DeWalt Tools

[mo]

Bit late posting this as I have already bought the tools... but what are your thoughts on DeWalt tools?

I know at the current time DeWalt and Makita are meant to be the 2 premium tool brands - but are they that good?

I just bought this:

actually was very good value when you compare prices, it seems well built enough

and this:

again is quite cheap - its also an absolute beast in terms of size compared to other heatguns I have used

overall then what are your thoughts?

[John Rumm]

DeWalt do stuff in the Makita quality bracket - which is also on par with Hitachi, Blue Bosch, Trend, and various others. They also do some stuff which is perhaps more closely regarded as the top of the B&D range (B&D being the parent company anyway). So as with all makers, it pays to assess each tool individually rather than just assume that buying one brand will always yield top quality kit.

More on brands etc:

[Andrew Mawson]

Drill-Driver-14-4V

240V-Hot-Air-Gun;jsessionid=05ETWN3X2CGWECSTHZOSFFY

Best thing I did was to buy a decent DeWalt 18v drill. For years I'd struggled with Wickes branded £50 jobs which sort of did the job but only just. Final straw was driving 6" No12 wood screws in a barn conversion - the Wickes Special didn't stand a chance whereas the DeWalt ate the job. OK much mure expensive but it's already lasted 3 years of VERY heavy DIY and not complained. Which is why I now have a DeWalt 18v angle grinder (excellent - particularly in a field where there is no mains!) and a DeWalt chop saw - all well made and good tools to work with.

AWEM

[Jules Richardson]

range as well as the high-end stuff; and both Ryobi and B+D cover both mid-range and budget.

DeWalt quality doesn't seem to vary (and is IME pretty high), but some of their stuff is sold pretty cheaply here (I think my corded* drill was $50, which is what, about 30 quid? I've hurled no end of tasks at it with no complaints)

• I can't really say 'mains' here :-)

Also noticed lots of badge engineering, so if you're shopping around and can, watch out for the same motors, gearboxes and whatnot being used on different brands - often with a big difference in price. If you've got a particular range of jobs in mind, it doesn't always make sense to pay "extra" for something supposedly better - it's not always the case.

cheers

Jules

[Huge]

Contrariwise, the DeWalt 'leccy screwdriver I have is a PoS.

[The Medway Handyman]

Indeed. Makita drill drivers, combi's, impact drivers, jigsaws, angle grinders all great - don't like their circular saw much.

You also get into the 'battery trap' with cordless tools. Wouldn't pay me to buy another make of 14.4v tool now because of the interchangeability of batteries and chargers.

[1501]

Of course the 1/2" DeWalt routers are derivatives of the former Elu range which were considered to be the benchmark router for years. Particularly the DW625/MOF177e and CMT machines.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember mo saying something like:

Ime, you do get what you pay for, at least for DeWalt a few years ago; don't know if the quality's gone down recently. I have a DW jigsaw which is a lovely machine to use and surpasses every other jigsaw I had or used.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't think any one maker exclusively does the best power tools. Although it could be said you won't actually go wrong with Makita. But that's not to say every single model they make is the best in class.

Strangely, the only DeWalt I own is their lightweight SDS drill - which was light years ahead of the competition when it was introduced many years ago. Just the right size for DIY use.

[John Rumm]

I think that is also true here - the better end of the B&D seems to overlap with DeWalt's lower end.

Quite a number of the "pro" ranges have dropped their price in recent times to grab more market share. Makita stuff is often quite competitively priced here.

Yup loads of that here at the budget end. There is also some at the higher end though. Shops like Wickes have some better quality own brand stuff that is actually badged versions of some quite decent kit.

[John Rumm]

True, which is interesting when you note that B&D also own the Elu brand as well. Trend's better[1] routers are also clones of the original Elu stuff.

[1] T5 upwards.

[The Medway Handyman]

Agreed, delighted with everything Makita apart from circular saw.

Funny. I've played with DeWalt drill drivers & found them really heavy & bulky compared to Mak.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I bought mine many years ago, and dunno if Makita even made a comparable one then. And if they did, no-where near the price. It was before the sheds started selling SDS.

[PeterC]

Just looked at a DeWalt 18V combi and compared it with my 18V Makita combi: they seemd to be the same length (although, for some reason, DeWalts always look long in pictures) and the DW seemed a fraction heavier - still felt good though.

Trying to csk some hardwood yesterday - the PowerCraft 14.4 was almost stalling and nowt much happening; the 12V Makita drill/driver, with the same bit, was almost over-enthusiastic. Most satisfying.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Almost certainly down to the battery quality.

I re-celled a B&Q cheapie once using decent cells I had lying around. Transformed it.

[1501]

Almost a cue for a new thread.

Has anyone else out there with experience of the likely cost of re- celling (not reselling)? I've got an McKeller/NuTool 24V drill which (remarkably) works well but one of the two battery packs is shot.

[PeterC]

Yup - also the '1 hour charge' is now over 90 min.

Only worth doing for this one if the cells are free :-( It's just useful to leave in the shed, then if it craps out or gets nicked it doesn't matter.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Sadly more than the cost of a new drill complete.

[The Medway Handyman]

I've always found the Makita drivers punch well above their weight. I've got a 7.2v driver & a 7.2v impact driver - both of which obviously think they are 12v :-)

[PeterC]

and the 12V is emulating its big brother! Found out that 5mmx40mm st. st. Turbo screws are a bit small for the 12V impact driver - great care needed to get it just right and I now have 2 screwless heads!