Bosch Professional or Makita

[RDB85]

I’ve decided to buy my brother some drills for him going self employed. Now I was thinking either Makita or possibly Bosch Professional:

Some I’ve found;

Bosch

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/bosch...n-coolpack-brushless-cordless-sds-drill/111fu

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/bosch...coolpack-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/796pv

Makita

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/makit...shless-cordless-sds-rotary-hammer-drill/902kg

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/makit...hium-lxt-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/188pv

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have used both Bosch and Makit and both are fine, they do the job.
I never spend too much of drills. My weapon of choice right now is Erbauer which I quite like

 

[westward10]

It's a drill just buy one.

 

[RDB85]

It's a drill just buy one.

It’s an investment. Do you just buy one of them too?

 

[nicebutdim]

Hilti. With a maintenance contract.

 

[RDB85]

I have used both Bosch and Makit and both are fine, they do the job.
I never spend too much of drills. My weapon of choice right now is Erbauer which I quite like

Is this the Kit;

Erbauer 18V Li-ion EXT Cordless 3 piece Power tool kit (3 x 2Ah) - ECDT18-Li-2 EID18-Li ERH18-Li | DIY at B&Q

Erbauer EXT 18V cordless 3 pc kit includes SDS+ Drill, Combi Drill and Impact Driver. Tools feature brushless motor technology (excluding torch) for more power, higher torque, longer life time and revolutionary runtime performance. Also includes 2x batteries featuring Keep Cool Technology to...

www.diy.com

It looks remarkably like Bosch but just cheaper.

 

[nicebutdim]

Is this the Kit;

Erbauer 18V Li-ion EXT Cordless 3 piece Power tool kit (3 x 2Ah) - ECDT18-Li-2 EID18-Li ERH18-Li | DIY at B&Q

Erbauer EXT 18V cordless 3 pc kit includes SDS+ Drill, Combi Drill and Impact Driver. Tools feature brushless motor technology (excluding torch) for more power, higher torque, longer life time and revolutionary runtime performance. Also includes 2x batteries featuring Keep Cool Technology to...

www.diy.com

It looks remarkably like Bosch but just cheaper.

This looks remarkably like Makita but just cheaper.

Cordless Impact Wrench Driver Drill Grinder Combo Kit For Makita 18V Battery | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Cordless Impact Wrench Driver Drill Grinder Combo Kit For Makita 18V Battery at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Appearances can be deceptive.

 

[RDB85]

This looks remarkably like Makita but just cheaper.

Cordless Impact Wrench Driver Drill Grinder Combo Kit For Makita 18V Battery | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Cordless Impact Wrench Driver Drill Grinder Combo Kit For Makita 18V Battery at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Appearances can be deceptive.

They do. Although I don’t think I would buy the eBay one. Erbauer looks okay for the money.

 

[nicebutdim]

They do. Although I don’t think I would buy the eBay one. Erbauer looks okay for the money.

I have no problem with Erbauer tools, but wouldn't judge them on the basis of appearance or perceived similarity to other tools.

 

[RDB85]

I have no problem with Erbauer tools, but wouldn't judge them on the basis of appearance or perceived similarity to other tools.

It’s merely an observation on the design especially the SDS.

 

[timhoward]

It’s an investment. Do you just buy one of them too?

The investment is mainly into the battery system.
Honestly, any big brand will be fine. I'd happily use any of them. One place I work has Makita. It's fine. I have Milwaukee and DeWalt and a Bosch SDS. They all go round and round.

The only drill-envy I've experienced was when a friend had the Metabo combi which has an anti-jam feature which auto-cuts out instead of breaking your wrist. That said, I've never broken my wrist using a drill, so maybe I don't need that!

 

[Dustydazzler]

I only have the 18v Erbauer Combi Drill which does everything I need really as a drill / driver for jobbing.
I have an old 24v bosch and some old makita drills and some old hitachi gear as well.
As I say, I never spend that much on drills I just don't see the point...

 

[Dustydazzler]

Which ever drill you choose, I just hope the end user is better with it than this chap...

 

[Mike Johnson]

Whatever you go for, best results are Lithium battery and Brushless motor, personally I have DeWalt and they have been fine for the last ten years, the only thing I don't like is the noise from the Impact driver, but that applies to all makes.

 

[littlespark]

I never spend that much on drills I just don't see the point...

Maybe your drills need sharpened then?


Point? No? Oh never mind….

 

[davesparks]

Whatever brand you choose get a decent security marking kit to go with it, one that allows you to register the tools on a national database. That way if the tools do go missing it's harder to someone to sell them on and easier to reunite them with their owner

 

[Moley]

We used to have the Makita combo set with 1/2" drive impact gun. It was a really good set and the case back then had compartments for storing bits in. For the last 4 years we've had Bosch. The impact guns get a hammering (nuts/bolts - not screws!) and the drill get's quite a bit of heavy use too. I had no problems with either make.. Only comment I can make is the Makita charger can play 4 (I think) different tunes when the charge is complete. What use is that? Well, if you are in a room with more that one battery being charged at a time you can tell by the tune when yours is charged. Not exactly a game changer but I liked it.

 

[RDB85]

I might have a look at the Erbauer kit. It seems good for the money. Chances are it won’t go missing either.

 

[rewireIT]

DeWalt



Sfffdrtffffffffffffffffffffff j

 

[Dustydazzler]

No one an fan of Milwakee on here ?

I see loads of the kitchen fitters on site using Milwakee

 

[RDB85]

No one an fan of Milwakee on here ?

I see loads of the kitchen fitters on site using Milwakee

I used to have the none Fuel range by Milwaukee. It was okay. The SDS was a bit on the heavy side. The fuel stuff is good buy very expensive. I would probably go with Hilti if I had the money.

 

[rewireIT]

I used to have the none Fuel range by Milwaukee. It was okay. The SDS was a bit on the heavy side. The fuel stuff is good buy very expensive. I would probably go with Hilti if I had the money.

Hilti is no better than any other brand it just gets its reputation from being expensive. DeWalt is usually winner in tests but in the real world makita, dewalt, milwaukee, no difference. Pick your poison.

 

[RDB85]

Hilti is no better than any other brand it just gets its reputation from being expensive. DeWalt is usually winner in tests but in the real world makita, dewalt, milwaukee, no difference. Pick your poison.

I’ve tried Dewalt. Everyone in our work uses it. I’ve never tried Makita but it’s supposed to be excellent.

 

[westward10]

They are drills, the end spins. Buy one the brand isn't that important, treat it well it will last for years.

 

[nicebutdim]

I’ve tried Dewalt. Everyone in our work uses it. I’ve never tried Makita but it’s supposed to be excellent.

You get what you pay for with Makita.

£40 buys you a cheap combi that's fine for occasioinal use and £130 buys you a robust, wrist breaking combi. They tend to make a number of versions for each common tool and low end stuff is best avoided by trades.

 

[RDB85]

You get what you pay for with Makita.

£40 buys you a cheap combi that's fine for occasioinal use and £130 buys you a robust, wrist breaking combi. They tend to make a number of versions for each common tool and low end stuff is best avoided by trades.

I think that’s true of most brands. It is true you get what you pay for. I’m going to have a look at the Erbauer and see what it’s like. I do like the look of Makita.

 

[nicebutdim]

I think that’s true of most brands.

It is, but Makita take it to extremes with too many choices of popular tools and regular new versions. I can't fault the brand, having used their cordless tools for around 15 years, but if I could make one change it would be a reduction in the number of variations. Basic, average and good would be enough.


Edit: Just looked at Muilwaukee site and they now seem to be just as bad in making too many options.

I can't really comment on Erbauer tools. I've used a few and they seemed fine, but it's not as though I see them on sites everyday to get first hand opinions. Milwaukee, Dewalt and Makita are out there in significant numbers and, while people might have a preference, there's not much between them in terms of reliability and performance at the better end of each respective range.

 

[LukeD]

makita seem to getting worse by the hour ... Dewalt 18v SDS .I love mine .Its light, great anti vibration and with a 4.amp battery and good Bosch Blue nits flies through bricks etc

 

[rewireIT]

The batteries on the makitas are cack. I charge my 5.0ah dewalt batteries every 3-4 weeks with heavy daily use

makita seem to getting worse by the hour ... Dewalt 18v SDS .I love mine .Its light, great anti vibration and with a 4.amp battery and good Bosch Blue nits flies through bricks etc

 

[nicebutdim]

The batteries on the makitas are cack. I charge my 5.0ah dewalt batteries every 3-4 weeks with heavy daily use

My experience of Makita batteries is very different and I've never had cause to complain about their lxt range.

Weeks do go by without charging batteries, but not with heavy daily use. I might look into buying dewalt tools if they can manage to eek weeks out of 5Ah in grinders and sds drills.

A colleague uses dewalt and swears by their tools, but complains bitterly about batteries. He hogs site supplies with three chargers in constant use. No idea if it's bad luck, user error or faulty chargers, but other guys with NiMH Panasonic gear get more runtime out of their antique batteries.

On the other hand joiners love dewalt and they're probably using more battery power than any other trade.

Maybe OP should look at Hikoki and completely avoid arguments about popular brands

 

[nicebutdim]

Last post got me thinking about battery tests and I know plenty of info is available online about individual 18650 cells, with discharge curves available for just about every cell under load, but it seems as though test data is in short supply for power tool battery packs.

I did find the below video which put Dewalt, Milwaukee and Makita batteries through thorough, if unscientific, testing and results favor Dewalt, although all three brands are within spitting distance of each other, with high quality cells being used within each.

Leaves many questions unanswered, but well worth watching.

 

[Mike Johnson]

DeWalt used to have A123 batteries (18650) in the packs, but that stopped some time ago, I used to buy up the packs and break them apart as the cells where near £8.00 each at the time, it was not for use in drills, but made a lot of difference for the discharge rate on a gas turbine start up.

 

[RDB85]

I did find this from Screwfix:

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/dewal...ushless-cordless-4-piece-power-tool-kit/2013p

 

[LukeD]

There was a guy in the UK, I believe he was "eastern bloc" and he would rebuild any battery using the best cells possible and he was not very expensive .Mate had his done and the difference was night and day .

 

[timhoward]

I did find this from Screwfix:

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/dewal...ushless-cordless-4-piece-power-tool-kit/2013p

Cheaper at Toolstation right now, and 5% off that price if you have a Trade Account.

DeWalt DCK484M3T-GB 18V XR Brushless 4 Piece Kit

• DeWalt DCD796 2 Speed Brushless Combi Drill • DeWalt DCF887 3 Speed Brushless Impact Driver • DeWalt DCG405 125mm Brushless Angle Grinder • DeWalt DCL040-XJ LED Pivot Light• 1 x TSTAK II Kit box• 1 x TSTAK IV Deep Kit box• Multi-voltage chargerDeWalt DCD796 2 Speed Brushless Combi Drill:•...

www.toolstation.com

Edit - not same kit, sorry! But keep an eye on TS and Screwfix and occasionally they sell Dewalt and others for silly money.

Tim

 

[Mike Johnson]

I have the DeWalt kit, but find the 4.0Ah batteries are too heavy, much better with the 2Ah batteries and they last sufficiently to do a full day of the work I do.

 

[RDB85]

City’s have theses two:

DCK368P3T-GB 18V 3 Piece Kit with 3 x 5.0Ah Batteries

Kit comprises of:

www.cef.co.uk

DCK2102L2T-GB 12V XR Hammer Drill Kit with 2 x 3.0Ah Batteries

Kit comprises of:

www.cef.co.uk

I’ve also seen a small Makita SDS:

Makita DHR183RTWJ 18V Rotary Hammer 18mm Brushless LXT Kit Battery Charger 88381779913 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Makita DHR183RTWJ 18V Rotary Hammer 18mm Brushless LXT Kit Battery Charger at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Top Spec Combi:

Makita DHP486RTJ 18V Brushless Combi Drill LXT 88381739627 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Makita DHP486RTJ 18V Brushless Combi Drill LXT at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

It’s not too bad when considering it’s 10% off over all and 4x 5.0ah batteries. I’m looking at the Erbauer with him tomorrow to see what he thinks.

 

[timhoward]

A point to ponder - do you want a 3 mode SDS or is 2 mode fine? It seems to be quite a lot more for the chisel (rotary stop) function on a battery SDS.
Personally for 95% of what I do my 2 mode is great, and if I need to chisel I get the mains one out.

 

[RDB85]

A point to ponder - do you want a 3 mode SDS or is 2 mode fine? It seems to be quite a lot more for the chisel (rotary stop) function on a battery SDS.
Personally for 95% of what I do my 2 mode is great, and if I need to chisel I get the mains one out.

2 modes would be perfectly fine.

 

[Yellowhammer]

I have always been a bit of a tool obsessive, I really like quality tools and do believe in buying right, and buying once. I've seen cheaper drills burn out on heavier duty tasks, joist drilling or particularly large hole saws, as well as snapped handles, and broken chucks.

I have had my makita 3 speed combi, impact and SDS since near the start of my apprenticeship, the combi is approaching 13 years old now, dropped from steps, had a mighty rough life on large industrial sites, plenty of domestic and automotive DIY and my own jobs, no signs of giving up.

I tend to agree that the top brands are much of a muchness however, I have used dewalt and bosch and found them to feel nice, powerful and robust. I would typically look for metal gearing and chuck. I do like the dewalt flexvolt thing, and resent the fact the higher power makita tooling requires non cross compatible batteries and tools.

Makita UK customer service has been absolutely second to none in the one instance I have used it. Faulty impact wrench, collected the following day, and a replacement delivered to me the day after that with no questions asked. I have no experience with the other brands, but Makita being the only independently owned of the lot for some reason resonates with me.

 

[nicebutdim]

Makita being the only independently owned of the lot for some reason resonates with me.

I only learned of this in the last couple of years and feel the same way. There aren't many family businesses holding their own against large corporations.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I have the DeWalt kit, but find the 4.0Ah batteries are too heavy, much better with the 2Ah batteries and they last sufficiently to do a full day of the work I do.

This Gazebo base was constructed without a re-charge of a 2Ah battery.

 

[nicebutdim]

This Gazebo base was constructed without a re-charge of a 2Ah battery.View attachment 110177

Power tool batteries are streets ahead of what they were not too long ago. Most tools are very efficient, but there's no getting around the energy requirements of grinders or sds drills when making big holes in hard materials.

 

[DPG]

This Gazebo base was constructed without a re-charge of a 2Ah battery.View attachment 110177

It's a bit low Mike. If you had a bigger battery you could have put it on some nice posts

No offence intended - I've just got that Friday feeling!

 

[nicebutdim]

It's a bit low Mike. If you had a bigger battery you could have put it on some nice posts

No offence intended - I've just got that Friday feeling!

Zoom in and you can see it's nailed together.

 

[DPG]

Zoom in and you can see it's nailed together.

Yes but he banged the nails in with the back of the drill.

In all seriousness though, it looks well that Mike.

 

[RDB85]

Just looked at the Erbauer with my bro in B&Q I must say I was quite impressed. Nice weight to them. Metal Chuck and a metal body on the Combi and Impact. Batteries aren’t too bad either. No bad for the price. I would have to see what the warranty is like compared to the other brands. Just a shame they never had any of the Makita or Dewalt SDS drills similar to what I’ve posted to compare.

Not bad £475 with 3x 5.0ah batteries and you get 3x 2.0 in the kit. When compared with the £683 from Makita or £579 from Dewalt. I think Bosch was silly money when I’ve looked at it.

 

[Julie.]

Bit late to the party, but for me it isn't really about the drill itself, but the range of tools you use.

You want the same make/series across; drill, driver, multitool, saw, chaser..... whatever, so go for whichever range has all the tools you want (need + desire) - all sharing the same batteries.

I always have one spare battery on charge, and when one starts getting low on charge, I just swap it over, so I never end up struggling.

I went for Makita some years ago - unfortunately this was in the nicad days, and although I rebuilt the batteries several times and kept things going, once the drill gave up the ghost, I switched over to the new range of lithium ion, so I am in the situation of having two lots of different batteries for different tools.


Personally I would stick to the most reputable tools, Makita, deWalt, etc. the "amateur" brands like black & decker, bosch etc may have professional series, but I get the impression that they aren't quite up to the more reputable brands over their full range.

It's no use having a great drill by one make if their multi tool is tantamount to useless.

 

[timhoward]

so I am in the situation of having two lots of different batteries for different tools.

In a similar situation I converted a couple using things like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Lithium-Battery-Converter-Robotics/dp/B0B9BB5FVZ

Then I realised people make things like this which is a lot less effort!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecarke-Battery-Converter-Cordless-Compatible/dp/B08S6Y41SB

 

[rewireIT]

Can confirm blue bosch is Greta Garbo

Bit late to the party, but for me it isn't really about the drill itself, but the range of tools you use.

You want the same make/series across; drill, driver, multitool, saw, chaser..... whatever, so go for whichever range has all the tools you want (need + desire) - all sharing the same batteries.

I always have one spare battery on charge, and when one starts getting low on charge, I just swap it over, so I never end up struggling.

I went for Makita some years ago - unfortunately this was in the nicad days, and although I rebuilt the batteries several times and kept things going, once the drill gave up the ghost, I switched over to the new range of lithium ion, so I am in the situation of having two lots of different batteries for different tools.


Personally I would stick to the most reputable tools, Makita, deWalt, etc. the "amateur" brands like black & decker, bosch etc may have professional series, but I get the impression that they aren't quite up to the more reputable brands over their full range.

It's no use having a great drill by one make if their multi tool is tantamount to useless.