Makita vs. Milwaukee ?

[tom2207]

pick the right tool for the job ,,, face the fact that sometimes you just have to plug a tool in if you want it to work hard all day , I have three dozen grinders [ at least] and when Im doing serious work I still tend to reach for two old dewalt corded grinders ,, they are a bit knackered and not that smooth but I dont mind using them hard ,,, I have mostly Makita cordless and find them to be grand ,, they are a bit slower than corded , but they do ok , on par with Milwaukee [ rebranded atlas copco ] but as handy as they are , they have their place ... when Im using grinders etc its usually because Im welding , so there is power to hand I have a wee split 32 lead that goes int the welder and it has a 13 amp 4 way on it as the breakout ,, that way powers to hand and you dont weld and grind at the same tie so no overloading issues ,,, works for me.

 

[tom2207]

to clarify a few things, I also have a corded 115mm makita angle grinder, not just a cordless.

It seems there is an even split between red and teal? red being more powerful and a wider range and teal being slightly less powerful but more reliable. as for red being on top, I think that perception is probably because they throw a huge amount of tools at "influencers" on the social media.

so lets say teal wins this, i wondering if the 136mm will be more than enough for my purpose considering im not looking at anything over 3-5 mm and of course its half the price of the 150mm saw.

dont go past a 3.2 mm nibbler ,,, if its got a decent die set in it a nibbler will do a lot of work in a short space of time , granted you get toe nails everywhere ,,, then theres always plasma ,,,,

 

[Craig-S]

dont go past a 3.2 mm nibbler ,,, if its got a decent die set in it a nibbler will do a lot of work in a short space of time , granted you get toe nails everywhere ,,, then theres always plasma ,,,,

one step at a time lol

a nibbler may come but i doubt its very good with box section and angle.

 

[julianf]

so lets say teal wins this

3 pages in, and it seems like you are going to go with your initial choice -

I do have a couple of 18v Makita tools

The reality is that, if one was clearly "best" then nooone would bother with the others. People pick their first colour on the initial tool, and then are generally locked in.

So, 3 pages of inconclusive discussion, and you're going with what you thought initially.


(there's no shame in that, im just summarizing every single discussion of this type, ever! : )

 

[tom2207]

one step at a time lol

a nibbler may come but i doubt its very good with box section and angle.

nope ,,, no use if thats what your cutting great on plate though as they dont need air etc ,,, mine gets overlooked a lot of the time as Ive a plasma and it cuts everything ,,,

 

[Craig-S]

3 pages in, and it seems like you are going to go with your initial choice -



The reality is that, if one was clearly "best" then nooone would bother with the others. People pick their first colour on the initial tool, and then are generally locked in.

So, 3 pages of inconclusive discussion, and you're going with what you thought initially.


(there's no shame in that, im just summarizing every single discussion of this type, ever! : )

It seems that way but I'm an indecisive bugger. I'm not against multiple battery platforms. And it it's generally split between the 2 roughly equally.

Where it's interesting is that the bare teal tool is more expensive than the equivalent red tool including charger and a 5ah battery. But then teal make a 136mm version which is over £100 less than the red tool which may have the oomph to do what I'm asking for.

 

[Rannsachair]

Interesting thread. I have been considering the 12v Milwaukee 1/2" impact wrench because of size and weight.
I have the Makita DTW1002, which is the 18v LXT 1200NM one but it's heavy, like proper heavy. And it's huge so it can't get into tight places.
Of course I am invested into the Makita battery ecosystem....

Worth getting the Milwaukee? I don't see an equivalent Makita with the short tool length, not in 18v anyway, so it would be 12v and that also means new batteries. Can't decide.

I have just bought a Milwaukee M12 Fuel impact after https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/what-automotive-impact-driver.146150/page-3#post-2648550 a few folk recommended it for power and size.

I have mainly Bosch (as I used to get discount of them as an employee of Bosch Rexroth) though I have one corded Metabo grinder and I bought a cordedless Erbauer multitool for a specific job as it was so much cheaper than a new Bosch. I also bought a Ferrex cordless grinder that was ridiculously cheap in a sale, so I have 4 chargers and 4 types of battery - so I am the last person to take advice on this from!

 

[julianf]

It seems that way but I'm an indecisive bugger. I'm not against multiple battery platforms. And it it's generally split between the 2 roughly equally.

Where it's interesting is that the bare teal tool is more expensive than the equivalent red tool including charger and a 5ah battery. But then teal make a 136mm version which is over £100 less than the red tool which may have the oomph to do what I'm asking for.

It could just be that the Milwaukee tribe are less prone to buying that type of saw than the Makita tribe.

So Makita can slap on a bigger margin, whilst the red buyers are too busy with their impact drivers and grinders to care about saws - so maybe Milwaukee has to price it more competitively to get any traction in that area?

Who knows, but, what im saying is, there could well be non-technical reasons also. These are big companies, and its probably going to be more of a dubious calculation than just "parts cost + 100%" (etc)

 

[MetalMonkey]

Try the DeWalt 54volt grinder, that will change your mind.

I'm a Hikoki/Hitachi man, they do some pretty good 36v grinders, but I actually like the portability and lightweight of the 18v with a compact battery - very handy for quick cuts in awkward places.
However, I also use them a lot with wire brushes and heavy grinding, a couple of hours at a time is not uncommon - which is why i still recommend a mains one.

No matter how good the tool is, you are going to be smoking through batteries trying to run a wire knot wheel for 3 hours.. Just not worth it, especially as its fairly easy to run a cord and use a big grunty metabo.
Up a ladder, the 18v is fine for my needs and a lot easier to one hand. Horses for courses.

 

[Dr.Al]

It seems that way but I'm an indecisive bugger. I'm not against multiple battery platforms. And it it's generally split between the 2 roughly equally.

Where it's interesting is that the bare teal tool is more expensive than the equivalent red tool including charger and a 5ah battery. But then teal make a 136mm version which is over £100 less than the red tool which may have the oomph to do what I'm asking for.

You're in Wiltshire, I'm in Gloucestershire; not a million miles away. If we can find a compatible date & you want to come & try the DCS553 you'd be more than welcome (as long as you provide your own steel to try it on!)

 

[Craig-S]

You're in Wiltshire, I'm in Gloucestershire; not a million miles away. If we can find a compatible date & you want to come & try the DCS553 you'd be more than welcome (as long as you provide your own steel to try it on!)

Thats a nice offer, im pretty much already decided, just going to see if black friday has any offers on.

 

[Craig-SM]

Milwaukee is the obvious answer, anyone who says otherwise just can’t admit they bought into the wrong brand

 

[chunkytfg]

I've got that DCS553Z metal-cutting circular saw and it's fabulous. I really haven't got a bad thing to say about it. I was amazed at how easily it cuts through sheet or box section and it's a far cleaner, quicker and more pleasant way to work than having to use an angle grinder.

I have the cheaper DCS552Z and think it's great. It'll cut through 50x50mm box with relative ease. Ive even had it cut through 6mm steel.

 

[chunkytfg]

to clarify a few things, I also have a corded 115mm makita angle grinder, not just a cordless.

It seems there is an even split between red and teal? red being more powerful and a wider range and teal being slightly less powerful but more reliable. as for red being on top, I think that perception is probably because they throw a huge amount of tools at "influencers" on the social media. also I have the teal TD173 impact and it smashes anything else out the park, including red

so lets say teal wins this, i wondering if the 136mm will be more than enough for my purpose considering im not looking at anything over 3-5 mm and of course its half the price of the 150mm saw.

Yes it'll be fine. I have this one and it works really well. Cuts through 50 x 50 x 3mm box section no probs and even had it cut 6mm sheet

 

[Mark 5]

Milwaukee is the obvious answer, anyone who says otherwise just can’t admit they bought into the wrong brand

Makita for me as a choice over Milwaukee--every time.

 

[frank horton]

price wise.....
makita = japan
waukee = China
just sayin....

 

[CarolinaJimmy63]

I must say - my shop was always DeWALT heavy - and we very seldom had a problem with any of their tools. They especially OWN the nail gun pneumatics market.

Extended battery life is great - but if the tool is not worth it, then its useless.

 

[Craig-SM]

price wise.....
makita = japan
waukee = China
just sayin....

You might need to check where Makita tools are made

“Makita's largest production plant is its Jiangsu, China facility, which handles over 60% of the company's total production volume.”

 

[Craig-SM]

Makita for me as a choice over Milwaukee--every time.

Still in denial but don’t worry there is cure, just visit your local Milwaukee dealer.

 

[J1nx]

Makita still make a lot in Japan and still some in the UK.

Makita are definitely better quality (inc/especially the batteries) , however they do often lack the power of Milwaukee.

A under rated metric is just the ergonomics, Milwaukee can be particularly bad at this and even DeWalt can beat them on some stuff, although generally the DeWalts are sort of a midway product, between Milwaukee and Ryobi.