Dewalt, Makita, or Craftsman drills?? huge price diff, but why?

[Cattlegod]

dewalt 14.4v set 230 bucks
dewalt


makita 14.4v set 220 bucks
makita

craftsman 19.2v 130 bucks
craftsman


wtf, why is the craftsman sooo much cheaper? anyone know what the deal is for 100 dollars different? granted, the imact drill is 200 in lbs less, but still.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

quality of the components and batteries.

From experience I would say Dewalt>Craftsman>Makita

for the average homeowner, thew craftsman is perfect

 

[Leros]

The last Makita drill I used made me cry, it was so weak.

 

[EngenZerO]

dewalt ftw...

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
quality of the components and batteries.

From experience I would say Dewalt>Craftsman>Makita

for the average homeowner, thew craftsman is perfect

really? damn, i though makita was one of the top of the line brands. hmm

 

[EngenZerO]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
quality of the components and batteries.

From experience I would say Dewalt>Craftsman>Makita

for the average homeowner, thew craftsman is perfect

really? damn, i though makita was one of the top of the line brands. hmm

i personally believe makita is better than craftsman... its just dewalt and black and decker are in the leading end of power tool technology...

 

[Jadow]

MILWAUKEE IS THE WAY TO GO

 

[theeedude]

NiMh > NiCad ?

 

[JinLien]

I went with the Makita after my old Dewalt burnt out and it is working out very well at the moment. Makita is trying to get rid of their old Nicad/NimH design so they can push the new LiIon technology along.

The Makita impact is the lightest & smallest impact/drill there is and is powerfull enough to drive lag bolt all day long. Impact batery longevity is 2X as dill and are at 2/3 the weight.

I use the above Makita kit every day at my HVAC job for the last 3 months and the dill only see action twice (prime 4 pilot holes & cut nine 3 1/2" holes with hole saw).

The Makita impact driver has gone through about 20 packs (500 each) of 1/2" sheet metal screws, 3 packs (250 each) of 1 1/2" sheet metal screws, and 6-7 packs (250 each) of 1 1/2" wood screws. The batteries get about 2 charge per week (24 charges each so far).

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Jadow
MILWAUKEE IS THE WAY TO GO

2 years ago I would have agreed, but the new stuff is crap. They even did away with the old warranty. New ones are only good for 3 years IIRC.

 

[huberm]

I have the same Makita drill and love it

I have thrown it across a runway several times and it still comes out ok

 

[JinLien]

Please come back in a few months & tell if you get the Craftman.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: JinLien

Please come back in a few months & tell if you get the Craftman.

I own a Craftsman 19.2v cordless kit. have had it for over 2 years, and it works fine. And I bought it as a refurb for $69 for the saw/drill/light combo.

 

[Squisher]

Wow, Milwaukee crap, Makita good. There must be a tear in the space time continuum.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Squisher
Wow, Milwaukee crap, Makita good. There must be a tear in the space time continuum.

MW aren't crap, but they aren't as good as they were. We used to use them exclusively at work (general contractor/interior contractor) but we had so many failures on units under a year old with those we bought in the last couple of years, we ditched them and moved to Dewalt.

 

[jlee]

My 18v Craftsman batteries seem to be going out on me..the set is only a couple of years old. If I charge them up & leave them alone for a few days, they're weak.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: CadetLee
My 18v Craftsman batteries seem to be going out on me..the set is only a couple of years old. If I charge them up & leave them alone for a few days, they're weak.

yeah they wear out after a while. replace them while you can.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

i just bought a Ryobi combo pack for 149.00

contains (all cordless):
a 18 volt variable speed drill.
a reciprocating saw
a 5 1/2 inch circular saw
a mini wet vac (aka dustbuster)
a carrying case
a battery charger
two batteries

Its fine for me since i'm not in the construction biz, and the drill is much nicer than I expected. I was looking at a deWalt, but at $30 cheaper, I got all the extra tools, and I've been wanting a reciprocating saw for a while.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: CadetLee
My 18v Craftsman batteries seem to be going out on me..the set is only a couple of years old. If I charge them up & leave them alone for a few days, they're weak.

yeah they wear out after a while. replace them while you can.

I doubt they're still under warranty - I've had it longer than a year.

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: senseamp
NiMh > NiCad ?

Isn't NiCad actually better than NiMH for power tools?

 

[James3shin]

Milwaukee Tools > ALL

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: CadetLee
My 18v Craftsman batteries seem to be going out on me..the set is only a couple of years old. If I charge them up & leave them alone for a few days, they're weak.

they tend to wear out faster if they sit around. It's better for them to be constantly drained and recharged.

 

[DrPizza]

IIRC, Craftsman is built by whoever bids lower... craftsman doesn't make their own power tools.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Milwaukee for me. My 6 year old 12V drill is still used daily with the original batteries (though batteries are getting weak now). As a bonus, the new 12V/14.4V batteries still fit this ancient 12V drill.

I'll never buy another DeWalt. Seen two brand new 14.4V DeWalts fail within 30 days of purchase. My old one was OK (lasted ~3 years), but they are much lower quality now than that was.

Craftsman are too heavy/ too slow.

Makita used to be the best, but seen too many turn to junk in recent years. Supposedly they are better now, but need to prove themselves again.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
IIRC, Craftsman is built by whoever bids lower... craftsman doesn't make their own power tools.

The battery packs on most craftsman drills I have seen match ryobi's. I think that ryobi is making them. And they are not built by whoever is lower. I am pretty sure Sears is not owned by NASA

Anyway, Craftsman are just fine for most homeowners. They are not the most rebust, or the most powerful, but you get a lot for the $. For me, I prefer power and durability over price when it comes to powertools, so I go with dewalt or milwaukee. If craftsman switches to dewalt sourced drills, then I will switch to craftsman, as they will then match the other 30k with of tools in my house.

Alos, the color of the dewalt drill influences which drill I will bring where. Dewalt's can be seen from a ways away, so you don't leave them out in the grass like black & decker, craftsman, or milwaukee's.