Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Makita). This thread is read-only.
I made an account just to rant and maybe get some positive news to my viewpoint.
Over time i’ve been investing in the makita 18v line. Got a hammer/drill, impact, the 2x circular saw and a few plug in tools including the 10 dual slide miter saw
Although makita has been serving me well enough, i took a chance by getting some extra 3amp/hr batteries I got on a deal on, in the hopes of picking up the newer brushless tools to come. Namely the brushless reciprocating for starters. But I’m consistently surprised at how often makita seems to fall short of really making a leading tool.
Just finished an article comparing cordless trimmers.
Makita’s trimmer falls quite at the bottom.
the 18v fuel circular saw offers is beaten by only a hair in performance to the 2x makita circular saw. (that’s 1 battery doing the same as 2 makitas)
the rotary hammer, again x2 and still just doesn’t shine (which btw outperforms the newer 18v brushless rotary hammer) Milwaukee beats it again with just 1 battery.
Frankly i didn’t switch to red because sure, blue is a bit cheaper and for my needs its still getting the job done, but why should I keep spending comparatively similar on makita tools that I think don’t reach the potential they should be. I’ve been eyeing the autofeed screwdriver too, but bosch came out with something that just performs better and is lighter. There’s already a few tools I returned because I couldn’t justify the price for the performance.
I got my batteries. Now Makita, just make some brushless tools that rock and don’t “just get by”.
thoughts?
it is all well and fine you have issues with Makita, but why the link to another tool website on your first post……
it was just an example of a comparison test. I didn’t feel like linking all the different tests and comparison videos and articles i’ve watched. (it’s a hobby)
granted I understand, you can do the same thing by just explaining it with no links
red flags for me to be directed from here to somewhere else regardless the content from someone with 1 post.
I understood you are not happy with Makita didn’t need proof….
The link isn’t showing up did the OP remove it?
ChrisK wrote:
1 minute ago, ChrisK said:The link isn’t showing up did the OP remove it?
looks to be gone now…….yes
Also, welcome to the forum Dan. No problem putting a link up though. When we see links pop up with new members there is nothing wrong with that, just makes people a little nervous. In response to your Makita woes…..
I have three Makita tools:
Thanks Comp.
In a nutshell Dan, I’ve been called a bit of a snob and I’ve got investments across the board and I too am waiting patiently for the brushless recip but I actually like the Makita tools I have. But….try Bosch out! Give big red a shot! Go yellow! The biggest problem with this site I’ve seen is my wallet is consistently empty and my shop has more colors than the rainbow.
i think the dtd148 impact is a winner… can’t believe someone could beat it
Yeah i deleted the link. Completely understand.
Glad to see the quick replies.
The problem here is you’re judging Makita on their flops when they put out a ton of random tools in addition to their good ones. I’d say they stack up about even with other brands if you ignore all of their junk tools.
Welcome to the forum. So I am not trying to be harsh, but don’t worry about having the top dog tool on the market, does the tool work for you? Okay the FUEL saw can cut 40 more feet, but what does that really matter? Yea the Makita has had some shortcomings and falls flat on a couple things but what tool company hasn’t?
As tool guys, we all get hung up on having the biggest and baddest tool, and out of everyone here I’m sure I am the most guilty of them all, cough cough. So I would look at your tools and your needs, if your getting the job done at the end of the day, thats all that matters no matter the tool or the color.
The most telling thing about that Sawzall is the low vibration. If you get hold of that saw and another recip from some other manufacturer. Hang one down off each hand arms down by your side and fire them up, then get someone to place a hand on each of your shoulder blades. It is amazing to feel how much vibration runs up each arm. With a blindfold test you would know immediately which has the lowest vibration by a big margin.
Oh sorry I have just seen the video is about cordless chain saws. Doh!
Dumped my entire 18V Makita collection on eBay when 2nd battery died and I discovered the the newer higher capacity batteries were (for inexplicable reasons) not compatible with my older tools. You have to be a tax accountant to figure out what Makita batteries work with what tools. No such BS with Milwaukee so I switched to their 12V stuff which works at least as well as my 18V Makita tools did.
^^ this is the biggest mistake (along with the previous 3ah battery failures) made by Makita in recent times.
I helped a mate get rid of all the Makita tools that were not compatible with newer HC batteries (which we were the weaker offerings anyway). He’s kept the best Makita tools, and supplemented with Milwaukee FUEL tools (grinder, circ and recip). Best of both worlds.
dwain wrote:
1 hour ago, dwain said:^^ this is the biggest mistake (along with the previous 3ah battery failures) made by Makita in recent times.
Agreed.
The upside is that cutting off the blocking tab makes everything compatible though. You just have to be careful.
yep, and void your warranty though.
dwain wrote:
1 minute ago, dwain said:yep, and void your warranty though.
I think most incompatible tools are out of warranty.
probably true!
Don’t forget that although Makita has had some compatibility issues they haven’t abandoned an entire 18v li ion system like Milwaukee, Dewalt and Hitachi have in the past.
danielicrazy wrote:
On 4/25/2016 at 4:54 PM, danielicrazy said:I made an account just to rant and maybe get some positive news to my viewpoint.
Over time i’ve been investing in the makita 18v line. Got a hammer/drill, impact, the 2x circular saw and a few plug in tools including the 10 dual slide miter saw
Although makita has been serving me well enough, i took a chance by getting some extra 3amp/hr batteries I got on a deal on, in the hopes of picking up the newer brushless tools to come. Namely the brushless reciprocating for starters. But I’m consistently surprised at how often makita seems to fall short of really making a leading tool.
Just finished an article comparing cordless trimmers.
Makita’s trimmer falls quite at the bottom.
the 18v fuel circular saw offers is beaten by only a hair in performance to the 2x makita circular saw. (that’s 1 battery doing the same as 2 makitas)
the rotary hammer, again x2 and still just doesn’t shine (which btw outperforms the newer 18v brushless rotary hammer) Milwaukee beats it again with just 1 battery.
Frankly i didn’t switch to red because sure, blue is a bit cheaper and for my needs its still getting the job done, but why should I keep spending comparatively similar on makita tools that I think don’t reach the potential they should be. I’ve been eyeing the autofeed screwdriver too, but bosch came out with something that just performs better and is lighter. There’s already a few tools I returned because I couldn’t justify the price for the performance.
I got my batteries. Now Makita, just make some brushless tools that rock and don’t “just get by”.
thoughts?
Hmmm…. Yesterday a cordless trimmer shootout appeared on a tool review site ( arent we allowed to link to other tool sites ? ) and out of 15 tested Models the Makita was placed in spot 3. Higher then the dewalt/stihl Models. Only having to let the Husqvarna and ego go before it.
What trimmer did you buy? Makita has 3 different types of cordless trimmers in their range. Perhaps you bought the cheaper home owner types expecting too much of it ? Seeing as their pro grade trimmer gets better points then the stihl cordless trimmer I’d say that’s probably a great model.
The x2 model circ saw has more power/speed and about 50% more runtime then the fuel. On 2 batteries of course. If having 2 batteries is your problem, then you have bought the wrong model. Makita has a brushless single battery circ saw available that performs exactly the same as the fuel. For some reviewers the Makita has a slight edge. Sometimes the fuel has a slight edge. All in all completely comparable models.
The rotary hammer is not up to modern standards. That’s true. But its not miles behind either. Certainly not enough to warrant a switch. You can’t expect every type of tool to be top notch from 1 brand.
You’re asking for Makita to bring out some top end brushless models that rock…
All the following models are up there on the number 1 or 2 spot or sharing the number 1 spot with some other brand:
Hammer drill, impact driver. Circ saw, metal cutting circ saw, grinder, jigsaw, compact impact wrench, heavy impact wrench, the pro grade trimmer, blower, brush cutter.
The only tools in my opinion where they get their ass kicked are rotary hammers and recip saws. And in a few months I’m rather confident the upcoming brushless recip will be best in class.
I think you just have purchased not the best tools Makita has to offer and basing your opinion on your experience with those tools.
the only caveat to the above is that to get the class leading Makita tools you need to buy the more expensive BL tools, but that is also true of other brands.
thanks kornomaniac,
I didn’t know there were different trimmers. that could have been it, i’ll have to double check. Certainly I am eager to see how the new bl recip saw turns out.
While Makita IMO makes great stuff for the most part, I’ve always been underwhelmed by their ergonomics and prices. Don’t like their grips at all. Their drills feel like alien tech in my hand, hard to explain.
Batteries have been behind the times for a while, but then again they have some of the fastest charge times in the industry (which I absolutely RIP Dewalt for, ridiculous it takes twice as long to charge than competition).
So as you can see, for everything lackluster there’s usually a silver lining. They produce a more extensive line than just about anyone else IMO, only the M12 competes with them when it comes to trade specific and oddball cordless tools.
No problem Daniel. Their lineup is perhaps too extensive. Unfortunatly ‘ Makita lxt’ doesnt always mean a prograde tool because they also have home owner tools in the cordless range.
I can imagine its sometimes hard to know what is what 😡
dwain wrote:
10 hours ago, dwain said:the only caveat to the above is that to get the class leading Makita tools you need to buy the more expensive BL tools, but that is also true of other brands.
True ! The brushless cirk saw is more expensive then the dual 18v here 🙂
kornomaniac wrote:
36 minutes ago, kornomaniac said:No problem Daniel. Their lineup is perhaps too extensive. Unfortunatly ‘ Makita lxt’ doesnt always mean a prograde tool because they also have home owner tools in the cordless range.
like what?
Drill driver DDF453
Hammer drill DHP453
Rotary DHR165 ( somewhat more Semi pro. for the better home owner or the not so intensive pro work )
Impact driver DTD142 ( somewhat more Semi pro. for the better home owner or the not so intensive pro work )
And specifically the trimmer of the garden range daniel was tallking about:
DUH523 hedge trimmer
DUR181 Grass trimmer
All of those tools use the old type ‘canister’ motors. ( here and their brushed motor exception ) Not a fan of em personally. they’re cheap but if the brushes inside are up you can only replace the whole motor. Not all customers wanna spend the time on that. Sometimes the motors are soldered to the wires. Even more of a hassle for the customer. Replacing brushes is a 5 minute job costing a few euros. Having to replace a whole motor costs alot more and takes more time. Time thats not always immediately available in a store / for the customer.
These are also tools with not alot of options / less power / or brushes where a brushless version has been the norm for a few years now.
I personally wouldn’t count these as ‘Pro grade tools’. Not suited for demanding and/or daily work 🙂
Yeah I agree on the 453 and DTD142, they just look cheap and nasty compared to regular Makita LXT. Remind me of some cheap cordless Makita drill & impact that we had in bunnings, it wasn’t even compatible with the rest of the LXT range…
anybody mentioned the 18/14.4 volt buiscuit joiner?
The MLT100 is a dog too. I am loving the brushless 18v Circ saw at the moment, so smooth.
MLT100 is clearly the cheap ass brother of the 2704.
Sure is.
just wanted to chime back to say that i’ll be sticking with blue. There was a pretty interesting trade in offer at a local tool store promoting milwaukee tools. I went to my hd to check out the red. but had to admit that I prefered the makita grips. Saw a review recently that pitted the cordless planers and makita did pretty good, so hopefully that is a good omen for the brushless recip saw that i’m still waiting on.
danielicrazy wrote:
8 hours ago, danielicrazy said:just wanted to chime back to say that i’ll be sticking with blue. There was a pretty interesting trade in offer at a local tool store promoting milwaukee tools. I went to my hd to check out the red. but had to admit that I prefered the makita grips. Saw a review recently that pitted the cordless planers and makita did pretty good, so hopefully that is a good omen for the brushless recip saw that i’m still waiting on.
good choice!