milwaukee or bosch?
- Thread starter mrb
- Start date
shoturtle
Well-known member
They are both good products. And have a good line of 18v tools to grow with. For the kits you will not find the Milwaukee brushless in kit form yet. But their regular line are great tools in their own regard.
I have Bosch, as I like their hammer drill better and jigsaw. As each has some tools better then the other. So I went with the Bosch as the 2 main things I used more were a bit better by Bosch.
Check out cpotools this weekend, they have 20 dollars off promo code, and they as clearing out the 2.6ah 18v kits, so they are about 20 dollars off their regular price plus 20 off.
CpoMilwaukee also has the 20 dollars off as well.
I have Bosch, as I like their hammer drill better and jigsaw. As each has some tools better then the other. So I went with the Bosch as the 2 main things I used more were a bit better by Bosch.
Check out cpotools this weekend, they have 20 dollars off promo code, and they as clearing out the 2.6ah 18v kits, so they are about 20 dollars off their regular price plus 20 off.
CpoMilwaukee also has the 20 dollars off as well.
Last edited:
shoturtle
Well-known member
PS with either of the brands, get the fat pack battery kits, not the slim. It is cheaper in the long run, and they last allot longer.
Last edited:
PrecisionTools
Well-known member
Is Bosch brushless yet?
shoturtle
Well-known member
The Bosch 18v rotary hammer is, but most the others are still brushed motors. The regular M18 kits are all brushed motors as well.
If you are looking for brushless in a kit, the only one out there is the makita LXT and the Hitachi HXP. Just that makita and hitachi do not have any where near the 18v line up near what bosch and milwaukee have.
If you are looking for brushless in a kit, the only one out there is the makita LXT and the Hitachi HXP. Just that makita and hitachi do not have any where near the 18v line up near what bosch and milwaukee have.
Last edited:
The Bosch is made in USA and Switz(newer stuff maybe Malaysia) while the Milwaukee is made in China.
Not much if any Bosch is still in the USA. Lots of China these days. I occasionally pass the Bosch USA headquarters and only the office people are left. They rented out all of the 400,000 sq ft of production floor.
That's a shame, I always liked the quality of their USA and Swiss tools. Same with Milwaukee's USA tools, always top notch stuff...
I'm not saying this as a political statement (although there is so much to say...!), but I will not buy made in China hand tools/power tools. In my experience they are junk, and these days they cost about what the good stuff used to cost!
I would look to see if you can find any Bosch that are made in Europe. Heck, I'd get made in Mexico DeWalt before I'd take a chance on made in China ****. Bosch and Milwaukee always made great stuff, so maybe their China made tools are a cut above, but personally I'd stay away from it, if possible. YMMV, just my two cents.
mlittle29
Well-known member
M18 feul.
acer66
Well-known member
Most cordless stuff from Bosch is made is Malaysia, some in china.
But with the Made in Germany discussion I wonder what the laws are in Malaysia regarding that.
I'll second what shoturtle said about the battery size, unless you use them at home, get the set with the biggest batteries.
I upgraded to Bosch this year and am pretty happy with them,
but if they offer something with 2.6 batteries you basically buying nos.
Happened to me with the circular saw which is not really up to normal Bosch standards, it's also made in China.
But with the Made in Germany discussion I wonder what the laws are in Malaysia regarding that.
I'll second what shoturtle said about the battery size, unless you use them at home, get the set with the biggest batteries.
I upgraded to Bosch this year and am pretty happy with them,
but if they offer something with 2.6 batteries you basically buying nos.
Happened to me with the circular saw which is not really up to normal Bosch standards, it's also made in China.
fflintstone
Well-known member
After having Milwaukee power tools my entire life I was finally fed up with the NiCad battery life of my Milwaukee 18V. Since they are all made in china now I looked for the best value. I recently bought the Ridged drill and impact kit at HD for $180. I love them and they have lifetime battery replacement.
Be forewarned you have to register them and follow the rules to the T but they do replace the batteries.
Be forewarned you have to register them and follow the rules to the T but they do replace the batteries.
bob15
Well-known member
Neither. Go with the German made Metabo.
cant afford it.
bob15
Well-known member
If you can wait and save money to buy one, it is well worth it. I have the older Milwaukee 18 volt (made in Germany about 10 years ago), and bought a Metabo last year. WOW! What a difference in power and size (smaller).
If you cannot wait, I'm not sure. I personally have not seen the Bosch up close, and I'm not so convinced on the new Milwaukee's are all they are cracked up to be.
shoturtle
Well-known member
The higher end bosch are swiss, german or US. My 18v hammer drill and jigsaw are swiss. My impactor malaysian and saw saw, only my circular saw is Chinese. They source form all over the world as they have factories in the Germany, US, Mexico, Switzerland, Malaysia, and China.
Last edited:
shoturtle
Well-known member
with the circular saw switch to a 6 1/2 40t feud diablo, makes the chinese saw work so much nicer.
shoturtle
Well-known member
They do not have a kit with the impactor.
Last edited:
Can't speak about Bosch, but I've had a Milwaukee M18 drill and circular saw for about 5 years and am very happy with both. The drill can accept the slim (good for small jobs), or regular battery, the saw only works with the regular battery, and with a thin kerf blade makes alot more cuts per charge than you might think. Had one battery fail 3 years back, took it to a Milwaukee service center and they replaced it for free. I think the biggest difference among any of the better power tool brands, (Milwaukee, Bosch, DeWalt, etc.) isn't so much the tools but the batteries.
shoturtle
Well-known member
with batteries, bosch has the slim, the 2.6, the 3.0 and the 4.0 options. Haven't had any issues with the 18v batteries, I have 2 slim, 2 2.6 and 2 3.0.
+ Russia + Brazil
shoturtle
Well-known member
Last edited:
bob15
Well-known member
Do you mean this one here:
http://www.metabo.us/Product-catalog-handheld-powertools.23980+M573ec06ca3e.0.html
http://www.amazon.com/Metabo-SB18-LTX-602147520-18-Volt/dp/B002LE8PE6
18 volt, 1/2" cordless drill, drill, impact. And it is one helluva drill. And can be gotten cheaper than Amazon.
bob
I´m sure that the kits will be available soon in the USA too
btw. they also offer cordless die grinders now. 2 different models, slow speed + high speed
http://www.metabo.com/Product-catalogue-handheld-powertools.24048+M5d00b5a3d71.0.html
jim2664258
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2011
- Messages
- 411
Well, I would say ANY quality tool brand would have improved significantly over a 10-year period. I had an old DeWalt 14.4 drill that served me very well for about 10 years, and then I bought a Bosch which I love. But I would lay good money a current-model DeWalt also would have been impressive to me.
Metabo is a great brand, no mistake about it. But basing your conclusion on a 10-year-old tool as comparison is not valid. Compare a current-model Bosch/Milwaukee with a Metabo and then go from there, that would be a valid comparison of extra performance vs. price.
bob15
Well-known member
I do understand that I cannot compare my 12 volt, 15 year-old Porter Cable to the Metabo; but maybe what I wrote didn't come out correctly....I think the new Milwaukee ***** compared to the older one. I've used it (new Milwaukee) a couple times at work and feel the older one fits better in my hand and is more balanced. Power-wise, no difference between the two Milwaukees, except when compared to the Metabo, which almost has that break your wrist feel, if not holding the tool properly.
bob
shoturtle
Well-known member
I´m sure that the kits will be available soon in the USA too
btw. they also offer cordless die grinders now. 2 different models, slow speed + high speed
http://www.metabo.com/Product-catalogue-handheld-powertools.24048+M5d00b5a3d71.0.html
metabo do not push to many tools to the states quickly.
shoturtle
Well-known member
Have not run into any russian power tools yet, think I have seen 1 brazilian tool
Mr Ratchet
Well-known member
I like the Milwaukee better due to it's size and feel. Both make very good power tools and I would take a look at Makita if you have not already. I went back and forth between the Makita and Milwaukee when I replaced my 14.4 Makita drill. I ended up with the Milwaukee even though it was a tough decesion between the two.
Either way, you won't go wrong with the Bosch or Milwaukee.
Either way, you won't go wrong with the Bosch or Milwaukee.
it´s a german company so it can a little longer
maybe they need to get the certification etc....
The brasilian tools are mainly made for the local market, russian made tools include a large angle grinder (GWS 22-230 JH) and a couple of impact drills
I just got this kit too. Took a while (~12 weeks) but the tools are now registered with their lifetime service program.
Cordless tools, no. only the big bad rotary hammer.
last as in usage/charge, or last as in you have shorter overall lifespan with the slims? Reason I ask is because I have heard a few claims that the slim batteries will die sooner than big ones, just because of the tech. I haven't observed it personally, my oldest batteries are the BAT618 and they work just as well as the oldest slims I have. I use the slims more frequently.
I own several bosch 18v tools and can tell you they're great tools. Milwaukee makes great ones as well, if you go that route buy a kit that doesn't have the impactor, then get the M18 Fuel impactor kit too. more batteries, though it will cost you more money, you get the best they offer in terms of battery & tool with that impact kit.
jeffws
Well-known member
Been real Happy with my Milwaukee stuff 
shoturtle
Well-known member
Last as you need to charge less, and switch batteries less. My slim packs have not had any issues. But if they were rated for a set amount of recharge cycles. And you use them allot, I can see slim packs not having the legs to last as many years as fat packs.
Last edited:
acer66
Well-known member
I ended up with 3 slim packs because of promotions and I do not plan to use them really for my drills or saws.
Was thinking about selling them but I have 2 lights coming which are going to put them to work.
Was thinking about selling them but I have 2 lights coming which are going to put them to work.