DeWalt vs Makita wrenches - which brand holds up better for daily use?

Hey everyone, I'm an apprentice plumber and need to upgrade my wrench set. Been looking at DeWalt's 20-piece combo set and Makita's 22-piece set - both around the same price point. DeWalt claims their chrome vanadium steel is tougher, but Makita says their ratchets have finer teeth for tighter spaces. Anyone have real-world experience with both? I'm on a budget but don't want to buy junk that'll fail in 6 months.

Gary, I've run crews for 15 years and we've standardized on DeWalt for wrenches. The Makita ratchets are nice initially, but we've had 3 fail under heavy torque within a year. DeWalt's warranty process is smoother too - walk into any Home Depot with a broken tool. That said, if you're mostly doing light residential work, either will probably serve you fine. Just avoid the big box store house brands.

Retired carpenter here - used both brands over 40 years. Makita's finish used to be superior in the 90s, but quality equalized around 2010. Nowadays I'd say: DeWalt for sockets/wrenches, Makita for power tools. One tip: check the country of origin. Some DeWalt sets are US-made, others Taiwan. The US ones have thicker chrome plating that resists corrosion better. My 1998 DeWalt set still looks new!

Thanks Chris(s)! CraftsmanChris490 - good point about warranty. My current cheap set had a ratchet strip and the company wanted me to pay shipping both ways. CraftsmanChris807 - didn't think to check country of origin! The DeWalt set I'm looking at says 'global materials' on Amazon... might need to find a physical store to check. Anyone know if Lowe's carries the US-made versions?

Most big box stores carry mixed inventory. Pro tip: Call the DeWalt pro service line (1-800-4-DeWalt) with the model number before buying. They can tell you where it's manufactured. Also, consider whether you need SAE or metric - as a plumber you'll encounter both. Makita's metric sets are slightly more complete, but DeWalt's SAE sizing is more consistent in my experience.