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Battery tools

I've noticed the big power tool manufacturers do a big range of cordless products Makita big range, and just noticed Milwaukee which are high end productsShould we be looking at these manufacturers or stick with the Stihl or husqvarna gearAs the power tool manufacturers have been in the game of cordless well before Stihl and husqvarna ?

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  • PRO

    Personally Always chose the brands associated with reliability which are unlikely to break down in the middle of a job when used to earn a living . 

    All the brands you mention are unlikely to have any gremlins if used for their intended purpose so it's always interesting to observe how different brands compete to appeal .

    Most have a good reputation but what makes them special ? 

    Have found a mix of brands works best so never stuck to the one brand even with petrol always had Three or more brands to choose from which could be something as simple as the trigger is more comfortable to squeeze over a long period or the machine is lighter in use leaving an equal superior finish . 

    Alternatively cherry pick work only suited to the machinery you have .

    Obviously charger and battery investment plays a big part when choosing a brand it can lock you in .

     

  • i think the milwaukees are only 18 volts, which depending on what type of jobs you are doing, probably not powerful enough. 

  • I'm a fan of makita. I have a couple of their hedge trimmers - a double sided and a single sided one, both 18v.

    It's amazing what makita manage to get out of an 18v machine. 

    Lightweight, and high blade speed means they are great for looking after well tended hedges, particularly tight topiary like hedges such as box and yew.

    I'm not a heavy user though, I have a small number of high quality gardens to manage, and don't really take on any big hedge reductions. 

    As John says, used for their intended purpose, trimming, not cutting/chomping. 

    I have a 36v (2 18v batteries) blower. Very powerful but eats batteries. From what I understand most battery blowers do.

    I also have their coffee machine, which is amazing! 

    A customer has one of their higher end lawn mowers, which I am very impressed with. Mulching and collection is very good, as long as the grass isn't left too long. Needs to be weekly cuts at this time of year.  

    I haven't used or tried any other brands to compare.

  • PRO

    I have the makita Brushless Hedge cutter 75cm cutter, it's brilliant, you aren't gonna reduce a huge hedge with it but twice a year trimming it will do all day and surprisingly doesn't eat the batteries as I expected it to

  • I went down the Stihl route about 3 years ago, but my mate has recently converted to battery and has decided on Makita. So far he's really happy with it all.

  • PRO

    I went for sthil battery because ive collected many kombi attachments.

    I also have makita, I haven't tried the hedge cutter. I went for makita because i liked the radio, the range of tools ls massive and generally are cheaper than the other brands. Beware bare tools are highly addictive! So far I have: radio, pair of drills, rip saw, multi cutter, impact wrench, pump, disc sander, angle grinder, torch, circular saw, hover and favorite the router. Also a bag to put some of it in, a customer called it a lucky dip! 😅

  • I have a mix of battery gear Stihl Blower Hedge/long reach trimmers Brushcutter & Strimmer. Makita Strimmer & 2 Ego mowers 42&52cm no petrol gear anymore less noise less vibration very minimal servicing too.

  • I've mentioned a while back on similar battery tool topic,  my first venture into battery powered tools was makita 39v chainsaw ideal for me as I don't do much chainsaw work these days,  but can't fault this chainsaw I brought extra batteries as the ones supplied were a lower run time , all my other equipment is stihl petrol equipment including kombi tools etc , ive not long upgraded, so I'll keep them going a couple more seasons yet 

  • But what about parts availability?

    A good Stihl dealer either has the part on the shelf or can get it in within a week. Any peice of a Stihl hedge cutter, chainsaw or strimmer can be obtained quite easily.

    Something very small, like a broken trigger or cable, can render the machine useless. I know that I can buy a blade set for the Stihl hedge cutter both quickly and reasonably priced.

    So how do these other brands, such as Makita or Milwaukee, compare in this regard. Because as good as they might be, if it takes weeks or months to get spares, then they are no good to the professional user.

    Is the spares back up as good as Stihl?

    • Also, how easy are they to fix, if you can identify the fault, and have obtained the parts. The Stihl battery tools are largely straightforward to dismantle, and seem designed to be repairable, it's fairly intuitive how they come apart and go back together, there is something modular about how they are constructed, you can figure out what part goes where. I acquired a cordless chainsaw of another brand which didn't run. I couldn't believe how complicated disassembly was, it was clearly not designed to be fixable, no way was it going back together! still in bits in a box somewhere

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