Makita vs Milwaukee

BlueSander · Dec 1, 2015

Hi guys,

I have been renovating apartment buildings for the last 5 years. I started out with a nice set of Hitachi cordless combo but someone got in and stole all my tools. I ended up buying a cheap Porter Cable drill & impact combo. I thought it wouldn't make it through but, to my surprise, they last me for the last 4 years. Not until a month ago, one of the charger broke down and I thought it was the battery that is failing. I have been looking around to get a good set of cordless tools this round. Anyhow, after much research, I'm in between Makita and Milwaukee. To me, Milwaukee's 2nd gen Fuel line has the most powerful drill & impact out there. However, Makita feels lighter and a bit better in hand even the weight on paper said other wise. What are your guys' suggestion?

Thanks,

kctyphoon · Dec 1, 2015

BlueSander said:
Hi guys,

I have been renovating apartment buildings for the last 5 years. I started out with a nice set of Hitachi cordless combo but someone got in and stole all my tools. I ended up buying a cheap Porter Cable drill & impact combo. I thought it wouldn't make it through but, to my surprise, they last me for the last 4 years. Not until a month ago, one of the charger broke down and I thought it was the battery that is failing. I have been looking around to get a good set of cordless tools this round. Anyhow, after much research, I'm in between Makita and Milwaukee. To me, Milwaukee's 2nd gen Fuel line has the most powerful drill & impact out there. However, Makita feels lighter and a bit better in hand even the weight on paper said other wise. What are your guys' suggestion?

Thanks,

There is no wrong choice between those two. Invest in a system not just the tools u want now.. I chose Milwaukee but either will make u happy.. Just look at what else u might want or just pick your favorite color.. Cant.go wrong.either way

anndel · Dec 1, 2015

Welcome to the GJ forums. You just opened a can of worms as residing on this forum are Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch fan boys. It all depends if you need the lightness of the Makita or the power of the Milwaukee. Is hand fatigue an issue?

Thumper68 · Dec 1, 2015

Throwing one more worm in the bucket.

Check out the Ridgid line, I have been using the for 4 or 5 years now Commercially and am more then impressed + the lifetime warranty.

Voi · Dec 1, 2015

BlueSander said:
Milwaukee's 2nd gen Fuel line has the most powerful drill & impact out there. However, Makita feels lighter and a bit better in hand even the weight on paper said other wise. What are your guys' suggestion?

I would first focus on what other tools you might want in cordless. Having done your job for five years I'm guess you have a good grip on that. If you need cordless tools other than the drill and impact then focus on what tools would benefit from brushless motors (I think Milwaukee has more brushless tools than Makita) or that might benefit from Makita's 36V X2 system.

If the drill and impact are all you need then I would focus on ergonomics first and what drill features you need second.

Robbie UK · Dec 1, 2015

The new Makita drill is more powerful than the Milwaukee but feels pretty heavy in the hand.

The compact 1/2" Makita brushless impact is epic but the full sized Makita impact is pretty old and awful when compared to the big Milwaukee equivalent, but a new brushless version is just being released.

I like the speed of battery charging on the Makitas and the wide range of other tools that suit my needs, but both brands are good. The site may be full of Milwaukee fanboys, but team red has some really good kit. Makita offers a little more in the areas that matter to me but if I opened my tool cab one day and found all the teal had turned red I think I could get over it.

kctyphoon · Dec 1, 2015

dont know if this might help your decision in any way, but if you think you might be interested in working on your cars, the Milwaukee impacts have a huge following in here.. same thing with the ratchets, and the lighting options are pretty amazing these days with the Milwaukee stuff.. its worth exploring. Makita does have some impacts as well, but they just dont seem very popular here, and there lighting options dont seem overly impressive.
.
this is just my opinion, but i wouldnt worry too much about torque specs between the brushless hammer drills and impact drivers.. the power behind these things are at the point its almost a non-issue. if you cant get the tools to work for you, your probably doing something wrong.. another thing to consider is the 12 volt line.. there's really no contest with that one. the m12 fuel drills are performing as well as 18 volts did a few years ago. if you wind up like most of us Milwaukee followers, you'll eventually end up with both platforms at some point. its nice the be able to use the same chargers.. ALSO - if you might want a heated jacket - (im going on my 3rd) once again, no contest.. this is basically how i wound up going with Milwaukee when i upgraded from my old 18v Dewalt stuff.. it was painful to switch brands at first but i have not one regret.

BlueSander · Dec 2, 2015

Thanks everyone for the input.

Originally when I found this forum, I see a huge amount of Milwaukee fan and it made sense right away after looking at the torque/weight specs. I placed an order for a the newest M18 fuel that day. I then stopped by HD for supplies randomly and walked by the tool section. The Makita to me felt very light in hand. I can get used to that completely as it was a very obvious upgrade from my Porter cable set that I'm used to. I picked up the Milwaukee afterward and it felt a little off. It is not the weight but I just can't describe the feel. I don't believe what HD has out for show that day was the brushless Makita nor the M18 Fuel from Milwaukee so I'm just gonna wait till my order arrive and try it out for now.

For me, the 7-1/4 circular saw and oscillating multi-tool are next on the switching-to-cordless list. While browsing around, I do like the cordless blower, hackzall for PVC work and copper tubing cutter. I believe Makita makes the best circular saw out there but Milwaukee has a very portable hackzall & great looking LED worklights. I don't think I can justify spending that much for a LED light while Costco has been selling Snap-on worklight with 2000 lumens for only 29 bucks everyday.

danski0224 · Dec 2, 2015

The Milwaukee M18 oscillating tool is the closest thing to a genuine corded Fein that I have used to date.

Kensgarage · Dec 2, 2015

Milwaukee has had a good run with their fanboy stuff over the last decade.They have a fantastic warranty that I think very well may bite them in the ***.....eventually. I've had small. yet irritating, troubles from every single tool I've bought from them in the last 6 or so years.

OK
Before "they" come out of the woodwork:
M12 angle grill. ************* chuck. 2 replaced. Third one better product than the first 2.Different chuck than earlier ones.

M12" Dremel' waannaB. ************* collet and major vibrations. Installed Dremel brand keyless chuck and shimmed motor with rubber.Better now. Overrated.Overpriced.Buy the Dremel.

8 inch metal cutting circular saw. Blade not square with base(non-adjustable) Went through 4 at whorehouse.Same problem. They called Milwaukee and 'tards found a correct one and sent it.It's a damn fine tool.

Jigsaw.6268."Quick" blade holder. Junk. Got a replacement. Better. Still to0 tight with coated blades(Morse, Bosch) but better. Not "quick" by anyones imagination.
Few months later: LED failed. Repaired. 2 days down.
Right Now: speed control doesn't work.
It's a fantastic running and powerful saw but......well. Obvious.
I'll see if they'll hand me a speed control and do some hand fitting on that q ___.. u ___.. i___.. c___.. k retainer while it's apart.

Makita for me from now on.Let Milwaukee concentrate on rap boxes, flashlights, junk tool storage and heated hoodies. Maybe they can buy Sears when it dies and continue that tradition.

I also see DeWalt trying to produce some in the US again and upping their competition in the cordless game. Best to them ! They made some good tools but lagged behind for a few years.....perhaps a planned business model ?
I have some old Dewalt stuff that is real solid and beat to hell. Still going good.
They have a 15 amp rat tail angle grinder I want to try. I'll let the yellow fan club ride those for a year or so and see what the results are. AvE on B00bTube dissected one and was pretty impressed.

WentworthMotorsports21 · Dec 2, 2015

I was recently in the same situation as you are, except I was upgrading from a mix matched bunch of stuff. I had a Makita Drill, a Chicago Electric Driver, Goodyear Racing Impact Wrench.. A bunch of Christmas gifts and starter tools.

I recently pulled the trigger on the Milwaukee M18 system. I bought a drill/driver combo at HD and got the $100 off another tool purchase promotion and bought the sawzall to go with it. Next in line are the FUEL 1/2 Impact Wrench, and the 3/8 Impact Wrench. The lighting looks spectacular as well. I've not planned that far ahead though.

I too considered Makita (and DeWalt) heavily before making the purchase. I read (and watched) tons of reviews on the internet and on Youtube. For the tools I knew I wanted, Milwaukee won out. Their warranty is significantly better than the Makita warranty which was another big plus for me.

With all that aside, my interests/needs are much different than yours (I work on cars, and as far as carpentry type stuff I only work on my own house/garage so the most basic stuff can get my by there).

I'll say I've used all of my Milwaukee stuff extensively over the past month, doing both automotive related projects as well as on a kitchen renovation in my house and I have no complaints.

+1 for Milwaukee.

Thanks,
Jeff.

kctyphoon · Dec 2, 2015

not counting all the lights i have, and i have most of them, i probably have close to a dozen cordless tools from Milwaukee, and even a few old corded.. i havent had any problems, but do your own research and buy what you like. i have some of the tools metioned above, and they havent given me an issue.. will have my 3rd heated jacket from Milwaukee soon, and ive spent the NJ winters working outside everyday in a t shirt and one long sleeve shirt with just a heated jacket in below zero weather. 3 of my co workers have since bought their own.. im very happy with every purchase ive made.. my dog hates the rotarry tool though - it gets used to trim her nails mostly, dont even touch the corded dremel anymore.

Kirkski · Dec 2, 2015

Thumper68 said:
Throwing one more worm in the bucket.

Check out the Ridgid line, I have been using the for 4 or 5 years now Commercially and am more then impressed + the lifetime warranty.

Just yesterday I grabbed a new cordless hammer drill and driver set in Ridgid. After talking to the sales guy, he swayed me with the "Lifetime" warranty. That includes the batteries and charger… provided you fill out the documentation which I did on line easy.

I had a Milwaukee that was fine, until the battery died, then the replacement battery died and the charger died… Batteries are easy $100. to replace.

I figure I could not go wrong, I also stepped it up to the 4 Amp hour, brushless model. Happy camper so far!

slickgt1 · Dec 2, 2015

I've tried them all. I did the milwakee, the hilti, makita. I keep coming back to Makita, and so it seems with the crew.

I still have 2 makita japan made impact drivers, purchased 2007. Those guys have put in millions of screws. Dripped from ridiculous heights. Still works like new. Still original batteries.

The trigger is perfect on them. The hilti and M feel a bit retarded. The balance in the hand is also much better with makita. Using it to drive in sheetrock screws, I feel more control too. It doesn't have the bs power meter like the fuels, but I don't find it necessary. The trigger does all the power control I need. Makita all the way.

f575gtc · Dec 2, 2015

Kirkski said:
Just yesterday I grabbed a new cordless hammer drill and driver set in Ridgid. After talking to the sales guy, he swayed me with the "Lifetime" warranty. That includes the batteries and charger… provided you fill out the documentation which I did on line easy.

I had a Milwaukee that was fine, until the battery died, then the replacement battery died and the charger died… Batteries are easy $100. to replace.

I figure I could not go wrong, I also stepped it up to the 4 Amp hour, brushless model. Happy camper so far!

hopefully they didn't give you a hard time registering your products like they did mine, I returned all my RIDGID stuff because they kept telling me they could not verify my receipt from home depot.

Mike007 · Dec 2, 2015

I'm looking for a drill and impact myself. I like the Milwaukee Fuel line, but Ive been told the plastic in the bodies is brittle and does not like impacts and when dropped it breaks easily. Reviews on Amazon seem to back this up. I seem to have slippery fingers or something because I drop my tools a lot. I'm leaning toward Bosch at this point.

ngk22r · Dec 2, 2015

Mike007 said:
I'm looking for a drill and impact myself. I like the Milwaukee Fuel line, but Ive been told the plastic in the bodies is brittle and does not like impacts and when dropped it breaks easily. Reviews on Amazon seem to back this up. I seem to have slippery fingers or something because I drop my tools a lot. I'm leaning toward Bosch at this point.

How far of a drop did these tools take before they took damage?
One of my coworkers is pretty harsh on his tools and his Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact is not damaged in any way. But lets be real, a person can damage any of the top three (USA) sellers tools if they really want to or under the right circumstance. My Makita from 10 years ago was borrowed out many times, took many falls and the only thing that ended up failing was the batteries after three years and the only thing that happened to the plastic body was it ended up with scuffs and small gouges. My coworker's M18 Fuel impact is holding up very well to similar treatment, the only thing I have seen is it is covered in dirt and grime but no gouges yet (1 year use).

engineer2 · Dec 3, 2015

No matter what brand you get, look at brushless and multiple speed settings for the impact driver. You need the low power to finesse small screws and higher power settings for nuts and bolts.
Try to buy models with metal gear box housings.
Harbor Freight and low-end brands are popular on job sites around here where tools tend to get stolen.

I dropped my old 1995 vintage Dewalt drill off a 6 ft ladder and it broke a field magnet off inside the motor. Replaced the motor and got many more years out of it.

A friend dropped his Bosch drill and it broke one of the brushes. Still worked, but had no power until he replaced the bad brush.

Haven't dropped my newer Makita's yet, but I'm sure it will happen some day.

JonnyMac · Dec 3, 2015

Milwaukee doesnt have an auto feed screw gun in cordless but makita does... my drywall guy has both milwakee and makita, he uses the screwgun all the time and swears by it, cant believe milwakee havent got one yet.

wagon · Dec 3, 2015

buy Makita. Milwaukee is imported junk LOL

wagon · Dec 3, 2015

but for real, I've seen multiple issues with BRAND NEW Milwaukee tools (grinders, chop saws, cordless impacts), and motors burning up in NEW chop saws. Makitas seem to be better built. Sometimes their specs aren't as pimpin as Milwaukees, but at least you're getting a quality tool, for sure.

DeWalt, well, congrats on finding a way to profitably make tools in the US with Chinese components as though you're doing everyone a favor. They shut down their US plants, eliminated hundreds of jobs, and now act like jobs driving screws to tie two plastic drills is going to bring us back.

Sure, it's a start, but it wouldn't be a concern if they didn't send all their manufacturing to China and Mexico to begin with.

I'd sooner buy a Chinese Makita (guaranteed quality) over a Chinese DeWalt. At least Makita has, in my opinion, being a Japanese company, no obligation to the American worker. They began just by selling to us - never by employing us. Makes me feel stupid supporting a hand tool company owned by the same umbrella, whose name has come to epitomize Chinese trash. Stanley Black & Decker - their corporate name is tied to the two cheapest, trashiest, crappiest, shittiest brands in America.

Interesting to note that Makita never stopped making tools in America. The 9005B has been made here for decades, along with a few other "old" looking tools that last forever. Wish that could be said for our "American" companies. A Japanese company kept American manufacturing, while the two American ones abandoned us to have 5 year olds make tools.

oldldh · Dec 3, 2015

Buy what you feel will do the best job for you...

I have Milwaukee, but all of it was bought by my wife as Birthday, and Christmas presents...

Again --- What to buy???...What feels best to you!!!

You are the only person who has to be satisfied...

thor80 · Dec 3, 2015

I'm going to buck the trend too and say go makita, i use my brushless professionally in construction and it's held up better than my coworkers m12 fuel stuff. Tool feels a little better made to me also.

rice rocket · Dec 3, 2015

I was on the Milwaukee train for a while, but I gave up. Their core set of tools is good, but instead of releasing more tools to satisfy a larger crowd, they keep concentrating efforts to revamp tools they've already made? Not sure what the logic is there.

I.e. people are chomping at the bit for cordless nailers, a better jig saw, miter saws, etc. for those who want to do more framing and construction, but instead they're releasing and re-releasing 6 different drills in a 3 year timeframe?

Go with Makita if you're only sticking to one battery platform, you'll have access to a much greater breadth of tools.

plain garage · Dec 3, 2015

I have a set of Makita tools and growing. I feel the Makita are more ergonomic, feels better in your hand, and power is adequate for what I do. I've grown my Makita collection to close to 10 pieces over the years, and not one tool has failed, though in fairness I only use them for in house projects and wrenching on my 2 cars. Again, for my usage, Makita wins my vote.

slickgt1 · Dec 3, 2015

Even my free gift cheapie cordless skill saw by makita is great. I always have it in my truck. The cuts that thing does, for a cheap unit, is amazing. As long as you have a full charge, you can rip a few 4x8 sheets with it on one charge. Has never given me one issue.

6' drop, phhht.

I was screwing down rigid insulation on a roof (4" hex with washer, lag type screws). Flat roof, and by the gutter edge. Went to grab another sheet of insulation, and forgot I left my impact on it, flung that **** 35' off the roof, onto concrete. I thought it was done. Had to resist the urge to jump for it. The driver bit got crazy bent. I think I lucked out and that's how it connected. But the amount of times it bounced afterwards was scary. Still works. Only damage I have on mine, is all the decorative rubber trim has sort of deteriorated. But when you buy screws in buckets with handles, this is sort of expected.

HoosierBuddy · Dec 3, 2015

Kensgarage said:
Went through 4 at whorehouse.Same problem.

Wait. What What?

Robbie UK · Dec 3, 2015

I guess the professionals there are not that good with metal cutting saws and had to get someone in.

Mike007 · Dec 3, 2015

ngk22r said:
How far of a drop did these tools take before they took damage?

I really don't know. I saw a broken drill on a counter at a supply house and asked about it. Another tradesman chimed in and said he dropped an impact and broke it. I have dropped my 16 year old Milwaukee off a ladder onto concrete several time without issue. I got angry once and threw it too. It laughed at me I think. It still works.

jipps · Dec 3, 2015

kctyphoon said:
There is no wrong choice between those two. Invest in a system not just the tools u want now.. I chose Milwaukee but either will make u happy.. Just look at what else u might want or just pick your favorite color.. Cant.go wrong.either way

This is the best advice you'll ever get. For me, it was Makita hands-down for the because besides the basic garage power tools they had all the other stuff I wanted (e.g. an unbeatable line-up of cordless gardening powertools in lxt). Equally, I could see someone choosing Milwaukee because its line up can take them in the direction they want to go.

Just look at the full catalogue for both brands, and choose the one whose lineup works best with your current and future expansion needs.

Both are great!

PS even if you get Makita, you be wanting Milwaukee Shockwave 1/4" HEX TO X/8" socket adapters in the chuck. Nothing comes close to those bad boys

ngk22r · Dec 3, 2015

Mike007 said:
I really don't know. I saw a broken drill on a counter at a supply house and asked about it. Another tradesman chimed in and said he dropped an impact and broke it. I have dropped my 16 year old Milwaukee off a ladder onto concrete several time without issue. I got angry once and threw it too. It laughed at me I think. It still works.

My old Makita kept on chugging through all its abuse.. The only thing that was an issue was the anvil clip needed replacement a lot. My DeWalt held up pretty good too. Milwaukee so far no problems.

kctyphoon · Dec 3, 2015

i dont own the makita stuff so im not that familiar with it, but the Milwaukee stuff is very hard to burn up or overload. especially the fuel products. with the elimination of brushes which has been the weakest link in any electric motor since the beginning of time, and digital processors monitoring the load on the tools, its not easy to do stupid things. the tools will just shut off. cruise around the "repairable, for parts" section in the cordless power tool section of eBay and see how many Milwaukee fuel tools you find that are for sale.. ill give ya a hint - its not many at all.

Hpozzuoli · Dec 3, 2015

I would go with DeWalt. They have more cordless offerings for expansion. Otherwise if you are set on one of the two you mentioned I would go with Milwaukee. They have a bigger line up.

Ainsley · Dec 3, 2015

My personal preference is Makita for all my power tools. That said I'd love if Makita made some of the tools that Milwaukee does in their M12 and M18 line like the hole hawg stud drill, PVC shear, PEX expansion tool, wall scanner and a few others I can't remember now.

The DIY Hubby · Dec 4, 2015

Makita and Milwaukee both produce top quality drills. Lots of professionals choose Milwaukee for the power whereas lots of DIYers prefer Makita because of the lower price and light weight. If you research <a href="http://www.thediyhubby.com/cordless-drill-reviews/">reviews</a> you will see that both brands have excellent feedback from consumers. The Makita CTR200W combo kit sells for under $200 at the moment. (great value for a cordless drill and impact driver)

danski0224 · Dec 4, 2015

BlueSander said:
What are your guys' suggestion?

Ryobi has all of the basic cordless tools covered, and their line is expanding.

Far as I know, they are the only brand that has gone from NiCd to LiIon while retaining 100% backwards tool compatibility *and* introducing new tools that work with both batteries.

If Red, Blue or Yellow have no compelling unique tools for your uses, then I'd have a hard time not buying Ryobi.

Mike007 · Dec 4, 2015

I think most cordless tools are now being made more disposable as opposed to the older tools that seem to last 20 years. Which is fine, the price reflects that. I paid almost $300 for my Milwaukee drill 16+ years ago. HD had a Milwaukee drill and impact driver for $150 and a Makita drill, impact and grinder kit for $250 on Black Friday.

danski0224 · Dec 4, 2015

Mike007 said:
I think most cordless tools are now being made more disposable as opposed to the older tools that seem to last 20 years.

Many of my V18 Milwaukee tools were made in USA or Germany or Hungary.

They still worked just fine when I sold them 11 years after purchasing the initial kit as a reconditioned item. I recouped most of my initial buy in when I sold them, making the upgrade cost manageable.

If I can get 11 years out of the replacements and hopefully less than 2 battery replacements, I'll be very happy. There are almost no crossovers from the M18 to the V18 lineup which is why I finally switched. The M18 tools do not seem to be any less durable, despite being made in China along with just about anything besides Festool, Fein or other comparable brands.

I do sort of miss "The Hatchet" Sawzall, even though the pivot lock was sort of flimsy. "Hackzall" is a good contender.

Mike007 · Dec 4, 2015

danski0224 said:
Many of my V18 Milwaukee tools were made in USA or Germany or Hungary.

They still worked just fine when I sold them 11 years after purchasing the initial kit as a reconditioned item. I recouped most of my initial buy in when I sold them, making the upgrade cost manageable.

If I can get 11 years out of the replacements and hopefully less than 2 battery replacements, I'll be very happy. There are almost no crossovers from the M18 to the V18 lineup which is why I finally switched. The M18 tools do not seem to be any less durable, despite being made in China along with just about anything besides Festool, Fein or other comparable brands.

I do sort of miss "The Hatchet" Sawzall, even though the pivot lock was sort of flimsy. "Hackzall" is a good contender.

Quality aside, the price itself almost makes them disposable. When you can buy a new tool for the same or less then what replacement batteries cost, it's tough justifying not buying the new tool. The Hatchet is a big reason why Ive been buying new batteries for my old Milwaukee stuff. Since Ive finally decided to move onto another tool line, I may just buy a corded Hatchet to replace the cordless.

danski0224 · Dec 4, 2015

Mike007 said:
Quality aside, the price itself almost makes them disposable. When you can buy a new tool for the same or less then what replacement batteries cost, it's tough justifying not buying the new tool. The Hatchet is a big reason why Ive been buying new batteries for my old Milwaukee stuff. Since Ive finally decided to move onto another tool line, I may just buy a corded Hatchet to replace the cordless.

I was buying 3rd party NiCd batteries from that big auction site for my V18 and Makita 12V tools for way less than OEM and the quality seemed to be comparable. Same country of manufacture compared to OEM.

The current M18 LiIon batteries seem to be much better than the V18 LiIon batteries. I bought 2 of those and then gave up on LiIon for a long time.

I was looking at another round of battery replacements and decided to get new tools this time around.

I hope that the hype of the latest M18 batteries holds up... really, all LiIon cordless battery packs. None of them are cheap. I certainly would not qualify Milwaukee Fuel tools to be cheap enough to be "disposable", at least not to me.

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