"Quddus" wrote in message
om...
Hello All,

After purchasing a Makita SDS drill I am very impressed with the
quality of the product and it has spurred me to replace my 18v B&D
firestorm? cordless. The chuck on the B&D is useless and comes undone
easily and the battery life is too short It also whines and is far too
loud

Having looked at what?s available and reading some of the previous
messages I have finally decided on the Makita 8433 series.

I have found Lawson HIS to have the cheapest prices so far at £247 for
the 18v and £188 (offer runs out on 21st June) for the 14.4v inc vat
and delivery.

The difference in torque is 45nm and 38nm. Anyone who is lucky enough
to own one of these please comment on the differences between the
14.4v and 18v models.

1. How long is the battery life per charge? And is the torque
difference a big deal.

2. I don?t know what the torque is on my B&D 18v but it is adequate
for the jobs I?ve thrown at it. I've also had a Performance power 14v
and that did not have enough torque for some jobs I gave it to do.
Therefore I?m wondering whether I need to go for the 18v Makita
instead of the 14.4v.

If anyone has bought one recently then please comment on what
persuaded you between the 18v/14v/12v models (apart from the price)

Thanks for all your help in adv.

I can't rate the 14.4v Makita drill/drivers highly enough. Seeing as you
already have the SDS drill, I can't personally think of anything that would
require the 18v in day to day use. I had two of the B&D 'top of the range'
18v drills before my Makita, and this has miles more torque.

The Dewalt drills generally post a higher torque value, but I am not sure if
this is to do with gearing or whatever, as when I have used them (fairly
extensively) I've noticed no improvement over the Makitas. Each to his own I
guess.

One thing to note, my Makita is a fair bit heavier than the B&D, despite
being only 14.4v (metal gearing adds weight I guess). I think the 18v would
have been a little awkward for me.

Why are you going for a combi? Personal preference I guess, but I've never
really found the need for the extra complexity of the pathetic hammer action
from a non-sds drill, when you have an SDS to hand (albeit mains powered).

Just for reference, I got the 6336DWDE
http://www.makita.com/Cordless_Item_View.asp?id=241 for £200 incl vat &
delivery from www.itslondon.co.uk with 3 genuine Makita Ni-Mh batteries
included.

HTH

Alex