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.

On 18 Jun 2004 11:24:51 -0700, (Quddus) strung
together this:

Anyone who is lucky enough
to own one of these please comment on the differences between the
14.4v and 18v models.

I can't comment on the 18V but I've got the 14.4V version. It gets
some serious abuse from me and all I've had to do to it in 18 months
is replace the motor bearings and brushes, costing some £12 or
something daft IIRC.
The torque is plentiful, the first job I did with mine after i got it
was to drill a 25mm hole through a wet 4x4 fence post with an auger
bit and it flew through! Battery life is good, I never manage to run
them down quickly unless it's constantly in use when flooring or
something.
If I was going to get another drill I wouldn't hesitate in replacing
it with another.
--

SJW
A.C.S. Ltd

On 18 Jun 2004 11:24:51 -0700, (Quddus) wrote:

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 have a Makita 14.4v Drill (not the 8433, but slightly earlier one.)

I've found it to be excellent on torque and battery longevity as well
as motor control. I use it for virtually all drilling, up to and
including masonry in sizes up to 8mm for plugs. It would probably go
higher. This is plain drilling without percussion. I have a Bosch
SDS Multidrill which is used for other masonry work since it has high
torque and both SDS and regular chucks.

The Makita that I have came with three batteries and a one hour
charger. I can use it continuously with just two batteries for
drilling into wood and driving screws - I once did this for boarding a
loft with hundreds of screws.

So.... The newer 14.4v would work for me (I am very picky about tools
and don't buy DIY store junk). However, since the 18v one is not a
lot more, if I were buying now, I would probably go for that.

I don't think you would be disappointed with either.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"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

Quddus wrote:

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

I bought the 18V a couple of months ago after trying a whole range of
other makes, and am very, very happy with it.

The 2.6Ah NiMH batteries give huge battery life. When using it to screw
down flooring, it can go for several hours before needing a battery swap.

Several places (Screwfix and Axminster I think) are doing it with 3
battery packs. I got a 3 battery pack one with a free pocket TV for £280
from Screwfix.

--
Grunff

Either one will do most diy jobs, mine at work lasted 5 years and 50
students abuse, in the end it was battery failure that killed it off,
the chuck/gearbox bearings were loose, the motor sparked a bit, but with
a new batt it'd still break your wrist (was 14.4V 2.2aH, borrowed a new
14.4 2.8Ah from a contractor) looked at the cost of new batts/rebuilds,
boss opted for cheapie drill that if it lasts the 2 years they warranty
it for will still be BWFM, if it last a year it still would be, but
he'll send it back!
Biggest hole saw I used was a 6", on sheet metal mainly, but
occasionally through 2" composite steel/particle/steel floor tiles on a
suspended floor....

Niel.

p.s. they put a hammer through the old drills so no-one could take them
home and use them, ruddy ex-navy types...

"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 think that going from a B&D to a decent Makita or other industrial rated
cordless, you're easily able to drop a voltage band and get the same or
better performane wrt torque (not to mention battery life, speed of
charging, speed control etc).

I had a 12v B&D drill/driver and changed to an Atlas Copco (aka Milwaukee)
9.6v model (I find the smaller ones rather more convenient for most
screwdriving operations) and actually got an increase in torque! (try a
Milwaukee/AC one if you can find a shop selling them, but I/m very biased
towards mine...)


There's a reason diy brands don't often quote the torque figures...

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

Quddus wrote:


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

I got the 18V version recently from Lawson HIS, came with three
batteries and a Makita branded Fleece (not bad, black with red monogram,
and XL as well ;-)

I went for this drill after reading the various good reviews on this
forum in the past. I was replacing a 15 year old 9.6V B&D Proline (which
was a semi pro range they did for a few years under their own brand
before they acquired the likes of Dewalt or Elu) which to be fair was
very good in its day. In real terms the Makita probably cost no more
than the B&D (since IIRC you bought the charger separately from the
drill!). So I figured if it lasts as long then the annual cost is pretty
low!

I chose the 18V using the same logic as Andy mentioned - it did not cost
much extra, and there might be occasions where the extra power is handy.

Observations so far:

Battery life in normal use is very good. The packs are obviously built
from well matched cells. One battery pack did 150 5 1/8" screws before
needing charging. You could do 400 2" to 3" screws with no trouble on a
single pack. 25mm spade bit through 8" timber - no trouble.

Torque is adequate - for anything! Something will break long before the
drill runs out (the screw, the bit, your wrist etc).

The gearbox on its high speed is actually pretty fast - feels very much
like using a mains drill for speed.

The trigger gives good speed control and is progressive.

The chuck is very good (made by Rhom) - since the drill has a built in
rotation break you can do up the chuck with one hand (in fact that is
the only way to do it). It has a nice ratchet feel as it tightens, and
does get a good grip. It will also take big shanked bits like hole saws
(4" hole saw with 3/4" ply with no trouble at all).

It has three settings, screw, drill, and hammer. The screw setting turns
on the torque limiter. On screws over 3" you may want to use the drill
setting since the torque limiters maximum setting is not that high.

The additional side handle is very good and makes a nice change on a
cordless tool.

It feels very solid and well made - nicely balanced - but it is heavy.

All in all I am very pleased with it.
--
Cheers,

John.

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

Lurch wrote in message . ..
On 18 Jun 2004 11:24:51 -0700, (Quddus) strung
together this:

I can't comment on the 18V but I've got the 14.4V version. It gets
some serious abuse from me and all I've had to do to it in 18 months
is replace the motor bearings and brushes, costing some £12 or
something daft IIRC.
The torque is plentiful, the first job I did with mine after i got it
was to drill a 25mm hole through a wet 4x4 fence post with an auger
bit and it flew through!

The specs on your drill say that it can actually drill up to 36mm
holes in wood!
I wonder if the drill can manage 40-45mm holes with a hole saw though.
I would probably use it 4-8 hours a day when on a project so with the
three batteries supplied this should not be a problem.

I can't believe that parts are that cheap but maybe that is why the
original drill is the price it is. Btw where did you buy your parts
from or does it need some sort of servicing?

Grunff I see from one of your earlier your posts that you opted for
the 18v. What swayed you because the difference in price is quite a
bit?

I went to B&Q just to have a look at the drill and apart from the
battery housing at the base they seemed almost identical apart from
one weighing more than the other. Both seemed as tough and well made
as each other. I particularly liked the chuck which was locked very
firmly with only one handed operation and also had some sort of
ratcheting system allowing greater tightening of the drill bit.

The drill has three modes, Hammer, drill and drive. What is the
difference between drill and drive as there is also a gearing control
so I am a bit confused here. Is this just a gimmick or something
really useful that I have not previously come across?

On 18 Jun 2004 16:11:33 -0700, (Quddus) strung
together this:

The specs on your drill say that it can actually drill up to 36mm
holes in wood!
I wonder if the drill can manage 40-45mm holes with a hole saw though.

I use it for just about everything! I've got a Makita 24V SDS, the
14.4V and a cheap £10 job for screwdriving. I hardly ever get the 110V
SDS out other than for core drilling. The 14.4V will do holes with
holesaws upto $2 in most materials from personal experience, wood
gives the battery a bit of hammer but it flies through metal.

I would probably use it 4-8 hours a day when on a project so with the
three batteries supplied this should not be a problem.

I've got three batteries and never run out. If I'm on a decent job
I'll just set the chargers up in a corner and that's about it.

I can't believe that parts are that cheap but maybe that is why the
original drill is the price it is. Btw where did you buy your parts
from or does it need some sort of servicing?

I sent it to a local place, Charlies Stores. They always astound me
with some of there prices but they keep all of my drills in tip-top
condition.

The drill has three modes, Hammer, drill and drive. What is the
difference between drill and drive as there is also a gearing control
so I am a bit confused here. Is this just a gimmick or something
really useful that I have not previously come across?

The hammer setting is unlimited torque with hammer.
The drill setting is normal drilling with unlimited torque.
The drive setting is normal drill\driving with whatever torque setting
you've got it on. Useful for screwdriving and holesawing.
--

SJW
A.C.S. Ltd

Quddus wrote:

I wonder if the drill can manage 40-45mm holes with a hole saw though.

It can comfortably fo 63mm holes in wood using a hole saw. I even used
it to cut a 50mm hole through a 4" thermalite block! (garage wall)


Grunff I see from one of your earlier your posts that you opted for
the 18v. What swayed you because the difference in price is quite a
bit?

More torque & more power! My last couple of drills (Erbauer and Bosch)
were 18V, and I wanted to get as much torque as poss.


The drill has three modes, Hammer, drill and drive. What is the
difference between drill and drive

This is a really nice feature. Drill bypasses the clutch. So you set
your clutch to the desired value, drive your screw, but next time you
need to drill a hole you leave the torque where it is and set the drill
on 'drill'.


as there is also a gearing control
so I am a bit confused here. Is this just a gimmick or something
really useful that I have not previously come across?

The gearing is very, very useful. You get lower speed, but much higher
torque. Great for driving 6" screws!

--
Grunff

It seems to be taking ages for my replies to be updated on the message
board so it may seem like some information has been repeated.

Thank you all for your helpfull input. I'm glad this hasn't turned
into a brand issue as I spent quite a bit of time skimming over those
hot debates in previous posts.

I used the group to research the Makita 2450 and am still grinning
from the last time I used it! So I feel that any info gained from
current users of a product is much more valuable than the blurb used
to sell the products.

Nevertheless just for informations sake....

I have found out that the B&D torque and heres a comprison:

B&D 18v 280 in/lb 2.1kg
Makita 18v 400 in/lb 2.6kg
Makita 14v 340 in/lb 2.4kg

So it would seem that Richard was right and the volatge drop doesn't
really matter when it means upgrading to a trade grade drill infact in
this instance you actaully gain 60in/lb more !!!

Also the 18V makita would be half a bag of sugar heavier and with a
41% increase in torque I think it will be more than enough for
anything I would ever need.

I chose the 18V using the same logic as Andy mentioned - it did not cost
much extra, and there might be occasions where the extra power is handy.

Using the same logic 18v it is ....I think it's wallet out time!!!!

Thanks for all the info and help folks.

In message , Quddus
writes
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)

I have the 18v.
Recently did a job where we spent all day chiselling out 6" x 5" x 4"
pockets in a 16" x 12" oak beam. Marked out the pockets drilled just
inside the line with a 1/2" auger bit and chiselled out with a wood
chisel fitted in a Dewalt 2kg sds.
Makita didn't even slow down and 3 batteries lasted all day.
I can't believe anyone could complain about them.

Anyone got a 712 dewalt scms? Mine arrives soon..........

P.S. Dewalt 2kg sds. I like Makita and I have tried to kill the dewalt
in order to smugly return it to my BM and replace it with a Makita. But
it's doing fine
--
mark

mark wrote in message ...
I have the 18v.
Recently did a job where we spent all day chiselling out 6" x 5" x 4"
pockets in a 16" x 12" oak beam. Marked out the pockets drilled just
inside the line with a 1/2" auger bit and chiselled out with a wood
chisel fitted in a Dewalt 2kg sds.
Makita didn't even slow down and 3 batteries lasted all day.
I can't believe anyone could complain about them.

Anyone got a 712 dewalt scms? Mine arrives soon..........

P.S. Dewalt 2kg sds. I like Makita and I have tried to kill the dewalt
in order to smugly return it to my BM and replace it with a Makita. But
it's doing fine

I am also guilty of trying to wear out cirtain machines/bits so I can
justify getting something else but realised I was only hurting my own
wallet!

I therefore now just sell goods that I am no longer happy with to
collegues or on Ebay and thus can justify the purchase of my lovely
new beast!!!!

I've just ordered fom lawson and just can't wait.......