Cheap impact wrench Makita copies

[mickeyw]

I recently thought I'd take a chance with a Fakita cordless angle grinder. I already have a genuine one, so can make a reasonable comparison. My plan is to keep a slitting disk on one tool and a flap wheel on the other. I'm always using one then the other, so this would save the constant wheel changing.

There are subtle differences on the casing design, and it's clear the fake didn't come from the same mould as the genuine article.
I'll add my thoughts on it below, as although it's not the same tool it is a comparison of the real thing and a copy of the same brand and I think similar issues will apply whether it be an impact tool, drill or other.

Performance wise I haven't had a chance to test them side by side in identical applications. The genuine one has a brushless motor, as does the copy (according to the casing anyway). The fake has an interesting feature of 3 speed settings. It has soft start on the motor but no instant spindle brake when you switch off. The genuine is instant start and instant stop.

Here is a photo heavy comparison. The grubby unit is the genuine tool  

Side by side very similar

The red button is the speed selector and the LEDs indicate setting. On the gen tool the LEDs are a battery gauge.

 

Much slimmer gearbox on the fake

Different drive features, but same size thread. The flanges are not interchangeable but luckily spanner pin pitches are the same.
Nearly every other grinder I've owned has different pitch pins which means needing to find the right spanner each time.

 

The absence of the third battery connection on the fake. This is how the tool uses intelligent battery monitoring. Without this I would question whether the fake tool could over drain the battery and lead to it's early demise. I have batteries with inbuilt LED guages so can keep an eye on things that way.

Fake has a basic wheel guard with no quick adjust facility

Fake guard is made of thinner metal

Even the wheel spanner is half the thickness

Much thinner and shorter side handle, and without the vibration absorbing rubber overmoulding.

 

 

[Bowie69]

That's a really good comparison, thanks.

Re: this....

31 minutes ago, mickeyw said:

Different drive features, but same size thread. The flanges are not interchangeable but luckily spanner pin pitches are the same.
Nearly every other grinder I've owned has different pitch pins which means needing to find the right spanner each time.

Just put one pin in a hole, and the other pin will push against the outside of the flange/retainer and allow you to undo it.

 

A quick google found that I wasn't the only one: 

 

[mickeyw]

14 minutes ago, Bowie69 said:

That's a really good comparison, thanks.

Re: this....

Just put one pin in a hole, and the other pin will push against the outside of the flange/retainer and allow you to undo it.

 

A quick google found that I wasn't the only one: 

 

Good tip Bowie, thanks.

I think that'll work 72.386%, no maybe 81.62% of the time. Sometimes the pins are too fat for the holes 😧

[steve200TDi]

I have been using my cheap makita 1/2 inpact wrench at work. I've been undoing and tightening up screws on body panels, but undoing some tightish bolts and sthere's was nothing it couldn't do. Admittedly there were no wheel nuts, so I can't comment on tight things, but I did think about doing a test on bolts torqued up to gradually increasing torques and see what it could undo, so I'll report back on that.

Mine has the gradual torque increase on tightening and a pulse feature too.

I don't think you can buy a rubbish fake, so any cheap one should be ok.

I did see that some of the 1/2 impact guns have a 1/4 hex in the middle for screw driver bits to fit in. Mine doesn't have this and so I've bought a 1/2 to 1/4 hex adapter.

Steve

[Bowie69]

25 minutes ago, mickeyw said:

Good tip Bowie, thanks.

I think that'll work 72.386%, no maybe 81.62% of the time. Sometimes the pins are too fat for the holes 😧

Often, one side of the tool has a different pin diameter to the other, and when you look at the disc retainer, it has two different sized holes in it as well.

Almost as if they were made to be universal....

[mickeyw]

5 minutes ago, steve200TDi said:

I have been using my cheap makita 1/2 inpact wrench at work. I've been undoing and tightening up screws on body panels, but undoing some tightish bolts and sthere's was nothing it couldn't do. Admittedly there were no wheel nuts, so I can't comment on tight things, but I did think about doing a test on bolts torqued up to gradually increasing torques and see what it could undo, so I'll report back on that.

Mine has the gradual torque increase on tightening and a pulse feature too.

I don't think you can buy a rubbish fake, so any cheap one should be ok.

I did see that some of the 1/2 impact guns have a 1/4 hex in the middle for screw driver bits to fit in. Mine doesn't have this and so I've bought a 1/2 to 1/4 hex adapter.

Steve

Steve, I've had the genuine 1/2" impact gun for a while now. Generally it'll manage an LR wheel nut, but it's no match for the yellow brand latest offering. It is however pretty compact and not too heavy. Loved by scaffolders too.

I recently picked up an older model brushed motor 1/4" impact driver. Screwfix had them on offer at £49.99, which kinda negated a good amount of the savings of the fake tools.  

[Ed Poore]

With regards to the grinder nuts - might I suggest buying some Milwaukee Fixtec Nuts?

Not the cheapest of nuts @ £7.50 on Amazon but oh so worth it. Friend saw it on my battery Milwaukee Grinder then went off an ordered a couple to try, a fews later I stopped by and saw a box of 50 of them on the bench . OK he has a fair few grinders but he liked them so much he was giving them away to his mates as well!

[mickeyw]

1 hour ago, Ed Poore said:

With regards to the grinder nuts - might I suggest buying some Milwaukee Fixtec Nuts?

Not the cheapest of nuts @ £7.50 on Amazon but oh so worth it. Friend saw it on my battery Milwaukee Grinder then went off an ordered a couple to try, a fews later I stopped by and saw a box of 50 of them on the bench . OK he has a fair few grinders but he liked them so much he was giving them away to his mates as well!

They look nice Ed. I might have to investigate.

A while back I saw Bosch's SDS CLIC system. Bit more spendy.

https://shop.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/accessory/sds-clic-quick-locking-nuts-m14--2609079

[Ed Poore]

I've had the same one on the battery grinder for about 4 years now and it gets pretty heavy usage. Only once had to get a pair of pliers out to undo it and that might have been on the 9". They're definitely easier to undo if they do get seized on slightly as the flip up lever is easier to grab on.

Can operate them with gloves on as well so in my opinion they work well. I have tried them on the 9" as well and seem fine.

[landroversforever]

MY Dewalt 18V grinder has a lovely knurled nut. Only needed a tool to get it off when I've had a bad snag. Even then its only a 6 or 8mm allen key I can't remember.

[Bowie69]

To be honest, I barely use a tool, even with a standard nut, just hand tight using the disc, and then when the disc is finished, smash it the right way on the side of the bench and they undo.

I only use the tool if it is too tight, which if done by hand, it shouldn't be.

It's helped by the fact I have four grinders, one slitting disc, one flapwheel, one wire cup brush and one grinding disc. At £20 a grinder in b&q it was rude not to.

[Stellaghost]

+1 to what Bowie69 said I also only put mine on hand tight as the set up is configured to tighten up whilst in use even my 9" grinder only goes on hand tight although to be fair the 9" needs the tool a bit more often to loosen off, condition of grinder threads can also make a difference regards Stephen

[ianmayco68]

These are good from Bosch , 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-1603340031-SDS-clic-clamping-concrete/dp/B0009W86E6

I’ve used them quite a few times through work on 4 1/2” and 9 “ grinders and I’ve never had a disc lock up when the disc jams and you can’t get the nut undone  . They’re not cheap , you may be able to find them cheaper that’s the first listing I found to show what they were .

[FridgeFreezer]

15 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

To be honest, I barely use a tool, even with a standard nut, just hand tight using the disc, and then when the disc is finished, smash it the right way on the side of the bench and they undo.

I only use the tool if it is too tight, which if done by hand, it shouldn't be.

It's helped by the fact I have four grinders, one slitting disc, one flapwheel, one wire cup brush and one grinding disc. At £20 a grinder in b&q it was rude not to.

^ all of this. I only ever do my grinder discs by hand, in use the thread means they will self-tighten rather than loosen so you don't need to torque them up heavily anyway, and they almost always come undone by hand no problem.

Also multiple grinders is such a lovely system rather than keep changing discs.

[Peaklander]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:12 PM, landroversforever said:

As you've already got the batteries, is the bare body impact worth buying? If Makita do a powerful enough Impact.

They seem to do a wide range of torques from 190Nm (£64) to 330Nm (£167) and that doesn't include bigger torques. Trouble is, will I get the use from one to justify it? The years are passing and it must be something to do with reaching sixty last year that although I don't want to, I start to wonder about life, what am I doing, can I do it all etc. etc.

The retirement jobs are starting to pile up. The vehicle related ones (not my own) are now Micra front suspension arms, CRV turbo to clean (I assume, as getting over boost code) and on the same vehicle, timing chain (which is slapping now).

Oh well one more power tool... knock-off at £30 or perhaps the genuine one at £167. Would that be a good pair from which to choose? Hmmm...

[Retroanaconda]

@mickeyw How does the Makita 18V grinder do? The real one I mean.

I’ve got several 18V Makita tools and therefore batteries, and was considering getting the battery one to go alongside my mains Bosch one for the exact reason above. Can have the mains one for the harder work like wire brushing for hours and the battery one will be much quicker to grab for cutting a bolt down or doing something quick.

I’ve got the genuine mid-sized Makita 1/2” impact and its powerful enough to undo the wheel nuts on my 90. I tend to crack them off with the breaker bar anyway but it’s certainly capable. I deliberately bought that size as I want to be able to use it in more places, for example it’s perfect for whipping propshafts on/off. I’ve got a CP air-powered gun for the much tighter stuff like the Tdi crankshaft bolt.

[Ed Poore]

I can't really comment on the Makita stuff to be honest but the two "impacts" I have are the Milwaukee's M18FID which is actually a 1/4" hex driver but rated at 203Nm and the M18FHIW12 which is 1900Nm. I've made do with both of those quite happily - there are surprisingly few nuts that the little 1/4" won't undo and it's nice and compact for getting into places. Those that it won't undo (wheel nuts, cranks, etc.) then the big one handles those with ease. There have been very few situations (and even fewer actually on Land Rovers) where I haven't managed to get the big one in.

What am I trying to say?! Well basically I'd say go for the most compact one you can - it's handy for just whizzing on and off nuts. Then go big for those that are really stubborn. Recently there have been a few instances where I'd be tempted by one half way in between but ironically what's putting me off is that they're almost all 3/8" drive and I have decent sockets in 1/2" and 1/4".

@Retroanaconda - if the Makita is half as decent as the Milwaukee one you won't regret it. I find actually because the batteries tend to be at the opposite end to the spinning disc of death they're much nicer balance wise - the Milwaukee one is very easy to use one handed. Not having a cable getting in the way is wonderful too and worth it just for that.

[elbekko]

1 hour ago, Retroanaconda said:

@mickeyw How does the Makita 18V grinder do? The real one I mean.

I’ve got several 18V Makita tools and therefore batteries, and was considering getting the battery one to go alongside my mains Bosch one for the exact reason above. Can have the mains one for the harder work like wire brushing for hours and the battery one will be much quicker to grab for cutting a bolt down or doing something quick.

I’ve got the genuine mid-sized Makita 1/2” impact and its powerful enough to undo the wheel nuts on my 90. I tend to crack them off with the breaker bar anyway but it’s certainly capable. I deliberately bought that size as I want to be able to use it in more places, for example it’s perfect for whipping propshafts on/off. I’ve got a CP air-powered gun for the much tighter stuff like the Tdi crankshaft bolt.

I recently bought one on a whim. Didn't really need it, but already have other 18V Makita stuff (impact driver and small hammer drill), so just the body was relatively cheap and I was intrigued. It's the 545 or something I think.

I love it. It's paid itself back already doing work around the house. Not having to grab an extension cord all the time is great, and the cable doesn't get in the way. I've managed to stall it a few times, but that was disc-deep in wood trying to get through some thick nails.

4Ah battery lasted about two discs after being used in the impact driver first.

[landroversforever]

5 hours ago, Peaklander said:

They seem to do a wide range of torques from 190Nm (£64) to 330Nm (£167) and that doesn't include bigger torques. Trouble is, will I get the use from one to justify it? The years are passing and it must be something to do with reaching sixty last year that although I don't want to, I start to wonder about life, what am I doing, can I do it all etc. etc.

The retirement jobs are starting to pile up. The vehicle related ones (not my own) are now Micra front suspension arms, CRV turbo to clean (I assume, as getting over boost code) and on the same vehicle, timing chain (which is slapping now).

Oh well one more power tool... knock-off at £30 or perhaps the genuine one at £167. Would that be a good pair from which to choose? Hmmm...

Once you've got an impact for buzzing stuff apart you'll never look back! I've got a little 107nm dewalt one, and the larger 18v one at 205nm. Then the big air impact. The bigger of the two dewalts has only been beaten on a couple of things - and its just a 1/4" hex impact driver aimed at screws etc.

 

4 hours ago, Ed Poore said:

I find actually because the batteries tend to be at the opposite end to the spinning disc of death they're much nicer balance wise - the Milwaukee one is very easy to use one handed. Not having a cable getting in the way is wonderful too and worth it just for that.

Hadn't thought of that until you posted it... makes me think I use my battery grinder one handed far more often than the mains one! 

[SteveG]

12 hours ago, Retroanaconda said:

@mickeyw How does the Makita 18V grinder do? The real one I mean.

I’ve got several 18V Makita tools and therefore batteries, and was considering getting the battery one to go alongside my mains Bosch one for the exact reason above. Can have the mains one for the harder work like wire brushing for hours and the battery one will be much quicker to grab for cutting a bolt down or doing something quick.

I’ve got the genuine mid-sized Makita 1/2” impact and its powerful enough to undo the wheel nuts on my 90. I tend to crack them off with the breaker bar anyway but it’s certainly capable. I deliberately bought that size as I want to be able to use it in more places, for example it’s perfect for whipping propshafts on/off. I’ve got a CP air-powered gun for the much tighter stuff like the Tdi crankshaft bolt.

I’ve got one and it’s been very good, but I’m not a heavy user. I probably only do about 10 minutes of actual cutting and grinding in one go. The longest single use is on the flap wheel, where I may use it for 20 minutes or so in one go. The batteries 5ah, if fully charged are still usually on 3 bars and by then the battery is typically then in another tool, so sorry no idea how long they last. I’ve noticed when cutting 5mm steel that it didn’t seem to have the power of the mains one, but otherwise no noticeable difference.

As other have said, they flexibility of no lead is great, only problem is that I only have one battery grinder 🙄

[CwazyWabbit]

One minor negative I've found with genuine brand 18v grinders is the safety brake. If you only do them up hand tight and have anything heavier than a slitting disc then the inertia can undo the nut when the brake comes on.

[Dr Strangeglove]

Does anyone have a current link to these items?

Unfortunately my main battery drill is an older Hitachi (about 8 years ago) which is just before they changed batteries to the current type. Unfortunately it is difficult to get the bare tools to fit these.

[jason110]

1 hour ago, Dr Strangeglove said:

Does anyone have a current link to these items?

Unfortunately my main battery drill is an older Hitachi (about 8 years ago) which is just before they changed batteries to the current type. Unfortunately it is difficult to get the bare tools to fit these.

Search on the eBay for “replacement makita”. Currently there is only the angle grinder and the 1/2 impact on there 

[Gazzar]

5 hours ago, Dr Strangeglove said:

Does anyone have a current link to these items?

Unfortunately my main battery drill is an older Hitachi (about 8 years ago) which is just before they changed batteries to the current type. Unfortunately it is difficult to get the bare tools to fit these.

That was very irritating, I've a grinder and a circular saw to match, but only a couple of batteries.

 

[Ed Poore]

5 hours ago, Dr Strangeglove said:

Does anyone have a current link to these items?

Unfortunately my main battery drill is an older Hitachi (about 8 years ago) which is just before they changed batteries to the current type. Unfortunately it is difficult to get the bare tools to fit these.

Have you looked for adapters? Provided the voltages are compatible there's quite a lot of 3D printed ones publically available (e.g. adapting the Milwaukee M18 battery system to the Makita, Dewalt and Ryobi tool ends).