hi all
gotta do a whole load of diy this coming holiday period.
my current cordless drill (18v li-ion erbauer) is on its last legs.
I am looking to replace it. cant decide between dewalt and makita.
any suggestions?

Not a lot to choose mate, ive had both for trade and they last about the same.

Long as both similar spec then the cheaper…..

If same price id pick the makita

Hitachi every time.

makita much better than dewalt

I always said bosch, but recently got a milwaukee and its the dogs danglies, but all the cheapo ones are much of a muchness

Try Panasonic …..I’ve used everything else and with the exception of Hilti …..Panasonic are the b****x

….cant decide between dewalt and makita.

Hitachi.

Classic STW Response 🙂

Makita.

If you think you might later have a variety of cordless doodats using the same batteries then then I’d go makita 18v. The cordless circular saw and cordless grinder are both the winningest. You might not think you need either but you do, you just don’t know it yet. Panansonic drivers are ace but they’ve not really got the tool range (or the availability) of makita.

Makita. ….. Or Hitachi……. I have 3 DeWalts used in trade …… The drills are ok but batteries are just pants these days. Deteriorate really quickly and not holding charge

I’ve always had dewalt personally, but no particular reason other than that’s what I got first and I stuck with it.
Nothing wrong with Makita at all, and whatever is on offer at the time I would say.

…… are both the winningest

The what !? 😉

i’ve had the “new” 18v Dewalt cordless for about a year. used extensively each week and can’t fault/complain about it. plenty of power and relatively light, but saying that i quite like a heavier drill – think of it as training.

it set me back 230€, the similar spec makita was another ton on top.

have now seen the cordless with hammer for the same price.

to be honest, whether you go for makita or dewalt the batteries will likely go before the drill body gives up the ghost. 2 batteries are almost as expensive as the original purchase price…

dewalt i had prior to that went through four batteries and i changed the brushes once towards the end of its life.

hitachi feel a bit naff compared to either dewalt of makita. fine for odd job use but a bit lacking when it comes to “proper” work. (have them in one of the workshops i’m at.)

if you can hang on ’till boxing day, look then.
I had my eye on a makita from screwfix for a similar holiday period mission, but they’ve bumped the price up by 30% this month. I expect it to drop as soon as the christmas pressie buying period is over, but whatever happens , the deals will be better then.

with tools other than cordless drills i would take makita over dewalt.

my old makita skill saw was nicer, smoother than my mates dewalt. the same can be said about the routers, although i’m developing a soft spot for festool….

except for festool drills which feel too lady-like/bob-the-builder.

i would have said makita, but they have re-jigged the ergonomics of the 18v drill/driver– the reverse button flics when pulling the trigger, the chuck seems to unwind when drilling– poor really considering they used to be pretty faultess– i can however recommend Hilti– as the ultimate in robust, hard working, yet practical battery powered tools– pricey mind– but cheap in long run

Makita…I might be biased though as I just had a two week trip to Japan from them and visited the factory 😀

Festool is in a completely different class from Makita and Dewalt (my Rotex 150 sander is amazing) and this is reflected in the price. I despair about battery drills: I find 18v ones too cumbersome (use corded drill or SDS drill for jobs that need the umph);I still use the 9.6v pistol-grip Makita (2.6 AH NiMH) and they do me fine (they are only £100), but mine is on it’s last legs now.
Quite simply, the more expensive ones still don’t last and don’t quite do it for me when it comes to serious drilling.

I would strongly disagree chickenman. My trusty old dewalt 988 model it’s almost 8 years old now, been dropped hundred of times, never kept in a case, fallen into water, used for mixing, large flat bits, 300mm auger bits, holesaws, even used it for 107mm core drilling on occasion! I’ve got the full 18v kit and there’s not a bad tool in there. The only one that wasn’t quite up to it was the 18v plunge saw, just wasn’t quite song enough so stopped it for a TS55. The makita stuff is really good, but in a back to back comparison with the new dewalt xr gear, it’s just not as good. The makita jigsaw feels like a toy, plus it’s about 15% dearer. Dewaltlithiumbatteries are also now 4ah, and way cheaper than makita, with a 2yr guarantee also.

Santa bringin me MAKITA! ;))

My experience in the shopfitting/joinery trade for 25 years
The best are Festool/Panasonic
Then Makita
Then the rest (which I would never buy) all too inconsistent.

Makita for drills, impact drivers and grinders.
Bosch for chop saws, routers & circulars saws for me.
Dewalt havnt had great reliability or customer service since they became dewalt imo.
They were great when they were elu, but now just a bit bob the builder stylee.

Hilti have always had a great reputation, but I don’t own any of their battery tools, only big drills.

The last time i bought battery tools was about 3 yrs ago. makita 6 pack,
Drill, impact driver, circular saw, grinder, reciprocating saw, touch, 3 battery’s and a nice hold all from a company called so cal power tools in USA. . Half price compared to uk with free delivery and no import duty as they had a depot in uk.

Answering a different question (STW stylie), I found Toolstation (Wickes group I think) much cheaper for Makita than Screwfix (B&Q group these days I think).

Check both though.

Toolstation (Wickes group I think)

Toolstation is actually the guys who set up Screwfix and sold it to Kingfisher/B&Q. They’re not part of Wickes.

D & M tools.

And Folkstone fixings, ffx.com

Toolststion is Wickes these days

Link

I used to be a service engineer at a tool hire company, dewalt = black & decker internals, pre 04 very well built after went the quantity over quality route, makita ok for general trade use, milwaukee overpriced aeg and the aftersales is terrible, imo after stripping and repairing every day hitachi or panasonic, festool just jumped up joiners tool porn £550 for a cordless combi errrr no thanks, i own a hitachi boom stick and hitachi sds, grinder and rod cutter, never missed a beat and bin batterd for over 5 years, look on ebay for usa imports, half the price and the build quality is much much better than eu counterparts, make sure theyre listed 50hz-60hz as then you can use a adapter plug or cut off yank 2 pin and replace with a male 110v yellow plug for site use, all my hitachi kit is from usa warranty still stands (never had to use though) and the kit over here is 800 plus i paid 350 inc import and duties.

Toolststion is Wickes these days

so it is – I guess that means Mr Goddard Watts gets to put his feet up for a few years, then start exactly the same business again and sell it to a big retail giant again and repeat to fade 🙂

whichever brand, you get what you pay for, but Makita seem to be lower spec for the same money

not sure what your budget is, but my (relatively cheap) £100 dewalt has been great and has been an absolute workhorse. it’s quite heavy though for small jobs

my mates similarly priced Makita is weedy in comparison (both 18V), not as nice chuck, but is lighter.

next time I’ll be spending more, but I’m still waiting for my current one to wear out.