The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?
--
bert

bert wrote:

The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

Some of the newer Makita LXT models seems to boast about brushless
motors, could that be the difference?

On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

Are the batteries the same amp/hr?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with
identical spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case.
What's the difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers
once B&Q get their claws into them?

The stuff B&Q sells like Makita and DeWalt etc aren't the same as you'll get
elsewhere - they carry the same badge etc but the innards don't last
anywhere near as long as 'genuine' ones.
And don't get me started on 'Dulux' paint from B&Q - it has Dulux written on
the tin, but it's seriously diluted crap.

On Sat, 21 Dec 2013 20:15:05 +0000 Bert wrote :
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

It might be different here, but I got caught buying a cheaper Makita
drill with 1.3AH batteries. These won't work in most of their other
tools, circular saw etc. The BL1815 and BL1830 batteries will - buy a
drill that uses the latter and you've left your options open.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on',
Melbourne, Australia www.greentram.com

On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

The budget ones are NiCad. I had sworn never to use them again but ended
up getting seduced by the cheap Makita and, to be fair, they have been
fine after a year of fairly hard use.

Also cheaper ones tend to be 1.3 AH, more expensive 2.0. But, with the
good fast charger on the Makita I've never run one down before the other
is re-charged. And the smaller ones are significantly lighter, which
makes a difference if you are a weekend diy-er rather than a full time
builder.

In message , The Medway Handyman
writes
On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

Are the batteries the same amp/hr?


Yes, but the newer batteries are slightly wider and dont fit the older
design.
--
bert

In message ,
newshound writes
On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

The budget ones are NiCad. I had sworn never to use them again but
ended up getting seduced by the cheap Makita and, to be fair, they have
been fine after a year of fairly hard use.

Also cheaper ones tend to be 1.3 AH, more expensive 2.0. But, with the
good fast charger on the Makita I've never run one down before the
other is re-charged. And the smaller ones are significantly lighter,
which makes a difference if you are a weekend diy-er rather than a full
time builder.
Both the drills in question have Lithium batteries
--
bert

On 22/12/2013 00:06, bert wrote:
In message , The Medway Handyman
writes
On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

Are the batteries the same amp/hr?


Yes, but the newer batteries are slightly wider and dont fit the older
design.

Sounds like you are comparing a Li-Ion model with a Ni-Cd or Ni-Mh one...

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 21/12/2013 21:40, newshound wrote:
On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

The budget ones are NiCad. I had sworn never to use them again but ended
up getting seduced by the cheap Makita and, to be fair, they have been
fine after a year of fairly hard use.

Also cheaper ones tend to be 1.3 AH, more expensive 2.0. But, with the
good fast charger on the Makita I've never run one down before the other
is re-charged. And the smaller ones are significantly lighter, which
makes a difference if you are a weekend diy-er rather than a full time
builder.

+1

bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

I was in the market for some new drills a couple of months back and on a
forum populated by several professional woodworkers opinions were split
on makita lithium batteries.
The older ones were still going strong with good battery capacity
whereas one bought in the last year or so were suffering from falling
battery capacity.
Opinion - not backed by hard knowledge - suggested that the lithium
cells were now being procured from an inferior source and that was the
cause of the trouble.

Several of the pros were gravitating back to DW for their drill/drivers

I ended up buying Hitachi when they were on offer and time will tell how
they last. 1 drill, 1 driver, 2 x 18v @ 1.5ah batteries & charger plus
holdall type bag (ugh) was £150 at screwfix

In article ,
Phil L wrote:
The stuff B&Q sells like Makita and DeWalt etc aren't the same as you'll
get elsewhere - they carry the same badge etc but the innards don't
last anywhere near as long as 'genuine' ones.

This applies to the same model sold elsewhere? Or just to different models?

--
*Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 22/12/2013 11:30, Bob Minchin wrote:
bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

I was in the market for some new drills a couple of months back and on a
forum populated by several professional woodworkers opinions were split
on makita lithium batteries.
The older ones were still going strong with good battery capacity
whereas one bought in the last year or so were suffering from falling
battery capacity.
Opinion - not backed by hard knowledge - suggested that the lithium
cells were now being procured from an inferior source and that was the
cause of the trouble.

Several of the pros were gravitating back to DW for their drill/drivers

By way of interest, a mate bought a top end Mak combi 14.4 some years
back, and for whatever reason[1] the cells started to fail after a year
of so of heavy use (given I had bought the 18V version a year earlier
and that was still going strong - this was suspicious). We contacted
Makita and told them about it - saying it did not seem to be up to their
usual standard. They asked to see the full kit for checking. They
checked it and returned it with three brand new NiMh batteries at no
charge.

[1] He was probably not taking care to avoid charging still hot
batteries, or not to carry on using one that is almost flat etc.

I ended up buying Hitachi when they were on offer and time will tell how
they last. 1 drill, 1 driver, 2 x 18v @ 1.5ah batteries & charger plus
holdall type bag (ugh) was £150 at screwfix

I had to decide what to do with mine a while back - either ditch my
older style 18V tools (combi and ID) or get new cells. In the end I got
new genuine Makita bats (£150 for a three pack). The original ones
lasted a for a good number of years of use, so hoping these will too.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:

By way of interest, a mate bought a top end Mak combi 14.4 some years
back, and for whatever reason[1] the cells started to fail after a year
of so of heavy use (given I had bought the 18V version a year earlier
and that was still going strong - this was suspicious).

I think the Makita Li-ion batteries to avoid are the ones without a
star on the bottom, in these the cells aren't individually monitored
during charging and use.

On Sun, 22 Dec 2013 11:30:20 +0000, Bob Minchin wrote:

bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

I was in the market for some new drills a couple of months back and on a
forum populated by several professional woodworkers opinions were split
on makita lithium batteries.
The older ones were still going strong with good battery capacity
whereas one bought in the last year or so were suffering from falling
battery capacity.
Opinion - not backed by hard knowledge - suggested that the lithium
cells were now being procured from an inferior source and that was the
cause of the trouble.

Several of the pros were gravitating back to DW for their drill/drivers

I ended up buying Hitachi when they were on offer and time will tell how
they last. 1 drill, 1 driver, 2 x 18v @ 1.5ah batteries & charger plus
holdall type bag (ugh) was £150 at screwfix

Couple of years ago I asked a Makita rep. why there was only a 1 year
warranty; predictably, he said because Maks are reliable (begs the question:
why not a longer warranty, as the cost would be negligible?).
IIRC DeWalt have a 2 or 3 year warranty, as do blue Bosch. I don't know how
they compare otherwise.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

In message , John
Rumm writes
On 22/12/2013 00:06, bert wrote:
In message , The Medway Handyman
writes
On 21/12/2013 20:15, bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

Are the batteries the same amp/hr?


Yes, but the newer batteries are slightly wider and dont fit the older
design.

Sounds like you are comparing a Li-Ion model with a Ni-Cd or Ni-Mh one...

Hardly.
--
bert

In message , PeterC
writes
On Sun, 22 Dec 2013 11:30:20 +0000, Bob Minchin wrote:

bert wrote:
The 18v LKT (BHP453SHE)sells for £159 with 2 batteries charger and
plastic case. But I noticed in B&Q another similar model with identical
spec for £98 with 2 batteries charger and canvas case. What's the
difference? Have Makita gone the way of all good suppliers once B&Q get
their claws into them?

I was in the market for some new drills a couple of months back and on a
forum populated by several professional woodworkers opinions were split
on makita lithium batteries.
The older ones were still going strong with good battery capacity
whereas one bought in the last year or so were suffering from falling
battery capacity.
Opinion - not backed by hard knowledge - suggested that the lithium
cells were now being procured from an inferior source and that was the
cause of the trouble.

Several of the pros were gravitating back to DW for their drill/drivers

I ended up buying Hitachi when they were on offer and time will tell how
they last. 1 drill, 1 driver, 2 x 18v @ 1.5ah batteries & charger plus
holdall type bag (ugh) was £150 at screwfix

Couple of years ago I asked a Makita rep. why there was only a 1 year
warranty; predictably, he said because Maks are reliable (begs the question:
why not a longer warranty, as the cost would be negligible?).
IIRC DeWalt have a 2 or 3 year warranty, as do blue Bosch. I don't know how
they compare otherwise.
I see the LXT label on a number of Makita products but don't know if it
has any significance
--
bert

On 23/12/2013 19:06, bert wrote:
I see the LXT label on a number of Makita products but don't know if it
has any significance

"LXT Brushless Advantages Makita 18V LXT Brushless tools are engineered
for longer run time, increased power and speed, and longer tool life.
The efficient Makita BL™ Brushless Motor is electronically-controlled to
optimize battery energy use for up to 50% longer run time per charge.
Electronic controls constantly monitor the changing demands of each
application, regulating and adjusting the flow of current to the BL™
Motor in real time and delivering optimum energy output from the battery
so you get increased RPM and torque when you need it. And with no carbon
brushes, the BL™ Motor runs cooler and more efficiently for longer life.
BL™ Motor tools are part of Makita’s 18V LXT line-up, with over 50 tools
powered by one fast-charging 18V Lithium-Ion battery. "

--
Rod

polygonum wrote:

On 23/12/2013 19:06, bert wrote:

I see the LXT label on a number of Makita products but don't know if it
has any significance

"LXT Brushless Advantages Makita 18V LXT Brushless tools are engineered
for longer run time,

The LXT by itsself doesn't imply brushless, I think it's just the prefix
for their 18V Li-ion cordless range, the LXT BL are relatively new
additions, and the 4.0Ah instead of 3.0Ah batteries are new too.

On 23/12/2013 21:00, Andy Burns wrote:
polygonum wrote:

On 23/12/2013 19:06, bert wrote:

I see the LXT label on a number of Makita products but don't know if it
has any significance

"LXT Brushless Advantages Makita 18V LXT Brushless tools are engineered
for longer run time,

The LXT by itsself doesn't imply brushless, I think it's just the prefix
for their 18V Li-ion cordless range, the LXT BL are relatively new
additions, and the 4.0Ah instead of 3.0Ah batteries are new too.



I did wonder but the page I found that on was somewhat woolly on that
question!

--
Rod

In message , polygonum
writes
On 23/12/2013 21:00, Andy Burns wrote:
polygonum wrote:

On 23/12/2013 19:06, bert wrote:

I see the LXT label on a number of Makita products but don't know if it
has any significance

"LXT Brushless Advantages Makita 18V LXT Brushless tools are engineered
for longer run time,

The LXT by itsself doesn't imply brushless, I think it's just the prefix
for their 18V Li-ion cordless range, the LXT BL are relatively new
additions, and the 4.0Ah instead of 3.0Ah batteries are new too.



I did wonder but the page I found that on was somewhat woolly on that
question!

I had looked at that before I started this thread but I too was a bit
confused.
--
bert