Time for a new Drill & Impact driver....what's your thoughts?

[Timberbuddy]

I’ve been very disappointed with Hitachi (now Hikoki). In the space of maybe 3-4 years I’ve had to buy a new charger and battery and the most infuriating feature is the chucks which rapidly lose their grip (like after drilling 3-4 small holes in softwood) and drop the bit either onto a nicely finished surface or into some inaccessible nook or cranny. Def won’t be buying any more

 

[Gardener]

I've been using a Dewalt DC988 for 15 years for DIY work and it's been a great bit of kit. The gears are getting hard to engage now but the big problem really is the batteries don't hold a charge for long. I've got a range of dewalt battery powered tools, impact driver, circular saw, SDS drill so I've about 8 batteries that I've just condensed to 4 that will hold a charge long enough to do a few jobs.

So I'm going to get rid of the old Dewalt stuff and replace it but I only really want to get a new hammer drill and impact driver. I have a corded SDS and circular saw which I'm happy with.

I was tempted to stick with Dewalt but every place I look the big 900 series drills are out of stock and the comby kits only seem to have the 700 series drills.

Every review I watch there doesn't seem to be a brand or model that's and out'n'out winner. They all have strengths and weaknesses.

I'm sure I'm going to get a mixed responce but what's your thoughts?

Always been pleased with Makita stuff.
Used it for work and now for my own private use.

 

[bluenose]

+1 for Makita stuff

 

[Doug71]

My site stuff is Makita 18v, always been happy with it. I have a nice little sub compact 18v drill of theirs, they also do a sub compact impact driver, they are the same size as the 12v drills but run off the 18v batteries. I got an 18v 2ah battery for the drill which keeps it even more compact.

 

[alanpo68]

If it was me, and you are not using the tool's day in day out I would be tempted to try a replacement battery. You can get a 3.0AH battery from Ebay for £17.99 delivered.

At the moment prices are sky-high and there are very few decent deals about. Battery prices are quite frankly ridiculous. So I would try a replacement battery and wait for prices to fall.

 

[Wood&StuffLtd]

I've been using a Dewalt DC988 for 15 years for DIY work and it's been a great bit of kit. The gears are getting hard to engage now but the big problem really is the batteries don't hold a charge for long. I've got a range of dewalt battery powered tools, impact driver, circular saw, SDS drill so I've about 8 batteries that I've just condensed to 4 that will hold a charge long enough to do a few jobs.

So I'm going to get rid of the old Dewalt stuff and replace it but I only really want to get a new hammer drill and impact driver. I have a corded SDS and circular saw which I'm happy with.

I was tempted to stick with Dewalt but every place I look the big 900 series drills are out of stock and the comby kits only seem to have the 700 series drills.

Every review I watch there doesn't seem to be a brand or model that's and out'n'out winner. They all have strengths and weaknesses.

I'm sure I'm going to get a mixed responce but what's your thoughts?

I have a variety of drills but when I had to drill a number of 25mm dia holes into reinforced concrete the cordless DeWalt would not touch it. I bought a Makita corded hammer drill and it went though like a through butter. It did cost over £140. The chuck only takes the Makita bits as I discovered when I needed to auger holes into timber. Hope this helps.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I have a variety of drills but when I had to drill a number of 25mm dia holes into reinforced concrete the cordless DeWalt would not touch it. I bought a Makita corded hammer drill and it went though like a through butter. It did cost over £140. The chuck only takes the Makita bits as I discovered when I needed to auger holes into timber. Hope this helps.

The makita drill only takes makita bits? That seems odd, what model drill is it?

 

[Wood&StuffLtd]

Sorry ...like a knife through butter... I use cordless Dewalt especially the drill and impact driver for fixing faceplates to blanks for turning.

 

[Nelsun]

I can get a Dewalt DCF887 with two 5Ah batteries, charger and case & a Dewalt DCD996 also with two 5Ah batteries, charger and case for £10 more than I was getting the Makita 481 & 154 with two 5Ah batteries, charger and case.

Does this sound like the way to go?

I would say so being a long time and very happy Makita user. The 481 is their top 18V combi drill (and will turn the world!) while the 154 is akin to their top impact (the 171) specs wise but has fewer "modes" which you can easily live without. Both are very good at what they do and should last a long time.

 

[southendwoodworker]

maybe this then if you can afford it Milwaukee M18 FPP2A2-502X FUEL 18V 5.0Ah Li-Ion RedLithium Brushless Cordless Twin Pack

I got this set from FFX Ebay during a ebay sale a couple months back for £330.

NEW PRODUCTSMilwaukee M18FPP2A2-502X Fuel M18FPD2 & M18FID2 Impact Driver 2 x 5.0Ah - Powertoolmate has it for £336 and they are generally pretty good price

These are real beasts and very powerful. The drill has 135nm torque and the impact 226nm, and brushless and i think a 3year warranty.

So far I have been really happy with them, im just a home diyer and newbie wood worker so havent pushed them much and certainly overkill for me.

The chuck on the drill is really nice, when tightening it has some clicking mechanism that locks in the bit. My old worx drills didnt and the bits would fall out sometimes. Comes with an 18v and 12v fast charger too. So if you want do get the 12v kit you can use the same charger.

I'm not a fanboy of any brand either, ive got metabo, worx, dewalt and these were my first milwaukee kit.

 

[southendwoodworker]

And another thought: if you visit hotukdeals.com and search for dewalt makita or milwaukee youll be able to find some good deals there if you are willing to wait a few weeks for them to come up

 

[HDC83]

I’ve used makita and dewalt cordless gear for more than 20 years. I had dewalt xrp kit (old style batteries) used for a long time until the batteries went bad. Went to makita for drills and few other tool until they were stolen along with other power tools including my mitre saw. So went back to dewalt got 12” flexvolt saw and few other XR tools with new style batteries. I got a couple of these

Adaptor DCA1820 for Dewalt 18V NiCad & NiMh Battery Adapter 20V to Lithium Tools Adapter with USB Output Convert Dewalt 18V XR Lithium Battery to Dewalt 18V DC9096 DW9096 DC9098 DC9099 : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Shop Adaptor DCA1820 for Dewalt 18V NiCad & NiMh Battery Adapter 20V to Lithium Tools Adapter with USB Output Convert Dewalt 18V XR Lithium Battery to Dewalt 18V DC9096 DW9096 DC9098 DC9099. Free delivery on eligible orders of £20 or more.

www.amazon.co.uk

so I could use my old kit with the new batteries. Since then I sold the the old kit and Makita stuff and fully invested in Dewalt XR and Flexvolt gear.

 

[Vincecj]

Another vote for DeWalt. The 54v stuff is great.

 

[UserError]

I think you also need to differentiate between the DeWalt DIY and pro range, Bosch green and blue,

They are miles apart.

In fact my Stanley is probably better than the basic DeWalt drills.

Don't think Makita has a basic drill / driver.

Cheers James

How do you differentiate between the DIY & Pro ranges? Thanks

 

[TheUnicorn]

How do you differentiate between the DIY & Pro ranges? Thanks

Not easy with dewalt, hence some of my previous posts on the thread, however you can get an idea by looking at the specs for torque, brushless, metal components, price. Also I think the 18v XRP (as opposed to XR) and Flexivolt ranges are a step up, but not an expert. Easier to tell with some other brands, milwaukee's fuel range, bosch blue range. It's a bit annoying isn't it?

 

[Jason.p]

I've had the 18v Hitachi drill and driver for many years now. Plenty of site work, now mainly DIY. Couldn't fault them.

 

[AFFF]

My (probably biased) opinion: Makita LXT. I use a lot of this gear in commercial work/conditions where they get a lot of use. The batteries hold up really well and don't seem to fade or not recharge properly (tip: never discharge any lithium Ion battery fully and don't leave it on the charger for extended periods after its charged) I've had the current drill/impact driver combo for nearly 2 years now and they still work as good as when they came out the box. For me, Makita seem to hit the price/performance ratio spot on. I know 2 other chippies/joiners: one runs his own joinery workshop making window frames and staircases he swears by festool. The other is a contract carpenter who does a lot of "house bashing" and he loves Milwaukee gear. Can't offer any comment on DeWalt as I've never used their products. I think this all pans out into two competing groups. Mid priced - Makita and DeWalt. Top of the range - Festool and Milwaukee. I have had Bosch gear in the past and can't get on with them. They always feel light and plasticky to me and haven't lasted that long but perhaps I haven't been buying the right range.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

... don't leave it (lithium battery) on the charger for extended periods after its charged) ...

Is this actually proven? One of mine has lived on the charger ever since I first used battery tools.

 

[AFFF]

Is this actually proven? One of mine has lived on the charger ever since I first used battery tools.

General consensus of opinion for lithium ion batteries is that best practice to extend the life of the battery is dont fully discharge and don't leave on charge. Lots of research done on this mainly concerning phone batteries but its all the same technology. Cant do any harm, might even do some good. Good idea to discharge full batteries occasionally ie don't keep them charged and unused for long periods of time.

 

[AFFF]

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