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Another POSITIVE I noticed about the milwaukee that the hitachi or the makita didn't have.electrical grease in the battery contacts. The makita case is an atrocity. I can't say for sure if they *are* different (don't these all use the standard jacob's chuck)., but one thing was for sure, the runout was not an issue any longer. This is VERY important for using small bits and spade bits.
As a side note: the case for the milwaukee is 10 times better than the makita or the hitachi. I originally purchased the Makita 18v drill that is ranted and raved about on this and other sites. Yes, it's a minute detail, but shows that at least a "little" more care/thought went into this tool. Yes, the *longer* time. Heat + batteries = bad. 30 minutes is about the least amount of time that I feel you can safely charge today's lithium or nimh batteries in.
You'll instantly know if it has a wobble/runout issue.Another reason why I went with the Milwaukee was the longer battery charge time. Unfortunately, I found that it had the infamous "wobble" (runout) problem. The milawukee also has 4 LEDS on the battery packs to indicate charge left (which is convenient, b/c with lithium they don't drop off at a curve, they just quit -so it's nice to have an idea of how much time you have left).I'm rating it 4 stars only b/c I have only had it a few days and am not able to speak for things in the long run. The milwaukee also has a power cutoff system if you overheat the drill or battery. Any quicker, and you risk damaging the cells. Anytime you force a "quick" charge on a battery, you are stressing it. Everything just flops around in it, and the hitachi case was the same way. EVEN if they're all made in CHINA now.
It was impossible to do any sort of precise work with that kind of defect. I've read about a lot of ppl having issues with makita batteries and this is most likely due to the 15 min. It is MOLDED so that the drill, battery and charger fit securely. I also tried a hitachi 18v model from lowes which seemed to be the exact same drill as the makita except with a longer battery charge time.I decided to try the Milwaukee out since the chuck looked different. AFAIK the makita does not. I have a lot of experience with rechargeable batteries due to using rc cars and helicopters as well as other random power tools. If you want to check a drill for runout, simply put in a known good spade bit and watch the tip. quick charge system that they are using.
Would be nice if you could just turn in on and off with a switch though instead of with the trigger.*POWER - Turn the torque setting up and you can power through most light to medium duty jobs. Batteries charge very quickly - 30 minutes.*LIGHT - The LED light is cool, but has only been useful about 20% of the time for me. That 20% it was really nice to have though. I have always been a Dewalt guy, but when this came out awhile back I decided to try it. I ran electrical cable for my 2000 sqft basement using just this drill.*DURABLE - I have dropped it at least a dozen times and never even a hickup. Among the pros:*BATTERY - Battery life is exceptionally long. I've owned it for about a year and a half now and have been absolutely pleased with it. The drill goes strong right up to the end of the charge.
Great Drill. Light and powerful. After burning up a number of DeWalts and bad battery issues with Mikita my brother suggested Milwaukee and he was right. This thing is a workhorse.
The li-ion batteries are fantastic. This is the third milwaukee product that is refurbished and they are all great. This drill driver is so superior to the black and decker it replaced it is in another class. I bought the factory refurbished and it looks and operates as new. Buy this tool. The power is superior. The quality of the product is vastly superior.
It's made in China pros: Compact size Seems to be decent qualitycons: They might say it's 18V but it has the power of a 14.4V at best. Batteries don't last very long.
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