Dewalt DCW682 vs Makita DPJ180 biscuit jointer, why I bought the Dewalt just after buying the Makita

[@andyc972]

Thanks Gid useful to know, glad to hear your breathing sounding a little better !

[@Gidjoiner]

Thankyou, much appreciated & you're welcome 👍 Yep breathings a bit better, get a bit winded after a bit of work but I'm getting there slowly 👍. What generally makes me sound worse is the camera phone being close when I'm talking & I've normally just finished doing some work, I was wearing a Bluetooth mike for this which sounds better without the breathing noise.

[@grahamparsons6620]

I have the corded Marita, it’s generally ok for my limited use these days but I had to trim the rubber non slip bumpers back as at times I found it difficult to get a straight plunge cut as the Machine would rock on the bumpers and not sit flat, also I’m with you having to remove/replace that fence is a real pain at times 👌👌👌👍👍👍🇦🇺

[@Gidjoiner]

That doesn't sound good, I never got that far with the Makita to look at those, the Dewalt has little metal spring loaded star looking things to stop it slipping, they can be locked back into the housing. Little film of those, early morning in my tatty old dressing gown 👍 kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2jGeZx3f6mrfKc. Yeah the fence would get put somewhere 'safe' never to be found again, then I'd be stuck with the fixed 18mm depth.

[@bobx2387]

Hi Gid. Really do appreciate your take on this and quite see the limitation. I am a blue man but this is a pain to use on site and your point about losing or braking a part is or would be my fear. Keep getting better. Bob (Weston super Mare)

[@Gidjoiner]

Thankyou Bob, very much appreciated 👍 I will, feeling better each day 😊 Yeah this is the type of part that will get thrown in my bag, in the flexi tub that i use for packers so I don't loose it or simply get left on someone's table. either way when it comes to it I'll prob have to spend time finding it 😒 Look after yourself too 👍

[@cobberpete1]

I've had the Makita corded for many years (12?). It only gets used in my shed, but yes I agree the depth stop adjustment is a pain in the Butt

[@Gidjoiner]

Thanks, glad it's not just me being petty, that fence would get put somewhere 'safe' never to be found again, then I'd be stuck with the fixed 18mm depth.

[@paulam18v]

Lets hope Makita are watching !!!!!!

[@Gidjoiner]

I'm guessing I won't be getting Makita sponsorship offered 🤔😂

[@simplerefinedliving9285]

Afternoon. Have you thought about getting a battery converter from ebay?? It does save on having to fork out for this equipment again. I run Stanley on my Makita and the thinking is that I will continue to do so until all those batteries die. Saves on have multiple chargers as well. I did see a brand coming out that will fit onto any 18V Body. That looked interesting.

[@Gidjoiner]

Hi, no, not keen on any of the converters or after market battery type things, I've tried a few things in the past & generally it's simply not worth my time & money, more heartache & breakdown when I don't need it, find the extra cash & buy the real deal. .. As I was converting all my tools to cordless I was trying to stay on a limited amount of battery platforms but as time went on I found that's not possible, some brands tools are just simply bad, others are good, I've now got multiple batteries & battery chargers, when working it's rare I have more than 2 chargers on the go, I'm often only using a couple of brands of tools & the amount I do I don't use much battery life & will pretty much always have a spare charged battery. So when it came to this Dewalt buying another charger wasn't such a big deal, that's not what this vid is about, I only mentioned that to explain why I bought the Makita in the first place, it's more about the fence design of the Makita, when I did look at buying this I didn't think it would bother me too much but when it came to having it my hands I wasn't happy, maybe I should've researched it further.. either way this was the outcome, I realised I'd made a mistake in buying the wrong tool, Even if I'd bought the Dewalt in the first place though I'd have bought the Dewalt battery+charger & not even considered some kind of adaptor, Thanks for your suggestion tho 👍.

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍. Good review. Thanks Gid

[@Gidjoiner]

Thanks , you're welcome 👍 It's a personal view but i wish I'd watched a similar vid myself, then i might not have bought it, Maybe it will help others decide before buying, 👍

[@gymerwillkick]

I lost the plate thing on mine. I also think the ergonomics of the Makita are horrendous. It feels unbalanced to me and the handle is far too fat for my hands (and I have big hands). I'll absolutely replace mine at some point, probably for a corded DeWalt because for occasional site use I'll just suck it up if I need to be cordless. One of the few Makita tools I have a legitimate disdain for.

[@Gidjoiner]

That's what I'm thinking, I didn't think the fence thing would bother me too much but when I got it in my hands I realised quite quickly I'd made a mistake, the fence will get thrown in my bag or somewhere so it doesn't get lost, it'll get swept up & binned or I'll simply leave it somewhere, & yeah it just doesn't feel right 🤷‍♂️😒 Yeah that's what I did when I went on site, the amount of times I use it there I just took the corded, it's those few times when it's easier just to throw the cordless in & know when you get there you don't have to find a plug socket 😉 Maybe when it comes to it have a look at the price of corded vs cordless, you might change your mind,

[@waynemoate9401]

This may help, you can get adaptors so you can use Makita batteries on DeWalt devices and vice versa.

[@Gidjoiner]

Hi, thanks, maybe useful to some but not me so no, I'm not keen on any of the converters or after market battery type things, I've tried a few things in the past & generally it's simply not worth my time & money, more heartache & breakdown when I don't need it, find the extra cash & buy the real deal. I've got a 5ah Dewalt battery for the metal connecting nailer but if I want another small 2Ah battery for the jointer I'll just buy one.. As I was converting all my tools to cordless I was trying to stay on a limited amount of battery platforms but as time went on I found that's not possible, some brands tools are just simply bad, others are good, I've now got multiple batteries & battery chargers, when working it's rare I have more than 2 chargers on the go, I'm often only using a couple of brands of tools & the amount I do I don't use much battery life & will pretty much always have a spare charged battery. So when it did come to getting this Dewalt buying another charger wasn't such a big deal, that's not what this vid is about, I only mentioned that to explain why I bought the Makita in the first place, it's more about the fence design of the Makita, when I did look at buying this I didn't think it would bother me too much but when it came to having it my hands I wasn't happy, maybe I should've researched it further.. either way this was the outcome, I realised I'd made a mistake in buying the wrong tool, Even if I'd bought the Dewalt in the first place though I'd have bought the Dewalt battery+charger & not considered some kind of adaptor, Thanks for your suggestion tho 👍.

[@michaelplays2449]

See your point as a proffessional its not good enough really , i have the Makita myself but Im only a diyer so ill stick with it surprised with Makita normally produce good tools , thanks for the video Gid !!!

[@Gidjoiner]

If you look online the majority have this fixed 90º fence, the Dewalt is an exception & as far as I'm concerned makes it better. So yeah you'd think Makita would pick up on this, maybe it's not so much of a problem, it's not exactly a site tool & like you say it is probably fine for the majority of people. I did do a bit of research before buying as always & I didn't think it would bother me, but getting it in my hands It just felt wrong, I'm used to being able to set & keep the depth, do plunge cuts etc. without having to take it apart & I know I'll eventually loose that fence 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️😂

[@alasdairmackenzie515]

Time is money...

[@Gidjoiner]

Exactly, & frustration of having to find that 'thing' you put away somewhere safely can upset the flow of the day resulting in errors or rushed work.

[@mergrew0110]

Your tools have two functions, first, to perform. Second, to make you money, and that sometimes means save you time!

[@Gidjoiner]

Time is def money, there's also that little extra bit of frustration that comes with the performance, if I've got to feck around with this fence or even just put the effort in to finding it if it's been put away somewhere then.......

[@blotontheland]

How do you find having 5 battery platforms to deal with? have you considered using those battery adapters as a reserve.

[@Gidjoiner]

It's not too bad, I've more than 5 chargers but the amount I use there's either a spare charged one or I'm just using the Bosch - Makita, Hikoki - Makita...., it's rare I have to get more than 3 chargers going. & sods law says if I'm using 2 or 3 I'll need them all charging their own brand so an adaptor wouldn't be much help.

[@silverfox8801]

I just bought the makita few weeks back!!🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@Gidjoiner]

Ooo 🤦‍♂️, Sorry for the late reply, I'm sure the Makita would be fine depending on your needs, but got to know, did you stick with the Makita?

[@silverfox8801]

@@Gidjoiner I did Gid. Ain’t too bad 👍

[@smurftastic3928]

I had to go down my shed on a Sunday 😱 and check my elu biscuit jointer and the fence goes down to 5mm depth and scale ruler on the side.

[@Gidjoiner]

The Elu was similar to the Lamello if I remember correctly, it worked a bit like an angle grinder plunge saw type thing? or maybe there was a later version?

[@smurftastic3928]

To me the Dewalt biscuit jointer is identical to my elu biscuit jointer.

[@Gidjoiner]

Elu were taken over by Dewalt, the chopsaw is the same also just yellow instead of grey. This is what I was thinking, we called it a lamello machine but maybe it was an Elu 🤷‍♂️ www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fncwoodworker.net%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3Fthreads%2Fdo-you-use-a-biscuit-joiner-and-if-so-for-what.69323%2F&psig=AOvVaw2-6lP5tl-9iX1kocp40cVJ&ust=1718783009082000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCNCLv-rT5IYDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

[@MrZOMBIE170]

I use Bosch they really need to catch up with their competitors, they don't make a Biscuit jointer anymore never mind a cordless one they still haven't got round to making a proper cordless Router , they have only got round to new nail and pin guns , don't get me wrong some of their tools are great their track saw is great but Mafell make it for them ,and their cordless drills are good most of the time

[@Gidjoiner]

Yep, I've got a few Bosch cordless tools, my collection started with a drill/driver that I couldn't kill, I'd killed a few Dewalt cordless in the past, it's still in my van now & working as it should just like the jigsaw but when converting other tools to cordless Makita was my choice, partly because I prefer them but also because Bosch didn't make certain tools, I quickly found that other tools had to be neither Bosch or Makita & so the charger list grew so buying this Dewalt wasn't such a big deal but ... why don't they look at other tools & think that's a good way to go. 😒

[@garvielloken3929]

Nooice!

[@Gidjoiner]

Thanks 👍

[@TheToolnut]

Makita are quite lazy in my opinion with tool design. That battery Makita is the same as the corded version. Why not improve the design and then release a battery biscuit joiner. I know Dewalt did the same but their design was better. Makita did the same with their battery routers. The 40v 1/4" is the same as the 18v and the new 40v 1/2" has the same body as well.

[@Gidjoiner]

Yep, I wonder if they ever get or read the feedback from users, a lot of these tools haven't changed in many yrs, why not look at other's designs & consider making similar. It's the basic cock-ups that get me, like the Hikoki router.. why on earth put the locking lever on the same side as the trigger, my 110v Makita router is donkeys yrs old, the lever is on the other side, the free hand side, it's not hard to realise when using it why it's like that.. I simply don't think they have staff that have any real world experience with these tools, they check they work but have little knowledge of how to use them so improvements are impossible.

[@TheToolnut]

@@Gidjoiner Exactly Gid, even the design of the plunge lock handle looks wrong. I have a Bosch 12v collated screw gun, it's an ideal tool for working over your head. But what's the one thing it's missing...a belt hook! I mean come on, 🙄. Vacuum hoses crack me up as well, those ribs always get snagged on things. Festool hoses are smooth for a reason. I have a Makita 4" belt sander which is a great tool but the way the cord comes out the back of the tool guarantees that it gets snagged. As I said earlier, I'm well on my way to becoming a grumpy old bastard! 😆

[@Gidjoiner]

I think I'm already there being a grumpy old bastad. That little cordless Makita chopsaw I was using, the Makita vac hose rubber end doesn't fit in the dust port, you can just squeeze the tip in & it kept falling out, I had to vac the shelves behind more than once 😂🤦‍♂️ reminds me I've got to buy an adaptor 👍

[@SammyInnit]

​@Gidjoiner Makita basically don't care about user opinion outside of the Japanese Market. Talk to their reps in the UK and they just aren't interested. That said I use mostly makita gear because it's always been reliable and some of it is still made in the UK. They have a base in Milton Keynes and manufacturing in Telford and I like that about companies. All that said they're miles behind in terms of innovation.

[@TheToolnut]

@@Gidjoiner 😄😄 I have the same mitre saw, it's nice and light but it's a pity the head doesn't bevel to the right. I have a small Makita vacuum which came with an adaptor that fits that particular saw. But again I have a good few tools with a few different size dust ports. I need to pick up a few different size adaptors. Why not make all portable power tool dust outlets the same size, simple fix, I also have a big Fein vacuum which I usually have under my big DeWalt 12" mitre saw. That vacuum fits some of my tools but not others and vice versa for the smaller Makita vacuum. I have a few Festool tools and they are designed by someone who has time done out in the field. To get full value out of them I think one needs to buy into their system. That Bluetooth on/off switch they have on the end of their vac hoses is the balls!