My drill is knackered. I find myself drawn to 2 current Screwfix offers:
Makita 8391 £79.86
David
None. If drilling and driving then an Impact Driver.
Technical wisdom? No.
But the Makita is just under 80, the Hitachi almost 98 - when I view them. So a clear win to Makita on price grounds.
Unfortunately, Screwfix see fit to provide virtually no details on the Hitachi to allow sensible comparison.
If it means anything to you, the Hitachi appears to come with a torch.
Otherwise I'd go Makita simply because they are so well established in the UK; Hitachi tools appear to come and go.
Given that Makita were founded 1915 and have an extremely strong foothold in the world markets and Hitachi beat them to it in 1910 the longevity of their products is relatively equal. Small tools in volume were produced in Asia by Makita first.
Being trained professionally in repairs to both products hand power tools I found the Makita equipment superior in build quality. Parts were *usually* cheaper and accuracy of shell casings and assemblies more consistent.
Prices vary. Shop around. Personally I would choose Makita over Hitachi....Just *don't* go the Black and Decker route.
I am perfectly happy to believe what you say in terms of history and quality. But, for example, the *only* Hitachi product at Axminster is "Hitachi NR90GC - 50mm Galv. Nails (4,800)". Whereas there are 132 by Makita. Or a search produces 273 hits for Hitachi 18V drill - and 1,717 for Makita 18V drill.
I have always wondered if they simply never got a good distributor in the UK?
(And I 100% agree about B&D.)
That certainly seems to be a part of it. The few Hitachi products I have used have generally been very good. Their SDS drills seem nice, the big circular saws are lovely (solid cast base plates etc). I have a 230mm Hitachi grinder that has spent its life cutting masonry and has been faultless.
yup...
Decision is made.
I have 3 Hitachi power tools and all have exceeded my expectations.
I have 1 Makita SDS drill which has had 1 frustrating fault (broken switch) after about 2 years. Otherwise perfect.
I think I will go with the Hitachi....an extra 0.1 Ah and a torch I don't need for an extra 18 quid.
D
I'd go for the Makita any day. Speed control & ergonomics are out of this world, real joy to use. Parts & service easy to get hold of, superb 30 min chargers. I've got a 12v & a 14.4v in use 5/6 days a week for 2 years, been abused, dropped, stood on, rained on - no problems.
Hitachi looks like something Dan Dare would kill Treens with.
Hitachi are a good brand, but I reckon the Makita beats it hands down & leaves you £20 to spend on drills & bits.
You could get one of these
Just to add to the dilemma - I have loads of Makita kit, and that has always been first rate as well....
Use the Makita at work - 1st class piece of kit. Comfortable to hold and powerful
Malcolm
I bought the Makita last week and it seems good.
I also had a look at the Hitachi in the store and I didn't think the finishing off the case, body, etc was quite as good.
Using the paper catalogue the Hitachi has 43Nm of torque which is only 1 more than the Makita. The batteries are 1.4Ah as opposed to 1.3Ah for the Makita. So there is very little to choose between the two.
Bear in mind that the batteries that come with either of these drills have just about the lowest capacity you can get.
The torch with the Hitachi is just a regular filament bulb. I can't really see the point in having it unless you want to fully discharge a battery to give it a full cycle charge.
My only other comment on the Makita is the same as one of the reviewers on the Screwfix website and that is the highest torque setting is a bit weedy. I can see really large screws will need to be driven in using it set to 'drill'. The Hitachi might be the same or might not?
You *really* shouldn't do this. The crap about memory effect and fully discharging batteries to avoid it has ruined far more than it ever saved. Recharge when the drill performance drops off. Don't discharge further.
More crap from one who's never used one. For normal drilling you need a normal chuck.
Me too.
Including collated screw driving kit?
Did you ever get a satisfactory resolution?
Agreed, I never use the torque settings on either of my Makitas. The 12v is always on 'drill' and the 14.4v combi is either on 'drill' or 'hammer'. The speed control & brake are so good you don't really need a torque setting.
Please eff off as you are an idiotic plantpot.
Errm not sure yet, not had time to try the latest fix.
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