New driver and impact - Bosch, Milwaukee, Fein or Panasonic?

[beaver]

I think the choice of powertools have always been a very individual thing, but for what its worth I agree with scholar, I have also recently brought the new Dewalt li-ion combo and must say that so far I have been suitably impressed. Spare batteries are very reasonably priced as well.

 

[No skills]

FWIW We have the Dewalt 18v li-ion tools at work, compact combi drill - impact driver - saws etc. The drill and driver are ok I think, nice and light and the drill has a fair bit of poke for a small drill - don't know how durable yet though. We have been using them since December, no breakages yet. The one tool to break since we started up in December was of course a Makita :roll:

As mentioned above, what sort of work do you need the tools to cope with? I wouldn't have the small dewalt at home as its not got enough grunt for the mish mash of stuff I sometimes do.

The newer lines of 18v tools with li-ion batts are pretty light compared to older stuff, one was nearly half the weight of one of my old drills.

FWIW

 

[Cowboy _Builder]

I bought the Milwaukee 18v Drill driver and impact driver last Christmas they came with a 3 year guarantee they are the best cordless tools I've ever had ,and I've had most makes over the years .

 

[cutting42]

Panasonic, end of discussion! ;-)

Panasonic have the best battery technology in the world and make more batteries for demanding applications than any other manufacturer. The tools are very high quality as well, my 12v nimh drill driver combo have served me extremely well. In fact my first post on this forum was when I purchased them in 2005 and they have been hammered very hard ever since.

I almost want them to break so I can justify a new Lion pack version.

 

[Owdbuzzard]

I have had the 14v Panasonic set for 3 years of site work and can't fault them

 

[manxman]

Recently treated myself to the dewalt set, not had it for long but very happy with it and they are well made. Batteries seem to go on for ever to. Got mine from here, http://m.tooled-up.com/product/203795
They were doing the best deal at the time

 

[RobinBHM]

I use both panasonic 14volt and milwaukee 12volt in a busy joinery shop and both are excellent. I'm going to be buying the Milwaukee 18volt brushless twin pack soon (tools4trade on ebay shop for £349incl vat and delivery at moment).

 

[wcndave]

I have the 10.8v dewalt set for shop / house use where it's easy to recharge. They are so light it's a real pleasure. Highly recommended. If I didn't have them I would go makita, as I have a number of their tools and they are really nice every time (so far). I also avoided Festool for now as for this type of tool they're too expensive IMHO.

 

[No skills]

FWIW I don't think the drill/impact sets that Fein are selling are brushless motor, AFAIK only the 4 speed models have the brushless motor and none of the impacts. I found that a tad annoying, much like the Panasonic sets having brushless impacts but brushed drills.

 

[shed9]

FWIW I don't think the drill/impact sets that Fein are selling are brushless motor, AFAIK only the 4 speed models have the brushless motor and none of the impacts. I found that a tad annoying, much like the Panasonic sets having brushless impacts but brushed drills.

I think your right on the Fein's, I originally thought (not sure why) the impact in the combo kit was at least but no it's a 4 pole motor. As you note, the 4 speed driver is brushless, some of the 4 speed also have detachable chucks like the Festools as well.

Also, to be fair its only the impacts in the Panasonic range which are brushless anyhow.

 

[shed9]

Quick update, I ordered the Fein combo set and a couple of the Festool Sys3 attic Systainers to house each device.

I'll update with some feedback when they arrive.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[Green]

I would recommend the Panasonic. The batteries are fantastic and the drills are very well. I know a few tradesmen (window fitters and curtain wall glazers) who have moved from using Hilti to Panasonic. I've always considered Hilti to be top of the heap when it comes to 'guns' so the Pannies must be very good.

 

[shed9]

I would recommend the Panasonic. The batteries are fantastic and the drills are very well. I know a few tradesmen (window fitters and curtain wall glazers) who have moved from using Hilti to Panasonic. I've always considered Hilti to be top of the heap when it comes to 'guns' so the Pannies must be very good.

I don't doubt the Panasonics are good and if I'd ordered them I would probably be just as happy. I'm surprised at people moving from Hilti to Panasonic as I understand they are both made by Panasonic anyway.

I went with the Fein due to the metal gearbox / chuck setup, Fein excels at drills and the fact that they are made in Germany.

As mentioned down there, when the Fein's turn up, I'll give some feedback.

 

[No skills]

Do let us know how you get on. Quite fancy the fein stuff myself.

 

[FEIN Sven]

Fein
Again, no experience at all and reviews seem scant. That said, they are German and can't fault the MM. The design looks a little staid but they look solid.

Dear shed9,

my name’s Sven and I’m the responsible for all Social Media activities of FEIN.
I just became aware of your questions and remarks here and on the Festool Owner’s Group. I’m really sorry for all the confusing and frustrating communication that have shed a bad light on the FEIN brand for you.
Since the FOG is not open to other manufacturers, I’d like to clarify on some of the questions discussed there.

FEIN and Made in Germany
Made in Germany has always been one of the main characteristics of our power tools. And it will continue to be. The challenge we were facing with our new range of cordless drill/drivers was to put out a range as complete as possible without hurting our high quality standards. Therefore, we decided to take the top-of-the-line model, the four-speed ASCM, and make it the first of our new German-made drill/drivers. The other models were developed and designed by us, some of the main components are ours. But for production, we just didn’t have the capacities (keep in mind that we take our core value "power tool manufacturer" very seriously) to build a full-scale production right from the start of our new range, so we had to rely on third-party production capacities. That’s where the "Made in PRC"-label comes from – I won’t dive any deeper into COO-regulations...
Two important points I’d like you to keep in mind: all our drills are FEIN drills and we’re still focusing on Made in Germany (e.g. our new compact angle grinders, the ASCM or the MultiMaster).

Product information
You were absolutely right to point out that you had well researched your purchase and that you were led to believe that all of our tools were German-made. Also, your dealer might have been able to tell you the COO when asked – but it is of course to us as the manufacturer to provide this information. COO, however, is no substantial part of our product information. A point worth looking at, given the confusion created by this matter.

So, the big question is: what can I do to give you the impression that we care? How can I make you believe that we indeed put you as our esteemed customer at the center of our interest? I’m open to all your ideas and of course am here to answer any other question that might arise now.

Regards,
Sven