I recently owned a Makita set so I will compare the two. I use the tools every day in remodel and new construction work.
* The Milwaukee is slightly heavier, but still easy to use.
* The belt clip on tool base is very useful. Makita doesn't have same feature.
* Battery life seems to be the same. I love the charge level indicator on the battery, but when it is dead, it stops immediately, no gradual loss.
* The hard plastic carry case will last much longer than the Makita cordura bag, which was pretty beat up after six months of use.
* Both brands have a use light above trigger but Makita's will glow for a short stretch after trigger release whereas the Milwaukee turns off immediately.
* Makita also has the glow ring on the impact driver that makes finding it in the dark easier, very handy.
* The Milwaukee impact driver has a rubber bumper strip on both sides of the nose for friction protection [nice] but one end on both sides come unattached with very little use [annoying]. I had to super glue them in place and they have held for several weeks.
* I anticipate no difference in tool life and durability having used both tool brands for many years. Milwaukee 2691-22 18-Volt Compact Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit
After owning two of the white Makita lith-ion drills I had to return both of them because the charger kept killing the batteries dead. From what I have read this is a known problem.
Here is what I like better about the Milwaukee.
First the charger does not kill the $80 batteries no matter how long you leave them on the charger. Second, the Milwaukee has a great battery charge indicator right on the battery. This is very important with Lith-Ion batteries as they have full power right up to the end and quit without warning. With is level gauge you know exactly how much battery life you have when you grab your drill. Third, the Milwaukee drill has bit storage on board, handy for philips and reg bits. Lastly the red color holds up much better then white.
Hope this helps.
Recently I've been doing a lot of work around the house getting ready for winter. I went to Home Depot looking for an impact driver (something that could easily drive 4-6 inch lag screws and 8-10 inch Timberlock screws). The Makita and Milwaukee impact drivers seemed to outperform any others available. I chose the Milwaukee based on prior experience with this brand AND final sale price of $225.00 for the set (versus $275 for the Makita). Right out of the box there was enough charge in the battery to finish driving several timber screws in a drain box I was repairing. I've been very impressed with the weight, durability, and performance of this set. The torque in the impact driver is eye-popping. No buyer's remorse for this tool purchase.
After having Makita products in the past, I chose to buy this Milwaukee drill after the Makita Lithium Ion drills had concerns about wobbly chucks and poor batteries. I received the drill and immediately liked it. The weight, size, trigger control, etc. were all fantastic. The best drill I ever handled. So I took my new drill to put up several blinds and thought the new quick change bit set I bought was junk. Everything was wobbling and it was even hard to put in the screws. I went down to the shop and started going through some other bits. Every one of them wobbled. So, I pulled out my old Makita and the wobbling was immediately gone. I was in the middle of a bunch of different projects, so I went to a local store and picked up another Milwaukee. I got it home and the same problem. They both wobble like nothing I've seen before. Beware, others say Makita has wobble problems, but in my case 2 Milwaukee compact drills from two different stores have suffered from wobbly chucks, while I've never seen a Makita with this problem. There's definitely some quality control issues at Milwaukee with these drills.
I'm a hobbyist...a retired car nut. I like good tools, and in this case, I wanted a cordless drill with lots of power, and a keyless chuck that would hold a drill bit without slipping. I haven't used my new Milwaukee drill and impact driver much yet, but my initial impression is very positive, with one exception: battery life. Both pieces have all the power you could ask for, and they're light and well-balanced. They feel good in your hand...not over-bulky or lop-sided. The chuck on the drill grabs great, and doesn't spin on the drill bits, but I noticed the battery charge getting low after about 30 holes in sheet metal. Battery charge lasted a little better on the impact driver...I don't know if the drill just pulls more charge out of the battery, or maybe my drill battery happened to be weaker than the driver one. In any case, the battery charge indicator lets you know where you're at (after you put the battery on the charger), and the batteries recharge in a relatively short time. I questioned at first, why I'd need or want an impact driver if I had a powerful drill. Won't they do basically, the same thing? The impact driver gives you much greater control in driving screws. I was able to drive about 75 sheet metal screws into thick sheet metal without boogering up a single phillips head or twisting off a single screw. I know that using a drill to drive those screws, I'd have had about a 75% success rate at best. For me, these are great...for a contractor or someone working for a living, you'd want to have a handful of batteries so you can keep going.
How could a craftsman who's bought Milwaukee tools for over 20 years, (and many are Still in constant use), mark a "one star"? Two reasons: very very poor engineering and cheap brittle plastic. First of all I should have realized a change when my trusty 'ol 18 volt nicad Milwaukee drill slid off a chair onto a wood floor - and the handle snapped in half! Luckily I could buy the case, and after 2 hours of reassembly it is functioning again. Their plastic looks maleable, it is an illusion - it is incredibly brittle. The opposite of what is needed in a 'Heavy Duty" tool. So I should have known better than to buy this new set. I could find nothing amiss with the impact driver - it looks like good ol Milwaukee quality. But, believe me or not, the driver drill snapped in half too! And this was one half hour out of the box, drilling studs with a 1" spade bit for wiring. The bit caught on a knot, I resisted, and the drill snapped. Same brittle plastic. But far worse is the engineering / design of the drill. On a cursory inspection it looks strongly built. It's totally an illusion. All that holds the drill motor to the handle is two tiny pieces of brittle plastic hidden under pretty coverings.
Amazon prime is wonderful, they refunded in full in short order. I so regret I did not take pictures of this pathetically designed tool broken in two in my hands! And I am no gorilla -( like those who still respect these Chinese made Milwaukees may need to presume). For me, 20 years of supporting them has come to an end until I learn they have recalled this tool And changed their plastic formulation. Next day I went out and bought a Bosch set, nearly the same price, with even better specs on torque. (Bosch CLPK23-180 18V 2-Tool Litheon Combo Kit) After careful inspection and hard use I can say they are designed very well. It seems Bosch hasn't gone the route of Milwaukee. Whew. My partner uses a Makita set, and as can certainly happen on a job site, eventually one fell a story and half. We just picked it up and kept going, as it should be. Makita is not quite as well built IMHO, but certainly a good second choice. I have never written a review before, hope it's useful. - Milwaukee M18 - Drill - Lithium-ion - Combo Packs'
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