Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

Parsl said:
I'm tempted to go for the makita as people say they're a better brand. But no one ever says anything about bosch, and I've heard great and bad things about dewalt.

I will mainly be using it for diy around the house and for making things - for instance I am about to start making a chicken coup.

So... What would you guys recommend and why? Or would you recommend a different drill entirely?
Click to expand...

Makita isn't a better brand than DeWalt. The 'bad things' you usually hear online about DeWalt are from people who haven't used them and think they are Black and Decker drills painted yellow. You hear things like "they went downhill when B&D took them over" which is rubbish as that was back in 1960 when B&D bought DeWalt. If anything DeWalt powertools are Elu as they started making decent powertools when DeWalt bought Elu. But you can't even really say that as the company is constantly developing new tools all the time and they have come a long way since then.

As said many times in this thread, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch are all very good. They all design tools for both diy/light trade and more expensive heavy duty tools for industrial use. You're better off looking at the rest of their line of tools and basing your decision on what other tools you might want to add at a later date. Just be aware that Makita now do 2 different battery systems, so some tools might not work with the battery you get with that drill. All new Dewalt tools of the same voltage use the same sliding battery system. Not sure about Bosch.

The Makita drill you have linked to there isn't that great really. 300rpm/1300rpm drive and drill speed according to the specs, which is too slow. There are better Makita drills to choose from but I wouldn't be able to tell you the model numbers. You want 1700-2000rpm drill speed really.

EDIT: Yeah that Makita is a light duty tool according to this: http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/2439/jz1l.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys,

I've gone with the bosch. It's a little less powerful in than the dewalt (1700rpm instead of 2000rpm, and 60Nm torque instead of 66Nm), but the battery is 4ah instead of 1.5ah, and charges quicker and has an led indicator of when it is low. Also taking into account that I want to get a multi tool and circular saw in the future I imagine the 4ah battery would be better, and having looked into the multi tools the Bosch 18v GOP 18V EC takes my preference over the dewalt so it makes sense to get the Bosch.
 
What do you prefer about the Bosch cordless multi-tool over the DeWalt one out of interest?

The DeWalt one looks more ergonomical to me.
 
It's lighter, you can use lots of other branded attachments and you can use it at different speeds without having to hold the trigger down.
 
I'm sure you'll be very happy with it, 500rpm/1700rpm is pretty good considering how compact it is . I've not used any 18v Bosch tools but own quite a few of their blue mains power tools and they are all spot on.

I'm looking to see if there are any new toys I want on screwfix as I too have a 10% off voucher :cool:.
 
I think I will too :). Didn't think making the decision would be so tough!

Oh and for some reason my voucher didn't work over the internet, I called up their free number though and they did it over the phone for me.
 
So, I received the bosch drill this morning and have been using it through the day with the making the chicken coop. I have to say I'm very pleased with it.

My initial impressions was that I was surprised how compact it is - which I know will sometimes come in use when drilling/screwing in tight spaces. It is also really well balanced - the battery is near enough the same weight as the body, so if you're holding the drill horizontally it keeps itself balanced meaning less strain on your wrist. Everything else with it is great - I have one gripe, it's not a major issue and that is I think the rubber grip could be a little thicker - something which I think the Dewalt does better in!
 
Parsl said:
So, I received the bosch drill this morning and have been using it through the day with the making the chicken coop. I have to say I'm very pleased with it.

My initial impressions was that I was surprised how compact it is - which I know will sometimes come in use when drilling/screwing in tight spaces. It is also really well balanced - the battery is near enough the same weight as the body, so if you're holding the drill horizontally it keeps itself balanced meaning less strain on your wrist. Everything else with it is great - I have one gripe, it's not a major issue and that is I think the rubber grip could be a little thicker - something which I think the Dewalt does better in!
Click to expand...

I bought this drill from screwfix a few months ago and must also agree its an amazing drill for the money. No negatives I can think of. Seems nice and powerful for its rather compact size
 
I'm a fan of the Makita 18V Lithium-Ion LXT range. Collection currently is:

  • BUC122 Mini Chainsaw
    29xj4f4.jpg



  • BUH523 Hedge Trimmer
    2wlqyar.jpg



  • BHP453 Combi Hammer Drill.
    Got it on a combibuy at screwfix with two 3AH batteries. At the time I hadn't read about the BHP458 & DHP480 being better, but the price was good and it's been good enough for my needs so far anyway.
    1zlzqx5.jpg



  • BJV180 Jigsaw
    k4xs00.jpg



  • BBO180 Random Orbit Sander
    2a2juv.jpg



  • 18V 3.0AH Lithium-Ion batteries & charger.
 
Last edited:
Mark A said:
Is the Makita hedge trimmer any good?
Click to expand...

Yep, I reckon its great. Was outside earlier this afternoon using it before coming in to watch the rugby.

We had a Bosch or Black & Decker cordless one years ago (14V NiCd) and it wasn't any good.
Then we had a McCulloch two-stroke petrol one. It was ridiculously heavy to use (man up etc :p) and for the last few years it wouldn't idle & had to be revved to keep running. Then this year it wouldn't start and after a few minutes swearing trying to get the bolts holding the covers off I just gave up on it.

Obviously the Makita has got brand new sharp blades etc, but I reckon it's fantastic. And the fact that it takes the same 18V Li-ion batteries of the other tools is just amazing, and meant that we could get the cheaper body-only version.
 
Last edited:
Been umming and aaahing about which combi drill to get. So far been using the parents old DeWalt Drill Driver for all jobs (fixing curtain poles up and general house stuff).

Want my own and value having a hammer action (due to issues from hanging up curtain poles into masonry!). But wonder if the DeWalt/Makita 18v Combi Drill offerings around £120 would be overkill? (DHP453 etc)

I like the idea of having an impact driver too. Question is, would a 10.8v Combi Drill be enough? Looking at the kit below :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-Lith...8&qid=1400494122&sr=8-9&keywords=makita+drill

If it helps, biggest holes I've drilled so far in all the work I've done is 20mm into wood and 8mm into masonry...
 
Last edited:
My personal experience of 18V drilling is that I wouldn't want anything less than that. I would consider less for screw-driving though.

I plan to replace my 18V drill-driver with a decent 18V combi and a 10/14V light-weight and compact drill-driver.
 
Thanks.

Now thinking of the DeWalt DCD785 or a Makita 456. Which I think I'm right in thinking they're a much of a muchness?

Dewalt comes with 2x 1.5Ah XR batteries and the Makita comes with a 4Ah LXT
 
The DeWalt DCD785 is a very nice drill and it nice to have 2 batteries even though they are smaller capacity as you can have one on charge whilst using the other, with the Makita, yes the battery will last longer but if it runs out during a job you have to wait for it to charge.
You can pick up the DCD785 with a single 4ah battery for about £10 less than the twin 1.5ah kit but id still rather have the two batteries.
 
Don't forget also the weight difference between 1.5Ah and 4Ah batteries. If using single-handed up a ladder or in other slightly awkward locations, you'll be glad of the weight saving.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom