Makita or Dewalt? Which should I buy?

[Erik Mejia]

Which Rotary should I purchase? I can't decide, was wondering if I could get some suggestions on which one I should pick and why? I would be grateful for any suggestions.

[Jeff Smith]

I did a little bit of Research a few months back before buying my Makita.

From what I gathered they are both great machines but I leaned toward the Makita because it was stated that it had a slow start speed. I forget the specific term used but when I pull the trigger, it does not just shoot up to the set speed. It starts slow and gradually works it's way up to speed. I felt with my never having picked up a rotary this might be a wise feature for me.

Adding an afterthought here. I researched the old thread where folks helped me reach my decision and though I would post it.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8404&highlight=Rotary

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I have 2 Makitas and 1 Dewalt. Both brands are excellent. The Makita as Jeff mentioned has a clutched start. But with that said, the Dewalt is a little heavier making it a little easier for the controlling of larger pads or compounding work.

In the end, I leave the Dewalt set up for compound work and the Makita set up for the polishing work.

Cheers!

Tim

[Paulvr4]

I decided to go ahead with a Dewalt today (4/18/06) over the Makita. I was contemplating the 2 for months and months - 10amps vs 8amps, 6lbs vs 8lbs. etc.etc.

The price difference were only $7.00 and the reason I went with Dewalt over Makita was that the weight of the machine actually makes it more stable over the Makita.

If you watch the Meguiar's detailing video they use Makitas. If you look at the pictures from the NXTti class last year they only use Dewalts. It's almost like NXT Paste vs NXT Liquid.

You won't lose with either.

Good luck.

[Newport Viper]

Best bang for the buck!!!

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/hitachi/sp18va.htm?L+coastest+rlcz4509ff5c005c+1145513893

[the other pc]

I seem to recall that we did have a Makita at NXTti II.

My favorite of the ones we had there was the Dynabrade. They’re a bit harder to find and they aren’t cheap but it’s a very nice machine.


The Porter-Cable 7428 is also worth looking into.


PC.

[Toi Boi]

i work in a tool shop in austrlia, i have sold a few of the makita variable speed rotory buffer an no one has complain saying it no good or breaks down easy.

Another brand you should look at for rotory buffer is hitachi, their eletrical tools are all of industrial quality.

[DavidL]

Originally posted by 2hotford
Hey,

I have 2 Makitas and 1 Dewalt.

but Tim you only have two hands.