Makita Vs Milwaukee 6-Tool Combo Kits: How They Really Compare

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When you’re first starting to buy tools for your home, it can be a little daunting to figure out where to start if handy work isn’t your forte. You could start by looking into what power tools are best for beginners, but it’s also a good idea to just get yourself a combo kit. Major tool brands will bundle some of their tools together into one set to give you a decent range of equipment for your toolbox all at once. Among those brands are Makita and Milwaukee. Both of these companies offer quality six-piece combo kits of cordless, battery-powered tools to get your collection started, and while they have their similarities, the combo kits they offer each cater to slightly different buyers and needs.

Let’s start with where they’re similar. These six-piece kits are set up for each company’s respective 18V lithium-ion battery line: Makita’s LXT and Milwaukee’s M18 systems. This means that you’re able to use the same battery with every tool in that particular kit. Both also come with a cordless ½-inch hammer drill/driver, a ¼-inch impact driver, a 6½-inch circular saw, a reciprocating saw, and a work light. Beyond the tools, each kit comes with its own contractor bag to keep everything neatly stored. As for the sixth tool in the kit, Milwaukee’s always comes with a 4½-inch cut-off/angle grinder, and while some retailers offer a Makita kit with its own version of this tool, retailers also sell an older version with a different tool in its place.

If you’re looking for a version of the Makita six-piece cordless tool kit at The Home Depot or another retailer like Super Arbor, you’ll find two versions. One has that 4½-inch-inch cut-off/angle grinder, and another features a portable electric vacuum cleaner in its place. The Makita website currently doesn’t feature this version of the combo kit. Meanwhile, The Home Depot lists the one with the cut-off/angle grinder as a new product, so it may be replacing the one with the vacuum.

There are also differences in what you get to power the tools. Makita offers two 5.0 Ah LXT batteries for its six-tool kit. However, some listings in stores such as Super Arbor also have it with lower-capacity 3.0 Ah batteries. On the Milwaukee side of things, you’ll be receiving two 3.0 Ah 18V batteries as standard. With those, you’ll also get a charger that can charge both M18 18V and M12 12V batteries, in case you use tools from Milwaukee’s M12 battery system.

When it comes to pricing, the Milwaukee kit’s price is pretty steady across retailers, going for $799. Meanwhile, the price of the Makita kit seems to vary according to its contents. That kit with the vacuum is currently on sale for just $164.15 at The Home Depot, down from its regular price of $469. Meanwhile, the kit with the cut-off/angle grinder and one 3.0 Ah battery currently sells for $599 at Super Arbor but goes up to $989 for the two-battery 5.0 Ah version at The Home Depot. Of course, prices may vary according to your location and any discounts.

On the whole, all these combo kits receive very strong customer ratings. The Milwaukee kit has earned a 4.6-out-of-5-star average from customers at The Home Depot. This average is based on over 4,000 customer ratings, with over 3,100 of those being five stars. Customers generally praise how compact and light these tools are, making them easy to use. The praise also comes from Ace Hardware customers, which gave it an even higher 4.8-star average. The sample size here is much smaller with just 35 reviews, but you still routinely see reviews praising the battery life and the tools’ durability.

The Makita set with the vacuum cleaner isn’t too far behind with The Home Depot customers, earning a 4.5-star average. Many of the things that customers praised the Milwaukee kit for carry over to the this kit as well, including the tools’ practical and compact designs. However, reviews are scarcer for the Makita kit with the cut-off/angle grinder because it’s a newer offering. This probably explains why The Home Depot doesn’t even have a single customer rating for it yet. However, the tool itself has 4.6 stars from The Home Depot and 4.5 from Ace Hardware, implying that customers are more than likely to be satisfied with the Makita combo kit with the cut-off/angle grinder as well.