Marty, I know what you will say ……
In the market for a smaller version of a Hilti SDS drill. I can borrow my cousin’s, but he’s got a T5 and it’s a little large for my smaller projects.
The Bosch 7/8 and the Makita 1″ are about the same, and the same price, but the Makita comes with 5 bits and can do chipping.
I know we have thrashed thei topic like crazy, but has anyone used the Makita and can tell me what you like/don’t like.
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
Replies
Makita isn't too bad of a tool.. lot of them are great....
The company sucks...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming....
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I know you wear your heart on your sleeve. Is the actual tool better than the Bosch, and why don't you like the company.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
This is all my own opinion.. I don't rep or vend for anybody here.. The usual disclaimer stuff..
The tools themselves... Flip a coin... Yur choice...
You know I would go with the Bosch though....
I was around when Makita, Hitachi and Ryobie were trying to get a foot hold in the US in the late 70's and early 80's...
They all hit on the mom and pop tool vendors / repair stations 1st and promised them the world... Offered a real bed of roses.. Really went over board to make themselves look good... Serious PR... Great jobber pricing, good warranty program, low unit buying and so on... Suburb returns... and yadda, yadda, yadda....
After they got a bit of a toe hold that began to change... Higher unit costs, larger minimums, restructured warranty pays and poor invoice turn around... As much as 180 days out and discounted when the check showed up with a warning letter with it in regards to charging intrust on unpaid balances... When the shoe was on the other foot... D&C...
When they got into HD, Mr How, Scotties, Lowes and Wickes the mom and pop outfits found themselves over the proverbial barrel... Retail at those stores was lower than the M&P quantity jobber pricing... That bed of roses had an awful lot of thorns in it...
When Makita opened their own repair stations things got worse for mom and dad... The M&P folks couldn't even get repair parts unless they went to the repair stations in person and bought them over the counter... Sometimes for a whopping 10% off... 32$ for a VSCH switch at Makita was $7.50 from Milwaukee.... Same exact switch, same part number....
I think these guys / manufactures did this to force out the M&P's because they weren't "volume"and not spend a dime of their own money doing it... they may even have had an angle to make money doing this... Don't know for sure but it sure looked that way...
Bean counters and numbers.... Bottom line... It's us that matters and screw them... The old time hard line Oriental view of the caste system was very apparent here... No doubt...
These guys weren't too customer friendly either... Screwed over more than a few.. Getting tool issues resolved was another class of "PITA" all in it's self... They left some really good people hanging, out in the cold and monies due - embittered... 20 years latter and they still haven't made good... Reneged to the max...
So in short their integrity sucks... Don't give a damn what their PR lackeys say...
All thru this Bosch, Milwaukee, Elu, Hilti and Matebo stood by their word... Didn't let any one down and were willing to give the benefit of the doubt to it's contractors (M&P"s) and customers... This group of companies said "we are integrity" and proved it over and again... They had a line of excellent products, still do and stood / stand by them..
When I buy tools I look at who is getting my money and for what, together...
Keep in mind that all manufactures of upper end tools have their duds and they have their bench-marks too.
BTW... Bosch has redone the miter on the 4000... Saw it Saturday...
Can we discuss what YOUR money will get Me for tools sometime??? ROAR!!!!
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Edited 9/6/2004 11:30 pm ET by IMERC
I was around... What was your role in this? How did you learn these details?Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Personal experience and involvement..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
That's what I suspected. Were you somehow involved in the M&P side?
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Yup...
Weekends (Sundays) and in my spare time I was a service tech helping out a M&P (both good friends) operation...
The Japs almost forced them into bankruptcy... Left them holding the bag BIG TIME.... They had Dave and his wife by the jewels and squeezed for all they could..
I will not buy Oriental anything if I can help it...
BTW... The Oriental stuff was pure junk... The Milwaukee and Bosch Dave sold me in '75, is still in use.... My sawzall is around 32 years old... Or is it 36???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Edited 9/7/2004 12:17 am ET by IMERC
I'm with you 100% on this one. I've used ONE good Makita tool that held up for me and I guarantee it wasn't a SDS. I got my Bosch in 1998 for $240 with five bits. I've worn out the popular size bits three or four times drilling in concrete. I finish with the drilling, blow the drill off with compressed air and put it in the trailer. I've used it a LOT and it keeps on going. There would be no question in my mind as to which one to buy. If I was a homeowner or part-timer, using the SDS only infrequently, then money could influence my decision. I use it regularly, weekly sometimes and the money saved is secondary to longevity of the tool and dependability. I doubt that a Makita is that much cheaper than the Bosch, anyway. Did I say I'd buy the Bosch?
You know, you could tell almost the exact same story about Crapsman... First round: They offer good contracts to small tool makers, require certain quantities, delivery, etc. Pay on time but push the outfit beyond its capacity so it has to tool up to meet production quotas. Second year, offer essentially the same, up the quantities some more. Now small outfit starts ignoring some of its older small customers to meet contract demands; they start losing old customers.
Third year, they drop the axe: Halve the contract price and quantities, take it or leave it. Small shop has tooled up way beyond its means and has almost no other customers left. So...the choice is, take it or go bankrupt.
Learned this 35 years ago from my old man who worked with another engineer who used to own his own tool foundery....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Wal-Mart does the exact same thing. Ive seen walnut bowl makers go bankrupt after doing business with them for 10 yrs, do a complete capital upgrade and then got beat by 2 cents a bowl.
Somehow, that doesn't surprise me much....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
The Big Blue Rig rolls into KMS Tools Sept.18/04 .
ya ya ,I know, Coquitlam...... that would be out "east"....
I've been all over the Bosch site and I can't find out where they are promoting the site visits. You got a web address?Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Aaron, I got the Bosch site visit info from KMS's flyer........
they do have a web site, but it sucks.........
it's at http://www.kmstools.com..........
now listen, if you snag the last donut or win some free Bosch products
away from me ,I will have to go carpenter on you =)
let me know if you need any more info...the web site is not great
regards
Here's the link
I would vote for the Bosch Bulldog, although there is a Makita and DW version that looks just like it if that trips your trigger. The Bulldog chips fine too.
http://www.boschtools.com/Promotions+and+Events/Promotions+and+Events+Sub+Pages/Events/2004+Big+Blue+Schedule.htm
Edited 9/7/2004 1:16 pm ET by RASCONC
The bosch is a great unit. However it really should boil down to what ever SDS can be serviced locally for you.
The bosch wont be good if it breaks down and the nearest service center is far away and the makita is local. The same with the makita.
I know many of you will think, if the SDS is good enough you wont need a service center, but the truth is follow murphy's law, and since youre in business, you need fast turn around on your equipment.
Actually, the Bosch repair depot is less than a mile away .....Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada