Is it just me?

mailee · 1 Jul 2011

Is it just me or have Makita gone downhill? I have the 12V drill driver which is about two years old and the chuck on it is rubbish as it often loses it's grip driver and drill bits and the batteries don't seem to hold their charge for long! In comparison I have another Makita drill driver which is 9.6V and the batteries can last up to three weeks without a charge. Not only this but one of the batteries is the same age as the driver which is 15 years! :shock: Both of them are Ni Cad batteries too. The chuck on the old Makita is still going strong and never loses it's grip. What are the latest Makita Li Ion drivers like do they have the same chuck and do the batteries last much longer? :roll:

RogerBoyle · 1 Jul 2011

the 18v one i got when they first came into screw fix is still going strong with the original battery and the spare that i bought extra
they are the ones that I always use on site and as yet still no problems
Cant vouch for the 12v as I only ever had the 9.6 drills with the 3 battery's ( 4 drills )
and they are what i tend to use in the shop

Roger

Hudson Carpentry · 2 Jul 2011

I have heard a couple of stories from tradesmen about newer maki drills and there chucks.

greggy · 11 Jul 2011

i used one last week at work, all i can say is,,, thank god i have two metabo's

No skills · 11 Jul 2011

Personally I think makita's cordless stuff has gone the same way of dewalts - they have the cheaper line of tools and the expensive top end stuff. IMO the top end stuff generally does the job well and is well built/reliable - not necessarily value for money but its what you expect for a 'tradesman' tool. The cheaper lower end stuff seems to suffer with poorer spec and quality but is priced at the 'diy enthusiast' level who thinks their buying a really good tool because its a 'makita'.

On a side note I used to sell some of these tools years ago and was in a postition to see what was selling well (and why), get some feedback from the regulars and generally see what was tosh and what was good. I dont get this any more so I do spend a bit of time researching my more expensive purchases.

Dibs-h · 12 Jul 2011

12v - I would suspect that's aimed at the DIY user. I've had my 14.4 NiMh one for about 10 yrs and the drill is still going strong without any issues (batteries aside as they don't last forever) and the matching impact driver - makes life so much easier.

IMHO - the 12v\Nicad\Site stuff is made to a price and not to a spec. I assume the batteries in yours are NiCads? Are they 1.3aH (or thereabouts) ones?

I have my eye on the Makita BTP140RFE - which combines everything - but ain't in any rush.

Dibs

mailee · 12 Jul 2011

Yes Dibbs, my Makita is the 12V 1.3A and only a couple of years old. I still have my old 9.6V Makita and one of the batteries on that is 15 years old! And the chuck is far better. I haven't got any Li Ion tools yet but think I will have to next time I buy. Not too sure if it will be another Makita though. :roll:

Dibs-h · 12 Jul 2011

mailee":1woz6j46 said:
Yes Dibbs, my Makita is the 12V 1.3A and only a couple of years old. I still have my old 9.6V Makita and one of the batteries on that is 15 years old! And the chuck is far better. I haven't got any Li Ion tools yet but think I will have to next time I buy. Not too sure if it will be another Makita though. :roll:

I think the more powerful Makita's are definitely worth it - never had an issue. Thing with Nicads is the memory effect.

The 4 in 1 - no one else produces any thing like it and saves having to carry 3 different tools.

Dibs

mailee · 12 Jul 2011

The only problem with the bigger ones is they weigh more and I prefer something lighter especially if I am using it most of the day. IMHO the early Makitas were much better in this respect. I do like the impact driver though, that doesn't have a rubbish chuck on it. :lol:

pswallace · 12 Jul 2011

I have 2 18v MXT drill/drivers and the MXT impact driver,'had them about 6 years now and find them great,also have the newer 18v li-ion saw...powerful wee saw for A cordless.I advised A fellow joiner to go with the makita, he went with the dewalt XRP combi drill and regrets it already after only 3 weeks ! . . . 'have been hearing good things about 'metabos' new stuf. Phil.

Dibs-h · 13 Jul 2011

mailee":3m0z64nb said:
The only problem with the bigger ones is they weigh more and I prefer something lighter especially if I am using it most of the day. IMHO the early Makitas were much better in this respect. I do like the impact driver though, that doesn't have a rubbish chuck on it. :lol:

The 18v LiOn Makitas weigh less than than the earlier 14v NiMh's.

See if you can find someone local who has the 4 in 1 and you might be surprised how light it is.! :wink:

Shrubby · 13 Jul 2011

I prefer smaller 9.6 amd 12v tools as well
never had any issues with my Bosch and Makita. I bought everything separately so I could be fussy about batteries and chargers (heavily discounted sets contain the cheapest possible - who looks at chargers?) Japanese 2Ah Nicads and 15min pulse chargers have been very reliable for me
Matt

Furtree · 13 Jul 2011

I do *hope* they aren't going downhill! --I have always relied on that make not to let me down!

Btw: I suppose you guys know that the make sold on Screwfix, called 'Site', by brand, is made by Makita, but re-badged, and housed in a horribly lurid red plastic casing?

They are loads cheaper than Makita originals, and the wee cordless I bought of late is remarkably good, for the price.

pswallace · 13 Jul 2011