# Which impact driver?



## jdowling80 (Jul 1, 2011)

I am having trouble deciding between a Makita and a Milwaukee impact driver. these are the two I am looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BTD142...rdless/dp/B000P9CZJK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-265...BIL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327988465&sr=8-1

I am just using it at home but have a lot of stuff to so I will use it on a regular basis. I am leaning toward the cheaper milwaukee but i keep hearing good thinks about makita I just want some opinions. I cant seem to find any better prices than Amazon. Thanks for the help.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Looking for low prices then check out CPO tools.
Do not be afraid of the reconditioned tools same warrenty as new.

I own and use ever day two Ryobi impact guns. I've owned them for over 2 years and they still work fine.
The less then 1/2 the price and the batterys also cost about 1/2 as much.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

jdowling80 said:


> having trouble deciding between a Makita and a Milwaukee


 You may end up buying additional battery powered tools so you should look now at what other tools you may buy in the Makita or Milwaukee family. It's cheaper to stay with one or the other, rather than ending up with different non-compatible batteries and chargers.
.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... After bein' a diehard Milwaukee fan for over 30 yeas,...

I bought the Makita driver in yer link,...
Actually, I went with the drill, 'n driver combo package with 2 batteries, 'n charger...
I *Lovin'* it...
Now I gotta find a pair of the bigger batteries, 'n a car charger for it...

No more Milwaukee battery tools for This Reengineer...


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## itin1200 (Oct 10, 2009)

I second the first three posts in this thread!

Per PaliBob: Started with a Makita impact driver, but now have a drill, impact wrench and circular saw all using the same batteries. There have been several reviews of cordless tool "families" in the past year or so. Google around and you should be able to find some.

Per Bondo: Love the Makita tools. Had a Makita recip saw in the early 90's and it fell apart. Swore I'd never own another Makita tool. Then I bought the BTD141...Best tool I've ever owned.

Per joecaption: I'm a firm believer in reconditioned tools. I have many from CPO, and have never had a bad experience.
http://www.cpoindustrialpowertools....default,pd.html?start=8&cgid=makita-lxt-tools

Here are a couple reviews of impact drivers to get you started:

http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1490&articleID=1721612

http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1490&articleID=1626607

Don't own any Ridgid tools, but supposedly the warranty is great and the tools preform pretty well, too. Price is usually pretty nice also.


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## Beanfacekilla (Jan 7, 2012)

There are already some good replies. 

I will just add my preference:

Makita. I have always been happy with all my makita tools. They are tough and reliable.

I prefer Makita for this reason.


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## toolaholic (Jul 31, 2011)

I have makita 6952 corded and a 14.4 6932 cordless plus a baby 10.8 cordless impact! All are A1!


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## HandyAndyRR (Dec 2, 2011)

Both are great tools. I have used both, but I do like the makita better. It is a bit more powerful and has longer battery life. I personally find the makita more comfortable to work with too. With that said, the milwaukee performs just fine. I am a contractor, so for me, the slight performance difference is worth paying more, but as a homeowner who doesn't use it as much, it may not be worth it. You will not be disappointed with either tool though.

edit: just realized that the makita you had a link to is the white one. There is also a blue version too(that is what I use). From what I have been able to find in the past, the blue version has a slightly better battery than the white, so that may negate my previous comment about the battery life comparison. I have never used the white makita though.


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## Beanfacekilla (Jan 7, 2012)

HandyAndyRR said:


> Both are great tools. I have used both, but I do like the makita better. It is a bit more powerful and has longer battery life. I personally find the makita more comfortable to work with too. With that said, the milwaukee performs just fine. I am a contractor, so for me, the slight performance difference is worth paying more, but as a homeowner who doesn't use it as much, it may not be worth it. You will not be disappointed with either tool though.
> 
> edit: just realized that the makita you had a link to is the white one. *There is also a blue version too(that is what I use*). From what I have been able to find in the past, the blue version has a slightly better battery than the white, so that may negate my previous comment about the battery life comparison. I have never used the white makita though.


I have the blue set as well. As for the white drill, it comes with a 1.5 AH (amp hours) battery. The LXT that we have has a 3.0 AH battery. Twice the battery, but heavier and bulkier. For a HO the white makita should be fine.

However, I have heard that the white makita impact drivers have plastic gears. I don't know if this is true.

Peace.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

ive used both the white and green makita drills, and the milwaukee.. personally i wouldnt hesitate at buying the makita. its got the best track record for impacts and for batteries. the big difference with the green over the white is run time.. its basically like having a gas tank twice as large.

the milaukee on the other hand has too much torque right out of the gate and is difficult to control.. i used them last year where i worked and i opted to use my own bosch instead.. not only that milwaukee has been having problems with their batteries pertaining to the battery life.. it seems like every 6 months their reworking the tech in them to try to get them to last longer

rigid cordless gear is a bit of a waste.. their notorious for having batteries that go bad really quick.. i have one battery on my cordless hammer drill which is finicky. also had the 12 v mini drill which had a battery that wouldnt take a charge after maybe 20 charges.


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## Jay 78 (Mar 2, 2011)

Although I have never personally used either of these, I'd definitely go with the Makita. 

Go to any forum or online site that sells Makita, and the reviews are always overwhelmingly positive. 

I was recently shopping for hammer drills, and handled the 18V Milwaukee that I believe would part of the two-tool combo with the impact you linked to. I was thoroughly unimpressed. Felt like a toy. Maybe the impact would be a fine piece, but IMO, your odds of satisfaction are much better with the Makita. Their 18V hammer drill is great, and I would expect no less from the impact. The build quality and ergonomics of their gear that I have used or handled always seems to be top-notch.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I have only used 2 brands of these. I tried the Dewalt 20V line and I loved the impact tool. It even has 3 LEDs instead of the typical one that most brands have. Plenty of power. But I took that set back because I didn't like the hammer drill/driver. I went and got the Makita LXT set and the impact driver is great... and I also really like the hammer/drill driver.

One caution, tho... the Makita batteries have a rep for a defect that can result in them not taking a charge even though the batteries are really OK. I haven't had mine long enough to have an issue yet. But buyers should be aware of the issue.


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## jdowling80 (Jul 1, 2011)

I think I will go with Makita. I may wait around a bit and see if I can find a good deal on a combo kit. I think I will buy new though because the most i seen is like a 30 dollar savings at cpo. Also you only get a one year warranty instead of 3 year on the tool on the reconditioned ones. If I find some better deals i may get something reconditioned. New batteries get 1yr warranties do the reconditioned ones get a year also or are their warranties reduced like the tools? Thanks for all the advice so far. I have been looking around and have not found a definite answer if the lxt models just come with the extra capacity batteries or if they are a heavier duty tool. I am in no rush to run out and buy one this week or anything I am more concerned with finding a good deal. I already have a 19.2 cordless drill its craftmans but gets me by. the kit I am looking at now is http://www.amazon.com/Makita-LCT200...DSE2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328112979&sr=8-2
Seem worth 27 more dollars for a high quality li-ion drill. 200ish is about all I can afford right now without my wife throwing a fit lol.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

jdowling80 said:


> I think I will go with Makita. I may wait around a bit and see if I can find a good deal on a combo kit. I think I will buy new though because the most i seen is like a 30 dollar savings at cpo. Also you only get a one year warranty instead of 3 year on the tool on the reconditioned ones. If I find some better deals i may get something reconditioned. New batteries get 1yr warranties do the reconditioned ones get a year also or are their warranties reduced like the tools? Thanks for all the advice so far. I have been looking around and have not found a definite answer if the lxt models just come with the extra capacity batteries or if they are a heavier duty tool. I am in no rush to run out and buy one this week or anything I am more concerned with finding a good deal. I already have a 19.2 cordless drill its craftmans but gets me by. the kit I am looking at now is http://www.amazon.com/Makita-LCT200...DSE2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328112979&sr=8-2
> Seem worth 27 more dollars for a high quality li-ion drill. 200ish is about all I can afford right now without my wife throwing a fit lol.


Ayuh,.... That's the kit I bought myself for Christmas, for $199.00...

Don't remember where though,... ebay I think....


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I went with the LXT set with the compact hammer drill/driver because the extra $70 for the heavier duty tools and larger batteries compared to the white set made sense. I also got a pair of the smaller batteries in the aftermarket for small jobs and the light weight. Then I sort of went all-in and added a circ saw and a blower and vacuum cleaner. Everthing works great.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

jdowling80 said:


> I think I will go with *Makita*.


 Good choice, I do not have any Makita battery powered tools right now but my first battery powered drill was the classic 7.2V Blue Makita with the long skinny battery in the handle. My very first battery powered drill was a Skil that came in a blue metal box around 1970. The battery was *not* removable so was recharged in the drill.
Anybody remember those?
.


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## itin1200 (Oct 10, 2009)

Don't want to hijack this thread, but have a question for raylo32.

Is this the vacuum you have? If so, how do you like it? Almost bought it at from Amazon at Chrismas, but I was low on funds after buying a couple other LXT tools...

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Tool-Mak...f=sr_1_18?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1328119828&sr=1-18


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Yup, that's the one. Works fine for what it is. Only thing I don't like is that it has a momentary switch that you need to hold down to keep it running. I guess that isn't really that big an issue since this will be used for small pick up jobs. But mildly annoying....

Understand the low funds. Tools can be almost addicting. But you really need to buy them before you need them. That's my excuse, at least!




itin1200 said:


> Don't want to hijack this thread, but have a question for raylo32.
> 
> Is this the vacuum you have? If so, how do you like it? Almost bought it at from Amazon at Chrismas, but I was low on funds after buying a couple other LXT tools...
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Tool-Mak...f=sr_1_18?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1328119828&sr=1-18


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

jdowling80 said:


> Seem worth 27 more dollars for a high quality li-ion drill. 200ish is about all I can afford right now without my wife throwing a fit lol.



lol, just say its so you can build her a new shoe rack for all the shoes shes bought on your credit card!:laughing:


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

These tool vendors should do what this once-upon-a-time mailorder bicycle shop did... offer to send you a second receipt for you to show the wife that showed a fraction of the real cost. Worked great unless she was who paid the bills and got to see the real numbers. <scratching head>


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## scyarch (Oct 20, 2011)

Just to pitch in my knowledge and tips- I will now swear by Makita since swapping over a year ago from being a Milwaukee diehard. I used to agree that the heft and beefiness of Milwaukee and the dogma that follows of the beefier it is, the more pro and longer it will last, but after using the Makitas (I have the blue ones, and per the blue line, the top of the line hammer drill and impact they offered, with the 3 adjustable power settings on the impact etc.. 3 amp batteries instead of the 1.5's), for about a year- I've been won over, by not just the power but their color scheme which I always originally hated 

The key knowledge that made me change, however- was my cousin who's been a movie studio grip for the last 3-4 decades. He got a set of the white ones, and swears by them because in his job, tools are used and abused to extreme limits, dropped from massive heights in rigging structures, and as far as all of the many types of tools they use, dewalt, makita and others- at the end of the time, he says the makita's always keep ticking. So despite the lighter feel, I'm pretty damn confident these are good ones. If I read correct and you got the Makitas- any of them, good investment


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## jdowling80 (Jul 1, 2011)

I ended up getting a blue LXT impact driver and hammer drill set around a week ago and have been very happy with them.


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