# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Makita or hitachi

## Fordnut

I'm lookin at buying a drill driver for work and around the house and am undecided on which one to buy. theyre both Li-ion,18V the only diference is I think the price. and its a big difference. The hitachi doesnt come with a case more often than not the makita does. Has anybody used or owned these? what do ppl recommend?

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## SilentButDeadly

You'll not go wrong with either.....any differences may well be in the batteries.  Look hard in that direction.

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## Fordnut

yeah I looked at that. the hitachi comes with 2 1.5Ah batteries where as the makita comes with 2 3.0Ah batteries which is better. both have the same technology and the makita is reported to charge quicker. not that it really matters that much when you have 2 of them.

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## SilentButDeadly

....it's just that as a Makita rechargable owner.....there's a reason that the batteries need to charge quicker.  If I were a betting man I would suggest that the build quality & expected lifetime of the Hitachi batteries might be a step-up on the Makita's.  Especially if the Hitachi is more pricey....

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## Fordnut

Hmm. I love the hitachi, but is it really worth the extra $2-300 difference even with the batteries? Are your batteries the 1.5 or 3 Ah?

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## ScroozAdmin

I use a makita BHP351 with a 3.OAH batt, can't recommend it enough its been a great tool and the gimicky torch headlights on the front are actually pretty useful when your stuck under cupboard etc.  :Biggrin:  Batteries last ages and charge very fast although the charger is a bit noisy (cooling fan)

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## SilentButDeadly

It's not the suggested size of the battery in Ah that I'd be concerned with.  It is the quality of the battery itself......and I have some doubts about the quality (and therefore lifespan) of some of the Makita batteries. 
Recent experience with OE Makita batteries suggests that they are of variable build quality 
To make various price points, it is the easiest place for a manufacturer to skimp.

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## ibrox

I can only speak for hitachi, I have 2 x drill drivers & 1 x impact driver, they have been brilliant for me, I use them at leat 3 times a week & they have never let me down, charge very quickly. A few weeks ago I was building my decking & accidentaly knocked the drill driver into the pool, I was lucky enough to grab it before it went any more than 2 feet under water. It did not work straight away but to my amazement it worked when I left it to dry out & has not missed a beat since. Good luck. 
Ibrox

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## Bleedin Thumb

I have never owned any small Hitachi drill/drivers ...I've had a few Mac's, though I have a few larger Hitachi things, grinders, saws, demolition hammers. 
I would pick a Hitachi tool over a Mac anyday.  
My preference for cordless drills is the Metabo...I love em. 
It sound weird but don't underestimate the worth of having a case for your drill, I know its only packaging but its important in keeping the drill, charger/spare battery together.

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## ptrott

> I'm lookin at buying a drill driver ....... theyre both Li-ion,18V the o.... I think the price. and its a big difference. ..... what do ppl recommend?

  I recently went through the same thing when my Bosch finally died. The batteries were the thing that finally swayed me because of all the reports of mixed experiences with Li Ion.  The only ones that seemed to measure up, with very little negative feedback, was the Dewalt Nano Li Ion, so I went that way. 
 I have only had the kit for a short while, (DCD950 drill & DC827 impact driver all in a heavy duty bag) so I cannot in all fairness comment on the battery performance over time, but so far I am impressed with the quick charge time and the amount of work I can do before they need recharging again.  This drill is extremely powerful, so much so that I will not use it without the supplied extra side handle in low speed (three speed gearbox) and it is wise to use it in second speed range too. I would have expected a drill with that much power to deplete the charge very quickly, but not so. 
The impact driver is an awesome bit of gear also. I have had to be very careful with it so as to not break screws. It will snap a 10-12 gauge hex head screw (like a roofing zip) quite easilly.  
If price is an issue, as it was with me, then shop around. I got my kit for under $700 delivered to W.A. Normal retail is several hundred more. The trade-off is that I only get 30 day warranty. This did not worry me as Dewalt is top quality, and replacement if the worst should happen is affordable, because they are available on ebay as "Naked tools" for quite reasonable prices. 
My 2 cents worth  :Smilie:

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## up_the_gully

From own experience, I have a DS18DL(HL) hitachi 18v lithium drill, it @@@@@ all over any drill i've used in the past.  I've used it on 175mm lag bolts joining 2 x 100mm thick treated pine and it goes without a hitch.  It just never slows down.  Batteries last so long you forget it's cordless.  Problem with lithium is the chargers and the batteries cost a fair whack so go into a store, play with them and pick a brand and invest in that kit - mate has makita lithium they're good too.

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## Terrian

what is the torque difference between them (I went with an AEG)

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## Makisan

I've found Makita servicing is heaps better. 
Having said that I believe Hitachi make much better motors, hence I have a Hitachi Router and compound saw. All my drills, rip saws, grinders, sanders are Makita. 
I am a bit biased though - think Holden or Ford. You can't really go wrong with either.

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## teknostar

I really like my Makita Li 18V drill.

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## nberry83

I have a Hitachi kit inc drill, impact driver, circ saw and recip saw. Has not missed a beat yet, just in the process of purchasing a house in desparate need of renovation so will see how it performs full on in the future.  
Got it from ebay from an Aussie tool distributor and as such came with full 1 year warranty. Will be looking for the grinder and probably worksite radio in the future-both available as 'naked' tools. 
A couple of the guys from work have the impact wrench as well - could not rate it high enough. 
Cheers 
Nathan

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## shads

ive just bought a hitatchi 18v hammer/driver and an impact driver and although i havent had a chance to use them yet i have got 1000 roofing screws to do next week so i will let you all know!!
i was thinking about using the impact driver for the decking screws aswell... anyone got experience doing this?? 
for what its worth the nice man i bought them from on ebay sent me this useful bit of info on the li-ion batteries...  Hi,  After chatting to a few customers recently about their batteries and about batteries failing, it has prompted me to write this to help our customers get the best value and lifespan from their products, whether it was purchased from us or someone else.   There`s more info here,  http://search.reviews.ebay.com.au/members/schmidttools  We are sending this to customers who buy bare Li-ion tools as well, not just people that buy batteries from us.  THE MAIN GIST OF THIS WHOLE ARTICLE IS THAT LI-ION BATTERIES CAN BE OVER HEATED AND WILL TAKE DAMAGE IF YOUR NOT CARE FULL.   Li-ion batteries take damage when exceeding 40 degrees and going below 4 degrees.  Li-ion batteries unlike Ni-Cd usually come partly to fully charged and are best put in a charger before using and given a top up. These batteries are best kept at 40% charge for storage.   Take it easy on the first few runs with a new battery, in this stage it`s critical not to over heat or "Abuse" them.   The batteries take a few cycles to reach full capacity and hold maximum charge and need to be "Run in" as such. They are more delicate so to speak and can`t be abused like Ni-cd. They don`t handle nearly as much heat, hence all the new tools have circuit protection in the tool or Battery. This is to protect the Li-ion from over heating. Some brands have fans in the chargers and vented battery casings to try to cool them down.  Treat them like a ni-cd battery and you can`t expect to get your maximum Recharges/Cycles.  The main way you over heat these is by taking them from Full charge to Flat in under 10 minutes or so. Usually in a high load tool on a hot day.  The second way people reduce the lifespan is BAD STORAGE. Leaving them in a toolbox in the back of the ute in Mid-summer will reduce the number of cycles. The boot of a car or a toolbox can peak above 65 degrees, it`s like leaving batteries in the oven.  Low temperatures have the same effect.   Don`t leave them in your car in summer, or in the sun  and don`t take them from fully to charged to flat in 5-10 minutes all the time in high load tools like the grinder, particularly on Hot Days.   Use 2 batteries if your going to use them flat out in a grinder, Circular saw, Rotary Hammer Drill, etc and rotate a fresh cold pack halfway through the discharge of the first battery and let it cool or rather don`t let it get that hot in the first place. Swapping them halfway through a fast discharge cycle means way less heat all up, which means longer lifespans.   You are better off to stick the battery in a charger at half cycle they have no memory effects. Half cycle charges are much better for a battery than a full Deep Cycle charge.  Over Discharging is VERY VERY BAD. When it looses power Stop and Recharge, they should never be run dead flat or stored while discharged. An over flat battery may never recover.   Discharging them quickly, and often gets them too hot and they wont get the maximum recycles. They are way more delicate then ni-cd but last much longer if you look after them a little. Once you get it too hot to often they will blow a vent in a cell and its all over for that battery very quickly after that.  Its more about what you do to them that makes them either get 800 or 1500 cycles.  If you want more information about that give me a call i`ll be happy to tell you all the do`s and do nots with the newer li-ion batteries.  I like to talk about tools, I like my job and that`s why I chose this to do.  I was a carpenter for 20 years, so I have a fair knowledge of all kinds of things and i`m happy to share.

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## cflake

I had an 18v Hitachi hammer drill & 12v impact driver for 2 years, only losing them in a divorce settlement.  They are both excellent, the drill motor was so powerful it actually snapped the handle of the drill and bent the shaft while I was using it (2 handed admittedly).  Hitachi replaced it under warranty, but they replaced it with a second hand drill casing (I guess someone elses motor must have blown up) and straightened the shaft.. but they stopped short of replacing it with a new drill.  The impact driver was compact and had more than enough power for what I was using it for. 
I have since replaced them with a Milwaukee 18v drill & impact driver set - $799 with 3 3.0Ah batteries.  I actually prefer the Milwaukee as they are both 18v and I don't have to stuff around with 2 sets of batteries.  The chuck is also a little better IMO.

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