SDS - DeWalt or Makita & Difference between SDS & SDS Plus

P.S. I have been through the Google groups archives and read the various SDS threads but couldn't find the answers. I don't deny that I may not have looked hard enough however.

I have the DeWalt and am very happy with it, but I think if I was choosing between those two today I'd buy the Makita.

Yes, this is what would swing it for me.

Both of these tools are SDS Plus. There is another standard, SDS Max, but this is much bigger.

Baaaad question! Tut tut.

That is the one I went for in the end... (I was choosing between that and a Bosch rather than the DeWalt)

Doubt it....

I chose the Makita because of the extra power. For ordinary drilling and chiselling it will probably not make that much difference, but it might make a difference for some applications like using core drills.

Some makers seem to reserve the SDS Plus tag for drills with roto stop (i.e. hammer only)... but but others don't so it does not make any real difference.

A question likely to generate more heat than light ;-)

Not having any DeWalt tools I don't feel qualified to comment, but I am very happy with the Makita ones I have.

SDS is the first type of SDS drill, the difference is in the way the bit and chuck mechanism was. IIRC the slots\grooves are slightly different. The SDS bit's won't fit in more recent SDS drills. (If you can find any!) All drills are referred to as SDS but are all SDS plus of late. As for the DeWalt\Makita poser, I've got several of each, of different sizes, I think the Makita has the edge for durability and power, but only just. For occasional DIY work you probably won't notice much of a difference and both are miles better than a normal hammer drill anyway. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

I have the bosch industrial one with two chucks and its the mutts. I would go for that one just for the ease of chuck changing, it isn`t 6 feet long with the normal chuck on. Its this one.

As for the Dewalt/Makita debate, just brought my first Dewalt tool, a circular saw. So far it has been just as good as my makita tools, however the finish is not as good, as in some stickers aren`t stuck down properly and the castings aren`t excellent. But that said the motor on it is superb. I think that they are just as good as one another IMHO.

Looking at the Bosch you recommend against the Makita, the Bosch is lower Wattage, less max RPMs and £20 more, everything else is same spec.

I know specs aren't everything, but it's the only thing I have to guage them against...

Opinions?

Thanks :o)

Bosch are useless, that's my opinion. Everyone I've worked with have had bosch and they're always falling to pieces. Definitely a make to steer clear of. I have managed to convert quite a few people after loaning them my Makita's. The 24V cordless is usually the one that brings them back from the dark side! ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

Well..... I have one of the larger Bosch SDS machines and that has been very solid indeed

I have several Makita cordless tools - cordless drill etc. and they are extremely good, I agree.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Neither - get the slightly more expensive 2kg DeWalt (the 566 ?) with the rotary stop function. Essential for chiselling blocks in half, removing plaster or knocking the odd wall down when the warranty people aren't looking :-)

Depends - they bought in Elu as well, which were definitely good tools.

I rate my router highly - a DW621K - but the low end circular saw DW62 is a POS , IMHO of course. Had to get the JB Weld out after only 13 months light use of it to re-attach the fan assembly to the armature. Was going to be a £70 repair otherwise.

My favourite amongst the trade/industrial brands is Atlas Copco (aka Milwaukee). Both the cordless drill/driver and the jigsaw that I have can't be faulted. Not many places stock them though.

-- Richard Sampson

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

Assume these are the DW566K and HR2440 models that you're talking about?

A lot of people here rate the DW highly, but I think that the Makita was released more recently and seems to have the edge.

The spec you're looking for from an SDS drill is the impact energy - 0-2.4J in the case of the DW and 2.7 in the case of the Makita. When I get round to getting an SDS drill the Makita's probably the one that I would go with at the price point.

-- Richard Sampson

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

In case these aren't the DW566K and HR2440 (which both have rotary stops which is pretty darned useful) then the prices may not be that good.

D&M tools do them both & they're normally quite competitive:

-- Richard Sampson

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

Both the DeWalt and the Makita that I'm looking at have a rotary stop function (or at least the websites say they do).

Those were the models. I had a quick look at the dm-tools website and the Makita would be £5 cheaper, the only problem is that they don't also stock a 'cheap-as-chips' power planer, meaning paying postage to ScrewFix this costing more than the initial saving.

Still, a good website to bookmark for future comparisons.

Thanks :o)

Seri

I'm fortunate to have them as my local toolshop, not good on the wallet if you set foot in the door though.

Yes, they don't do own-brands, NuTool, Kress, Ferm and the likes. Small selection of DIY B&D stuff, but that's about it (and stern warnings about trade use of them and the likelyhood of refunds!!!).

I agree, you've got to look at the total price of the order, which kind of swings it in this case.

-- Richard Sampson

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

Then £110 is a good price for the 566.

My one complaint on the 566 is it sounds like a Scalextrix toy whereas the Makita and my old Boschhammer sound like they are struggling less under heavy load. Also the 566 seems to have a higher frequency hammer which works better on some items but not on others.

But Bosch's repair service is crap which is why I stopped getting their stuff.

The Makita that screwfix do for 119 is the HR2450

When I was shopping around for a Cordless drill the feedback I got from tool shops gave Makita the thumbs up against DeWalt. I ended up getting a Panasonic in the end which is a lovely piece of kit. Don't know if they do an SDS drill though!