better warranty, more power to 'em.

I just picked up a Milwaukee right angle grinder and am nothing less than ecstatically happy with it. What I put it through would have choked and/or destroyed lesser tools.

[BerettaRacer]

I lean to the DeWalts. Easy to get at Home Depot. We use them pretty heavily in the boat repair business and they hold up well. One feature they have that most others don't is that they will operate on both 50 or 60 Hz, as many boats have Euro power on board.

[Marvin Gardens]

Deleted

[3quartertime]

Wow,,,a topic that I may have a small amount of knowledge about!!! WooHoo!!!

Ken, you didn't state what you will use the tools for. As some have mentioned general home use and daily construction abuse is much different. If you will be using the tools in your shop than I would consider a pneumatic drill and grinder. They will last much, much longer and are generally more comfortable for long periods.

Makita;

7 or 8 years ago I used Makita 9.6v drills working aircraft line maintenance. The Makita's where crazy durable, but the battery life sucked. By durable I mean that I've dropped them from the tail of an L10-11 to the tarmac and they still work fine. Makita corded tools are made to work with. The price is good and they are very durable. I would buy a used Makita if availible.

Ryobi

I've bought two complete sets of 18v Ryobi. The price will never be low enough to justify bad quality on those tools. Don't waste your money. It's sad how crappy they make thier hand tools. I have a string trimmer that is over 5 years old that runs like a champ. I love it!!!

Milwaukee

For years I would only use milaukee corded tools. They are in my oppinion very high quality and made to work with. I had a circ. saw for almost 15 years that I used in the worse conditions year round. I retired it last year after I drove my truck over it the second time!!! It's still repairable but I was lured by the new left cut saws. My ? old corded drill just locked up recently. Too many days of getting rained on. I'll be having it fixed because it's worth it. Milwaukee cordless is good stuff but seem out of balance to me. Probably just personal preference. I would buy a used Milwaukee tool. They make a terrific job site radio thou. Most contractors I see have shelved the overpriced Dewalt radio and got the Milwaukee. Cheaper and it rocks!!!

Dewalt

In my opinion these tools are made for heavy duty daily use. The only problem is the inflated pricing. I have several cheaper tools that I plan to replace with Dewalt stuff someday. The warranty is the best and every hardware store carries Dewalt stuff. Most serious contractors I see have yellow tools. It's worth the extra cash to know that the tool will work when your an hour away from the closed hardware store. I would buy a used Dewalt tool. Dewalt portable air compressors are really nice too. Dewalt bought Em-glo a few years back and have continued the strong reputation.

Porter Cable

Not on your list but I have to suggest that you look at these tools also. I've used the corded drills and they were solid. I own a left cut circ. saw and just love it. If your right handed it is the saw to have. And it's cheaper than most of the other brands!!! I haven' used thier cordless stuff but I imagine it is good quality. I use a Porter Cable portable air compressor everday. It's heavy but it will run two sets of high volume tools at the same time. Good quality. They make pnuematic tools but I would stick to Senco as was stated above. Nothing beats Senco, period...

In my experience the only cordless tool I would depend on would be a drill. Recip/circ. saws draw too much energy to last without repeated charges. The manufacturers claim that charging doesn't shorted the life, but I've seen the opposite. I always carry a corded drill in the truck just incase.

PS...I didn't list Bosch or Rigid. I've played with them both in the store but would be leary of them personally only because of warranty and hardware store tool exchange issues.

Hope this helps...

[warpspeed]

I've bought stuff from all the ones listed including Bosch, which makes great stuff. Only crap ever came from Black & Decker. There industrial line is good but anything else is a waste of $. I usually stick with the same cordless stuff, all Makita, so the batteries are interchangeable. Milwaukee Saws All is the only way to go. Most durable by far. Grinders are all abou the same.

HTH