Trav,
Are both of those Makita batteries the same shape for the connectors to the Drivers, meaning they are interchangeable?
Are both of those Makita batteries the same shape for the connectors to the Drivers, meaning they are interchangeable?
Recommend a drill?
- Thread starter supton
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I see the OP picked up the 18v Makita set. Can't go wrong with that.
It does seem the "recommend a drill" thread appears every 6 months or so.
I went with the 12v Makitas recently (drill, driver, and oscillating tool) and don't regret going with the smaller system at all. Haven't come across anything they can't do and when that time comes I'll drag out the corded 1/2" Harbor Freight drill collecting dust in the garage.
jeff
It does seem the "recommend a drill" thread appears every 6 months or so.
I went with the 12v Makitas recently (drill, driver, and oscillating tool) and don't regret going with the smaller system at all. Haven't come across anything they can't do and when that time comes I'll drag out the corded 1/2" Harbor Freight drill collecting dust in the garage.
jeff
Originally Posted by JC1
Trav,
Are both of those Makita batteries the same shape for the connectors to the Drivers, meaning they are interchangeable?
Yes they are. All of them are Star marked. The old non Star batteries will work in Star marked tools but Star will not work in much older ones. Basically if it was made in the last 8 years its a non issue. The thing I like about Makita batteries is they last a loooong time and if one fails in 3 years they change it, ditto the tool.
The star batteries do have an 85% safety in them, if the charge is 85% or more it will give you a solid green and red light on the charger and will not go full green (flashing red/green means defective battery), this is by design and not a problem. Use the tools run it down and it will charge normally as always.
Trav,
Are both of those Makita batteries the same shape for the connectors to the Drivers, meaning they are interchangeable?
Yes they are. All of them are Star marked. The old non Star batteries will work in Star marked tools but Star will not work in much older ones. Basically if it was made in the last 8 years its a non issue. The thing I like about Makita batteries is they last a loooong time and if one fails in 3 years they change it, ditto the tool.
The star batteries do have an 85% safety in them, if the charge is 85% or more it will give you a solid green and red light on the charger and will not go full green (flashing red/green means defective battery), this is by design and not a problem. Use the tools run it down and it will charge normally as always.
Thanks Trav.
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by Trav
Good little home set, check HD often many times you find this for $99. You cant beat Makita, I have some batteries over 11 years old and never a fail, one never broke either.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-...h-Batteries-Charger-Bag-CT225R/205995895
Went with this. Felt best in hand. Ryobi wasn't bad but did not feel as good; Rigid felt a bit blocky. Wasn't until I got home that i realized it was the brushed model; not sure if it really matters.
I think you made a great choice. I was going to chime in and echo what others have said about how the Makita feels. It has a great balance and stability to it. I bought it for home projects and use it all the time and the hammer drill feature is great for putting fasteners in concrete. I also like that the 18V batteries work with their attachments. I have the LED reticulating work light that is great for changing oil and I have my eye on their lawn clippers! I'm just jealous you got that nice bag!
Originally Posted by Trav
Good little home set, check HD often many times you find this for $99. You cant beat Makita, I have some batteries over 11 years old and never a fail, one never broke either.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-...h-Batteries-Charger-Bag-CT225R/205995895
Went with this. Felt best in hand. Ryobi wasn't bad but did not feel as good; Rigid felt a bit blocky. Wasn't until I got home that i realized it was the brushed model; not sure if it really matters.
I think you made a great choice. I was going to chime in and echo what others have said about how the Makita feels. It has a great balance and stability to it. I bought it for home projects and use it all the time and the hammer drill feature is great for putting fasteners in concrete. I also like that the 18V batteries work with their attachments. I have the LED reticulating work light that is great for changing oil and I have my eye on their lawn clippers! I'm just jealous you got that nice bag!
Depends on what you want to use it for. For around the house use, the Ryobi would be fine. I find that lack of use is killing more batteries than overuse. I have Milwaukee 18v Fuel tools for HVAC work and am still using original batteries and have bought used batteries, and still haven't lost a battery yet in over 4 years. I also have Makita and Hercules tools that work well too, but if you're going to work a tool hard, then go for the best.
See the pic below, I know it's hard to see but that is smoke (it actually had flames coming out, but we werent fast enough to get pics) coming out of that Ryobi drill. Once the magic smoke comes out, you can't put it back. Ryobi doesn't appear to have the best overheat protection as others, because even the Fuel drivers will kick out rather than burn up. I was using a 4" hole saw to drill through an 8" deep roof on a commercial job. I was going to go to the truck for my Milwaukee 18v drill, but the guy from the building said to go ahead and use his Ryobi, well, well we went through THREE of his Ryobis before he ran out of drills and I went to the truck and got my Milwaukee and finished the hole no sweat. That doesn't mean Ryobi is junk, it means they just aren't designed for extreme use/abuse. Just so you understand the guy went to a big box store and bought three (maybe more, I dunno) Ryobis on sale at Christmas for $99, and up until that point had a stash of batteries and drills. If used for reasonable jobs, the Ryobi would do you fine. I wouldn't be afraid to own one, and if you do go through a battery, they're usually cheaper.
I will say, if it were me, I'd buy one of the new subcompact drill/driver 12v kits for home use, like the Dewalt Xtreme or Makita CXT subcompact. Todays 12v stuff is as strong or stronger than the old 18v rools. I have a 12v Makita brushless subcompact drill and impact driver set and I gotta say, they are awesome. The 12v Fuel Milwaukee stuff is even stronger, but I find only a few times I need full 18v power, but when you do, nothing else will do.
Funny story..
I bought a new Fuel 18v hammer drill/driver to replace an older one and we were installing a system, where we had to move a dryer vent and my helper was drilling 4" holes through floor joists to move the vent. I warned him to use the aux handle on the drill as it was not the old drill and it could hurt him. Well, he didn't listen and I was outside when I heard a loud thump, whump and a yell. when I went in to see what happened, (as if I didn't know), and he had been up in the joist pocket and the drill kicked back and got him good, twisted his wrist and banged his head. So don't think for a minute these things aren't strong, you'll be unpleasantly surprised. Thank goodness no serious injury, but a wakeup call. That kind of power is only for some jobs.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/09/full-18809-36152-img_1822_01.jpg "[Linked Image]")
See the pic below, I know it's hard to see but that is smoke (it actually had flames coming out, but we werent fast enough to get pics) coming out of that Ryobi drill. Once the magic smoke comes out, you can't put it back. Ryobi doesn't appear to have the best overheat protection as others, because even the Fuel drivers will kick out rather than burn up. I was using a 4" hole saw to drill through an 8" deep roof on a commercial job. I was going to go to the truck for my Milwaukee 18v drill, but the guy from the building said to go ahead and use his Ryobi, well, well we went through THREE of his Ryobis before he ran out of drills and I went to the truck and got my Milwaukee and finished the hole no sweat. That doesn't mean Ryobi is junk, it means they just aren't designed for extreme use/abuse. Just so you understand the guy went to a big box store and bought three (maybe more, I dunno) Ryobis on sale at Christmas for $99, and up until that point had a stash of batteries and drills. If used for reasonable jobs, the Ryobi would do you fine. I wouldn't be afraid to own one, and if you do go through a battery, they're usually cheaper.
I will say, if it were me, I'd buy one of the new subcompact drill/driver 12v kits for home use, like the Dewalt Xtreme or Makita CXT subcompact. Todays 12v stuff is as strong or stronger than the old 18v rools. I have a 12v Makita brushless subcompact drill and impact driver set and I gotta say, they are awesome. The 12v Fuel Milwaukee stuff is even stronger, but I find only a few times I need full 18v power, but when you do, nothing else will do.
Funny story..
I bought a new Fuel 18v hammer drill/driver to replace an older one and we were installing a system, where we had to move a dryer vent and my helper was drilling 4" holes through floor joists to move the vent. I warned him to use the aux handle on the drill as it was not the old drill and it could hurt him. Well, he didn't listen and I was outside when I heard a loud thump, whump and a yell. when I went in to see what happened, (as if I didn't know), and he had been up in the joist pocket and the drill kicked back and got him good, twisted his wrist and banged his head. So don't think for a minute these things aren't strong, you'll be unpleasantly surprised. Thank goodness no serious injury, but a wakeup call. That kind of power is only for some jobs.
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If you are looking for a Corded drill, I would recommended the Makita drills and Dewalt as a second place.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-4-9-Amp-3-8-in-Drill-6407/202517722
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-7-8-Amp-1-2-in-Variable-Speed-Reversing-Drill-DW235G/100050769
AS for Cordless, my go to is Dewalt and some Craftsman due to some being built in the USA. My choice for battery powered tools that no one makes in the USA is Milwaukee
I bought this combo set for around the house and I love it. the tools are well built and the batteries are have a decent run time for the size.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Charger-and-Tool-Bag-DCK420D2/205089392
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Charger-and-Tool-Bag-DCD780C2/202922391
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-4-9-Amp-3-8-in-Drill-6407/202517722
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-7-8-Amp-1-2-in-Variable-Speed-Reversing-Drill-DW235G/100050769
AS for Cordless, my go to is Dewalt and some Craftsman due to some being built in the USA. My choice for battery powered tools that no one makes in the USA is Milwaukee
I bought this combo set for around the house and I love it. the tools are well built and the batteries are have a decent run time for the size.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Charger-and-Tool-Bag-DCK420D2/205089392
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Charger-and-Tool-Bag-DCD780C2/202922391
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