Help Me Decide, Milwaukee Or Makita?

[Tyler Bancroft]

I really like the subcompact line of both and the 6 1/2” 18v circ saw and the (2x) 18v tracksaw.

I have one of those little brushless Makita circular saws and love it. It came in a set – I didn't want or need it at the time, but it has completely replaced my corded circular saw for breaking down stock and other rough work. It has an automatic high-torque mode that kicks in when it starts to bog down that is great for working in hardwood.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have been in the Makita camp for many years. not a single problem. And I really like their yard work tool assortment. Their chainsaws are awesome.

[Thomas Wilson]

I just wish battery connectors were standardized so it was not such a big deal to pick a brand.

[Rod Wolfy]

I had several DeWalt tools, but their line kind of quit producing new products for a while. Milwaukee has kept after it, with input from the trades... which is why they have like a cordless drain auger and other products. I have a Makita cordless router; however, their prices kept climbing and they started packing smaller batteries with their kits. I had a cordless Rigid router, but gave it away after I got the Milwaukee one. I have like a dozen Milwaukee cordless tools now. I love the Surge (oil hydraulic impact driver) and their 7" DSC Miter saw weighs only 26#, so it's great to use when I go on the road. Next up is their new Track saw, which will work on my Festool tracks.

[William Fretwell]

Have a dozen Milwaukee 18V drills/ impact drivers plus other stuff. All my Makita tools have cords. Several of my many Milwaukee batteries died; quite a sudden death. The control panels were at fault.
The fuel variety is better for drills, more powerful.
Yes cordless has a place but corded tools work now and in 20 years, have better bearings, higher rpm, more power.

What you need is a thick rubber covered no twist extension that is quite short. It will be a pleasure to use.
The idea that cordless tools can replace everything is hilarious.

[Jack Frederick]

I am firmly in the M camp but it would be difficult to argue with being an M fan. I have the 12 & 18 V drills drivers, the 12 sawz-all which has been fantastic. 18 circ saw and a couple others. Two of my favorites are the 12 grease gun which handles m y two Kubotas and implements perfectly and a really excellent 18 leaf blower. to many batts and chargers to switch now. I do like my tools red.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I am in the Makita camp. I've had the 18V drill and others since they came out. My SIL gave me the 18 CS.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'd be what you call a heavy user of cordless tools. My company builds homes, at any point we have 100+ cordless tools in the company. My advice is to buy the brand for the batteries. There is a difference in battery tech, pricing, availability and performance. We demand a LOT from our tools, much more so than the average user, so we see the failure points. To that end, in my opinion, Milwaukee batteries are WAY overpriced per Ah and have lower run times and power when compared to the same size Dewalt. Makita batteries are just not big enough to compete. There is a reason nearly all of our tools are now Dewalt. The tools themselves are all pretty similar, the batteries are not.

[Thomas Wilson]

I'd be what you call a heavy user of cordless tools. My company builds homes, at any point we have 100+ cordless tools in the company. My advice is to buy the brand for the batteries. There is a difference in battery tech, pricing, availability and performance. We demand a LOT from our tools, much more so than the average user, so we see the failure points. To that end, in my opinion, Milwaukee batteries are WAY overpriced per Ah and have lower run times and power when compared to the same size Dewalt. Makita batteries are just not big enough to compete. There is a reason nearly all of our tools are now Dewalt. The tools themselves are all pretty similar, the batteries are not.

Hey Steve, what do you think about brushless motors vs conventional? The brushless are advertised to extend battery life. In my shop, battery life is not much of an issue so I don’t know.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I'd be what you call a heavy user of cordless tools. My company builds homes, at any point we have 100+ cordless tools in the company. My advice is to buy the brand for the batteries. There is a difference in battery tech, pricing, availability and performance. We demand a LOT from our tools, much more so than the average user, so we see the failure points. To that end, in my opinion, Milwaukee batteries are WAY overpriced per Ah and have lower run times and power when compared to the same size Dewalt. Makita batteries are just not big enough to compete. There is a reason nearly all of our tools are now Dewalt. The tools themselves are all pretty similar, the batteries are not.

Having worked “in the field” for many years, I can agree with your logic in that environment. I think the reality of most folks on this site is that they’re using stuff primarily in their shop and at a hobby use level, which is way different than full time home building, which can be very demanding on cordless, especially in the winter and rain. I have never had my Makita 18v stuff feel lacking battery capacity or underpowered when working from my shop or even doing solo on site finish carpentry. Only doing day in and day out heavy carpentry in winter time was that threshold reached and is easily solvable with some backup batteries on hand, ideally kept in an insulated bag or cooler / warm-ish place on standby. Just my thoughts based on experience. Don’t have much experience with Milwaukee battery pricing as I only have 2-3 and they were bought on promo. Buying any li ion batteries outright seems to be more expensive than it should be. I typically try and acquire them during special sales in conjunction with package deals on other tools that I need.

My experience with brushless motors is that it makes a pretty big difference with battery life and often times power / refinement as the brushless models tend to be a bit more engineered as the top of the line offering. Not necessarily worth it in a shop at hobby use level but nice to have and certainly a difference maker if going through multiple batteries / charges per day.

[Patrick Johnson]

Hi


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


Thanks!

Objective reason?? No. I suspect they're both pretty competitive. That said, I decided to build around the Makita brand for my cordless tools, well, Makita and Dewalt. Choose a battery and color and run with it.

One other comment... Since you're probably not buying the whole line of tools, you should probably consider the individual tools you will need to see which brand in general fits your needs, on average. That's why I have Makita and Dewalt. Some of Dewalts line works better for me than Makita, and vice versa.

Patrick

[Cameron Wood]

Other comments from the Makita camp:

Many of the newer tools have an electronic on/off switch that is very annoying. I was gifted a jigsaw that had this- make a cut, set it down, pick it up for another cut, and it has turned itself off, requiring button pushing that cannot be done one handed. I returned it for the older model.. Also have a hedge trimmer and routers with this feature- still annoying but manageable. I used the HT recently after some time- pushed the button(s) and it didn't turn on. Thought it was broken but figured out that you have to not just push the button, but hold it down for a second.

The multi tool has no switch lock, so the battery must be removed every time so that the tool doesn't turn on while jostling in the truck, draining the battery and potentially damaging other tools. This has happened multiple times.

The highest -end circular saw has higher rpm (better cuts) and a light, making it well worth the substantial extra cost over the one that comes in kits.

Cut off quart paper milk cartons hold Makita batteries nicely.

[Bert McMahan]

I'm a Milwaukee fan but know others that are satisfied with their Makita stuff. I can say that I got the 18V Fuel drill/driver kit and the 12V Fuel drill/driver kit, and I think I've used my 18V drill literally twice since then- once to drill holes in some 70 year old brick (which didn't work out anyway) and once to drill some 6" holes in drywall (since I could use the handle). The 12V Fuel line is always plenty strong for me.

Check out "Project Farm" on Youtube. He compares all sorts of tools across different brands. Generally the Milwaukee Fuel stuff beats out Makita by a little bit, but it does flip back and forth sometimes. He actually does real tests too, he doesn't just give impressions. (Side note- Milwaukee's hand tools, saw blades, bits, etc are generally "fine" but are almost never the best. If you get Milwaukee tools, get a different brand of bits and blades).

Two notes for Milwaukee though: first, stick with the Fuel line for basically everything. That's their "high end" line and it's WAY better than their non-Fuel stuff.

Second, use Slickdeals to find good deals on their tools. I haven't paid full price for a single one of my Milwaukee tools. The Home Depot "hack" method means you can get deals and return part of it for a solid refund. It's not a fraud thing either- if you buy a bundle of two separate items (as in two separate boxes that are bundled together, not a single box with two batteries or whatever), then the Home Depot receipt will actually say right there how much return value you can get.

For example: if there's a deal for a free $200 tool if you buy a $200 battery kit, then you can return one of them for $100 and wind up paying just $100 for the tool itself. Again- it's right there on the receipt and you can do it in store with no hassle. It sounded somewhat fraudulent at first but HD actually sets it up that way on purpose for some reason.

[Eric D Matson]

I was in the same boat. Makita had a good sale on their track saw. Free track and 4 total batteries for the same price, so I decided to go that route. Then I added a multi tool kit during Thanksgiving/Black Friday. Now I have added some outdoor equipment. I have their blower and weed whacker. Most of the time in the fall, Makita offers 4 batteries with their 36 volt outdoor equipment. So when you need batteries, you can just buy another tool and have 4 new batteries.

[Bryan Hall]

I'm fairly certain the milwaukee tool selection is significantly larger than makita. I'm a strong believer in having all battery platforms available and just buying the best tool. If you're set on 1 brand though, I think theres almost always a milwaukee deal going on for a different tool. I've been using them for years and always liked them over the makitas I've used.