I totally agree henderson_guy, I repair power tools for a living and to date I have repaired close to 19,000 tools, 10 years ago I would not have recommended Hitachi cordless but they have outpaced their opposition as far as performance and reliability go, that said I have a Milwaukee 12 volt drill which is around 8 years old and needing batteries, I will be replacing it with a new 18 volt Milwaukee as I think they are a better tool than the Hitachi
lookin4ord,
Feb 18, 7:19pm
Dewalt by far the winner
grangies,
Feb 18, 7:22pm
Out of interest.
How do you rate Festool!
easygoer,
Feb 18, 7:25pm
Very good quality but pricey, most jobs you do don't require a Rolls Royce
jason18,
Feb 18, 8:49pm
Thabnks Everyone for your advice. Might look into Milwaukee and Hitachi
morrisman1,
Feb 18, 8:52pm
If you wanna splash out, the Hitachis with electronic controllers and brushless motors are pretty impressive.
ghostdemon,
Feb 18, 9:00pm
I have a mix of hitachi and makita both 240 and battery and for reason of ergonomics and design pick both and have had a good run with both brands do notice a lot of milwaukee now may give them a try when some of my tools come up for replacement
icemans1,
Feb 19, 12:56am
there are pros and cons for all brands. some builders buy cheapies cos of stuff getting stolen or they lose them. dewalt has nylon casing unlike the other brands but, is made by b&d. festol is the top brand, but is too expensive. the cheaper hitachi ain't that good. most guys working in joinery and cabbie shops use makita tools (power and battery) parts aren't a problem to get
whqqsh,
Feb 19, 5:47am
whatever work supplies, usually Makitas. but now Milwaukee are as cheap as any so we scored a complete set of 28V stuff, heaps of grunt!
mdallas,
Feb 19, 6:27am
dont.
electro2000,
Feb 19, 8:38am
Milwaukee- i have brought a few diffent types over the years battery drills that is.battery technology has really come a long waymuch lighter with lithium batteries. Nothing worse then trying to drilla few holes with a cheap dril +98%of my work is with hole saws through plate steel and heavyAL. Decent drill bits make a world of difference
richynuts,
Feb 19, 8:52am
I have been in the joinery trade for 25 years and IMOMakita is the best, not only for lasting the longest but also for ease of use, when I go out on site I often have people comment on how old some of my makita power tools are,Alot of the problem with power tools craping out so soon is the wrong or not powerful enough tool for the job.I do wonder how good the quality of new Makita is though.being made in china.
icemans1,
Feb 19, 9:37am
i would say makita is the biggest seller in nz
outbidyou2,
Feb 19, 10:04am
Most of my tools are Makita, trade use as builders. Dewalt is crap, my Hitachi skillsaw and recipro I have had trouble with. Makita keeps going year after year. Keep your blades sharp
wasser61,
Feb 19, 10:33am
Most of the guys that I work with use Dewalt, so there must be something in that. My Makita has had a thrashing and now only one battery is okay the other will not charge. I will look at replacing it later this year
ryanm2,
Feb 19, 10:43am
Ive replaced my 3 speed Makita drill with a 2 speed one. Under warranty i got through a battery, the selector switch and the gearbox. If I was to buy again the Milwaukee 2 piece drill driver for $599 from Placemakers last year was a good buy, otherwise the Panasonic drills look and feel good. Probably wouldn't go Makita again. But pretty much, whatever is cheapest.
jason18,
Feb 19, 12:59pm
Thanks Guys, Hey Easygoer. My Jigsaw that toasted the motor is a bosch GST18v Professional. How much to replace the motor through you! If you can do it! Cheers :)
mdallas,
Feb 19, 1:37pm
now i have makita batteries my next buy will be a bare tool collated screw gun. thats the main reason a builder will go makita.
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