The review concerns the Makita PF1010 pump (the plastic one, not the inox one). I bought it in November 2017 (81 euros) fearing heavy rainfalls and floods. Finally, today (2 years later - just 4 days after the 2-year warranty expired), I had to use it for the first time after a heavy rainstorm that flooded the drains in Macedonia.
As soon as the water reached 5 centimeters away from entering a small storage shed where we keep electrical appliances, it triggered an alarm bell. So, I connected the pump to a 30-meter spiral hose with a diameter of 1&1/4 inches and placed it in half a meter of water.
It had to pump a lot of water from the entire plot (which slopes towards the shed) and literally saved us from damages and filth for many days. In fact, I hadn't even cut the plastic adapter (which has a smaller diameter of 1 inch), so it would have pumped with even greater intensity.
The specifications state that, under certain conditions, it can pump up to 14.5 cubic meters per hour - I believe it's achievable!
Its operation is completely silent, it can draw water up to 4 centimeters below the surface of the ground. There were no leaves or debris, but that could have been solved if we had placed it in a plastic frame like the ones used by greengrocers.
And just from this one use, it paid off the purchase!
*Update March 2022: After approximately 3 years since I took it out of the box and a maximum of 20 hours of total operation (15 uses x 1.5 hours), the pump tripped the safety switch and stopped working. I will seek a service and will come back with the technician's diagnosis. *The pump was not permanently submerged in water. After each use, I would take it out, let it dry, and store it.
I visited a technician who specializes in pumps, and upon seeing the type of pump without opening it, he told me the following: The cable of the float switch that gives the command to start has been cut in the winding or at another point. He could have dealt with it (it would have cost around 20-30 euros), BUT because the whole system is "fixed," it would not have good sealing and would eventually cause a short circuit, leading to the best-case scenario of the power safety switch tripping, and even the risk of electric shock! So, I threw it away and went for something else.
I deduct one star from the review because while it worked, it was very powerful and served me well. Seeing the comments, I realized that the issue it had also occurred to another user. Unfortunately, Makita products are now made in China, with all that this entails...
While searching for a new pump, I saw that everything is Chinese-made, so I chose the exact same model. I bought the PF1010 again for 93 euros. The warranty was one year, but if you register it on Makita's official website, they give you an additional 2-year warranty. So, a total of 3 years!