Dewalt vs Makita

Sgarrista
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So guys!

Looking at buying a new cordless combi drill.

Narrowed it down to either

MAKITA DHP458Z
or
DEWALT DCD985N

Each has slightly different specs, but which would you go for :)?
 
Soldato
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9 Apr 2007
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Personally dewalt for Cordless as I already have some so they share batteries. I have a wired makita sds and that's good bit of kit as well.

Starting from scratch, which ever is cheaper and to the spec you want. I think there pretty even.
 
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NVP

NVP

Soldato
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I have a Makita with 2x18v batteries and a charger. This meant I could then buy the body only versions of their Orbital Sander and their MultiTool and share the batteries which is absolutely fantastic.

Quality wise between the two I wouldn't be able to offer advice but I can vouch for the Makita if that is any good to you :)
 
Soldato
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I recently upgraded to a brushless kit and went with Makita despite the Dewalt being slightly cheaper. To me, they feel nicer in the hand than their Dewalt counterparts, and the cordless tool range that can share the batteries is massive.

Also, I don't like that yellow!
 
Soldato
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Personally i'd go for DeWalt, but both are very good systems. Look at other tools you might want to get down the line from both camps to decide which battery system to invest in.

As for those two drills I prefer the Dewalt for the faster screw drive speed. Makita always seem to have really slow screw drive speed (400rpm), where as the Dewalt has a faster drive speed, plus 3 speeds to choose from.

You could also look at the DCD995, which is the brushless version. It should be a bit lighter and have more runtime than the brushed version.
 
Soldato
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I use dewalt at work and makita at home. I prefer the makita but the dewalt has taken some serious abuse and always stood up to it. Different strokes for different folks
 
Associate
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I use the makita daily at work and they do take some abuse and keep on going, as for the batteries any makita battery will fit any makita tool regardless of voltage and amps.
My main used tools are the makita impact driver and drill (18v 3a) but when I dont have a charged battery can just grab anything handy (usually a 10v) and just carry on. The 20 minute fast charge is also awesome. I Currently run a reciprocating saw, angle grinder, impact driver, cordless drill and oscillating saw and ripsnorter (all makita) and share batteries from them all with no issues.
Im not particularly a fan boy of makita and have owned dewalt in the past, as much as they have been reliable enough tools that do last they always felt a lot heavier and when in constant use all day you really want the lighter of the 2 options.
 
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I've got makita for my 18v kit and always found it excellent, they do lots of body only stuff once you have the batteries including garden power tools etc, not sure if dewalt do such a big range
 
Soldato
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Dewalt have a massive range, although I'm not sure about garden power tools. They even do cordless mitre saws and some awesome 18v first and second fix nail guns.
 
Associate
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I don't think there is a wrong answer. Both good choices. Think ahead about what other tools that share the same battery that you might want further down the line. At the end of the day, there is usually a combi drill and batteries deal on one of the two, so make sure you take you first step into either manufacturer with a great deal.

Edit. I have Dewalt that I'm very happy with!

Dave
 
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