Snapped-off
Well-known member
Cordless tracksaw came in today.
Makita Addiction Thread
- Thread starter willhollin
- Start date
duneslider
Well-known member
You have at least 200ah there and you are finding you run out and need to add a makita battery!? That is a lot of power you have there, if I am not mistaken, those rack mounts are also 48v? I haven't seen that size in a 12v version. Are you using the power at 48v or do you step it down to 12v?I'm using "Makita battery power" as a 12V backup battery system for my Cargo Trailer.
Powers lights, power awning, water pump... These can put out 20A continuous and I have a bunch of them.
dcg9381
Well-known member
10kWh, yes. 48V. I step it all down to 12V for standard "RV accessories" and use 48V to power an inverter.. The Makita is just there in case I don't want to power up the big batteries or in case there is a flaw in my design as a backup... The big batteries "communicate" with the inverter, so there are cases where they can shut down.
Steel_Rain
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Good news / bad news.
Good news, I found the XGT Hedge Trimmer (GHU02Z) on clearance at my local HD:
I got this for 60$ since it was the display model:
There isn't a scratch on it! That's freak'in amazing.
Bad news. The Store Manager told me his HD isn't renewing with Makita moving into 2025? And that the space will be given to Milwaukee?
WTF. Can anyone confirm this is real news for all stores? Maybe it's just my local store, but damn.
Good news, I found the XGT Hedge Trimmer (GHU02Z) on clearance at my local HD:
I got this for 60$ since it was the display model:
There isn't a scratch on it! That's freak'in amazing.
Bad news. The Store Manager told me his HD isn't renewing with Makita moving into 2025? And that the space will be given to Milwaukee?
WTF. Can anyone confirm this is real news for all stores? Maybe it's just my local store, but damn.
Snapped-off
Well-known member
Well good thing I bought the bulk of my makita during their black Friday sales so I got pretty good deals. I just pick up tool only stuff now as needed.Good news / bad news.
Good news, I found the XGT Hedge Trimmer (GHU02Z) on clearance at my local HD:
I got this for 60$ since it was the display model:
There isn't a scratch on it! That's freak'in amazing.
Bad news. The Store Manager told me his HD isn't renewing with Makita moving into 2025? And that the space will be given to Milwaukee?
WTF. Can anyone confirm this is real news for all stores? Maybe it's just my local store, but damn.
Wouldn't be surprised if HD cans their space. They're definitely not as popular as milwaukee.
Good news / bad news.
Good news, I found the XGT Hedge Trimmer (GHU02Z) on clearance at my local HD:
I got this for 60$ since it was the display model:
There isn't a scratch on it! That's freak'in amazing.
Bad news. The Store Manager told me his HD isn't renewing with Makita moving into 2025? And that the space will be given to Milwaukee?
WTF. Can anyone confirm this is real news for all stores? Maybe it's just my local store, but damn.
I believe it. I couldn't even find the inflator at my Home Depot.
The selection is shrinking and I don't think I see as many sales anymore.
TTI is taking over.
nadogail
Well-known member
High Quality and Popularity are not necessarily synonymous.
Milwaukee Tools are very well marketed, their Sawzall is, IMHO, the "Gold Standard", but my Makita tools have been "Drop Tested" many times and continue to function.
I like Milwaukee as much as the next guy, but there are so many weird overlooked things they get away with due to it.
The fact M12 batteries get physically stuck in tools is insane. Never had that problem with DeWalt, Hitachi/Metabo, Makita.
I have several newer Makita corded tools, so I'm not a hater, but I wouldn't be surprised if HD dropped the Makita line nationally as mentioned above. The reality is that they just don't sell like DeWalt or Milwaukee does. In my HD, Makita has maybe 10% of the shelf space in power tools- basically an afterthought.
I've said this before, but I can't recall the last time I saw anything by Makita being used commercially in construction in my area- it's mostly DeWalt and the rest is Milwaukee. For homeowner OPE, Ryobi is huge because of the value. Makita is just MIA from what I see outside of GJ.
I've said this before, but I can't recall the last time I saw anything by Makita being used commercially in construction in my area- it's mostly DeWalt and the rest is Milwaukee. For homeowner OPE, Ryobi is huge because of the value. Makita is just MIA from what I see outside of GJ.
As of April, Makita’s sales are down 21% in North America to about $650 million. World wide their sales were down 3% to about $4.7 billion. The North American market represents less than 15% of their revenue. In the US people seem to buy what HD tells them too. They sell over half of TTI’s revenue in the US.
FTWingRiders
Well-known member
That’s too bad, but I don’t buy my Makita from HD anyway. I’m lucky enough to have a Authorized Dealer close by.. an honest to goodness brick and mortar store called Adam’s Tool and Nails.
www.adamstoolandnail.com
If they don’t have it, they can get it.. and usually at a great price. It’s a deadly place for me.. or at least for my CC..
Home
www.adamstoolandnail.com
If they don’t have it, they can get it.. and usually at a great price. It’s a deadly place for me.. or at least for my CC..
ObnoxiousFumes
Well-known member
That would depend on the area I guess, my good friend and his dad use Makita almost exclusively (minus a few Hilti nailers and a Dewalt “dremel”) in their construction business, and an electrician I met while working with themalso uses all Makita (minus a Dewalt chuck drill, with an adapter to run Makita batteries, because the Makita drills don’t last.)
Then the electrician at our shop has 1/2 Makita 1/2 Milwaukee tools (why not just one?!? Lol) and our boiler service tech is also all Makita. The rest of our guys and the entire shop are red though.
Also another good friend of mine (yet another electrician) is the biggest Makita addict with the biggest collection I’ve ever seen, and his mechanic dad uses Makita as well.
That would depend on the area I guess, my good friend and his dad use Makita almost exclusively (minus a few Hilti nailers and a Dewalt “dremel”) in their construction business, and an electrician I met while working with themalso uses all Makita (minus a Dewalt chuck drill, with an adapter to run Makita batteries, because the Makita drills don’t last.)
Then the electrician at our shop has 1/2 Makita 1/2 Milwaukee tools (why not just one?!? Lol) and our boiler service tech is also all Makita. The rest of our guys and the entire shop are red though.
Also another good friend of mine (yet another electrician) is the biggest Makita addict with the biggest collection I’ve ever seen, and his mechanic dad uses Makita as well.
I imagine there's a significant regional difference. Does the company provide tools, or do you have to supply your own? Might depend if you're unionized or not too. I’ve seen a lot of people using Rigid tools when they had to bring their own, mainly because the warranty on their batteries was unbeatable at the time. Honestly, I’m confident I could hand a master craftsman or tradesperson a Ryobi set, and they'd still deliver great results.
I even know guys who pick a certain brand just to avoid having their batteries "accidentally" swapped or stolen.
Personally, I don’t care much about the brand. Red looks cooler than yellow IMO but lamer than teal, and the stores near me carry mostly red and yellow tools. I like Makita, but it's getting harder to find them locally unless it's at Home Depot or the occasional Tractor Supply.
Where is the Makita PEX expander? The Makita pipe threader? Makita is loosing the tool war because somebody doesn't want to have to be sold on a whole new battery system. The other companies are coming out with the trade specific tools which is the big gamechanger IMO right now.
engineer2
Well-known member
Makita does not do a good job marketing their tools in the USA. The online Christmas deals are paltry.
They are going after the heavy duty construction market at the expense of the DIY/consumer market.
They ignore the automotive repair market and other trades like plumbing and electrical.
I've been happy:
I have 12 year old 18V Makita batteries and an impact driver that work fine.
I broke a drill out of warranty and Makita replaced it for free.
Some of my tools are looking like beat-up contractor tools but still work great.
Most of the corded rentals at HD are Makita.
They are going after the heavy duty construction market at the expense of the DIY/consumer market.
They ignore the automotive repair market and other trades like plumbing and electrical.
I've been happy:
I have 12 year old 18V Makita batteries and an impact driver that work fine.
I broke a drill out of warranty and Makita replaced it for free.
Some of my tools are looking like beat-up contractor tools but still work great.
Most of the corded rentals at HD are Makita.
Last edited:
lotus_esprit
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- Nov 26, 2009
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- 111
Whereas in the UK, certainly where I am, Makita is the undisputed king, I don’t know any tradesman who are not on Makita LXT
Makita is very popular in Europe and Asia. Milwaukee, and all of TTI’s offerings, are really only popular in the US, I feel that is because of the market dominance of Home Depot, and not because of product offerings or quality. Not at all.
BlindViper
Well-known member
I wonder if its just for the lawn and garden stuff? Last week I bought the trimmer/pole saw combo for 179. It was the only thing makita on clearance in lawn and garden and tools.
We've entered a strange era of maximum power. All I see are TikTok and YouTube influencers testing who can drive a lag faster.
Sure, I get that there are some time savings to be had, but overall, I think battery-powered tools have peaked. There’s probably a tool out there that can do what you need, but tool companies have to keep selling products somehow. These days, I judge a power tool more on its ergonomics because power is generally sufficient for anything. For example, the Makita ratchet has worse ergonomics by far compared to the M12 Fuel.
That would depend on the area I guess, my good friend and his dad use Makita almost exclusively (minus a few Hilti nailers and a Dewalt “dremel”) in their construction business, and an electrician I met while working with themalso uses all Makita (minus a Dewalt chuck drill, with an adapter to run Makita batteries, because the Makita drills don’t last.)
Then the electrician at our shop has 1/2 Makita 1/2 Milwaukee tools (why not just one?!? Lol) and our boiler service tech is also all Makita. The rest of our guys and the entire shop are red though.
Also another good friend of mine (yet another electrician) is the biggest Makita addict with the biggest collection I’ve ever seen, and his mechanic dad uses Makita as well.
Definitely based on country, and I would've never disputed that. If you see the post above, Makita's North American revenue is <15% of their total. I guess we don't like teal
lotus_esprit
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- Nov 26, 2009
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I am Makita through and through, and own at a guess thirty plus items of Makita, however I begrudgingly went to M12 for the 3/8 ratchet and also the pop rivet gun, both due to the M12 battery dimensions allowing a more ergonomic handheld tool. Sad thing is Makita used to offer a 12v system with very similar battery dimensions to the M12 but they killed it off.
jollygreengiant
Well-known member
The 12v CXT line is still very much alive. My local HD is showing 7 CXT tools in stock with another 30 or so available to order.
Personally I don't use big box stores for my Makita purchases so even if HD here were to drop them, it wouldn't impact me much. Thankfully I have some really good independent stores near me that carry a lot of Makita.
jollygreengiant
Well-known member
Picked up one of these today as I was tired of dealing with C/D cell batteries in maglites. My local store had it on for 25% off so it came home with me. So far I really like it. I already have the DML801 but that one doesn't throw light very far, and I don't really need the DML812 for what I do.
engineer2
Well-known member
Sometimes you need a small work light, sometime you need a focused light or a flood light. Makita has them all.
I've been very tempted to do the same. The Milwaukee ratchets are way, way nicer than anything else on the market. I could use the PEX expander too.
I like the Snap-on electric ratchet and it also saves you money over the long run by preventing you from buying more M12 tools.
M12 and Makita 18v is a great combo. I have m12 for the 3/8 stubby, ratchets, underhood and underbody lights, etc. Makita is for everything bigger, drills, 1/2” impacts, flood lights, circular saw, jigsaw, multi, sds, planer, radio, weed wacker, etc. The Makita high torque isn’t as nice as the red high torque, but it seems over indulgent to invest in another battery line just for that.
This echos what I see in the UK. Almost all trades I know still use makita.
How many brands out of curiosity do you have available to you over there?
I feel like the power tool market in America was always pretty fractured with too many competing brands and the second you get into one of the two big box hardware stores it's going to decide a lot on how well you do.
Lots.
Makita, dewalt and Milwaukee are the most common ones for diy/construction and there’s festool, hilti, mafell and metabo in the high end.
Snap on has a significant presence in auto but is losing ground to Milwaukee.
Then there’s a ton of store own brands/rebranded stuff and lower end imports, like Worx, Erbauer, Einhell.
From a quick look at the Screwfix app (major uk diy/construction chain), this is the set of brands available for a cordless drill:
Lots.
Makita, dewalt and Milwaukee are the most common ones for diy/construction and there’s festool, hilti, mafell and metabo in the high end.
Snap on has a significant presence in auto but is losing ground to Milwaukee.
Then there’s a ton of store own brands/rebranded stuff and lower end imports, like Worx, Erbauer, Einhell.
From a quick look at the Screwfix app (major uk diy/construction chain), this is the set of brands available for a cordless drill:
Interesting. Bosch isn't as popular professionally in the United States anymore, except for jigsaws and routers, though it used to be. However, obviously it's still widely popular in other parts of the world. RIDGID is also fairly prominent here, which likely impacts Makita's popularity. Pretty much all I see people use professionally is Milwaukee and DeWalt. Then you have Makita, RIGID and FLEX.
Bosch is very popular on mainland Europe, but rare to see it used professionally in the UK, it still has a fairly big homeowner presence. (Although my chop saw is Bosch, I have no brand loyalty for corded tools). Don’t think we have ridgid or flex here.
engineer2
Well-known member
Bosch is fairly popular in the carpentry and woodworking trades in the USA, but they don't have the broad depth of battery tools that Makita has.
lotus_esprit
Well-known member
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- Nov 26, 2009
- Messages
- 111
Only Bosch cordless I’ve ever seen being used in UK is by a couple of electricians.
I think Bosch didn‘t do themselves any favours by releasing the cheap budget “green” line of Bosch corded tools made by Scintilla, always seemed to devalue the brand here in the UK
Agreed, this always seemed like a backwards step (much like the Makita G-series).
The Bosch pro series stuff is great, but apart from the 12v router, doesn’t stand out over any other color of tool.
Dave455
Well-known member
As f121 has said, pretty much everything.
There are plenty of “top end” choices. Some offering a big range, such as Festool, some more specialised such as Fein or Hilti, some just making one type of tool such as Mafell (saws) or Mirka (sanders).
Middle of the road is probably most competitive. I’d probably put Makita at most common, maybe Bosch in second place. I see a lot of Bosch, and own a fair bit myself, but Bosch are really good for some things, less so for others, wheras Makita seem good across the board. Most Bosch is made in Malaysia, Makita in Japan, U.K. Romania or China depending in the grade of tool you buy.
Metabo here is “genuine” Metabo, not “Metabo HPT” I find it similar to Bosch - great in some areas (e.g. grinders), less so in others. If you don’t fancy those then there are DeWalt, Milwaukee or HiKoki but DeWalt have always been viewed as fancy “Black and Decker” here - not in the same league as the others.
Not even going to list all the bottom end stuff, too many names before you start on the “house “ brands.
Personally, of my newer tools, I’m probably running about 40% Makita, 30% Bosch, and the rest a mixture of Fein, Festool and Metabo.
I mentioned to my wife a few months ago that I'd like to have a lightweight top handle saw for limbing, and I'd been looking at some battery powered options since that seemed a good use case for a battery saw. I have a 50cc Stihl pro saw for most of my cutting needs, and a larger Dolkita (Makita branding, but made by Dolmar in Germany) for the rare times I'm dropping/bucking large hardwoods. But I don't have a lightweight top handle saw, and there's been more than a few times I'm limbing dead branches up in a tree and having one would have been handy.
Well, my wife bought me an XCU06 for Christmas, and it looks perfect. Small, lightweight, top handle, well-balanced, internal clutch, automatic adjustable oiler, and a D-rang to tie it to my belt. Can't wait to try it out.
I've been a Makita guy since my first NiMH cordless drill some 20 years ago, so the saw uses my existing 18v XLT batteries. But I also received some Home Depot gift cards from my family for Christmas, and took advantage of their BOGO power tool deal to get two new 4ah batteries and a free 5ah battery for $199. The gift cards cut my cost down to almost half. I'm a happy camper.
I already have several rapid chargers, so I plan to sell the new standard charger that came with the 4.0ah batteries.
Well, my wife bought me an XCU06 for Christmas, and it looks perfect. Small, lightweight, top handle, well-balanced, internal clutch, automatic adjustable oiler, and a D-rang to tie it to my belt. Can't wait to try it out.
I've been a Makita guy since my first NiMH cordless drill some 20 years ago, so the saw uses my existing 18v XLT batteries. But I also received some Home Depot gift cards from my family for Christmas, and took advantage of their BOGO power tool deal to get two new 4ah batteries and a free 5ah battery for $199. The gift cards cut my cost down to almost half. I'm a happy camper.
I already have several rapid chargers, so I plan to sell the new standard charger that came with the 4.0ah batteries.
FTWingRiders
Well-known member
That’s my go to for limbing and pretty much anything under a couple inches.. just gave mine a good cleanup and a new chain so it’ll be ready for next time. Love it.I mentioned to my wife a few months ago that I'd like to have a lightweight top handle saw for limbing, and I'd been looking at some battery powered options since that seemed a good use case for a battery saw. I have a 50cc Stihl pro saw for most of my cutting needs, and a larger Dolkita (Makita branding, but made by Dolmar in Germany) for the rare times I'm dropping/bucking large hardwoods. But I don't have a lightweight top handle saw, and there's been more than a few times I'm limbing dead branches up in a tree and having one would have been handy.
Well, my wife bought me an XCU06 for Christmas, and it looks perfect. Small, lightweight, top handle, well-balanced, internal clutch, automatic adjustable oiler, and a D-rang to tie it to my belt. Can't wait to try it out.
I've been a Makita guy since my first NiMH cordless drill some 20 years ago, so the saw uses my existing 18v XLT batteries. But I also received some Home Depot gift cards from my family for Christmas, and took advantage of their BOGO power tool deal to get two new 4ah batteries and a free 5ah battery for $199. The gift cards cut my cost down to almost half. I'm a happy camper.
I already have several rapid chargers, so I plan to sell the new standard charger that came with the 4.0ah batteries.
Snapped-off
Well-known member
Picked up the XCV11 brushless vac. Got it mostly for the track saw.
FTWingRiders
Well-known member
I also use mine basically for small clean ups and to connect to my track saw and trim router. It’s not the most powerful cordless vac I’ve used, but it’s quieter than my M18 Milwaukee.Picked up the XCV11 brushless vac. Got it mostly for the track saw.