Help me decide on a rotary

My father owns a Plumbing company and the plumbers literally abuse the equipment. We used to go through Makita and Milwaukee brand tools constantly (drills and sawzalls). For the last three years we switched to DeWalt and haven't had any problems since. Other than batteries, which are covered under warranty 75% of the time, nothing really breaks. I've even seen them literally drop a drill off a 6' ladder *on purpose* and nothing broke. Not saying they are completely unbreakable but they are definitely built well.
 
Fein.



Hands down the best you'll find, and IIRC, that was the question.



Lightweight... I really can buff with one hand.

Durable and german built...



Having said all that, I have $25 rotaries that , in comparable circumstances, achieve the same results. So,



If you intend to use a tool quite often, get the best available. If you are going to use it 4 times a year, get the practical choice. All we're talking about is a machine that makes a pad go in circles... unless you use it 5-7 hours per day...



Jim
 
I really like the Makita, I held both at loew's not to long ago, wish I could have plugged them in. I plan on buying one in the next few months and start the burning, I mean learning process.



By the way, what do you mean by variable speed trigger?



Is this to feather(slow down/speed up) the RPM for more control over edges etc.? :confused: I have so much to learn :nixweiss



Reason for me liking the makita are the slow start up, light weight, more comfy in my hands. Both are very durable machines. I have had good and bad experiences with both dawalt and makita tools.
 
JDookie said:
My father owns a Plumbing company and the plumbers literally abuse the equipment. We used to go through Makita and Milwaukee brand tools constantly (drills and sawzalls). For the last three years we switched to DeWalt and haven't had any problems since. Other than batteries, which are covered under warranty 75% of the time, nothing really breaks. I've even seen them literally drop a drill off a 6' ladder *on purpose* and nothing broke. Not saying they are completely unbreakable but they are definitely built well.
Click to expand...





Hey lets not be picking on the plumbers. I personally like Milwaukee a lot better then DeWalt. I have seen a lot of DeWalt stuff fail, and I have seen Milwaukee also fail. Try to get them serviced, at least in my area Milwaukee can be fixed at the place of repair. Take DeWalt in to the authorized dealer and they have to send it in. I think that stinks, IMHO.
 
I buy lots of Tools at Home Depot and Loews. If I am unhappy with my purchase, I go to Home Depot or Loews and get credit or exchange. The only thing I get asked is, Whats wrong with it?, or what didn't you like?. Then they give me credit or exchange for another brand or model. Hang on to your receipt and paperwork, I also save the boxes bags etc. I am not sure how long you have to return exchange or get credit. But I have never had a problem.



When you guys speak of durability, there are so many factors, I think using the machine everyday, with different hands on it all the time, will reduce the life. Especially if used as a grinder. I take care of my tools. I honestly believe If I bought a Makita or Dewalt, they would last me a long time. which would last longer? Not necessarily the more durable one, But the one that was better taken care of.
 
cheapshot said:


By the way, what do you mean by variable speed trigger?



Is this to feather(slow down/speed up) the RPM for more control over edges etc.?
Click to expand...



Yeah, the speed ramps up/down gradually, up to the pre-set limit, with pressure on the trigger. Makes for a *lot* of control. Very user-friendly feature, wouldn't be without it myself.
 
OI812 said:
Hey lets not be picking on the plumbers. I personally like Milwaukee a lot better then DeWalt. I have seen a lot of DeWalt stuff fail, and I have seen Milwaukee also fail. Try to get them serviced, at least in my area Milwaukee can be fixed at the place of repair. Take DeWalt in to the authorized dealer and they have to send it in. I think that stinks, IMHO.
Click to expand...



Milwaukee's sawzall and corded hammer drill have lasted me a very long time. My porter cable sawzall is RIP.



Although IMO Dewalt makes the best cordless drills. I have had a battery die on me before the year was up, but the drill works great!





Accumulator Thanks for clearing that up, Can't wait to purchase a rotary and go at it next spring. I'm sure I'll be asking many questions here at autopia,;)
 
Easy question bud, MK 9227 is the best. I spent days researching because I detail a lot of cars a lot of the time. I wanted high quality because I use it a lot, and I wanted durabilty cause I need it to last, and it's one of the lightest. Dewalt is a distant second only because it's heavier! A pound or two makes a huge difference by the time you get to applying your sealant. Dewalt is maybe built a notch solider, but my Makita has never failed with years of abuse. If your only using for you car, try a cheap one, theres a lot of 69 dollar ones if your not going to do a lot of different cars, just make sure it has good rpm range with slow rpm buildup feature, this will stop polish splatter. In all fairness I never used the oscure buffers some peps talked about so I have no opinion. But I have tried all of the well known ones over the years. Bottom line, if you don't like makita just try to get a light one with the features you need.
 
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