Makita Vs. Bosch

gtdail

I have read a lot of good reviews on the new makita lxt series, but when a salesman threw the Bosch 8' in the air and the concrete didn't hurt it, its kind of hard to turn that down. What would you guys buy, I wonder if it is to soon to jump on the lithium ion wagon. What are the advantages of a Impact over a normal drill/driver. thanks in advance for any help.

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dougchips

I just got a makita scms a few weeks ago and love it. The big boxes around this area do not carry much Bosch stuff. Every year at the JLC show you can buy the Bosch stuff, I'll look into it this year.

BTW, go to one of the JLC shows and they let you climb a ladder and drop a drill, whoever breaks it gets a new one! I use one of their 9.6 mini drills for repair work (search threads, tons of talk about the little beast).

dayspring

I buy both brands, Makita and Bosch. Makita has to be my favorite cordless tool brand. As far as the impact, I had the same feeling, why do I need it? When I bought the LXT 400 kit, one came with it, It is one BAD BOY! I used it for screwing down a metal roof, BAM!, I used it yesterday running some 3" screws in a deck, again, BAM!. I'm still amazed at hoe easy it runs 'em, plus it is very balanced and light. Bosch makes good stuff, I am happy with all their tools that I own (routers, corded plane, recip saw, corded drill, etc.) But I guess the majority of my tools are Makita and I love 'em!

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DecksEtc

Once you get an impact driver you'll wonder how you ever went without one in the first place. It's that simple.

Norrrrrrrrrrrrm

I have the bosch cordless set an I am very happy with it. I saw the Bosch rep. demonstrating how tough it was by tossing over 10 feet in the air and still function perfectly(repeated times). It has a foam core that absorbs the shock. Luckily there was a promotion when I bought the set you get a free impact drill. That little drill is a beast. It is lightweight strong and very versatile. He also was dropping the radio about 6 feet while playing a cd without skipping. I bought one a few months later. It has a bunch of nice bells and whistles. I like bosch products 7 out of 10 of my power tools are bosch.I have not used the makita but I see it gets good praise.

GregS

I have been using impact drivers for the last 2 years for doing various things.. mostly GDO installs. No idea how I got along without it before.

They are light, fast, and very powerful. And they don't wretch your wrist when the driving gets too tight. I know there is a clutch on a drill-driver, but honestly, it's easier to just grab an impact driver and go as opposed to fiddle with the right settings on a drill-driver.

I currently use a Makita LXT 18V. Very light and very small. Also has an LED on it for illuminating your work.

Cole

You can not go wrong with either brand!

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Hobroom

Bosch would be my suggestion. Unless the extra runtime and lighter weight is really that much of a selling feature to you, and don't mind the extra expense on top of it. On the other hand, Bosch's batteries may not have as high a capacity (the Bluecore ones) but they charge in 30 minutes. Generally, I'd say Bosch is ahead of Makita, for power and durability, in the cordless department.

Makita's now starting to come out with the tools like the angle grinder and whatnot.. DeWalt tried this too and unfortunately, they're nice ideas, but are ultimately just toys at 18V. The only things that really work well in 18V are tools that take lower power like jigsaws and rotozips.

You can't have it all, and to get the extra power, you've gotta have the higher voltage. People will realize this after a while.

Teetorbilt

I have always considered Makita as a high quality tool in the lower price range. Bosch is a mid quality tool in the upper price range.

Much depends on the bells and whistles, what you WANT vs. what you NEED. The two are often very different.

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POOLMANinCT

i have smoked 3 bosh 1124 bulldogs, my makitas are still kicking butts

Hobroom

Are you kidding? Where I am, Makita and Bosch run in the same price range when comparing line-to-line. Actually the new Makita LXT stuff is even more expensive than Bosch NiCad line.

LXT doesn't really impress me a whole lot. It's just a lithium ion version of what DeWalt's already been there and done..

AMG

We also use the lxt cordless range over here, bit underpowered but very good in general. As for the bosch surviving a 10' fall.......that dude wasn't throwing it hard enough in my opinion!

Hobroom

Has anyone tried the Bosch 36V tools yet?

Vrubel

makita - the best price
bosch - the best design

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ApgarNJ

glad i read this thread. i'm at a cross roads now where i want to start using lithium ion batteries and i've always been a milwaukee person, or porter cable. i have a few makita corded tools,(grinder and planer) but no cordless. now that i am losing too many 18v milwstankee batteries for no reason at all, i'm going to ditch them. i really like the line of makita cordless that is out. my local lumber yard is a dealer and they can get any parts. their prices aren't much higher than a big box store and i like the small guys to buy from. i'm going to start with their impact driver. i used one a few weeks ago, a buddies at his house and i loved it. i don't know why i didn't buy one sooner.

thanks for the info. makita it is.

JohnJ0906

Just replaced my Bosch 18v cordless with a Mikita. Report to follow.

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KentWhitten

Bosch could be one of the most rugged tools out there, but their motors have bit the dust quite a few times in my tool collection. I won't ever buy Bosch again.

DesPro

Tools of The Trade , a free publication just did a comparison test on 59 lithium - ion tools.
Every Pro contender of lithium-ion tools available today, w/ complete specs and prices.

It is a great article that covers 10 brands and 15 categories. If you're shopping, this article should address many of your questions. It covers everything from circular saws to impact drivers.

Here's the link :http://www.bigbuilderonline.com/cont...LithiumIon.pdf

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2ndGen

Bosch all the way.

canuck88

I have a full Makita LXT kit and I love it. I've used Bosch, and they are great as well. Honestly for me it comes down to which piece I need and which one is cheapest - they are pretty equal from what I've seen.