Bosch Professional or Makita

[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:

DeWalt DCK456M3T-GB 18V 3 x 4.0Ah Li-Ion XR Brushless Cordless 4-Piece Power Tool Kit - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. 18V kit comprised of a brushless combi drill with an ultra compact, lightweight design to allow use in confined spaces, 2-speed all-metal transmission for increased run time and longer tool life, all-metal 13mm chuck for increased durability and longer tool life; a...

www.screwfix.com

 

[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:

DeWalt DCK456M3T-GB 18V 3 x 4.0Ah Li-Ion XR Brushless Cordless 4-Piece Power Tool Kit - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. 18V kit comprised of a brushless combi drill with an ultra compact, lightweight design to allow use in confined spaces, 2-speed all-metal transmission for increased run time and longer tool life, all-metal 13mm chuck for increased durability and longer tool life; a...

www.screwfix.com

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.