# Makita 18V or DeWalt 20V



## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

It's been beaten to death, but 20v and 18v are the exact same thing. The 18v lines will show 20 volts right off the charger. DeWalts 20v is a marketing gimmick. 

That said, what I would do in your situation is look at what all tools are offered by each manufacturer. I went with Milwaukee based mainly on specs and quality. The drills, drivers, and impacts have the most power, are solidly built, and have the most brushless options. Milwaukee, Rigid, and Ryobi are all owned by the same company, but Chrysler used to own Lamborghini; no one said the Diablo was a gussied up K-Car. 

If I were to do it over again, however, I'd maybe do more research. Milwaukee is geared toward plumbers and electricians, not so much carpenters and homeowners. I love my M18 tools and will not give them up but for what I use them for DeWalt has more of what I'm interested in.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I think you will do fine with any of the brands you mentioned. 

To me, the question is which one feels better in your hand. The drill and the driver are most likely to be the tools you use the most, today and in the future. You do not want anything less than the best fit and balance for you. 

The 1.5 vs 2 amp battery isn't a big point with me. The extra 0.5 ah will give a slightly longer run time. But a 3rd battery charged up and sitting in the charger beats the heck out of it, regardless of which sizes you are debating. 

I would go to the store(s) and handle the tools. If possible, put a battery (even a dead one) in it. The battery weight can significantly change the feel/balance of the tool.

After you know which ones feel the best, then you can make better price vs feature comparisons. Some of the claimed value of some features isn't worth a lot if the tool is uncomfortable in your hand.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Also the slower the charge on a battery the better, a fast charge will kill a battery much sooner.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

the faster charge only kills nicad batteries quicker.. which is what the dewalt xrp batteries were notorious for.. countless coworkers i know who ran dewalt nicad tools had to replace batteries almost yearly... the lithium ion tech which is current is much more advanced and the issue has been solved..

as for brand. go with makita or milwaukee, if you ever want to expand your tool collection of cordless stuff they have the largest selection of 18 v tools. as for ridgid making milwaukee thats false, both are owned by the same parent company TTI which also owns ryobi. the milwaukee line is their top end, ridgid the mid range which takes some of milwaukees tech for their own and then the homeowner grade ryobi


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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

I just went thru the same decision. Went with Makita, because of the free battery. I don't think you will go wrong with any of the three. Buy the one that feels best in your hand and has the best selection of the next tool you will want. 

BTW, my new Makita set is a beast. I remodeled a whole kitchen and only recharged the batteries a few times. My old NiCad drill was a constant battle/switch/race with the charger.


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## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

Well, I can't help you with the tools you have listed. I still use the 12v DeWalt drill, driver, and impact driver. Not a pro, just retired and a hobbyist woodworker. With that said, I have built cabinets for several kitchens, wet bar, buffet and a lot of other projects. The little DeWalts get used a lot driving screws, attaching drawer and door hardware and drawer fronts. Never had a single problem. The batteries last a long time and recharge quickly.

Recently I added an 18V cordless to my arsenal and a dual charger that will charge Li-ion batteries. I have been happy with it so far.

I guess I won't be dragged into the new technology anytime soon.

Good luck in your search.
Mike


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Go with Ryobi 18v.

Largest selection of cordless tools. Great value for the money.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

been using a old milwaukee 14.4 drill for 20 years, still going strong. in fact for the last two years i use it for screwing down metal roof panels. have a backup but havent needed it.


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## Millertyme (Apr 20, 2010)

I bought the dewalt 20v combo last year at lowes. This year I bought the Milwaukee m18 fuel with the 5 amp battery because the dewalt was such a piece of garbage. It dies after drilling 2 1" holes in oak handrail. Then it takes 2 hours to charge the battery.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

ddawg16 said:


> Go with Ryobi 18v.
> 
> Largest selection of cordless tools. Great value for the money.



ummm no.. makita has over 100 tools in their 18v lineup which all run on the 3 amp batteries some of the newer tools run better on the 5 amp. but their all lxt 18v


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## carmusic (Oct 11, 2011)

id say for any high usage get away from any drill that have plastic chuck-gears like the entry levels dewalt (all the 2 speed models).I have some dewalt drill (3 speed premium) that are very good but they have all metal gears and were coming with 3Ah batterys 3 years ago,


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