Help Me Decide, Milwaukee Or Makita?

[douglas ferrman]

Hi



I am going to buy a full set of cordless soon, circ saw, drill, impact, recip saw, multitool, grinder, and whatever else comes along.


Late adopter that I am, I haven't gone all in with any brand. I have had a drill and impact since forever and am on my second or third set of Panisonics.


I have narrowed it down to Makita or Milwaukee.

Makita - cause tradition(!) - and I respect that they are a single focus company and they have everything cordless.

Milwaukee because they also seem to have most of the bases covered, are everywhere, (can't tell if I am being sucked into their marketing vortex or not... probably yes to some extent.) and I am hearing some good things from other trades on the job.



Does anyone have objective reasons why they'd go with one brand over the other, build quality, price, battery tech/innovation, ergonomics?


Thanks!

[Tyler Bancroft]

I've never used Milwaukee (just Ridgid, which is Milwaukee without the 50% markup for the colour red). I standardized on Makita for my workshop cordless tools. The 18V battery platform is very stable, the tools seem well-built in the hand, and I'm of the opinion that the quality is quite good. You can still get Makita tools made in Japan (I have a corded drill I bought a couple of years ago), the US (my D-handle router), and the UK (my cordless planer). Milwaukee is trendy, but I'd rather have Makita (and probably spend less). Just my two cents. I'm definitely not a professional.

[Greg Parrish]

I had Makita 18v for probably a decade. Loved the tools and the quick charge of their 18v batteries. Like you said, they offer a million tools that all share batteries.

The last few years I've owned Milwaukee M12 and M18 tools. I was initially resistant to Milwaukee because they are made in China (think most of Makita is today as well though). The main thing that got me looking at them years ago was the smaller size of M12 tools for use in the shop. What got me to finally buy in was the death of my final set of Makita batteries. When I went to buy two new batteries, it was cheaper to buy a whole new set of drill/impact drivers than just two batteries. As luck would have it, the Milwaukee rep was at HD that day and was giving away tools and batteries with purchases. For not much more than the price of the Makita heavy duty brushless hammer drill and impact driver set, I walked out with probably 4 or 5 of the M12 tools and 5 or 6 batteries. In fact, after walking to the car, I went back in and bought a few more tools and ended up with 10 batteries that day. Most of the free batteries were the 6 ah versions. It was a crazy day as every time I bought a "tool only" tool, they were giving away a battery or two. End result though, they sucked me into the system and now I have probably 20 M12 and M18 batteries between here and the farm, and at least 15 or more tools. Way too many to easily switch back when batteries start to die.

Performance wise, I only use my tools for hobby and personal use, but I beat them up and treat them like someone else owns them most of the time. I've never babied them and just like with Makita, they've always handled it and asked for more. Probably the only ones I baby are the festool stuff. The only spot where I feel like Makita had the edge was the fan cooled quick charging chargers, but the milwaukee chargers work just fine too.

At the end of the day, if I were to start over again, I'd probably look at Milwaukee, Makita and Bosch tools and would flip a coin based on who had the best pricing or packages at that time and who had all the tools I wanted for the system. May be worth your while to try to track down when the Milwaukee rep will be at HD as you might get some deals like I did. They don't advertise it but the rep will usually be there pushing tools and offering freebies. They walk you to the checkout and advise the clerk on how to ring it up. Very easy process and get's you into their platform.

The only thing I'd suggest is to compare which individual tools come in the multi-piece kits. Many times, they will include a nice brushless drill/impact set, but the other tools will be the older non-brushless versions. I've found with the Milwaukee stuff, the Fuel brushless versions perform a lot better than the brush versions. Good luck but I don't think there is a wrong decision between those two.

[Edward Weber]

Either one is a good choice, but I have primarily used Milwaukee for the last 30 years. All the tools last a long time and there are so many options these days, it's hard to find a job they don't offer a tool for.
I have to say I do admire Makita, as far as I know, the only stand-alone tool company left.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I went with Makita - only because of the cordless track saw.
Milwaukee is great though.

Ridgid's lifetime service agreement on batteries is a nice touch.

[Aaron Inami]

I used to be a DeWalt cordless guy (drills only). Since then, I had expanded out to several types of tools and actually had 4 battery platforms (Dewalt, Ego, Ryobi, Makita). This was ridiculous and I decided to consolidate my battery platform. The last tool purchased which pushed me into 4 battery platforms were two Makita cordless chainsaws. I originally purchased the Dewalt cordless chainsaw which ended up being total crap. The Makita chainsaws are superior in every single way. I also tried a DeWalt random orbit sander which I returned due to excessive vibration (hand fatigue). The Makita random orbit sander is actually quite nice, but I settled on a Festool corded sander.

My gardening platforms are all Ego tools, which are all excellent, and I dropped the Ryobi stuff.

My original drills were all Dewalt and have been awesome for the last 15 years, but I now own Makita drills and drivers. I get the feeling that DeWalt is centered around old school traditional designs and it does them very well, but I think other companies have passed them by with new designs and methods (just a gut feeling).

I don't have any experience with Milwaukee cordless tools, but they may be very good. I suspect Bosch has some very good stuff as well. I think your decision should really come down to the entire collection of tools you need to plan to own, unless you don't care about having 4-5 different battery platforms. I went with Makita because of the chainsaw and brushless technology. The drills and impact driver are also excellent.

So now I use Ego and Makita only.

[Justin Rapp]

I have Milwaukee cordless in M12 and M18. Both are fantastic and have taken a beating and keep going. Batteries are going strong, better than any battery I have used from other brands. With that said, I was already committed to Milwaukee but did try some Makita tools at a woodworking show and i liked the ergonomics a lot. I have a Makita trim router and a Makita sliding compound miter saw, and they are top notch.

Honestly, I think it comes down to which one is more comfortable / ergonomic for you. Both are great brands.

[Jim Dwight]

I have Milwaukee 12 and 18 volt, Ryobi 18 and 40 volt, and a couple Skil - think they are 12V but might be 18. No Makita. My Milwaukee 12V 3/8 drill broke in low speed early. I was doing something fairly extreme but something my Ryobi 18 V drills do. Probably big hole saw but might have been an auger bit going through studs. That was a disappointment but the high speed still works as does the impact. I also have the 1/2 inch drill now which is better suited to big bits. The impact has 4 modes which is nice. I also have a compact 1/2 impact from Milwaukee for working on cars. My Milwaukee 12V oscillating saw is GREAT. I also have a Fein and the Milwaukee cuts essentially as fast and accurate as the corded Fein (the originator of these tools). My big Milwaukee Impact drill works great both as a drill and as a light demolition hammer.

Everybody makes drills and 1/4 impacts and there is some difference in features but even my older Ryobi tools work OK. I would not choose based upon drills and little impacts. I would look closely at the saws. They strain a battery a lot more and cordless recip saws tend to get loose pretty quick. My skil cordless circular saw is a nice one but I don't know about Milwaukee or Makita.

Another possible differentiator is sources of batteries. If there are third parties offering batteries it tends to keep the OEM pricing more reasonable. I'm pretty sure there are non-OEM battery options for Milwaukee, I don't know about Makita. Batteries always wear out and replacement can get pricey. That is why I no longer use DeWalt cordless tools.

[Cameron Wood]

I like Makita because they are stable and solid across the board in terms of performance and design with very few bad apples. Probably have 40 tools. For the cordless ones, out of 20+ batteries over ten + years, one has died.

My son has Milwaukee & they seem good, have some interesting tool options, and currently have an edge in the performance arms race.

If you do remodeling, go with Makita for the sheetrock cutter.

[Jim Becker]

Of the two, I believe that Milwaukee has the broadest selection of battery operated tools...including some pretty esoteric, specialized stuff. Most of the contractors I see seem to favor Milwaukee, anecdotally speaking, too. But that's not because Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, etc., are "bad". One think I like about Milwaukee is how nicely they are expanding both their M12 and M18 choices.

In full disclosure, I don't own anything made by either brand except a short Makita labeled track that is compatible with my Festool tracks. So I'm just making an informed observation in my comments above.

[Tom M King]

I have some of both. Flip a coin.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I have been using 95% Makita cordless (and lots of tailed ones as well) for the last decade as a professional carpenter, timber framer and woodworker. Mostly in the shop these days, but my vote is on Makita. I do have a few 18v fuel Milwaukee - 1/2” impact wrench, 1/4” oil/impulse driver and a non fuel oscillating multi tool that I bought in a pinch when my Fein died...

In my hands, Makita cordless is more refined and physically feels better and more balanced. Specifically talking about drills/drivers and circ saws mostly, but I do think they have a more comfortable / balanced grip in the hand personally. Power is so close in most cases that it’s a wash and not a deciding factor for me. Have owned close to 10 Makita impact drivers and/or drills - some made in Japan and some in China - and they’ve all been good. I really like the subcompact line of both and the 6 1/2” 18v circ saw and the (2x) 18v tracksaw.

I will say that the Milwaukee Fuel impulse driver, I think it’s called “Surge”, is one of my favorite drivers due to the low dB and smoothness of it; it could be smaller and lighter but fine for the shop and for finish carpentry tasks. A little cumbersome and slow for full time heavier carpentry, but I don’t really do that much anymore. I’m sure Makita makes their own versions of oil impulse drivers, but I don’t know if they are available unless ordered from Japan. I walked into HD and bought the Milw Surge for $150 a few years back, which was convenient at the time.

I would advise you to get your hands on the models and styles of the tools you will actually be needing and using and choosing the brand that feels and fits best. Quality and selection is there for both brands and I think it comes down to the finer points and personal preference.

[Dan Friedrichs]

TTI owns Milwaukee, Ryobi, Hover, Oreck, and a bunch of other brands. Makita is just Makita. Given essentially equal price and performance, I'd prefer to support the medium-sized specialist over the large-sized conglomerate.

[andy bessette]

Makita has been my biggest disappointment.

Milwaukee 12-volt for sure. Get the angle die grinder and the little "Sawzall".

[Alex Zeller]

I was in the Makita camp but several cordless tools broke at the same time. The one that finally did it was a 1/2" drill that had a 3 speed gearbox. The fastest speed broke so I was down to two speeds, which I could live with. It was only a few months out of warranty and they refused to repair it. Then the middle speed broke a few months later. Around this time the batteries I had started loosing capacity and I switched. I figured DeWalt and Milwaukee were the two that looked like they wanted to be the big players in the cordless market while Makita's lineup wasn't even close. It was mostly a toss up but I went with Milwaukee. So far I'm happy with my choice and don't ever see myself going back to Makita.