Router purchase

[ians]

Makita...very sad, considering i have been using this product for so many years and like most things have always trusted it as a good quality product. I sold all my older machines and been upgrading to the newer models, i should have held onto the older stuff.

I have always rated Makita for woodworking, the older mitresaws LS 1013 which had the slides under the platform, the 3612 router had one for years never had a problem, the old "industrial" belt sander still works to this day, and as for the old 800 watt hammer drill, that machine was unbeakable.

Hilti for concrete and brick work, one thing i can say about HIlti if it wasnt for their shocking service from the reps and rep turnover rate they would be my first choice with any machine as their backup service speaks for itself when it comes to repairing old and new machines (yet to have a return) They have a repair warranty in place which makes them the leaders in the construction industry.They put their money where their mouth is when it comes to backing up the quality of their product. The only bummer is the service centre is in JHB and they dont do all the wood working tools.

and fluke for test equipment, their newer products come in "plastic", so i am glad i still have the older equipment which like the fluke 435 comes in a military spec pelican case. The only problem with fluke equipment is it normally gets stolen before it breaks.

[Blurock]

My experience is that it is often the agent or distributor that lets the brand down. If the agent in this case replaced the item without a hassle, you would not have a problem with the brand. Have you tried to escalate the query?

[ians]

In this case it is the brand which is faulty out the box (shouldnt be) then having to deal with the distributor. If the product is any good, you shouldnt need to be takin it back.

I am learning slowly which products work the best from which supplier, for example, if i wanted a 10.8 v cordless impact driver, i wouldnt even look anywhere other than bosch, if it is cordless drill in the 18-22 volt range, Hilti would be my first choice.

When it comes to small chipping machines, i have to give makita credit for the small chipper, we hammer it all day long and never had a problem.

For dustless chasing, i have both the makita and Hilti sets, the makita vacuum is absolutley useless for masonary work after the second time on site it burnt out, i no longer use it on construction sites. The Hilti vacuum has been on site since 1996 and it is still working, but i had to use the Hilti in the wood working side of the workshop, within a couple of hours the Hilti cut out because the filter was blocked even though the base was not full, i have never had this problem with the makita vacuum it runs in the wood side without a problem, so at the end of the day you need to find what works for the application.

It is just very dissapointing when you buy something and have to take it back out the box.

[Didditmiself]

And the dealer was?

[ians]

Rutherfords

[Dave A]

For dustless chasing, i have both the makita and Hilti sets, the makita vacuum is absolutley useless for masonary work after the second time on site it burnt out, i no longer use it on construction sites. The Hilti vacuum has been on site since 1996 and it is still working, but i had to use the Hilti in the wood working side of the workshop, within a couple of hours the Hilti cut out because the filter was blocked even though the base was not full, i have never had this problem with the makita vacuum it runs in the wood side without a problem

Out of idle interest, does the Makita vacuum use a paper or material filter? I'm guessing the Hilti clogged because it has a material filter and the sharp nature of wood shavings and saw dust would tend to snag in the fabric and not be shaken off by the beater.

I have to endorse what you say about the Hilti vacuum cleaner - for masonry and fine dust it's an absolute marvel.