Practically Classics Forum

my drill batteries are dying & i need a new one, ive thought about changing from aeg/milwaukee to makita drills as the batteries are better.(allegedly) & my other makita kit is brilliant..
my brother had a new makita drill a couple of years ago & since he's had 3 chucks & one battery replaced & other annoying problems with it..
any reccomendations or experience of them will be apreciated as im not keen on spending £300 + on a dud drill

I have this set at work

http://www.toolchestdirect.com/product. ... %2FBTD140Z

The drill is good with lots of power the set has two batteries so flats aren't really an issue.
The little hammer drill has incredible power for such a little thing.

No experience of cordless but we have a Makita 1" belt sander with 30 years to its credit and a newish 90 degree (Drill round corners) Makita drill. The quality is very evident I have a twenty year old Kango/Wolf drill and that's a good piece of kit too.

DeWalt every time for me - sorry!

I find it useful to have ALL my cordless tools the same make, then I can swap chargers and batteries around freely - very handy!

I do like Makita stuff, but then I'm not into cordless tools at all. My Makita drill cost 99p off eBay, plus 20 quid for the parts (forward/reverse switch) to make it work. The fact that all parts are available is a major plus point, but that applies to DeWalt too.

Willy Eckerslyke wrote:....that applies to DeWalt too.

And to the more prosaic, orange Black & Decker products.

I've owned a couple of bits of Makita kit, they feel well built and I know of nobody who has any real trouble with them.

Makita Devotee here - I've got

1x 4 1/2" grinder
1X 18v 1.3a cordless drill
1x 18v 3ah cordless drill
1x SDS+ drill
1x Big bertha Grinder
1X site radio.

I won't have anyhing else now - it's wicked kit that always gets the work done..

Bosch kit for me every time.

I have various makes, depending on what Screwfix has on special offer. All seem very good quality, so I would get anything from Bosch, De Walt, Hitatchi, Makita, Hilti etc.

Some like to stick with one make, which has advantages, especially if all items are battery and of the same voltage. My usage is occassional, but heavy, so it makes more sense for me to mix and match depending on what special offers are on at the time.

I got a great 2 for 1 deal a couple of years back. Bosch 110V SDS hammer drill and 12V battery drill/driver for £100. They got sent to my tropical hideaway. At home I have a Hitachi 110V SDS Drill and De Walt 14V drill/driver.

110V is a good idea for mains power as it's safer for outside use - well worth the extra £60 for the transformer and £20 to£30 for a 110V extension.

I suspect OP has a new drill by now!

I've got an old Bosch 7.2v (single speed!) and my slightly newer 12 one. Both in the days where a cordless was over £100 (the 7.2 was about £75 - £80!). However, in those days, the green Bosch tools were much higher quality than they seem to be now. Both drills have had new batteries and both still do sterling service. If I was buying one now to use intensively, I would go for the blue (industrial) ones. A farming friend bought a special offer one (a green one) from B&Q three or four years ago and it was kaput within a couple of days. I doubt he would buy any Bosch tools in future - he replaced it with a cheap (B&Q?) brand and it has lasted surprisingly well - he uses it to put up fence panels etc and it gets abused somewhat!

A friend had a DeWalt (18v I think) and hated it, he only used it for a year and put it to one side - he got a similar Bosch with points gained from buying Worcester Bosch boilers and finds it a lot better, yet he could never understand why I paid "over the odds" when I bought mine!

I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference though - and working out what is good value for your hard earned pittance!