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I believe that possibly makita is OVERpowering their drill thus causing heat and battery issues that I've seen people talking about. I purchased this makita after reading all of the great reviews on amazon and other sites. Well, I really wanted to stay with the makita really, but due to the "wobble", it was useless to me. I have been looking for an 18v drill for about 3-4 weeks now reading everything I can online, and it has been almost worse than used car shopping.I see a lot of ppl saying that the milwaukee is "underpowered", but I don't believe that to be the issue. Charging technology has come a long way, but it's still not to the point to be able to consistently, SAFELY charge batteries whether they are nimh or lithium. My 20 year old corded craftsman with bad bearings held the bits steadier than the makita.
I have years of experience charging nimh, nicd, and lithium batteries and I can tell you that quick charging leads to batteries overheating and hot batteries lead to damaged battery packs. I was deciding on the milwaukee 18v vs this one. Also, just because the batteries charge in 15 minutes doesn't mean it's a good thing. Anyway, I had read other reviews mentioning the "wobble", but chalked them up to lemons or just a "bad batch". All I had to do was put in a spade bit or a very small bit, and it was clear that mine had the wobble too :(I can't speak for the long term of the milwaukee, but on the surface, it has a more solid feel (parts of the housing are actually metal), a gauge on each battery, and MUCH nicer case that is actually designed to hold the drill rather than just partition off the sections inside. If 30-60 minutes is too long for you to wait, then I would suggest purchasing extra batteries rather than quick charging batteries potentially damaging them.
Everyone is concerned about the drills being made in China, but you need to consider the quality and care of the battery packs too.
I am very happy with the performance of this drill. Battery run-time is even better than I expected, and recharging takes as little as ten minutes. My only quibble is that the white color shows dirt very easily, making my expensive new drill look years old after less than a month.
I went with the Makita only because it was in stock at the time I went to purchase one. I bought it because I am a woman with very small hands; women's small garden gloves are too big. No need to push buttons simultaneously on opposite sides. I had previously owned an 18V Ryobi, but was thankful after many years of use that it died.
The light creates light below where you actually need it, so your screw is still in the dark. The battery pack was so large I would have to hold it between my knees and use two hands while attempting to pry the battery off for recharging. The two drills that I looked at were Milwaukee and Makita because both of them have the smallest battery that I could pull off easily. I have used this drill since March 2009. Whenever I use it in low light, I can't help but wonder if the manufacturer actually tested it. With the push of the front button, the drill easily slides backward.
I don't use it daily, but at least once a week and it is a quick 15 minute charge. The only disappointment to this drill was the light and I really would have given the drill 4 1/2 stars if the rating would have allowed.
The best light system would have been around the tip area, but like I said before, I do not use it in low light very often. I have to buy kid's gloves.
Of course, I don't do a lot of drilling in low light, so it isn't that big of a deal. The Makita is extremely light and well-balanced, thereby eliminating the need to rest.
I have only recharged the battery once since owning it. However, if a manufacturer is going to put an add-on feature on their drill, then they should get it right.
If you do much drilling in low light, I would recommend purchasing a headlamp.I would recommend this drill for home diy and especially female diy-ers as it is light weight, ergonomically designed, quick charging, and holds the charge for long periods.
I used both Drills side-by side to install air conditioning system and window coverings too. Anyway, I Liked the feel of both drills equally. it comes with a 5-year warranty for both battery and drill. I also bought a Hitachi DS18DFLPC 18-Volt Lithium Ion Drill Kit $187.99 (3.8 lbs with battery). Makita BDF452HW LXT 18v Drill (3.5 lbs with battery), 3 year warranty (battery 1-year only. Game Over. The NEWER BATTERIES are made in Japan ONCE AGAIN perhaps to bring back QUALITY CONTROL that so many companies have outsourced to make more profit using cheap labor. I wondered if these batteries were made in China.
This is a very important issue. note: many user have complained and about the Makita Lithium-ion Battery failure. Makita did a great job. However the Chuck on the Makita is superior, the Hitachi often had slippage with some bits. And to test the power, comfort and performance of each drill set. Have had no such experience yet, also many of these complains were on batteries made 2 or more years ago. The Makita had superior Power (450 pft vs 374 pft) for the Hitachi. I returned the Hitachi DS18DFLPC 18-Volt Lithium Ion Drill Kit to Costco where I purchased it for $99.99
Light, powerful, long lasting batteries, fast recharge, and torque that will astound. Best cordless drill I've ever owned. The built in light is a nice touch.
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