Dewalt vs. Makita

[nevada]

what you say about Makita's is interesting, as it is just about opposite what my experience has been with them.

ive always considered Makita's to be for light duty use, and dewalts for heavy. im surprised of all the people saying the Makita is more expensive.

for home use, I would expect either would work just fine.

 

[Antman]

what you say about Makita's is interesting, as it is just about opposite what my experience has been with them.

ive always considered Makita's to be for light duty use, and dewalts for heavy. im surprised of all the people saying the Makita is more expensive.

for home use, I would expect either would work just fine.

I always had Dewalt tools and thought they were the best. I didn't pay much attention to my Dad's ramblings about his Makita's (he LOVED them lol) until I used them. Personally they just seem more comfortable and well made to me. I have dropped my impact driver from the top of an 8' ladder onto concrete plenty of times and it has the scars to prove it! Still works perfectly.

FWIW, Popular mechanics liked the Makita's too if it matters to you (Dewalt did pretty good as well).

Cordless Drill Reviews - Best Cordless Drill - Popular Mechanics

Impact Driver Reviews - Best Impact Driver - Popular Mechanics

 

[riceandpho]

i like both, i currently use a bosch, my dad uses the milwalkee, the thing about batterires is that dont let them go completly dead, they are all good brands, get the dewalt if you have a problem finding your tools in a pile of dust and such, the bright yellow is what i think stands out. makita is good too, i still got them, they all need new batteries since it was ni-mh type and they been drained dead after each use. find a set thats in your budget.

 

[Nervo19]

Once you settle on a system, check toolup.com. They sell new bare tools without batteries pretty cheap. I already have a Makita charger and batteries so I got a bare cordless recip saw at a very low price compared to Amazon and Home Depot.

 

[VolcanoT4R]

[MENTION=75328]DannyLlama[/MENTION], Not sure what your budget is, but next time I buy cordless tools, I'm hoping I can afford to buy FESTOOL.

Cordless Drill Ti 15 Hybrid Impact Cordless Drill / Driver 564525 - Festool Power Tools

Pricey, for sure, but like anything else, you get what you pay for. Maybe you could find a refurbished one for less money.

For what it's worth, because I couldn't afford the FESTOOL when I needed to replace my old Craftsman tool set, I went with the 20VMax Dewalt tool kit with Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, 7" Circular Saw, Recipricating Saw, and LED flashlight, charger and 2 batteries. And, for the extra batteries, I bought a cordless drill on Black Friday last year for $99.

 

[DannyLlama]

This is what I have- they were my Father's. He raved about them and put them through pure hell. When he passed they became mine.


Makita LXT211-R LXT 18V Cordless Lithium-Ion 1/2 in. Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit


View attachment 128549






After using the Makitas I sold my Dewalt stuff on Craigslist and will never look back. I put these through torture and they keep asking for more. Awesome tools!!

Jeff this is the same sett my FIL (Father in law) has and I wanted to get .. but it's the same price as the NEW brushless Dewaltt set and I hear the LED on the dewalt is pretty useful .. Tough decision it will be

 

[LittleCaesar]

I'd still say Dewalt. In fact I checked my Dewalt DCF985 drill (I have the DCK290 kit) and it says made in USA from foreign components. I assume this will be the norm for drill manufacturing for years to come.

I have had drill and impacts without the light and with them; give me the latter any day.

Relative to other posts I have both Festool and Snap-On electric tools; the former is excellent for contracting and woodworking while the latter is great in some areas such as hand held impacts but SO's battery life cannot touch Dewalt, or probably Makita for that matter. For your needs owning either brand would be similar to taking a gatling gun duck hunting. Quite overkill. Both product lines have their respective places for trades and occupations where the quality of the tools matters greatly in order to do the job well.

 

[ran]

about 8 yrs ago my Makita 12v was down, I was looking at other brands to keep cost down. The new Craftsman 19.2v was out and a few guys were using it. One of guys got a deal with 3 batts, and the third came from Ryobi. About half the techs used Dewalt, others used Makita and anything new. All I used were Hammer Drills, recipracating saws, and lights. I want the impact driver next.

 

[DannyLlama]

I have had drill and impacts without the light and with them; give me the latter any day.

Are you saying you prefer the ones with lights?

 

[LittleCaesar]

Very much so.

For someone who is DIY oriented, stemming from my low voltage contractor working days of fifteen years ago, I'd almost give my right arm for the current technology. Its that good. You don't think you will need the light, but it is an asset that can be missed when working with other tools that don't have them.

By no means am I a Dewalt fanboy per se; but I love the new battery technology and the fact that they offer so many 20v tools. If you do any mods or shadtree mechanic work to your 5th gen, I'd recommend this all day, which can be bought as a bare tool only:
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF883M2-20-volt-Lithium-8-Inch/dp/B00BWFIKZO

 

[DannyLlama]

Very much so.

For someone who is DIY oriented, stemming from my low voltage contractor working days of fifteen years ago, I'd almost give my right arm for the current technology. Its that good. You don't think you will need the light, but it is an asset that can be missed when working with other tools that don't have them.

By no means am I a Dewalt fanboy per se; but I love the new battery technology and the fact that they offer so many 20v tools. If you do any mods or shadtree mechanic work to your 5th gen, I'd recommend this all day, which can be bought as a bare tool only:
Amazon.com: DEWALT DCF883M2 20-volt MAX Lithium Ion 3/8-Inch Impact Wrench Kit with Hog Ring: Home Improvement

How's this better than the one I posted earlier? Just wondering

 

[MyHigh]

This would be good for wrenching on your vehicle. It allows you to quickly change tires and such, it's basically an electrical 3/8 wrench. Like mentioned earlier it's more for mechanical things where the one you posted earlier is for construction type projects a impact drill with a hex quick connect means you don't have the adjustable ring like most drills. Instead it's a hex bit that allows for quick changing of bits.

I showed a pic of this earlier just for an example however this is the identical impact wrench I have, it's great! Make quick work of changing tires and other light maintenance on the truck. It works up to 150 foot pound.

The impact drill basically is a regular drill on steroids it allows you to drill into larger heavier objects. You can get a bit that is a hex to 3/8 however the impact drill measures it's torque in foot per inch and is considerably weaker then the wrench. ( correction, inch per pound)

Question...
Are you looking for a tool for household work, or mechanical on vehicle?

Impact wrench= mechanical........same as an air gun used in shops, just not as strong.
Impact drill= household/construction Same as a regular drill, just stronger

 

[LittleCaesar]

MyHigh's assessment of the differences is spot on. Different tools for different functions.

I'd assess what my needs would be and how to go about achieving them with the tools available, for automotive or home repair or both, then purchase a kit or just single tools based on such.

The only reason I tout cordless tools with Lithium Ion batteries is that this battery platform is the one the big three (Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee) are pushing. Older Ni-Cad is being phased out.

 

[DannyLlama]

MyHigh's assessment of the differences is spot on. Different tools for different functions.

I'd assess what my needs would be and how to go about achieving them with the tools available, for automotive or home repair or both, then purchase a kit or just single tools based on such.

The only reason I tout cordless tools with Lithium Ion batteries is that this battery platform is the one the big three (Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee) are pushing. Older Ni-Cad is being phased out.

Ok thanks [MENTION=88597]MyHigh[/MENTION] and [MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION],
So for all of the above, I would need different tools it sounds like.

Great info, thanks guys!

Edit - for auto and home DYI would it be a good idea to purchase 1 of each:
Impact wrench= mechanical........same as an air gun used in shops, just not as strong.
Impact drill= household/construction Same as a regular drill, just stronger

??

 

[MyHigh]

I think you would be disappointed if you just got the impact drill in hopes of using it in both situations. I was in the same boat, I know I wanted the new lith/ion batteries and 20v setup however could not find a package deal that sold both the wrench, and drill. I bought the wrench in a battery setup and will buy the drill only, afterwards.

Might a suggest you watch a couple you tube videos, there's a few out there that actually do a good job at defining the differences in each tool.

 

[iBison]

I'm partial to Milwaukee, and my Fastenall services them.

 

[steezemcqueen]

I have this Makita set and i use it every day for work. I also got a sawzall with it.


Impact is awesome and the batteries hold a charge for a long time.

If i had to choose another brand, i'd go Milwaukee

 

[DannyLlama]

Ended up getting this set but from costco, they had a set, I have never seen them carry this stuff before. [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] would be proud

DEWALT DCK290L2 20-Volt MAX Li-Ion 3.0 Ah Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit - Power Tool Combo Packs - Amazon.com

 

[LittleCaesar]

I hope you are happy with your selection. It is a great combo, and has oodles of power. Also I like the feature of being able to check the battery's life on the back.

Save your pennies for the DCF883M2 if you like wrenching on your 5th gen. In six months mine has gone from yellow and black to just all black.

 

[MyHigh]

Let the fun begin!!

I know whenever I buy a new tool I gotta go test it on everything, I mean they're just toys, right?

Nice grab, I'm sure you will be happy with your choice, and LittleCaesar is right, add onto your all ready good start with the wrench and you'll be set!