Off topic somewhat, but in regard to corporations destroying their brand:
I’ve had Makita for about 12 years. My last battery was finally going out (3ah) and I took advantage of a sale about 6 months ago in anticipation of the need for the tools this Spring & Summer.
I had projects the past couple of weeks and was astonished at how fast the new 5ah batteries (18v Lithium LXT) were draining. In fact, I lost count at how many times I was atop the ladder to have a tool quit. As it stands right now, I’m of the opinion that they last half as long as my 3ah batteries which came with my first kit, if not as low as 30%. This was the polar opposite of my expectations.
I’m curious if anyone else has had this experience. I’ll concede that I didn’t do any research, buying solely on my prior experience (I should have known better, AND - on-topic somewhat - I’ll be returning the kit after the next project if my experience is repeated...assuming the store return policy will permit me to return after more than 6 months...and leaving rotten reviews everywhere I can find).
Makita has really gone down in quality. As an aside, my uncle gave my dad a Makita battery-powered drill-driver probably 35 years ago now. Maybe more. I was a teenager. It was one of the very first models, had the long handle with the long skinny battery pack. Used it all over the place. I think the battery finally wore out about five years ago.
As far as bang for the buck, it's second only to the Amana freezer built in the late 1950s that my parents bought used when they got married in 1965. It was still running when they sold their last house in 2011. It was heavy and they didn't want to move it again. The local power company had a rebate for trading in old appliances for more efficient ones. When the guy got there to pick it up he stripped the insulation piece off the door and hauled it off. It would probably still be running today but for that.