Best place to buy Makita 18V tools

wavinwayne

wavinwayne

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Somehow I've made it past the half-century mark in age without ever owning a cordless power tool; everything I own is corded. I'm going to start building a small collection of cordless tools I'll actually use like a couple of drills, a blower, and a ratchet. After a good bit of reading on here, I've decided to go with Makita 18V because reasons (I like Makita Teal). Is there any advantage to buying the tools from a big box store vs from Amazon?
 
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Less chance of getting a "fake" one for sure for going to Home Depot etc... Some lessons-learned over the years with my Makitas:

1. Take advantage of Black Friday sale of "kits / sets" - probably equivalent to getting a free tool and/or a battery vs. buying separately
2. Less common, tools (vs. drill, impacts) like a ratchet or a blower maybe "safer" to buy on Amazon - I bought my ratchet on amazon (if you have not already, go to Aliexpress and you will see $30 "Makitas")
3. If you are buying a battery (or two) separately, then a big box store is definitely safer as there are too many fakes out there with legit packaging - I took a chance with a battery which had a great price (I thought it was sold by Makita but it wasn't - see my #4 comment below) but luckily I was near a Makita service center one day and they "tested / certified" that it is a genuine one (otherwise, I was going to return it)
4. Be careful on Amazon - ignore the "Visit the Makita Store" link and pay attention to "Sold By" - at least Amazon can take a return if fake (or issues arise)

Good luck!
 
Seconding Home Depot and black friday sales.

I would recommend a drill, impact driver, battery and charger combo to start with. An impact driver will let you build a shed, and with a 1/4 or 3/8 adapter will do quite a bit of auto mechanical stuff before you eventually might want to invest in an impact wrench.

Woot (owned by Amazon) has Makita stuff on sale and can be about 10% less than Amazon itself. You need lots of patience, cross checking of prices and kind of already know what you are looking for to benefit from Woot sales. I've bought quite a bit of stuff from Woot the past year and have done pretty well.
 
I go small box store with a family owned place here in Grass Valley called The Tool Shed.

I've gotten used returned products - boxed up and sold as new from home depot. If you are buying anything inside a box from them open it up before you leave the store.
 
greenjp said:
Check out https://www.makitatools.com/promos for the current promos. Usually have some buy this/get a free battery or bonus tool, which you can verify when you're ordering from Amazon, Home Depot, or International Tool (I have ordered a few things from them, good "real person" service).

jeff
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Yep, I was over at the Makita site checking the promos earlier tonight. Home Depot has some good-ish combo deals right now.
 
wavinwayne said:
Somehow I've made it past the half-century mark in age without ever owning a cordless power tool; everything I own is corded. I'm going to start building a small collection of cordless tools I'll actually use like a couple of drills, a blower, and a ratchet. After a good bit of reading on here, I've decided to go with Makita 18V because reasons (I like Makita Teal). Is there any advantage to buying the tools from a big box store vs from Amazon?
Click to expand...
Home Depot.
 
georgemiller said:
Makita must be very good as I see most pros use them.
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Just like oil brands, this is an individual choice as many major brand is "bad."

When I started buying power tools years ago and trying to decide between DeWalt and Makita, I asked my brother-in-law who was installing solar panels, etc. He said "they are both good but Makita is a bit lighter so easier for me / my wrist, etc. Plus my tools survived many drops from the roof"....and my drill, impact driver survived many drops, etc. last 15+ years still going strong.
 
I love my Makita tools. Great choice. Pricey? Sure; the best usually is. You will soon forget about the cost, I'm sure.
1730903812336.webp
 
Hoster987 said:
Just like oil brands, this is an individual choice as many major brand is "bad."

When I started buying power tools years ago and trying to decide between DeWalt and Makita, I asked my brother-in-law who was installing solar panels, etc. He said "they are both good but Makita is a bit lighter so easier for me / my wrist, etc. Plus my tools survived many drops from the roof"....and my drill, impact driver survived many drops, etc. last 15+ years still going strong.
Click to expand...
I meant to say "NONE of major brand is bad"........
@JeffKeryk Do I see a Milwaukee ratchet next to your Makita impact??? Is it like having a girlfriend sitting next to your wife?? ;-)
 
wavinwayne said:
It's going to take a while to convince the domestic purchasing department that I need all these power tools, so I plan to try and get one every couple of months when a "problem" arises that needs fixing.
Click to expand...
Too bad you can't get a starter kit at a great discount during the Home Depot Black Friday sale. This deal would save you a bunch of cash compared to buying one tool/battery/charger at a time.

1730990148678.webp
 
Hoster987 said:
I meant to say "NONE of major brand is bad"........
@JeffKeryk Do I see a Milwaukee ratchet next to your Makita impact??? Is it like having a girlfriend sitting next to your wife?? ;-)
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Ya know, I don't really like the Milwaukee ratchet. Too big for tight spaces, too bulky and heavy. Plus, now that I know its place of origin, I ain't buying no more... I gave my BIL a smaller Milwaukee set a few years back; the smaller lighter ratchet has served him well.

The Makita changed my life. @Trav suggested it along with a good vendor. Spot on advice. Dang thing does the dishes...
 
Nice!!! Hopefully not for your cars but for other work. I don't think I ever use my impact driver for car maintenance, repairs :-)
 
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