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Author Milwaukee vs Makita cordless Lithium Ion tools
butch burton

2006-04-22, 5:21 pm

Both Milwaukee and Makita are offering very similiar combo packages of
4 tools from between 600 and 700 USD. A friend who works at Home Depot
which offers both brands told me one of the brands had big problems
with their motors and batteries shortly after introduction - he can't
remember which brand had the problems - HD was the first big box to
have both.

Anybody have any experience with these tools - will use them to install
commercial cabinets - the quick recharge and extra staying power of the
batteries is an attractive benefit - just don't want to be surprised
with problems. I really prefer the ergonomics of the Makita product.

Any other brands I should be considering - could not find any other Li
- i cordless tools out there.


Thanks

Al Bundy

2006-04-23, 12:21 am

"butch burton" <spacetrax@wi.rr.com> wrote in
news:1145733684.257492.283150@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> Both Milwaukee and Makita are offering very similiar combo packages of
> 4 tools from between 600 and 700 USD. A friend who works at Home Depot
> which offers both brands told me one of the brands had big problems
> with their motors and batteries shortly after introduction - he can't
> remember which brand had the problems - HD was the first big box to
> have both.
>
> Anybody have any experience with these tools - will use them to install
> commercial cabinets - the quick recharge and extra staying power of the
> batteries is an attractive benefit - just don't want to be surprised
> with problems. I really prefer the ergonomics of the Makita product.
>
> Any other brands I should be considering - could not find any other Li
> - i cordless tools out there.
>
>
> Thanks
>
>



If I had to pick one or the other, my first instinct would be to do
Milwaukee.
crhras

2006-04-23, 1:21 am


But then again, the Makita's pretty good...


"Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns97ADE35E456F5AlBundy@216.196.97.142...
> "butch burton" <spacetrax@wi.rr.com> wrote in
> news:1145733684.257492.283150@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>
> If I had to pick one or the other, my first instinct would be to do
> Milwaukee.



Al Bundy

2006-04-23, 2:21 am

"crhras" <crhras@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:h7D2g.74447$dW3.41473@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com:

>
> But then again, the Makita's pretty good...
>
>
> "Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
> news:Xns97ADE35E456F5AlBundy@216.196.97.142...
>
>
>



Well, it's just that I've seen some very old Milwaukee corded tools
around. Not a lot of Makita's though.

Had one of the earlier Makita cordless drills (9.6v maybe). With, I'd
call it medium use, it lasted maybe 5yrs. For medium use, I didn't
consider that a better quality.
DT

2006-04-23, 10:21 am

In article <1145733684.257492.283150@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
spacetrax@wi.rr.com says...
>
>Both Milwaukee and Makita are offering very similiar combo packages of
>4 tools from between 600 and 700 USD. A friend who works at Home Depot
>which offers both brands told me one of the brands had big problems
>with their motors and batteries shortly after introduction - he can't
>remember which brand had the problems - HD was the first big box to
>have both.
>Thanks
>


Milwaukee had the problems. Under heavy loads they melted solder joints. It is
well covered in the Consumers Report on cordless drills several months ago.

--
Dennis

butch burton

2006-04-23, 12:21 pm

DT said:
"Milwaukee had the problems. Under heavy loads they melted solder
joints. It is
well covered in the Consumers Report on cordless drills several months
ago."

Thanks much - heat is one of the main enemies - someone else told me
about the CR article but no specifics - will have to get it.

Just FYI when shopping around on the web for pricing - my tool store
sells their Makita LXT 4 tool kit without the charger or batteries -
want an additional 250 for that - slimey - wonder how many suckers they
caught. Tool King appears to have the best deals so far.

Thanks a lot.

--

butch burton

2006-04-23, 12:21 pm

Update:
Just looked up Tool Kings store rating and they have a terrible track
record - just did not want to mislead anyone - go someplace else to buy
your products.

Blair/Lanze

2006-04-23, 9:21 pm

Common sense says buy a cordless tool which serves you best. Being a
professional I've bought both Milwakee and Makita. Never again. The cost are
$ 240 Canadian plus for either with any power 14-18 volts min. When the
battery ran dry ( unable to hold a charge) I bought new ones and paid $ 100
for just the battery. I now buy special's, like Craftsman, Ryobi, Skill,
Black and Pecker etc. and they serve our shop and installation crews just
the same. The cost is usally under a hundred bucks and we just toss them
when their time is up. Most last at least 2-3 yrs. Money saved over the last
10 yrs. Thousands. I know the chucks aren't the best and the batteries stick
a bit but it's not to hard to get used too when you've saved money. Ever
left one on the job, buried one behind a wall unit, had one stolen, dropped
one on cement, In cement, had a friend or other trademens borrow them and
never return it. I'll bet you wished you bought the one for under a hundred
bucks. I know disposible society, just like the trucks and cars. Just my 2
cts,

BTW the old makita's proved to be one of the longest lasting ones I ever
used. I use to be a tool junkie and all the old boys would laugh at all the
lastest tools I had. Now its the other way around because I've learned its
not the tools that make the job right, its the guy using it. Comments
welcome.


Blair/Lanze

2006-04-23, 10:21 pm

I have a tool king saw dust collector. It runs everyday for hours and for
the last 8 yrs with out any problems. Knock on wood! You must compare
apples with apples etc etc. I wouldn't touch too many other products they
make but it depends on the use. Having a shitty dust collector is not going
to make my work bad but having a table saw or planner that has poor
tolerance levels will.


"butch burton" <spacetrax@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:1145803726.811809.34190@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
> Update:
> Just looked up Tool Kings store rating and they have a terrible track
> record - just did not want to mislead anyone - go someplace else to buy
> your products.
>



butch burton

2006-04-23, 11:21 pm

Blair:
I work in the Chicago area a lot and tool theft is a big deal - have
had several stolen on job sites - did manage to catch one guy - but
yeah it would hurt to have expensive tools stolen.

With regard to tool king - I am basing my caution on
www.resellerratings.com - apparently most people responding have had
problems with getting their product from tool king - they charge your
credit card immediately and it took several weeks for them to get stuff
shipped if ever - you wait for ever to get credit for those charges.
Been there and done that.

Thanks for responding - a Ryobi tool does not scream steal me like the
much higher priced tools - something to consider.

crhras

2006-04-24, 10:21 am


I agree completely. I keep both around the job site. There are 5 or 6 $20
cordless drills that I get from HarborFreight lying around at any given
time. They work just fine for many jobs. I also keep a couple better ones
around for the guys who know how to use them.

Curt


"Blair/Lanze" <romanze@notmail.com> wrote in message
news:0lU2g.292$1V4.29713@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Common sense says buy a cordless tool which serves you best. Being a
> professional I've bought both Milwakee and Makita. Never again. The cost
> are $ 240 Canadian plus for either with any power 14-18 volts min. When
> the battery ran dry ( unable to hold a charge) I bought new ones and paid
> $ 100 for just the battery. I now buy special's, like Craftsman, Ryobi,
> Skill, Black and Pecker etc. and they serve our shop and installation
> crews just the same. The cost is usally under a hundred bucks and we just
> toss them when their time is up. Most last at least 2-3 yrs. Money saved
> over the last 10 yrs. Thousands. I know the chucks aren't the best and the
> batteries stick a bit but it's not to hard to get used too when you've
> saved money. Ever left one on the job, buried one behind a wall unit, had
> one stolen, dropped one on cement, In cement, had a friend or other
> trademens borrow them and never return it. I'll bet you wished you bought
> the one for under a hundred bucks. I know disposible society, just like
> the trucks and cars. Just my 2 cts,
>
> BTW the old makita's proved to be one of the longest lasting ones I ever
> used. I use to be a tool junkie and all the old boys would laugh at all
> the lastest tools I had. Now its the other way around because I've learned
> its not the tools that make the job right, its the guy using it. Comments
> welcome.
>



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