I’ve noticed the newer Dewalt tools aren’t quite what they used to be. Is it just me or am I dropping them more than I used to. Starting with the impact drivers, I kill 2 every year, same goes for the wormdrive style skill saw. The batteries charge fast but seem lose a charge very quickly. Makita imo has stepped up a notch. Of course if I had the money, it would all be hilti or milwakee.
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Dunno, I just got a Recon. hammer drill a few weeks ago, the nano,,,,it's better by far than my first one that stiil runs, but has a short inside somewhere.
The new chuck is slick. The new batts are great.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
What makes you think Milwaukee is any better? If anything, they're going down hill faster than Dewalt the last year or so imo.
Every new tool introduction has gotten cheaper looking and more plasticy. EVERY new Milwaukee tool introduced these days is made in China.
And listen around to the warranty hassles about them - they may have a 5 year warranty, but I've heard talk of them refusing to cover drill switches that fail in the first 8 months or so, saying they are an wear item - BS...
Yes, their routers, holehawgs and other legacy tools are still good, but the newer cordless stuff I'd stay away from if you look at their parent company's track record of quality and service.
Might as well buy Ridgid. Look at the new Mil. nailers - they are direct duplicates for the Ridgid versions I think I heard.
Everyone here and at JLC seems so impressed by the new MIlwaukee slider, but in person, it seems to me to be very plasticy and somewhat cheap looking in some ways. The digital display looks cheaper than on a $10 watch.
And to think the recent newer Dewalt Miter saws got panned for a slight bit of rough castings on a few parts when they came out a few years back.
JT
Julian, I work with a couple of guys who have the Mil slider. I think of every excuse I can to use it over my DeWalt. It's the real deal.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Holly,
I think of every excuse I can to use it over my DeWalt
I heard that the Milwaukee is kind of heavy. How do you hold it over your DeWalt and still make the cut? :)
Still interested in that one. Can't justify that Kapex-thingy.
Did Milwaukee ever come out with that boot to make attaching a vac hose a cinch?
Thanks,
Steve
'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Hey Steve, I'm not sure about the vac hookup. The dust bag collects more stuff in a day than either of my DeWalts or old Makita do in a year<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Yes, I have heard they do have one now. The problem is finding it. I have been told to call their customer service. It's a bit spendy, at about $30-$35. I think that included shipping. I'm calling in my order soon.
Thanks. You have a part number or more info? I didn't seem to find anything on the Milwaukee site.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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I use the Milwaukee 12" slider a couple of times a week, a fellow carpenter I work with often has it. It is a very nice saw but I think I'm happier with a smaller slider(I have the 7 1/4" craftsman, the hitachi 8 1/2" sliders are great as well) and a regular 12" chop box(I have the Dewalt).For the price of one Milwaukee you could have two great other saws that accomplish the same task and weigh less.
Thanks. It's more of a, well who am I kidding, it's entirely an unnecessary item. Got a perfectly good 12" saw. Not a slider but I've got a couple rail saws if I need that capacity anyway. Always fun to look at something new, I suppose.What part of DC are you in/from? I'm over the river in Alexandria. Lived in parts of DC for about 8 years though.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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I'm from NW DC , 16th street heights is the technical term for the neighborhood. I grew up in Georgetown. I hit up A&M supply and Smoot in Alexandria all the time and have done a number of jobs in Old Town.
Funny that. I lived on 16th St and R for awhile. Foggy Bottom before that. Are you up by Carter Barron? I cycle with a guy who lives up that way, just past that big Greek church on the right going North. Some very nice homes up that way!Send me a PM through here and we can get together for coffee or a beer.Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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funny how people veiw things. I have nearly all makita tools, only because i had this mental thing where i thought all my tools should match. After using them all for a long time, i dont know that i would buy makita anymore. I bought the LI drill impact combo and the brushes went out of the drill right away. I have a hammer drill, the second one after returning the first that the chuck doesnt work right on. I have another 7/8 hammer drill that doesnt always hammer when drilling. the fence on the table saw is junk. that was the biggest disapointment as it was one of the most expensive at the time. I will say that the sawzall is the best i have ever used, and the LI batteries charge instantly compared to my dewalt ni cads.
Looking back over the last 25 years or so, I'd say the power tool industry (at least the US manufacturers) seem to continually churn brand names from Pro to Home Owner and back again. Dewalt, Rigid, PC, Delta, B&D, Milwaukee...they're all moving targets to a certain extent.
The offshore ones seem to take a more stable approach. Either they stick with HO junk (Ryobi) or they make everything from junk to high-end (Makita, Hitachi).
There they go again - pickin' on my Ryobi impact driver.
I bought a spare in 2006 because I "knew" my original would "die quickly", "never survive a fall", "fry driving 4" screws", etc.
My original is still going strong, and the "spare" is still new in the box -- another $69 languishing in inventory.........
6 months on a DeWalt huh - might try a HO junk model.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Success, it seems, is a killer.
A company bends over backwards to get accepted ..... becomes a staple .... then gets complacent, figuring they have you hooked.
Part of that is inherent with proprietary designs. If you MUST use a certain product, that supplier is under no pressure to improve the item. If you can chooce, you'll have a range of choices from the lame to the extraordinary.
Let's follow the dance a bit.
Black & Decker may have invented the cordless drill, but they did with tax dollars, so they had no guaranteed monopoly. For more than a decade, all they offered was a POS drill with a built-in battery and a NASA-sized price tag.
Makita entered the market, and quickly owned it. They also came out with a bewildering array of tools. Then they got complacent, and the product line stagnated.
B&D decides to revialize the DeWalt name, and comes on like a tidal wave in 1991. They take the market by storm. For several years they keep raising the standard, re-designing the drill with the T-handle, and coming out with revolutionary new stuff like vacuums and radio/chargers.
At this point, folks are still mad at Makita, and Milwaukee is still fumbling in their attempts to market cordless tools. We begin to see new names, of varying quality, enter the market. Now it's DeWalt's turn to get complacent.
A few years ago, the folks at Makita woke up. I expect that someone took the entire management team into the parking lot at lunchtime, handed them knives, and told them to do the right (Japanese) thing. The new management was now motivated properly.
Whatever the story, Makita began a complete revamp of it's entire tool line - both corded and cordless. When some guy (like me) walked into the tool store grumbling that DeWalt wasn't up to snuff, the tool guy would say 'come look at this Makita.'
With the change to the new LiIon batteries, DeWalt really fumbled the ball - and Makita was there, ready to catch it.The result? With each new tool purchase, my tool big gets less yellow and more blue.
What did I learn from this? That brand loyalty is for losers ... that there's no way you'll be able to do it all with just one charger .... so you might as well buy the tool that suits you the best.
DeWalt still has some good ideas -look seriously at their corded 'hole hog' and the corded roto-hammer with built-on vacuum- but those are the exceptions these days.
Renosteinke,
I thought of this discussion all weekend while i was using my (relatively) new and not-yet-dropped Dewalt cordless --- and bending down after every drill pass to pick up the drill bit that came loose on the chuck and fell to the floor.Nice history recap. You didn't mention Milwaukee. no improvements with them? I bought their small powered screw driver and small compact driver recently, and love them. battery is alot better than my dewalt.What do you think about Festool? I recently purchased the plunge saw circular saw with track and it is excellent. I've been looking at their hand held routers and sanders.Tom
I have zero personal working experience with Festool - though their "sys-tainer" storage system is remarkably similar to (and an improvement upon) something I had done for myself. I have nothing against them - their stuff looks great - but their line isn't really relevant to my trade.
No improvements in Milwaukee? I left them out of the story to spare them the embarassment. It looks like, with the change to LiIon batteries, that they will be requiring their customers to replace their entire tool collection for the FOURTH time. Milwaukee's first two attempts at cordless tools were simply pathetic, to the point that the local Milwuakee dealer refused to sell them. Coming late to the game, and starting off with a couple of fumbles, only in this millenia have they become relevant - 10 years after DeWalt and 20 after the "Makita Revolution."
Your mentioning the little -almost tiny- tools that Milwaukee offers (as well as Bosch, and maybe some others) will be the next revolution in jobsite tools. When you have to climb a ladder to hang a light, do you want to carry a 36v cinderblock, or some 'pocket power?' That's my take, anyway.
...When you have to climb a ladder to hang a light, do you want to carry a 36v cinderblock...Yep. That's what tipped me towards the 15.6V Panasonic last time I needed a mid-sized drill/driver. It makes most of the 18V options feel like boat anchors, and comes pretty close in driving power.But, I'm with you. It's a new decision, every single time. I'd love to get the Festool drill, I just can't justify spending $500 on a cordless drill. My Hilti drill cost less than that....-t
Good to have an historian on board.
When I sold tools for a living back in the early 90's, Makita's cordless were still on top, though PC made a few good but bulky contenders. Panasonic's 15.6 a-concentric drill was considered 'the bomb'-it could drill in tighter quarters with its offset chuck, though it was pricey.
My DW drills will no longer hold a charge, though I may send em to a place to fe-furb the batteries. Makita's 18v Li is really good, imo.Expert since 10 am.
I thought it was panasonic invented the cordless, and recieved the NASA contract?? From that accomplishment , spanned the market what we have today. It probably a dubious claim "who was first" anyhow.
Edited 11/23/2009 6:32 pm ET by alias
Not sure about invented, but my first was a 7.2 V makita, no remeovable batt.and I'm pretty sure NASA is using AEG, they aren't mass produced for "Common use".
The State Dept. also uses AEG, I got a hammerdrill from my wifes ex , that the CIA supplies folks in his dept. ( COMMO)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
I stand to be corrected. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbo=p&tbs=tl%3A1&q=what+was+nasa+first+battery+powered+drill&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=1961 - So in 1961, after years of research and testing, Black & Decker introduced the first cordless drill, an innovation powered by self-contained battery cells. When NASA heard Black & Decker had successfully designed a cordless power system, they had to have it. The first use of cordless tools in space was the Black & Decker zero-impact wrench for the Gemini project. This wrench was great, because it spun bolts in zero gravity without spinning the astronaut, not a problem we had to ...
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From NASA - Season 1, Episode 1 - Related web pages
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/nasa360 .
I won't be correcting you, that sounds right for the time period.
Certainly B&D was cutting edge at one time, look how prolific they were with the Yellowish and Greenish Circ and Jig saws back shortly after that..the $$$$ came from somewhere to produce all that stuff.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
yeah .....point taken.
DW has never been more than so-so.
Esp in battery operated tols. They have a long history of recalls on batteries and chargers, and complaints of poor lifespan.
BTW, guys, I just read that Stanley tool works has reached an agreement to buy B&D tools.
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Far be it for me to disagree with The Oracle but...
I've generally had good luck with DeWalt but in particular some of their older stuff, like their big plunge router and jigsaw (both of which I think were actually Elu) are just gorgeous. I hate to use them because I know someday they will die and I've never found any as good...
But, being The Oracle I hasten to add that I must be mistaken ;)
(You thought I'd forgotten that nickname, didn't you?)PaulB
http://www.finecontracting.com
>>>DW has never been more than so-so.Even in the Old, Old, Old, days? I'm talking 60s and 70s. I remember some substantial DW power tools way back then. Now if yer talking 80s and beyond, then absolutely Yup.
yes, I mean the newer incarnation of the company
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
i stopped buying dewalt all together once i tried milwakee. had the same problem with dewalt batteries. also, drill bits seem to loosen and fall out of dewalt drills alot. never tried hilti.