Makita vs Milwaukee

[82355]

This rule means you dont get the tools you want or need because no one platform has it all.

I have a lot of yellow tools, I know of a lot of guys with a lot of red tools. I use to be annoyed that Dewalt did not make a cordless grease gun. They do now, and they are much better than the crappy the Lincoln grease guns most people around here use to have (I imagine Lincoln's are better now?). I have yet to come across any other tool that I want but cannot get from Dewalt.

Besides, he is asking about tools that are made by his current color, not a tool that he cannot get in his current color.

Martin

 

[Snapped-off]

This rule means you dont get the tools you want or need because no one platform has it all.

Battery adapters solve that.

 

[WildBill]

I use adaptors so I can run specialty tools from other brands with my Makita batteries, works slick.

 

[AEAdam]

I work with a ton of construction guys, they all went from dewalt to milwaukee in the last 10 years, and after having those start to go to **** lately a lot are moving to makita or hilti. I've always had makita and have never had an issue.

Funny you should mention. A lot of us say pick a color and stick with it. None of my favorite YouTube carpenters do that. Not sure if it’s sponsorships or what but many seem to be sporting the German brands. Been seeing a lot of guys I respect with Festool drill drivers, Metabo, Maffel, as well as Makita stuff. Almost feel like Milwaukee has become a craftsman replacement. A homeowner tool. Same color and everything.

I only have a few Milwaukee tools. I like them, but every one has at least one weird quirk that pisses me off.

 

[dnschmidt]

Milwaukee's stuff should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Craftsman (garbage). The reason you see the German brands is 1) They are very good 2) They have snob appeal. The most obvious example of snob appeal is FELDER. Mafell is great stuff and Makita has specialized in carpenter centric tools forever. Festool has some unique products like the domino that nobody else has and their biggest claim to fame is their superior to everybody else's dust collection. Milwaukee's routers are very good, their jig saws are excellent, you said carpenters and the Sawzall stands out alone in that category. Their new track saw is a very strong entry into the cordless track saw market as well it should be since it took them five years to introduce a track saw and they could incorporate the best features of the track saws that came before. Their cordless nailers are the best as well. If you're talking cordless Milwaukee is top of the line; with respect to corded they, and most other companies, don't care anymore.

 

[CGarage]

I have a lot of yellow tools, I know of a lot of guys with a lot of red tools. I use to be annoyed that Dewalt did not make a cordless grease gun. They do now, and they are much better than the crappy the Lincoln grease guns most people around here use to have (I imagine Lincoln's are better now?). I have yet to come across any other tool that I want but cannot get from Dewalt.

Besides, he is asking about tools that are made by his current color, not a tool that he cannot get in his current color.

Martin

I love my Lincoln 12V electric grease guns.

Not sure what problem you have had with them.

 

[BrandonV]

I have mostly DeWalt but I'll switch to Makita. I'm happy to see they haven't sold out to a conglomerate.

Only bad thing is a lot of Japanese companies make an export product and a domestic model which may be higher quality. So research is needed.

 

[F-22]

Makita seems more "global" out of most choices. You get Makita in second and third world countries, while Milwaukee is mostly USA-centric and expanding to some other first world countries in only the last couple decades. I trust that the Russians will have enough demand for Makita 18V batteries for many many years, and you'll still be able to get new ones. Not so sure about Milwaukee once they settle on a different battery standard...

Also, Makita is not conglomerate owned and manufactures some stuff in Japan. Does not mean it is necessarily better, but it is something I like to support more so than some big chinese or american conglomerate that just messes stuff up for profit eventually...

 

[BreeStephany]

I'm somewhere in the middle between Milwaukee and Makita. I use Makita for my impact drivers, drills, saws, oscillating tools, grinders, etc and they are my most commonly used tools. With that said, I also have a pretty extensive set of Milwaukee M28, M18 and M12 tools as there are quite a few tools, especially in the electrical trade, that Makita just doesn't have or are better suited for the trade then Makita.

By far, my impact drivers and 1/2" drills take the most abuse and I'm pretty happy if I get 2~3 years out of them, but I still have all of the batteries I got when I returned to the trades almost a decade ago.

Battery upkeep is by far the most critical part of maintaining the life of my tools. I routinely cycle batteries, make sure I always charge them at the end of the day, always store them overnight in a heated environment and NEVER let my batteries get stored longer term without a full charge.

Lithium batteries can put up with a LOT of abuse, but extreme cold and letting batteries drain below their charge threshold is a sure way to kill them quickly.

Just my two cents.

 

[mlyonsdc]

I have to older 18v DeWalt and tried moving to the newer stuff but their batteries just **** and performance is ehh. I moved to Makita 5 years ago which really made me appreciate how much better they are over the DeWalt, especially the batteries. My buddy has Milwaukee in his automotive shop that he beats on mercilessly everyday and they seem to do pretty well. I am planning to add the Milwaukee M12 line to my collection as I like the smaller size for working in tight spaces which seems to be all the time. Shame to hear Milwaukee quality has gone down last few years, they seemed to be the standard for awhile. I think Santa is bringing me the M12 4 pice combo kit

 

[joe_pinehill1]

I started with the Milwaukee system in the mid 2000’s because their automotive line up at the time was better than Dewalt. Today I think they are equal for a diy’er. If I were to start a system today it would be dewalt given lower price and you can purchase in more places, like Lowe’s

 

[GaryM909]

Makita is my main cordless platform and I have been 100% happy with all but my drill. The chuck isn't that good and I should change it out. I even bought my wife a string trimmer and it works very well for our city lot.
I also have a couple Dewalt 6" grinders with three 9ah batteries and a Dewalt die grinder that I used professionally. They worked pretty good especially 3-4 hundred feet in the air. I just ordered a Dewalt leaf blower because I already have the batteries.
I also bought a couple of 1.5ah batteries because the big batteries threw the die grinder off balance too much.

 

[AEAdam]

Milwaukee's stuff should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Craftsman (garbage). ..

If you're talking cordless Milwaukee is top of the line;

This is the sort of topic that brings eyeballs to GJ and offers real value to the website in my opinion.

Craftsman ISN’T garbage. Craftsman is owned by Stanley Black and Decker along with DeWalt. In some instances, Craftsman and DeWalt share components, but are not identical. Despite their similarities, they are offered at different price points. In some cases, Craftsman models out perform some Dewalt models.

Milwaukee Tools’ parent TTI, owns Rigid, Ryobi and AEG.

I think Bosch and Maffell are related.

These different brands often share parts. Some may share factories. That doesn’t mean they are identical, however. Buyers suspicious that the real world differences are solely marketing and outer mold colors, are right to be suspicious. This is the root of many threads here.

The points I’d like to make are:
1) Just because 2 tools look alike, even if they are co-produced, doesn’t necessarily mean they will perform alike. That’s not how factories work.

2) Many companies seek a “good, better, best” marketing strategy, to “saturate” the market, selling to every segment. It’s sometimes possible they offer identical products at different price points, which is an all too common root of anxiety for buyers looking to make smart decisions.

For example: Am I foolish to buy a Porsche Macan when it’s essentially an Audi Q5? Is a Macan just an overpriced Q5?

3) To make matters more complicated, the reviewers some of us quote and trust don’t always review features that are good indicators of real world utility. Ultimate strength, max torque, etc, are often not that important or not different enough to provide valuable buying advice.

 

[Two Speed]

Would you choose Makita or DeWalt over Milwaukee today?

1.Makita. They have always been comfortable in hand.
2.Dewalt. No complaints, i'm Dewalt at work, mostly because at the time they where the only ones that could supply me a 90º drill RIGHT NOW. Otherwise, I'd still likely be Makita at work.

Milwaulkee battery tools will never find a home with me unless given to me for free. They burned their bridge years ago with us. Work experience.
Never had to utilize warrantry for any of our Dewalts or Makitas, but have bought replacement parts without issue and at reasonable cost from both over the years.

 

[BrandonV]

This is the sort of topic that brings eyeballs to GJ and offers real value to the website in my opinion.

Craftsman ISN’T garbage. Craftsman is owned by Stanley Black and Decker along with DeWalt. In some instances, Craftsman and DeWalt share components, but are not identical. Despite their similarities, they are offered at different price points. In some cases, Craftsman models out perform some Dewalt models.

Milwaukee Tools’ parent TTI, owns Rigid, Ryobi and AEG.

I think Bosch and Maffell are related.

These different brands often share parts. Some may share factories. That doesn’t mean they are identical, however. Buyers suspicious that the real world differences are solely marketing and outer mold colors, are right to be suspicious. This is the root of many threads here.

The points I’d like to make are:
1) Just because 2 tools look alike, even if they are co-produced, doesn’t necessarily mean they will perform alike. That’s not how factories work.

2) Many companies seek a “good, better, best” marketing strategy, to “saturate” the market, selling to every segment. It’s sometimes possible they offer identical products at different price points, which is an all too common root of anxiety for buyers looking to make smart decisions.

For example: Am I foolish to buy a Porsche Macan when it’s essentially an Audi Q5? Is a Macan just an overpriced Q5?

3) To make matters more complicated, the reviewers some of us quote and trust don’t always review features that are good indicators of real world utility. Ultimate strength, max torque, etc, are often not that important or not different enough to provide valuable buying advice.

Reminds me of an experience I had when I was involved in QC. We used the same part in two different lines of products but one failed QC at a given output level. So, it was limited in software. The end result was two products (one premium and one not) with the same parts but different actual physical capabilities.

 

[AEAdam]

Reminds me of an experience I had when I was involved in QC. We used the same part in two different lines of products but one failed QC at a given output level. So, it was limited in software. The end result was two products (one premium and one not) with the same parts but different actual physical capabilities.

In the TTC video I watched, the Craftsman impact had what looked like the same exact brushless motor and anvil that the DeWalt did. But the electronics were a little different and it looked like the wiring was a heavier gauge on the Craftsman. The craftsman just eeked out a little more torque than its sibling, not that that matters.

 

[duneslider]

I have been on the makita bandwagon for a long time but...

At work we have quite a variety for all the install crews, makita, dewalt, hilti, milwaukee. Pretty much everyone is off the milwaukee drug, too many issues I guess. When I drop by the install managers office there is always a few dewalts and hilti items there waiting to go for repair. I rarely see any makita stuff going in for repair but I also think it has the smallest market share in the trucks. Most crews are running dewalt with a few running hilti and makita.

I personally had a few bad experiences with dewalt and try to avoid them now. I do have a few bosch tools that I like but getting batteries off is not easy and I find it annoying, not sure what the deal is with them but they do NOT slide on and off easily like my makita batteries do. I love my bosch 18v RO sander, it is fantastic. I probably won't buy more bosch stuff do to the annoying battery.

 

[AEAdam]

...I do have a few bosch tools that I like, but getting batteries off is not easy and I find it annoying. Not sure what the deal is with them but they do NOT slide on and off easily like my makita batteries do. I love my bosch 18v RO sander, it is fantastic. I probably won't buy more bosch stuff do to the annoying battery.

SUPER LUBE! Had the same problem. It's a weird mechanism with the center button. Don't gob it on. Remember, Super Lube is a dielectric grease. So if it gets on the electrical contacts, it won't light you on fire or anything. I did not purposely put it on the contacts, because that isn't the problem with fitment. I primarily put it on the rails that the battery slides on. A little goes a long way and cleaning first is key.

As I think of it, a teflon dry film lube like SILGLIDE would probably be a better solution. When the Super Lube attracts dirt, which was the root problem, I'll be back to struggling to swap batteries. But so far so good. Even my super dusty construction site hasn't been a problem.

 

[Davegvg]

Battery adapters solve that.

Battery adaptors will only solve a problem inside a given voltage range.

Like M18 to LXT or vice versa.

You cant run a 40V tool with an adapted 18 V battery, or vice versa.

 

[duneslider]

SUPER LUBE! Had the same problem. It's a weird mechanism with the center button. Don't gob it on. Remember, Super Lube is a dielectric grease. So if it gets on the electrical contacts, it won't light you on fire or anything. I did not purposely put it on the contacts, because that isn't the problem with fitment. I primarily put it on the rails that the battery slides on. A little goes a long way and cleaning first is key.

As I think of it, a teflon dry film lube like SILGLIDE would probably be a better solution. When the Super Lube attracts dirt, which was the root problem, I'll be back to struggling to swap batteries. But so far so good. Even my super dusty construction site hasn't been a problem.

The issue is more that I don't have to do that with the makita, no matter how dusty or dirty they happen to be, they slide on and off with ease. The bosch has only been used in the house/garage sanding, so its just fine saw dust that has mucked it up. I am about to the point I will have to break down and clean it and lube it though as it is extremely difficult to get off now. I really want to like the bosch stuff, I have a handful of bosch corded tools and they are all fantastic.

 

[82355]

I love my Lincoln 12V electric grease guns.

Not sure what problem you have had with them.

How old is it?

Martin

 

[82355]

I have to older 18v DeWalt and tried moving to the newer stuff but their batteries just **** and performance is ehh. I moved to Makita 5 years ago which really made me appreciate how much better they are over the DeWalt, especially the batteries. My buddy has Milwaukee in his automotive shop that he beats on mercilessly everyday and they seem to do pretty well. I am planning to add the Milwaukee M12 line to my collection as I like the smaller size for working in tight spaces which seems to be all the time. Shame to hear Milwaukee quality has gone down last few years, they seemed to be the standard for awhile. I think Santa is bringing me the M12 4 pice combo kit

The 20 volt Dewalt is head and shoulders better than the 18 volt Dewalt stuff. Especially the battery life.

Martin

 

[Steve_P]

Keep what you have. Multiple battery types are annoying.

Martin

I agree. But I also think it's just inevitable that you are going to have to go to multiple systems overall if you want the best, or the best for the $, in multiple fields. Most of my cordless stuff is DeWalt- drills, impact, heat gun, lights....... But I have a Ryobi vacuum and hedge trimmer, because the DeWalt vacuum isn't good, and the Ryobi stuff is crazy cheap with a Home Depot sale. I also have an Ego blower and chainsaw.

 

[Shocker]

I am all M12 for the most part. Love them. They all do their job very well.

For heavier duty work, I have all Ridgid 18v. Just picked up their 16g finish nailer. I am tired of hauling around the pneumatic.

 

[AEAdam]

The issue is more that I don't have to do that with the makita, no matter how dusty or dirty they happen to be, they slide on and off with ease. The bosch has only been used in the house/garage sanding, so its just fine saw dust that has mucked it up. I am about to the point I will have to break down and clean it and lube it though as it is extremely difficult to get off now. I really want to like the bosch stuff, I have a handful of bosch corded tools and they are all fantastic.

Right on. Have the same issue. In my case, it’s the locking switch that’s the big problem. Once the battery is off, you can clean and lube that mechanism.

Agree it’s the little things though. Could be wrong but I think my makita batteries lock onto the charger. I find that unneccessary.

 

[Davegvg]

I agree. But I also think it's just inevitable that you are going to have to go to multiple systems overall if you want the best, or the best for the $, in multiple fields. Most of my cordless stuff is DeWalt- drills, impact, heat gun, lights....... But I have a Ryobi vacuum and hedge trimmer, because the DeWalt vacuum isn't good, and the Ryobi stuff is crazy cheap with a Home Depot sale. I also have an Ego blower and chainsaw.

This is the point I tried to make earlier.

 

[mlyonsdc]

The 20 volt Dewalt is head and shoulders better than the 18 volt Dewalt stuff. Especially the battery life.

Martin

I bought a 20v conv kit and had 3 20v batteries two are dead one will only charge to three bars and last maybe 10 minutes and it has very little use. I have both a Dewalt and Makita grinders and the Makita will run circles around the DeWalt in battery life with a 20v battery. I actually have one of the original 18v batteries that still works and it works better than the 20v and lasts longer and is on its last leg! That is just my experience with them. I have a Dewalt hammer drill along with the little circular saw I still use and like and wish I could get the batteries to work better. They are just to damn expensive to go out and buy to experiement with. The Makita's have been solid from day one.

 

[82355]

I bought a 20v conv kit and had 3 20v batteries two are dead one will only charge to three bars and last maybe 10 minutes and it has very little use. I have both a Dewalt and Makita grinders and the Makita will run circles around the DeWalt in battery life with a 20v battery. I actually have one of the original 18v batteries that still works and it works better than the 20v and lasts longer and is on its last leg! That is just my experience with them. I have a Dewalt hammer drill along with the little circular saw I still use and like and wish I could get the batteries to work better. They are just to damn expensive to go out and buy to experiement with. The Makita's have been solid from day one.

I have no idea how many Dewalt 20 volt tools I have. Lots? I no longer have any 18 volt Dewalt tools, because I gave them all to my old man who was still using 18 volt stuff.

It's night and day difference, and I really liked the 18 volt stuff before I upgraded.

Are you buying the low end Dewalt, or the better stuff? I finally had a couple 20 volt batteries quit taking a charge, but I left them out side in a non insulated, open front shed all winter with no charge, and they are over six years old.

Martin

 

[sparky 1971]

With the exception of my two Makita 7.2 volt impacting inline screwdrivers, I am 100% Milwaukee. The original reason was because that's what the supply houses sold and even though he didn't know about it at the time, my old boss bought me my first Milwaukee M18 drill and impact. I've stayed that way for one reason: the simplicity of having one battery platform. j I think there are 16 M18 and seven M12 tools on my service truck and who knows how many of each in the shop, everything has a battery in it and there are plenty more to spare. I'm sure Makita has better somethings, DeWalt has better something elses. There's no effing way I would change everything over to a different brand just because another company came out with a tool that is better on paper. I won't even upgrade my Milwaukee stuff until I break or wear something out. If someone uses the fact that Makita or Dewalt comes out with a higher torque impact to change over, is that same person going to change back to Milwaukee a year later when Milwaukee comes out with something that at the time tops everyone else? These things are getting to the point where the extra power is completely unnecessary.

 

[908Jim]

Don't look too closely at those Makita tools, then...

Makita is a public company traded on exchanges in Tokyo. You can literally own a part of this company through an ETF.

Neither is Milwaukee. TTI is owned by a German.

Not true, TTI is a public company on the Honk Kong exchange. See above.

 

[dnschmidt]

Makita is a public company traded on exchanges in Tokyo. You can literally own a part of this company through an ETF.

Not true, TTI is a public company on the Honk Kong exchange. See above.

So is Tesla. But Elon owns most of the stock.

 

[Shed of tools]

So is Tesla. But Elon owns most of the stock.

But in this case the Chinese government owns a lot of stock.

 

[CGarage]

How old is it?

Martin

A few years old. 12V models, both. The plastic housings are not the last word in durability but I can replace for ~ $15.00, so no complaints there.

 

[82355]

A few years old. 12V models, both. The plastic housings are not the last word in durability but I can replace for ~ $15.00, so no complaints there.

I haven’t been around one in over ten years, so they definitely could have improved. I just know that when Dewalt finally released an electric grease gun, everyone I know was happy to upgrade. They just didn’t hold up to ag use at that time.

Martin

 

[CGarage]

I haven’t been around one in over ten years, so they definitely could have improved. I just know that when Dewalt finally released an electric grease gun, everyone I know was happy to upgrade. They just didn’t hold up to ag use at that time.

Martin

The plastic was a little fragile but they are inexpensive to fix, so I am fine with it. I like the 12V model, less psi and less risk of damaging seals when greasing.

 

[Davegvg]

I have no idea how many Dewalt 20 volt tools. Lots? I no longer have any 18 volt Dewalt tools, because I gave them all to my old man who was still using 18 volt stuff.

It's night and day difference, and I really liked the 18 volt stuff before I upgraded.

Are you buying the low end Dewalt, or the better stuff? I finally had a couple 20 volt batteries quit taking a charge, but I left them out side in a non insulated, open front shed all winter with no charge, and they are over six years old.

Martin

Without doing a bunch of online research how does one know which Dewalt tool is "low end" or " better"?

Same with Milwaukee? Is it obvious when you are getting a deal vs yesterday's dud?

I've seen a couple of vids where people feel tricked by a sale or in the case of DeWalt a package deal where they open up the box and aren't getting what they thought they were?

In one of the vids it was a case of brushed vs brushless tools all packaged up to look like the better grade of tools.

Ive never had that problem with getting a " low end" Makita, every tool seems to be well made and worthy of my dollar, sure they have improvements like torque rating upgrade in impacts over time, but there really isnt any " low" end per se.

 

[Ilikeike]

DeWalt for all my 20v stuff, at home and work.
Milwaukee for my 12v, I like the tool choices they have in 12v.

 

[engineer2]

Found a couple of infographics from 2017 that are still interesting. I was looking for market share numbers, but you have to pay for that data. Looks like good growth is predicted for cordless tools. A few articles predicted good growth for heat guns, impact wrenches (didn't say what kind), and DIYer tools.

 

[ktdtx]

New guy on here but years ago I decided to "invest" in Makita. Not a heavy user, just a home handy man type guy (although wife would occasionally debate as to how "handy" I actually am.) All my Makita tools still work and all the batteries are still good.

I also found out that there are battery adapters (probably common knowledge here but didn't see it mentioned) for tools that Makita doesn't make--for instance I wanted one of Ryobi's power Pex tools and there is an adapter where I can use my Makita batteries.

Makita to Milwaukee

 

[duneslider]

Right on. Have the same issue. In my case, it’s the locking switch that’s the big problem. Once the battery is off, you can clean and lube that mechanism.

Agree it’s the little things though. Could be wrong but I think my makita batteries lock onto the charger. I find that unneccessary.

They do lock on the charger but I can still get a battery off with one hand but its a two hand and a grunt operation with the bosch I used the bosch sander last night and it's still fantastic. My poor corded sander doesn't see much action anymore.