I've owned (among many other drills) the 18V version of that Bosch, and it isn't a patch on even a 12V Makita. The Bosch green range is vastly different from the Bosch blue range. The green range is quite similar to B&D tools - home/diy quality. The Makita is built better.
No, not in any way, and it isn't 'heavier duty'.
If you mean the odd few holes here and there, yes, it'd be fine for that. If you want to use it to put up a room's worth of shelves, you'll be swapping batteries a lot.
Likewise I would go for the Makita. Try West Skelston Services 01387
256536 for a price and ask for their superbowl department. They are the Makita repair centre and sell new Makita's that have been returned and all come with full 12 month warrenty. Calum Sabey (Newark Tradition Kitchens 01556 690544)
Well, some>>>The Bosch has more umph with it being 24v
Why aren't lead acid batteries used for cordless tools? Some of the newer ones are quite compact. Is it just because of what happens to them when they're left flat, or are there other reasons?
Their voltage declines more as the capacity is used leading to more variation in performance. Their internal resistance also rises (and is higher to start with) and that limits the maximum current flow. At high loads they tend to need rest periods to regain output. They don't suffer abuse as well either. They are more temperature sensitive. The gel type seem less able to supply big surges of instant current (something NiCds etc do very well), but are able to withstand deep discharge. The liquid electrolyte types (i.e. car batts) are better able to deliver the big surges but deep discharge will knacker them. There is also the problem of the liquid electrolyte. Also there is the weight issue.
Ok, so why does voltage not really matter??? There are a few things to consider.
1st is the old physics equation that power is equal to voltage x current. The important thing for any power tool is its power rating... as well as build quality and the action it performs. If a cordless tool has a higher voltage then it makes it easier for it to achieve a higher power output for a longer period of time if both batteries are of the same quality.
2nd if a battery has a higher potential difference (same as voltage) then it makes it easier to manufacture it to store more (stored/potential) power.
3rd with a higher voltage there will be less heat through the battery and internal wires due to the requirement for current being lowered.
That all said, the build quality on makita's is excellent for professional use. You will have no problems with the Bosch for heavy DIY use, however my experence is that the chuck begins to give up after very extensive use. The battery and motor on both units is excellent.
I do think that the issue of 2 batteries is a huge consideration since drilling and driving does tend to be a heavy drain on the battery. To put a spanner in the works another thing to consider is to go for 2 cheaper drills since another thing that slows down work speed and causes frustration is the constant changing from drill bits to screw driver bits. If you go down this route then I would suggest ryobi combo set available for just over =A3100 for 2 drills (18V).
Hoping this has helped. Calum Sabey (NewArk Traditional Kitchens 01556 690544)
In this case I expect that the 24V tool *will* deliver more useful power than the 14V, however if the 14V has "enough" then you are getting it in a smaller and lighter package.
However there is nothing stopping the designer trading off extra power for longer run time. Since practially all tools are built from the same physical sized cells (sub C) increasing the voltage is an easy way of increasing the capacity of the pack without needing to spend significant amounts on very high capacity cells.
That is a big if. Cell quality is one of the first places that makers go looking for economy. A 24V pack made from decent cells represent a very sizeable chunk of the £80 the OP was quoting for the whole kit!
This is true, although I think you mean energey rather than power in this case. More cells = more energy all other things being equal.
The batteries in both cases are NiCd which have very low internal resistances anyway, so you should not be generating much heat in the battery.
The other non obvious differences will be the bosch probably has nylon cogs in the gearbox, and the ends of the motor shaft and main gearwheels supported on either simple sleave bearings, or be bearingless and directly supported in the casework. Makita usually go for all metal gearboxes and ballraces in the critical places. The makita speed controller may also be better, being able to deliver more torque at slower speeds.
If the charger is quick and the cells reasonbly good, then it in many respects makes up for the lower capacity of the cells since you can still keep working almost flat out. One battery no matter how good will eventually run out and stop you for however long it takes to charge.
Na, you just gave him another option when his mind was almost made up! ;-)
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