Need a new battery drill and recipro saw. Replacing Makita which i havent been happy with. Yes im hard on them. What are you using and how hard do you push it?
Been happy with Hitachi, has coped with long idle periods followed by short burst of moderate to heavy use. In my experience this is the worst type of use for longevity of batteries. Used to use panasonic all day everyday and was awesome, but thats going back 13 years so probably irrelevant.
Panasonic. I've been using them for 10 years and they outlast marital, dewAlt and hitachi by a long shot. Milwaukee are ok but generally bulky
I use Ryobi. As with all battery powered tools get the largest capacity batteries you can afford especially if using grinders, as smaller batteries tend to overheat quicker and the controlling electronics will limit the amperage which then underpowers the motor which will tend to burnout.
The newer varieties have brushless(stepper magnet) motors which are stronger & more efficient
I have a pretty good range of Hitachi 18v tools and they have served me really well for many years. But there are now better options in my opinion, Milwaukee get a good wrap from guys I know that are using them, they prefer them over the real high end stuff like Hilti that costs a fortune has great backup but can't be relied upon.
I'm all but retired now so I will stretch the tools I have as long as I can, if I do replace tools it won't be with Hitachi, but that is mostly a protest against them changing their batteries to force people to buy new tools.
Ryobi one... You can get four for the price of one expensive tool and two ryobi tools will last as long as the expensive one
Select to expand quoteTest pilot 1 said...
I use Ryobi. As with all battery powered tools get the largest capacity batteries you can afford especially if using grinders, as smaller batteries tend to overheat quicker and the controlling electronics will limit the amperage which then underpowers the motor which will tend to burnout.
The newer varieties have brushless(stepper magnet) motors which are stronger & more efficient
Tradies don't use ryobi, well not accurate ones
Always been a makita fan, but IMO they dropped in quality a few years back, I've since been on hitachi, I flog my tools and for me I'm converted , hitachi actually do most research and parts production then sell it on, it's their prime income, however makita a latest premium range looks feels and performs as good, remember they have budget and high end models
Actually I know tradies that buy Ryobies for the hired help and get surprising results from them, they are not as sweet as the better stuff, but if it's just to get the job done no worries.
I've only used them once or twice, when I was the hired help
I use milwaukee 1/2inch impact wrenches in 18volt and 3/8inch electric ratchets in 12volts and their led lights in both 12v and 18v. Both series have a great battery life and quick recharge time. Im a diesel fitter and drop these tools more often than I should they also get used for hours every day not just here and there. No complaints with milwaukee and cant afford the "snap on" equivalent!
Select to expand quoteWanga F One said...
Milwaukee
Panasonic also good longevity.
Panasonic were the first to use quality batteries. Milwaukee are my choice but as mentioned - bulky and heavy (I can live with that for a quality product). I was told that the new Makita had more grunt than Milwaukee but obviously less weight?
Those that suggest 'cheapies', it's a PITA when your tools fail during a job and as a tradie - there's an element of pride in having tools for a long time.
My pick of 'cheapies' would be 'Worx' - I bought 5 battery drills to use in my joinery business and they all handled the abuse well with 3 if them lasting >3 years. Festool are very good if you want precision and dust extraction, but after having 2 of their drills fail within a month after the warranty ran out (and their service dept telling me that 2 years is good for a drill so "bad luck") I went for another brand.
Milwaukee was was definitely on my list but the weight was an issue, I remember years ago when they were double the price of everything else.
Haven't seen any panasonic stuff might have to have a better look at that.
Makita still looks allright i just dont have the confidence in them after my issues and others ive seen.
Its funny that so far all the major brands have had a mention in some way except for one, Dewalt and that surprises me.
Ive had panasonic & hitachi but i use makita now have for about 10years . Yes sometimes I'm a little disappointed with the battery life but thats been the case with all brands .
Ryobi are now only sold at bunnings i do believe.So you can get the lowest price guaranty because nobody else sells them
Im pretty hard on tools .
Panasonic fell apart& bulky
Brand new Hitachi broke when drill fell off my nail bag got told thats not covered by warranty.
Dropped makita 3 storys didn't miss a beat
Massive range of tools & you can get them everywhere plus parts so thats my choice now . the weight factor is important to me as i have to carry all my tools on nailbag all day.
My question is what are people doing with there old batteries ?
Panasonic much better than other brands ive used such as makita. Enough torque to happily break your hand, great time out of battery. If you want cheap get ozito (just check the body flex/weakness on certain models) but if you jump up a little from that then spend the extra & get pano. There are better chucks than the pano cant remember which but they are in no way bad. Certain places run specials on panasonic quite often.
One of my old techs dropped his panasonic from about 3m onto concrete with no damage.
Select to expand quoteSandS said...
240 volts ...........way to go !!!!
Let me guess, you thought that the automobile was satins work and would never replace the horse as primary transport.
Gotta say pano & batterys still going strong after about 3 years being used all day everyday, I would budget for replacing makitas yearly & went through lots of batteries.
Select to expand quoteDavage said..
Need a new battery drill and recipro saw. Replacing Makita which i havent been happy with. Yes im hard on them. What are you using and how hard do you push it?
Hitachi
I've had good luck with all the Makita's I've owned. I have a drill that's 11 years old that I brought over with us when we moved down that's still going, left the plug in stuff with my Dad.
Back in North America when I was working in boat yards/running boats all we bought was dewalt - they stood up pretty well. All my mates that are tradies here seem to buy Dewalt as well.
If I could afford to - I'd buy Festool, I love they're gear found a jig saw on ebay best jig saw I've ever owned (plug in).
Select to expand quoteactiomax said..
Ive had panasonic & hitachi but i use makita now have for about 10years . Yes sometimes I'm a little disappointed with the battery life but thats been the case with all brands .
Ryobi are now only sold at bunnings i do believe.So you can get the lowest price guaranty because nobody else sells them
Im pretty hard on tools .
Panasonic fell apart& bulky
Brand new Hitachi broke when drill fell off my nail bag got told thats not covered by warranty.
Dropped makita 3 storys didn't miss a beat
Massive range of tools & you can get them everywhere plus parts so thats my choice now . the weight factor is important to me as i have to carry all my tools on nailbag all day.
My question is what are people doing with there old batteries ?
Old batteries can be pulled apart. The individual cells are tested and duds replaced. Sometimes it is the onboard electronics that give up. I recombine cells to make larger capacity packs for other projects. Where possible I match cells of same internal resistance(means they all discharge the same rate and not at staggered times)
the top shelf Makitas are still the go,,quality dropped off when they started manufacturing in China ,although Ive been told the top shelf cordless drill and impact drill are made in Japan again.I use mine every day and get great battery life and kit comes with 3 batteries.i know all the shop fitters used panasonic in the past not sure if its still the case,any way I stick with Makita.I bought the first 10" slide compound saw makita brought out 25+ years ago and its only just died this year,could probably be revived,sounds like gears not engaging,motor turns but doesn't engage blade.In all these years I've only ever had to replace brushes a few times and get blades sharpened-got my moneys worth from it for sure -made in Japan
I've had panosonic batteries for six years
Still going strong
All day every day
Drill and impact driver 6 yrs
Been thru 2 saws
3 grinders
Saw is perfect for roofers cutting battens
Grinders ok
Drills the best
Just bought a bosch 18v grinder
Almost like electric
Would by the saw and drills when panosonic die
Only thing is bosch are a bit bigger and heavier
Makita - never
Been thru a few hitachi kits
Panosonic have been great
Just wish they brought out a radio
My bosch boom box is the bomb
But to bloody heavy
Select to expand quoteDavage said..SandS said...
240 volts ...........way to go !!!!
Let me guess, you thought that the automobile was satins work and would never replace the horse as primary transport.
No, i bought a panosonic 12 volt drill about 25 years ago for $450 , the battery lasted about 12 months , and the replacement was over $150.
my mate had been using makita 7.5 volt drills for years with no trouble ...............i was crapped off !
never bought anther expensive batt drill again .
unless you are a metal roofer , its cheaper in the long run to use 240volt , doesn't take long to roll out and up a lead !
the young crew have gone battery mad it,s a folly !
If it's a brand they sell at bunnings it's not for a tradesman. They force the brand to go cheap and quality suffers
I've had hitachi 18 v range for a long time,
For work sites it's now a requirement to use battery, oh&s. Trip and electrical hazards
Cords are a pain, decent 18v+ is usually as good
Select to expand quoteDunkO said..
For work sites it's now a requirement to use battery, oh&s. Trip and electrical hazards
Cords are a pain, decent 18v+ is usually as good
i don't believe that , you are trying to tell people that , construction sites have required you to use batt tools instead of 240 volt power !!!!!! no way it will never happen !!!!
i,m saying ......crap alert !!!
It's not a flat out rule but where, battery operated tools can be used in direct replacement companies are putting battery use as a requirement.
saves heaps on testing and tagging too, only have to do the charger I run Hilti really hard to kill
