Makita or Milwaukee battery tools - Experience

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Technofreak

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#303342 2-Feb-2023 23:18

I'm looking some battery tools and have short listed either Makita or Milwaukee in the 18 volt range. Initially just looking at impact wrenches, both brands have the features, power and physical size I'm looking for.

In the future I will be looking for other tools like, right angle drills and impact wrenches, line trimmers, garden edgers, etc which both brands have.

Looking for real life feedback on either brand. TIA.

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#3031113 3-Feb-2023 06:25

It really varies between individual tools but in general I’d say Makita has better fit, finish and ergonomics in the hand, but Milwaukee is more powerful and you can put bigger batteries on. Makita lets you get that increased battery and power advantage back if you get the X2 tools which take two batteries at once. For my money I went Makita and don’t regret it.

That said I have Stihl gear to do my garden side of things. If I was going to have just one system that also did heavy garden duty like augers, trimmers etc… I’d be looking long and hard at the Makita XGT 40V system. The YouTube channels Scott Brown Carpentry and Tools n Stuff have good reviews and tests of the Makita system

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#3031118 3-Feb-2023 07:37

They're both really good overall. Some individual tools are better one vs the other (Milwaukee nail guns and Makita track saws for example). Makita is probably still more common here but Milwaukee is on something of a surge.

What stores are geographically convenient? Makita is available everywhere, but I think you can only get Milwaukee at Placemakers of the big box retailers (I've also heard the ToolShed sells a lot too).

Probably doesn't help adding another option to the mix, but if you're after impact wrenches in particular, I was super impressed with some Hikoki (ex Hitachi) options I tried at a Field days. I like the 18V/36V dual volt battery option they do. Makita is a bit less coherent with 18, 36 (2x18) and 40V options that aren't fully interchangeable.

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#3031140 3-Feb-2023 09:00

My father was a builder for ~50years and never carried anything but Makita in his tool box so I do the same. The reality is that both of those manufacturer's make great tools so you won't go wrong with either.

Only advice is to buy into the manufacturer based on the range of tools they offer and how they meet your needs. Once you buy into a battery system its expensive to change so you want to make sure you can get everything you want from the that manufacturer.

Specifically on impact wrenches. I have the smallest of the Makita 18v wrenches. I only use it for undoing wheel nuts and its perfect for that. For its size it is surprisingly powerfull.

Technofreak

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#3031162 3-Feb-2023 09:45

The 36v option with some Makita tools is certainly attractive. I'm presuming those tools use two of the standard 18v batteries. Therefore the batteries from the 18v tools can be used on the 36 v tools.

Milwaukee have two battery devices too but I think they're still only 18v.

Milwaukee are in Repco as well..

I did look at HiKoki and I like the dual voltage battery setup they have. Their range of other tools didn't seem to be as extensive though to be honest I may not have looked as extensively for them.

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CrazyM

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#3031165 3-Feb-2023 09:56

Yep exactly. 2 standard 18v batteries go in the 36v tools. I have one of their 36v chainsaws and it’s great. But if I was planning to have several 36v tools I would probably go all the way to 40v. Makita is doing free batteries by redemption at the moment too on their outdoor equipment

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#3031166 3-Feb-2023 09:58

Makita have some 36v which are 2 18v and they have 40vmax which is all 36v in one pack which is more convenient.

Makita batteries are commonly used by Chinese tool companies, so there are lots of really cheap things on aliexpress that will use the batteries, blowers are a good one where you don't need to spend Makita money to get something useful, but the Chinese impacts and angle grinders also work great.

Builders I know use Makita because you can get it anywhere. All shops have them. If they break a tool they can pick a replacement up to keep working with their existing batteries easily. Milwaukee is only trade oriented suppliers that have limited opening ours compared to the 2 big home improvement chains.

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Stu1

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#3031170 3-Feb-2023 10:04

It’s a shame there isn’t a universal battery kit , guess that’s how they make their money. They really lock you into the brand. The makita tools are really good for the home DIYer or gardener. The chainsaws and leaf blower are good around home and the power drill kits are excellent. I have also found tool shed brand really good for the odd jobs like fencing the nail guns and compound saws are great and have a better warranty than makita. I found tool shed I could actually test the tools in the shop which was great especially when looking at nail guns. The Mitre ten and placemakers don’t seem to offer that option which is a shame . What ever you decide get a double charger it’s amazing how many batteries you go through on a job especially the Makita Chainsaws

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#3031172 3-Feb-2023 10:05

If you're starting from scratch / don't have any legacy compatibility issues, I think I'd go Makita 40V over 36V. 2x18 batteries means that you need to have 4 batteries for all day work (if that's a factor). 2x18V is also much bulkier. This is fine for stationery tools like drop saws. But I've also used a mate's 36V angle grinder and the double battery is a bit heavy and unweildy. YMMV and it will depend on your exact use case though. Scott Brown has a recent video comparing the Makita ranges - he still has legacy 18V but is moving to 40V. They are still more expensive though.

In addition to 18V, Milwaukee has a very nice 12V range (which I am currently eyeing up for "inside" projects - the more delicate ones that don't involve great deals of dust and grease) and an absolutely ridonculous 72V / MX Fuel range for enormous concrete saws and jackhammers.

mdf

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#3031173 3-Feb-2023 10:10

Stu1: It’s a shame there isn’t a universal battery kit... <snip>

Those clever Europeans and their desire to reduce waste are a few steps ahead of us: https://www.powerforall-alliance.com/en/. Unfortunately most of the brands aren't common here. I'm also not sure how far this extends - I don't think Bosch Green and Bosch Blue are even cross compatible?

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#3031178 3-Feb-2023 10:30

I don't have either brand of power tools, but I have been very impressed with the Malwalkie branded hand tools I recently purchased.

In reality, unless you are using in a commercial operation, the likelihood is that both will be absolutely fine.

Go with the one that has better after-sales support.

richms

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#3031205 3-Feb-2023 10:51

Stu1: It’s a shame there isn’t a universal battery kit , guess that’s how they make their money. They really lock you into the brand.

There is a standard among many Euro brands. Seems that a lot of single tool only type companies are using it, but it looks like a pretty basic standard.

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#3031206 3-Feb-2023 11:03

I have had all the different brands over the years, the only brand that has never failed me on site is the Milwaukee.

I personally run Milwaukee, and we have a mixed bag at work, most of my guys who are electricians run Milwaukee, and most of the builders run Makita.

Both have pros and cons, for me it was the warranty length and how good the gear is that won me over, having burnt out two top of the line Makita's (this was about 15 years ago to be fair), and one Dewalt, I moved to Milwaukee, hasn't let me down since.

Milwaukee has a massive range of add-ons an extra bits of gear that can make kitting out vans and sorting gear very easy.

On another note, one brand to also look at (one of my guys run them without hassle) is the 18v AEG range, incredibly great value for the cost.

mdf

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#3031228 3-Feb-2023 11:49

Johnk:

<snip>

On another note, one brand to also look at (one of my guys run them without hassle) is the 18v AEG range, incredibly great value for the cost.

I have AEG - I was gifted an initial drill and have been building out since then (#batteryplatformcapture). I've been really happy with the stuff I've got - the battery tool AEG range is owned by Techtronic (TTI), same as Milwaukee and Ryobi and slots in between those two in terms of price/quality. The warranty is outstanding.

My only slight regret is that it is a Bunnings exclusive in NZ and the range of stuff isn't as extensive as some others (including TTI's other brands). Which is somewhat frustrating, since there are more AEG tools available, we just don't get them here. Europe and North America (it is "Ridgid" in NA, rather than "AEG") both have a greater range. Even Australia has a few additional nice options I've got my eye on compared to here. Bunnings exclusives also mean that the sales promotions (and price matching) is much more limited.

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#3032241 5-Feb-2023 16:12

I’d take Makita over Milwaukee because they are so well established and ubiquitous in NZ with many retail and trade sources. Their battery redemption deals often make them price competitive with Ryobi. So I would have chosen Makita over Ryobi if I’d realised that single-source tools don’t get as good specials and deals. Nor do we get the complete Ryobi range even in comparison with Australia let alone North America. I’d expect Milwaukee to have similar range limitations in our small market whereas Makita appears to have almost all their products available here.

mdf:

Stu1: It’s a shame there isn’t a universal battery kit... <snip>

Those clever Europeans and their desire to reduce waste are a few steps ahead of us: https://www.powerforall-alliance.com/en/. Unfortunately most of the brands aren't common here. I'm also not sure how far this extends - I don't think Bosch Green and Bosch Blue are even cross compatible?

Bosch and Huskvarna joined together because of the competitive threat from non-European brands and not because of any altruistic desire to create better options for consumers.

Technofreak

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#3032254 5-Feb-2023 16:47

I chose Milwaukee in the end. It was a close run thing. I went to buy with no real preference.In the end it was the deal that was available on the tool plus charger and batteries that swung it.

As far as I can tell both Makita and Milwaukee have an equivalent range of tools available here. The range of tools and accessories available for both makes was the main reason I had short listed both brands.

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