# Makita LXT VS Milwaukee M18



## Chevyman30571

I am looking to buy a new kit for the truck and was wondering which you guys would recommend. I either want to get the makita lxt 7 piece kit or the milwaukee m18 kit with free impact gun. I have heard good and bad about both. I have heard of gears stripping out in both. I dunno which is better. All i know is that i can get a better deal on the makita and there is an offer now that i can get another free lxt tool. I dunno if makita is trying to clear out the lxt line or it is just a limted time deal. They coming out with new line?


----------



## ZZDoug

I have some of the LXT tools and they are most excellent. There have been times when I thought maybe I should have gone with Milwaukee, I like their brand in general and I do like their sawzalls better. But hard to imagine an impact driver or drill better than the LXT though, best I have ever used. 
Sometimes I wish the lithium batteries would be standardized like other batteries, then we could use different brand tools with the same batteries. I sure would like a sawzall that could use a LXT battery. Wonder what would happen if one of the major manufacturers started making their cordless stuff generic, with adapters to fit other brands of batteries.


----------



## amptech

I have used the Makita and it is an excellent line. I went with the M18 last fall and am completely satisfied. I have the sawzall, hammer/drill/driver and impact. Batteries hold up for ever and the tools perform like their corded counterparts. I also have the M12 impactor and hackzall and find myself using them the majority of the time for hanging boxes and running pipe. Either tool line would be an excellent choice.


----------



## Mike_586

Tough call.

I like both but went for the Milwaukee myself. For me it boiled down to the fact that the Milwaukee kit was 1/2 price at the time and that it had a 5 year warranty vs. Makita's 3 year.


----------



## cbruce73401

I have the Makita set and it's given me no problems. The sawzall took a little getting use to but the drill and impact are the best I've ever had. I haven't had any problems in the 6 months that I've had it.


----------



## randomkiller

I like Milwaukee for most stuff BUT the Makita 18v impact is the single best impact I have ever used.


----------



## william1978

Me personally I would buy milwaukee m18 kit with free impact gun.


----------



## den

I have the makita and it is the best tool i have owned. I tried a dewalt-rigid-milwaukee and porter cable before I bought the LXT. Makita had the shortest anvil and most torque at the time. It fits between studs real good and survived a fall from a ten foot ladder on cement with just a scratch. I got mine from tyler tool.com and they have a special everyweekend on tools. check them out.


----------



## Hidyusbeast

den said:


> I have the makita and it is the best tool i have owned. I tried a dewalt-rigid-milwaukee and porter cable before I bought the LXT. Makita had the shortest anvil and most torque at the time. It fits between studs real good and survived a fall from a ten foot ladder on cement with just a scratch. I got mine from tyler tool.com and they have a special everyweekend on tools. check them out.


Makita all the way! My impact survived a 22 ft drop with only the battery popping off, and has been fine ever since. So they must be tough. I've seen a milwaukee break into a million pieces after falling off a 6ft ladder. That was an older version at least 5 yrs ago, so hopefully they have improved. I do love my Milwaukee digital camera though!


----------



## Frasbee

Looking at the specs between Bosch's 18v 1/2'' impact, and Makita's 18v 3/8'' (no 1/2 inch on this site), they're fairly comparable though Bosch's loaded RPM's exceed Makita's no-load RPM. The impact rate is the same at 3,200 BPM, although it seems like it averages out to really be 2,800 BPM (at least for Bosch).

However the Bosch is cheaper because they have not come out with a litheon impact yet.

In terms of durability?

I can tell you Bosch drills are meant to be dropped. No cheap plastic like Dewalt.


----------



## Aiken Colon

randomkiller said:


> I like Milwaukee for most stuff BUT the Makita 18v impact is the single best impact I have ever used.


 
..... http://www.aikencolon.com/LXT-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Impact-Drivers_c_1330.html ...yea we got that. :thumbsup:


Remember that Lithium Ion produces more voltage per cell than NmHd or Cd batteries. So an 18V Lithium Ion battery will produce more torque/power (or equal to) than a 28V Milwaukee (Cd).


Chris


----------



## Mike_586

Both the Makita and Milwaukee 18V kits use lithium ion batteries rated at 18V 3Ah. 3Ah is the biggest Makita has available while Milwaukee has another size up. 

Makita has a 3 year warranty (1 year on the battery) while Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty (5 year/2,000 charges on the battery). 

Now the Milwaukee V28 series kicks serious ass, but its grossly over priced right now and not worth the money to me, but Milwaukee only uses lithium ions for its 28V tools and doesn't even produce (as someone stated) a nicad 28V. Furthermore the 28V battery they use is also rated at 3Ah giving it about 1.6 times the potential charge of the lxt batteries. Apples and oranges.

How anyone could possibly say that the Makita 18V LXt battery could come close to the Milwaukee V28 lithium ion battery in terms of potential torque/power is completely beyond all reason...

Sounds like your typical salesman not letting morals or honesty get in the way of a potential sale. Not very bright considering this is a place full of tradesmen who themselves ought to know better....


----------



## Aiken Colon

Mike_586 said:


> How anyone could possibly say that the Makita 18V LXt battery could come close to the Milwaukee V28 lithium ion battery in terms of potential torque/power is completely beyond all reason...
> 
> Sounds like your typical salesman not letting morals or honesty get in the way of a potential sale. Not very bright considering this is a place full of tradesmen who themselves ought to know better....


I was comparing the 18V Lithium Ion to the 28V of another battery type. 

We've been a sponsor of ElectricianTalk for almost a year now... and believe me, it's not for the "potential sales". We've given far more tools away to the members here than we've sold. If you read around these boards, you'd find out exactly what AC Tool Supply is all about. 

They're all just Chinese drills anyway. :wallbash:

Chris

(My girl says she'd buy the Makita cause she likes the color )


----------



## gilbequick

You can have your Milwaukee cordless stuff, I'm not at all a fan, especially of their lithium lines. Milwaukee DOES use lithiums for some of their 18v tools and all of the ones I've used SUCK. I'll take a 12v nicd 3/8 Bosch over the 18v lithium 1/2'' Milwaukee any day.

I have used some Milwaukee cordless stuff that I've liked a lot, but they're to dang heavy.

I haven't used the Makitas much so don't know a lot about them.


----------



## ramsy

Hidyusbeast said:


> I've seen a milwaukee break into a million pieces after falling off a 6ft ladder. That was an older version at least 5 yrs ago, so hopefully they have improved.


Yes they've improved since acquired by Ryobi. All yall Milwaukee fans are now the proud owners of Ryobi guts in a red shell.

Like the AK-47's of the Vietnam war, after dropping my 5-year-old Makita impact off ladders and sucking dust & debris thru the motor, I can still force it to hammer drill thru shockcrete for 1/4 20 anchors. Allbeit a hot battery killer.

Learned the hardway not to cook batteries by extended run time, in hot sun or truck, but fitting this compact tool nicely in pouches, between studs, inside cabinets, and fan housings still amazes me.

The kicker for my post-purchase satisfaction is the top notch rating my Makita 12v impact still gets every year in Consumer Reports magazine.


----------



## MechanicalDVR

gilbequick said:


> You can have your Milwaukee cordless stuff, I'm not at all a fan, especially of their lithium lines. Milwaukee DOES use lithiums for some of their 18v tools and all of the ones I've used SUCK. I'll take a 12v nicd 3/8 Bosch over the 18v lithium 1/2'' Milwaukee any day.
> 
> I have used some Milwaukee cordless stuff that I've liked a lot, but they're to dang heavy.
> 
> I haven't used the Makitas much so don't know a lot about them.


In sawzalls, real right angles, or 1/2" impacts you don't mind the heavier tool as much as in a small impact driver. I love the 10.8 Bosch impactor but, comparing the Makita 18v impact to Milwaukee 18v anyone would rather use the Makita. It's lighter smalller and a pleasure to use over head and in tight spots. I stay with the ni cads for Milwaukee, the temperature has less affect on them compared to lithium (hot and cold). I don't support where any of them are made, I have little to say about that but call a spade a spade. Makita is the best overall 18v impact in my professional opinion. The same way that Bosch is the best overall in the 10v-12v lithium class.


----------



## randomkiller

MechanicalDVR said:


> In sawzalls, real right angles, or 1/2" impacts you don't mind the heavier tool as much as in a small impact driver. I love the 10.8 Bosch impactor but, comparing the Makita 18v impact to Milwaukee 18v anyone would rather use the Makita. It's lighter smalller and a pleasure to use over head and in tight spots. I stay with the ni cads for Milwaukee, the temperature has less affect on them compared to lithium (hot and cold). I don't support where any of them are made, I have little to say about that but call a spade a spade. Makita is the best overall 18v impact in my professional opinion. The same way that Bosch is the best overall in the 10v-12v lithium class.


 
Relative or not, I agree.


----------



## amptech

I loved my Bosch 10.8V impactor until I used the Milwaukee M12 impactor. The Milwaukee works in 30º weather and the Bosch won't. The Milwaukee spins @ a higher rpm making the shooting of tek screws quicker and easier. As far as weight and physical size, there really isn't any difference. The Makita impact is in a class by itself.


----------



## amptech

gilbequick said:


> You can have your Milwaukee cordless stuff, I'm not at all a fan, especially of their lithium lines. Milwaukee DOES use lithiums for some of their 18v tools and all of the ones I've used SUCK. I'll take a 12v nicd 3/8 Bosch over the 18v lithium 1/2'' Milwaukee any day.
> 
> I have used some Milwaukee cordless stuff that I've liked a lot, but they're to dang heavy.
> 
> I haven't used the Makitas much so don't know a lot about them.


I've had the M18 tools in use daily for over 6 months now and I haven't had a gripe yet. Battery life way surpasses the 18V NiCad line I switched from and drill torque is comparable to a corded tool. I'm curious as to what "sucked" about the Milwaukee Li tools you used.


----------



## user4818

ramsy said:


> Yes they've improved since acquired by Ryobi. All yall Milwaukee fans are now the proud owners of Ryobi guts in a red shell.


That's not entirely accurate. It's true Milwaukee, Ryobi, the Ridgid stuff sold at HD, and some other brands are all under the same corporate ownership of Techtronic Industries. There is some cross cooperation going on between brands and common assembly line production in China and elsewhere, but just because something is made in the same factory does not make it the same product in disguise.


----------



## randomkiller

amptech said:


> I loved my Bosch 10.8V impactor until I used the Milwaukee M12 impactor. The Milwaukee works in 30º weather and the Bosch won't. The Milwaukee spins @ a higher rpm making the shooting of tek screws quicker and easier. As far as weight and physical size, there really isn't any difference. The Makita impact is in a class by itself.


 
Haven't had the pleasure of the 12v Milwaukee yet but I look forward to it.


----------



## Chevyman30571

Just talked to another guy today on the phone and he said that he used to have the makaita. He loved it because it was so light. But he said that he stripped out the gears of his drill. He said the drill was all metal gear transmission but there is a small plastick gear that always strips. He said all drills have the plastic gear. Is there any truth to this or no? I am leaning more towards the makita now that they have the deal where u can get a free lxt tool with a purchase.


----------



## Timster

Chevyman30571 said:


> Just talked to another guy today on the phone and he said that he used to have the makaita. He loved it because it was so light. But he said that he stripped out the gears of his drill. He said the drill was all metal gear transmission but there is a small plastick gear that always strips. He said all drills have the plastic gear. Is there any truth to this or no? I am leaning more towards the makita now that they have the deal where u can get a free lxt tool with a purchase.


The Makita 18v drill lith/ion will only last about 2 years from my experience.

I used it to drill thousands of 1 inch holes when running romex through studs over the course of 2 years. I use the Woodowl Naileater bits. 

I raced a guy, drilling through a 4x4, with the Makita drill against the corded Milwaukee Right Angle Drill and we tied, twice.

But you better have strong wrists and hands, because the torque of the 18v Lith/ion, set on 1, with a 1 inch bit, will hurt you, so stick with the corded right angle drill, if your man hands haven't come around yet.

I just bought a new replacement 18v Makita drill (no batteries or charger) for $108 on Amazon. I don't care if I shell out a hundred bucks every couple of years; this drill is great.


----------



## Kevin J

Chevyman30571 said:


> Just talked to another guy today on the phone and he said that he used to have the makaita. He loved it because it was so light. But he said that he stripped out the gears of his drill. He said the drill was all metal gear transmission but there is a small plastick gear that always strips. He said all drills have the plastic gear. Is there any truth to this or no? I am leaning more towards the makita now that they have the deal where u can get a free lxt tool with a purchase.



Had a plumber I work around quite a bit try to sell me his Makita set. Said this was the third time that the gears in his Makita have stripped out. Granted, he's a plumber drilling with hole hawg bits all the time, but hey, I abuse my drill sometimes too. The rest of the tools in the set were still good, he just said that he was tired of getting the drill fixed, even though the warrenty has covered it every time. Guess what he's going to now? The same 18V Li-On Milwaukee set that I have had for a little over a year now with no problems.


----------



## Chevyman30571

Are these the makita drills with all metal gear transmissions??????


----------



## Jaga

I have the makita impact and drill they are great. I was pleasantly surprized and have not felt the need to try anything else. The impact is awesome for drilling in long decking screws etc.. with hardly any pressure like needed with a screw gun. I also use it a lot with my slugbuster kit, within seconds it is done. Great tools.


----------



## Shockd

Makita hands down. I bleed teal!


----------



## Chevyman30571

I bought the makita 702 kit and absolutely love it. I tried a buddy of mines milwaukee and the batteries are horrible they dies before i could finish drill a few holes. My makita blew it away.


----------



## 67mmsupra

Shockd said:


> Makita hands down. I bleed teal!


 Pretty much. At one of my co. jobsites we have 6 guys with the Makita combo kits and 2 Milwaukee kits. One of those just converted over to Makita. From my personal experience the Milwaukees can't handle the workload like the Makitas can. I just bought myself a new lct set actually.


----------



## nratom45-70

I've been using Hitachi Tools, they now com e with a 10 year warranty on the tool (lithium Ion) itself. I use mine in HVAC work. I have several in 10.8 and also 18 volt.


----------

