Hilti Vs Makita Vs Other Brands for Homeowner/Reno Use

meowsers on 13/04/2020 - 18:51

I'm looking at purchasing some power tools (drill/impact driver/circular saw/cutout tool etc), and before I get trapped into one ecosystem just wanted some opinions.

I'd prefer a brushless setup as it seems they last longer. Have heard good things about Makita and Hilti. Money isn't really an issue, just wanting to get something that's great quality and will last.

Will mainly be used for household renovations etc, so not hardcore stuff but I still prefer to get the best.

I've ruled out DeWalt/Milwaukee/AEG etc because I have seen enough AvE reviews on Youtube to realise they are all Tektronics POS.

Could you guys (maybe tradies as well) give me an idea of pros/cons of each brand? Or maybe another brand I hadn't considered. The only other thing which I thought might help Makita's odds is they make lawnmowers compatible with the battery system. Also Makita is coming out with a 40V platform, and wondering if I should wait for that? Or maybe wait for EOFY sales.

Thanks

Home & Garden

Comments

  • brendanm on 13/04/2020 - 18:53
    +2

    Eh? Ave likes Milwaukee.

    • meowsers on 13/04/2020 - 18:53

      IDK he always calls them MilF*ckee :D

      • brendanm on 13/04/2020 - 18:56
        +3

        That's just his way. Have you actually seen his reviews and teardowns?

        I've had m18 stuff I've used every day for probably 8 years. Gone through a set of brushes on both impacts, and batteries are now dead. New batteries, go great. Have a few fuel M12 things, also great. Have the 18v fuel large 3/4 impact at work and it is a monster.

    • Qbagger on 13/04/2020 - 19:18

      And DeWilt, sometimes

      • D C on 13/04/2020 - 19:30

        DeWalt accessories like driver & drill bits are rather good.

  • holoz0r on 13/04/2020 - 18:56

    I think get a corded circular saw - battery powered ones are not as powerful, and there's not many scenarios I can think of where you would be doing home renos and require a battery powered circ saw.

    Also, keep you d*** in a vice. Love AvE's videos.

    • meowsers on 13/04/2020 - 18:58
      +1

      Do you think it's worth buying them as a pack? I've noticed they come in 6/9/10/15 packs.

      Some of the larger packs have useless BS like flashlights and radios to pad stuff out.

      Maybe I should wait for EOFY sales IDK. But new tools are so appealing.

      • holoz0r on 13/04/2020 - 19:02

        I dunno, I've only got a drill, impact driver, circular saw. Did everything I've ever needed to do. (Basic home stuff like redoing floating floorboards, wall mounting tv + home theatre speakers, hanging pictures, and I made a TV cabinet using MDF and Pine..)

    • chumlee on 13/04/2020 - 19:14

      Battery circular saws are fine. How many cuts are you going to make with a circular saw?

      Power tools are not powered by 2 AA batteries

  • jlapr1 on 13/04/2020 - 19:30
    +1

    Personally a fan of Milwaukee. Used both m12 and m18 gear for home and work. I would say it should be in your shortlist at least

  • Phlume on 13/04/2020 - 19:36
    +1

    I have worked as an apprentice and tradesman in the electrical field and Makita and Milkwaukee was the most common power tools used. However, for general DIY and home usage, I would recommend Dewalt or Makita as they are readily available at Bunnings and easily replaceable if you are not satisfied with their perfomance.

    • imnotgoingtopayrrp on 13/04/2020 - 19:53

      I chose a dewalt combo pack from Bunnings, thinking the same thing. Now I'd say stay away from de-walt. My brushless impact driver only lasts 6 months doing DIY. I'm on my second rebuild and have one year warranty left. It takes about two months while the tool is getting rebuilt. I'm going to go Ryobi next. Replacement warranty. And the range of 18V tools is second to none.

      • Aussiebro on 14/04/2020 - 02:18

        Milwakaee has best rmemyoutube review vs dewalt. The dewalt motor burnt out

  • limeburner on 13/04/2020 - 19:52
    +1

    Huge AvE fan, and I have DeWalt (it's not Tektronic). It's quite good pro-grade gear, the 54V grinder is amazing. Have used Milwaukee a fair bit as well, its also well made generally speaking, and performs well.

    • imnotgoingtopayrrp on 15/04/2020 - 23:00

      Yeah, i must say, my (brushed) 18V 5" de-walt grinder has taken some serious punishment and is still going. I had to use it to cut through about 30cm of 6mm plate (as this cut was holding up the job) and it got through it (albeit i had to cycle some batteries through it).

  • Presence on 13/04/2020 - 19:54

    I have Bosch, it's really good but very expensive. I do regret it because a few things like a cordless angle grinder would be really cool but the price isnt worth it!

    Whatever brand you choose make sure you look at the tools you might want in the future, not just what you want now.

  • John Kimble on 13/04/2020 - 20:10

    What is Tektronics?

  • askme69 on 13/04/2020 - 20:14

    I watch his reviews as well.

    Hilti majority are CHINESE made now as well.

    PS: Milwaukee for the win. The torque and batteries are next level to any other brand.

  • John Kimble on 13/04/2020 - 21:07

    I've watched a few YouTube videos on cordless drills and DeWalt always comes out on top or near to the top. That's my only input haha

  • apsilon on 13/04/2020 - 21:08

    I've used a lot of brands and honestly the best has probably been Panasonic but their range is incredibly limited (though better now than when I was using them). Bosch Blue, Makita and Dewalt are all OK though I've had more Makita tools fail than anything else.

    I'd probably try Milwaukee these days if I wanted something trade grade due to the number of tools they have but I still believe for the home user, Ryobi can't be beat. No other brand offers the same warranty so they will almost certainly outlast any other brand simply because you can have it replaced for 6 years plus they have more skins in the range than anyone else.

    If money is no problem as you say why look at just one platform? Just buy the very best tool regardless of the brand.

  • aussieprepper on 14/04/2020 - 03:33

    DeWalt is owned by Stanley Black & Decker and are good tools the majority are still made in the USA.
    Some Makita tools are still made in Japan you just have to look for the right models.
    Both are a good choice. Hilti is mainly for tradies and usually offer special deals for tradies and businesses with long warranties.

  • Euphemistic on 14/04/2020 - 05:41
    +2

    Will mainly be used for household renovations etc, so not hardcore stuff but I still prefer to get the best.

    There’s no such thing as ‘the best’. Each brand has different advantages and disadvantages. You don’t need ‘the best’ for home Reno work, you need the best value. IMO the most important thing is the range of skins and including garden equipment is good marketing. I haven’t used a petrol or corded garden tool at home for years, all battery now.

    I personally have Ryobi and it has done well for the serious renovation work I’ve put it through. Most of mine has been second hand as well. I have over 15 skins and 6 batteries and have bought and sold heaps of it. It is powerful enough for most tasks. They only thing I don’t like about it is it is only avaaible at Bunnings which limits sales. There seems to be a lot more available (than makita) second hand as well so buying a specific skin for one job is cheaper.

    I have also used makita at work and find that it does have a little more power, but not so much that it’s worth the extra money. I found ozito lacking in power in comparison, but you obviously aren’t looking at that.

    The 40v range will be the same as 36v range in Aus. There is some dodgy marketing going on, particularly in the US that means they market the voltage differently due to max vs float charge. it will have the same number of cells as an 18v system and everything is likely to be a multiple of 18v.

    • BertieBrown on 14/04/2020 - 09:38

      Lots of great comments so far.

      Most expensive brands will likely be Hilti, Metabo, and Panasonic; realistically as a renovator they’re just not worth the money-overkill.

      A lot of other brands will be same-same.

      Aim for the middle road, something that will somewhat retain its value but is also easy to replace, and batteries are ubiquitous, cheap, and reliable.

      I’ve got Bosch Blue, but to be honest if I could swap out for another brand no cost, and start over so to speak, I’d go Ryobi. Good value for money, batteries are cheap, lots of tools, good warranty, and overall reasonable performance.

      EDIT: Sorry Euphemistic, I meant this as a stand-alone comment. I’m not trying to correct your comment.

      • apsilon on 14/04/2020 - 09:58
        +1

        I’ve got Bosch Blue

        I agree with you. Knowing what I do now I wouldn't buy Bosch Blue if I could do it over again. The drill has more run out then I think acceptable, the vac is weak, the impact driver is OK but struggles with more things than I think it should, the lights are fine, the blower is OK the one thing that's actually been awesome is the big impact wrench but overall, I'm just not impressed for the price and won't be buying any more of their tools.

        • BertieBrown on 14/04/2020 - 10:35

          Yep, pretty much my experience too, to the letter actually, which isn’t good because it likely means that they’re a little underpowered.

          The Stanley FatMax AKA Porter Cable 20V impact is pretty good for the money, but they’ve got limited tools in their range here.

      • Euphemistic on 14/04/2020 - 10:43
        +1

        I’ve got Bosch Blue, but to be honest if I could swap out for another brand no cost, and start over so to speak, I’d go Ryobi. Good value for money, batteries are cheap, lots of tools, good warranty, and overall reasonable performance.

        Kinda agree. If I could swap over and start again I’d probably get a better drill and circ saw. The makita one is more powerful than my Ryobi. But, I’d also hedge my bets and stick with Ryobi for range of tools and easy availability.

        The renovation work mine has done was pretty serious. Involved completely stripping half our 1st floor rooms, moving walls and redoing the lot. Everything was Ryobi cordless except the drop saw and a hammer drill a couple of times. At times I was charging almost all my batteries in a day and going again the next so not just a few screws to hang a shelf. Used 2 impact drivers to screw down the floors, like 500 screws in a day. I had two, so when one got hot I switched.

  • knoxy1001 on 15/04/2020 - 19:17

    Tradie of 11 years here.

    I’ve got a few of everything, some hilti, some Festool, makita & Bosch.

    I’m about to sell everything and go to one platform.

    I’ll probably go makita or hitachi (hikoki/metabo now). Hilti make great demo gear, but they don’t have the range I need, never been a fan of dewalt tools after another chippy I worked with kept killing their drills. Won’t consider Milwaukee because they don’t have any 36/54v platform.

    Only thing stopping me from going hitachi is the range.
    Only thing stopping me from makita is the upcoming 40v range not being compatible with 18v, I just want one battery (Set) and one charger. Chasing multiple batteries and chargers on site is a nightmare. That and the lack of nail guns.

    If the range is enough for you, go hilti. I got a driver in 2009, it broke in 2015 and they came out, picked it up, took 2 days to fix it so it was free, then they dropped it back to me. Amazing. Truly wish they did more tools.

    Hope that helps.

    • Euphemistic on 15/04/2020 - 20:38

      Only thing stopping me from makita is the upcoming 40v range not being compatible with 18v, I just want one battery (Set) and one charger.

      Are you sure? It’s possible the marketers have got hold of a makita 18v battery and found out fully charged is 20v so they’ll sell two of them as 40v. Seems odd for makita to have so much invested in the current 18v range to drop their battery standard and start a new one so they can use a double battery.

      Edit: had a quick look. Seems the 40v will fit a common charger with the 18v and have a similar number of cells as the same size 18v. (It’s a 36v system). Looks to be similar to (i think) DeWalt that have flex volt batteries that do different voltages depending on the tool but with the same battery. My guess is future 18v gear will run on the same ‘40v’ battery just using different circuitry from the 40v battery. Seems to be a big risk dropping a new battery standard though.

      • D C on 15/04/2020 - 22:20

        It’s possible the marketers have got hold of a makita 18v battery and found out fully charged is 20v so they’ll sell two of them as 40v.

        Part marketing, part patent.

        18v & 20v both have 5 cells. They're identical. 18v is 3.6v x 5, 20v is 4v x 5, the difference between the nominal & full charged voltages (close enough anyways).

        So Milwaukee got a patent on their 18v packs, and they (TTI) sued everyone else (like Makita who settled).

        Those who didn't settle said "FU" and called their (electrically identical) packs 20v.

        All the users said "WTF?"

        The 20v/40v is basically how the packs in the battery connect to the tool. The battery is usually wired up as 2 separate batteries, and the tool connects the in series for 40v or parallel for 20v.

      • knoxy1001 on 17/04/2020 - 16:47

        40v fits the 18v chargers, with an adaptor. my understanding, reading between the lines, is that a 40v battery won't fit an 18v tool, and vice versa.
        so two sets of batteries, one charger + an adaptor.

        If the 40v batteries can go into the LXT tools, like how desalts Flexvolt batteries can, then ill be going makita.

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