Dewalt VS. Makita VS. Erbauer

Been using ths vac for years, very powerful but very noisey!

http://www.earlex.co.uk/wd1000.html

 

I got a Erbauer 18v drill that I have had for six or so years, the batteries are on their last legs now and replacement ones are more then a new drill with batteries????, the body of the drill is still excellent, with a tight chuck and good gears, for the money I think they are excellent.

My bosch drill on the other hand is a piece of ****, never has been any good, it's a green model.

 

I've had this DeWalt set for about 3 years now (but with 3ah batts) can't fault it. Combi Drill is very powerful, impact driver just a good.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc...-twin-pack-combi-drill-impact-driver-xr/69807


SDS wise, I've got a 240v Blue Bosch. Again, would highly recommend.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-2kg-sds-plus-drill-gbh2000-240v/87453


Cordless 18v DeWalt jigsaw, such a useful tool to have

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcs331n-xr-400w-jigsaw-18v-bare/63581


Both Angle Grinders I have (4.5 + 9inch) are Makita, good value for money

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-ga9050-2-9-angle-grinder-240v/95843


Few other bits and pieces maninly consisting of DeWalt, Makita, Bosch and Hitachi.

 

Just to put my point across. I'm a window fitter and use erbauer tools. The EXT battery range have plenty of power matching makita and are solid and durable. I will be sticking with this make as it has a reasonable price and does the job.
ber: 38811"]Hi All,

This is my first post here, and after trying to search to see if this has already been debated, I couldn't find anything, so I thought I would ask

So, ignoring cost as everyone's perception of value for money is different, who make the best power tools?

I am trying to get an idea of durability, build quality, ease of use, weight/feel/ergonomics that kind of thing.

So, what brand would you choose and why?

Looking forward to some great responses[/QUOTE]

 

Milwaukee 12v and 18v all the way. Corded power from battery, batteries up to 12Ah. Big range of tools and accessories.
Been using for 14 years, still got original 12v 1.5Ah batteries in use. Only thrown out my original 12v combi drill as it wore out after 12 years.

Festool for corded saws etc. Got 75mm plunge saw, ½" router, ¼" router, mitre saw, jigsaw, Domino, CTL Midi extractor.

Over the last 38 years I've had Hitachi, Metabo, Makita, all ended up in the junk pile.

 

All my battery stuff is Makita 18v. Love it and never had an issue with any of it. Brilliant kit. Batteries are pricy but to be honest unless they came with a battery I buy the eBay knock-offs at about £20 a time for 5a. Work flawlessly. Seem to last just as long. Charge well. I must have 12 or more. Only one that stopped charging after about a year of constant use. Supposedly had a 5 year guarantee which I thought wasn’t worth anything but messaged them and another sent out without question.

Erbauer. I’ve got a couple of sanders, a router, 9” and 4” grinders, a tile saw, floodlights. All corded. Difficult to fault for the money. Depends on your use. The 9” grinder for instance is as good as the blades you put on it. Not really sure how buying a ‘better’ one is going to make it cut better or be more reliable.

Only thing I would say is make sure you’re 100% happy. Maybe don’t buy it all at once. Once your committed to a manufacturer the compatibility of the batteries across the range kind of ties you in for eternity.

Oh….and don’t ask on forums, or Facebook,insta or TikTok . Everyone has their preferred brand and generally the belief that all other brands are therefore rubbish. This makes everyone’s opinion completely useless. Including mine.

 

This is a good point. You would have to use a number of brands extensively to get meaningful comparisons and even then they will still possibly be biased towards personal preference.

The main brands all produce decent kit but they also turn out one or two lemons occasionally. Are you going to stick with a single platform or are you going to get the better kit? I suppose it depends if your livelihood depends on if.

I really like my Milwaukee gear both 12v and 18v and there's quite a lot of it including the batteries. They don't make everything however (or sell it here possibly) so like @Timbo66 I also have quite a bit of Festool stuff (inc battery powered) and having more than one battery platform is actually no problem.

There also seems to be an increasing array of battery adapters available which might make this less of an issue in future especially for DIY users. I run a Ryobi 18g nailer (it was better and cheaper than the Milwaukee at the time) using an adapter and Milwaukee batteries and it's absolutely fine. Given this I think people should select the best tool for the job, or the one that they like the feel of, or the best they can afford or any combination of the above.

In future there will be absolutely no reason not to choose any brand that takes your fancy and you'll be okay. So long as it's not DeWalt!

 

Funnily enough it shows how easily swayed we all are. I’d never normally buy DeWalt. I’d never owned any and had no reason to dislike it. But at the back of my mind are all those forum and social media comments telling me it’s owned by Black and Decker and therefore rubbish, only fit for DIY, suitable only for kids, and cheap and nasty. Stupid isn’t it.

I did recently buy a 16g air nailer though as I couldn’t find a decent priced alternative. Perfectly good. I’ve sprayed it Makita Blue though so I don’t get slagged off by my mates. (I haven’t really, honest )

 

I was joking as you guessed and I do actually have some DeWalt kit. Mind you, they were Elu routers before DeWalt acquired and rebadged them.

 

And their TStak storage boxes are great. Much more robust than Makita though I’ve only ever bought them when screwfix have had them at half price. My Makita stuff is in Makstaks as I assume if I put them in DeWalt boxes they’ll stop
working in protest.

 

I've owned them all, and always come back to dewalt. Personal preference really. You can't go wrong with dewalt, makita, milwaukee, bosch. I think festool is over price for certain products. Try and stick to a brand though or you'll be spending out on batteries and chargers.