Thread: green series makita

i saw them in bunnings and i looked closly at a circular saw and just thought,,,,,,,,,cheap makita,,,,,made cheap,,,,,,,,,,,but why would makita do this??? asked the big d sales man and he said same factory as all the other brands here just a diffrent door,,,,,,,personally if i bought a makita it would be the old trusty blue one me dad used for years and it be like buying a ford with a red oval!!

Originally Posted by hotboost68

HI ended up with the green series makita.. Do be honest doesnt appear to be a lot of difference.. otherthan it was $140.00 cheaper..
Has anyone had dealings with this range of tools

I recently bought a green drop cut saw, and it's great. The guy at Bunnings told me that they are promotional...same machine, different skin. I found that the fence is not quite as sophisticated on it, but hey....I almost always make my own fences anyway. Mechanically, I it seems that they are identical.

Big Mike

There is a very good article in this month's Australian Woodworker that explores the bewildering range of choices and pricing in power tools and machinery.
It gives an insight into why some tools can be made for less, and why quality tools cost more. It also looks at marketing and price discounting, and why it is done.
I have seen the green Makitas in Bunnings but have also thought that they would have cheaper components and / or looser tolerances.
Horses for courses really.
I don't think many of us imagine that the cheaper ones are as well made as their dearer siblings.
I have a blue Makita router which is very good, it gets used a fair bit, and I expect it to last a long time and do a good, accurate job every time.
I also have a cheap B&D jigsaw that I use rarely. When I need one it will do the job, and I call upon it infrequently. It will wear out quickly, and it would be a pleasant surprise if it lasts for a few years or more. But I knew it would get little use when I bought it, I don't expect it to last a long time, and I won't weep when it dies.
So decide in your own mind how much you will use the tool, and pay for the one that fills the bill.
Regards from Tele Point
SG

Whilst price is sometimes an indicator of quality and/or performance, it is surprising how often when you read tests/comparisons the cheaper item gets a better report than the expensive item.

This happens time and time again in Choice.

Only tonight I was reading a comparison between 4 wrieless routers in the green pages in The Age, cheapest was $200, dearest was $350.
Guess which one performed best and was easiest to setup, you guessed it the $200 one. The $350 one was the hardest to set up and had the worst performance.

If you didn't know any of this and you would go to, say Officeworks, to buy a router you would likely opt for the $350 one to get the "best".

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Whilst price is sometimes an indicator of quality and/or performance, it is surprising how often when you read tests/comparisons the cheaper item gets a better report than the expensive item.

This happens time and time again in Choice.

Only tonight I was reading a comparison between 4 wrieless routers in the green pages in The Age, cheapest was $200, dearest was $350.
Guess which one performed best and was easiest to setup, you guessed it the $200 one. The $350 one was the hardest to set up and had the worst performance.

If you didn't know any of this and you would go to, say Officeworks, to buy a router you would likely opt for the $350 one to get the "best".

This is often true Big Shed.
In regard to Makitas of different colour:
With seemingly identical tools coming from the same factory and being $140 different in price, one has to ask where did the savings come from?
Did they use bushes instead of bearings?
Did they use nylon gears instead of machined steel?
Single dust seals or none instead of triple dust seals?
Lighter wiring in the armature windings?
Thinner or lesser quality steel instead of higher grade steel or steel alloy?
Without a thorough part by part comparison we don't know, and price is probably the only available comparison.
You are right to say that we don't always get what we pay for, but I think that most of the time we do.
Regards from Tele Point
SG

very interesting,,,,,,,,,So is a green Makita cheaply made??? coz our miter 10 even stocks a makit which is orange.....

Originally Posted by moto_man22

very interesting,,,,,,,,,So is a green Makita cheaply made??? coz our miter 10 even stocks a makit which is orange.....

Well ......... not really sure, but the price would indicate maybe.
It could also be a new line heavily discounted to attract initial sales.
It would be enlightening to see some reviews.
Anyway it will likely serve your purposes admirably. Let us know how it performs for you.
...The old ..........Suck it and see..............

Regards from Tele Point
SG

Makita went down this road many years ago with the so called "same quality" home handyman range - just a different blue.

The difference then was like a comparison of a P&N drill to a $2 shop drill.

Caveat Emptor.

Regards,
Bob