It has been more than 2-1/2 years since I last attempted to answer this question – Which is the Best Cordless Power Tool Brand?
A lot of things have changed since then, with big brands launching many new tools, a new breed of battery packs, and next-generation tools supported by those new and even more powerful batteries.
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Here’s a link to the late-2014 post about the same topic.
The simplicity of the question betrays the complexity of what is actually being asked. Back when I first tackled this, Steven asked:
If you had to stick to one brand for most of your tools which would it be? Taking into consideration tool reliability, power, ergonomics, batteries and number of cordless tools.
It remains true that each brand-name cordless power tool brand is unique, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Comparing power tool brands is not as simple as comparing other types of products.
The closest analogy I could think of is that cordless power tools are akin to higher-end cameras, where you have different camera bodies, lenses, and accessories to consider. You’re not buying just one product, you’re buying into a system.
And when you buy into a system, it’s an investment. Sure, you can always try to sell all your cordless power tools and buy into a whole new system, but not without taking a loss, sometimes a heavy one if your tools aren’t the current models.
I’m not a professional contractor, but I have seen time and time again that pros do not want to buy into multiple cordless power tool platforms if they can help it. Life is so much simpler when all of your tools, battery packs, and chargers work together.
I have been running ToolGuyd for over 8 years now, and in that time I have seen a lot of innovations, iterations, and expansions. I can’t even tell you how many different tools I’ve used and tested, which greatly outnumbers those I have formally reviewed.
My approach here will be to discuss the benefits and downsides of the most popular power tool brands, and those I have personal experience with. Brands I don’t have experience with will be excluded, perhaps until the next revision.
As always your input is extremely valuable. What would you say to anyone looking to buy into a cordless power tool system?
The brands are discussed in alphabetical order.
Bosch
Benefits: Good performance and reliability, well-rounded 12V and 18V lineups, a good overall brand.
Downsides: Bosch has not been as active as other brands, especially in the USA where some tools are either released later than in Europe, or not at all.
Overall: Bosch continues to offer solid “core tool” offerings, and every so often comes out with upgrades and updates. At times they come out with innovations, some more popular than others, but they seem to have either lost some of their fire. It’s almost as if they forgot about their competition, or maybe they just don’t care.
I bought some Bosch 18V cordless tools – a drill and impact driver combo kit on sale a few years ago. I have no regrets. But if I was looking to buy into a platform, I’d likely look elsewhere.
In my opinion, Bosch makes some spectacular tools. Looking at the greater picture, I find their 12V platform to be more appealing than their 18V platform.
Notable Products: inductive charging system, drills with anti-kickback protection, hybrid impact driver/wrench, fantastic 12V tools and accessories
Dewalt
Benefits: Very good tools, greater ergonomics – especially the drills and impact tools, a continually expanding 20V Max lineup, many 60V Max and 120V Max FlexVolt game-changing tools and technologies, an increasing selection of unique specialty tools, such as a brushless framing nailer and threaded rod cutter.
Downsides: A middling 12V Max lineup. It’s inevitable to wish for black and yellow versions of other brands’ tools.
Overall: Dewalt has stepped up to the plate in recent years, sometimes swinging to just get on base, other times they’re looking for home runs and hitting them.
I believe something has changed within the brand. They’re no longer trying to simply broaden their 20V Max product selection, they’re looking to push it further and raise it higher.
Their new FlexVolt platform has a lot of “firsts.” I think they’re liking the consumer response, and will continue on this path of pushing boundaries.
Notable Products: Dewalt had a lot of strengths, and their FlexVolt lineup introduced new ones. FlexVolt battery packs are compatible with 20V Max tools and chargers. It’s a compromise that you cannot use 20V Max on FlexVolt tools, but a small one that’s easy to look past when you consider the power and benefits of the FlexVolt lineup.
Their 3-speed brushless drills are popular with pros, and I find myself enamored with the size, features, and reasonable performance of their compact brushless drill and impact driver. Their portable power station offers incredible versatility, being capable of powering many corded power tools, and their FlexVolt 12” sliding miter saw, which can be powered by 2x FlexVolt battery packs or an included AC adapter, will likely be a category leader for some time.
Hitachi
Benefits: Hitachi has come out with some amazing 18V tools in recent years, and my hope is that they don’t let up.
Downsides: There’s not a lot of options, aside from “core tools,” and some universal accessories.
Overall: As with Bosch, there are a number of Hitachi tools I would buy, but they’re a long way from being a top choice if I was looking to buy into a system. Hitachi simply does not have the breadth of tools to make them a top contender.
I look forward to seeing continued innovations and product line expansions by Hitachi, and think that they have some surprises up their sleeves.
Being a smaller brand makes Hitachi a potentially fierce competitor if they decide they want to go after a bigger piece of the market share pie.
I have 2 hesitations. First, Hitachi tools aren’t as widely available as other brands’. Second, Hitachi and Metabo, which Hitachi recently acquired, were bought up by an investment firm. How will this influence the next few years of Hitachi tool developments?
Notable Products: I’m a big fan of Hitachi’s 18V triple hammer impact driver, and find their LED work light and radio designs to be refreshingly different.
Kobalt
Benefits: Their 24V Max brushless power tool lineup have proven to be powerful and capable. Additional battery packs are unbelievably inexpensive, starting at just $10.
Downsides: Kobalt has been expanding their relatively new 24V Max cordless tool lineup, but it still consists of “core tools,” such as drills, drivers, and saws. The lineup is still very new, and since it seems to be more consumer, DIYer, and homeowner-focused, we might never see a lot of the types of tools that other more pro-oriented brands offer.
Overall: To quote someone that has been testing out Kobalt’s brushless reciprocating saw for us: “it keeps going and going, and the last cut was as good as the first.”
It does sting that Kobalt essentially abandoned their 18V and 20V Max lineups, which mainly differed in branding, but I don’t think they’re going to completely change things over anytime soon – it would be too unforgivable.
So far, we haven’t seen many complaints about any of the new tools.
Notable Products: Kobalt’s 24V Max brushless power tools are proving to be decent performers, but there’s no standout yet.
Makita
Benefits: Broad and expanding product selection, fast 18V battery charging times is standard, revamped 12V Max platform, steady stream of innovations.
Downsides: Can be slow to adapt to industry trends (e.g. battery fuel gauges). Sometimes there are too many products of a given kind to choose from, such as hammer drills or impact drivers, with differences being hard to identify.
Overall: Makita’s cordless lines are very competitive, with a stead stream of new tools and tool categories to keep users reasonably happy and well-equipped.
Notable Products: Makita has a new cordless router coming out, their impacts are superb and have inspired competitors to mirror their special speed modes. Their higher performance X2 products, which are powered by (2) 18V battery packs, seem to be much-loved by users.
Metabo
Benefits: Great quality, high performance.
Downsides: Limited selection.
Overall: Metabo has been coming out with lots of great new cordless power tools, but lacks a lot of the tools that users might want from a product lineup. Its 18V line is more complete in Europe, but many of those tools aren’t available here.
Metabo is on a mission towards enabling a cordless jobsite.
Notable Products: Metabo is well known for their grinders in general. Their cordless drills and drivers are fantastic and well-featured. They offer some unique tools, such as a thread tapping drill, and a new high speed drill for drilling sheet metal and pilot holes. Their 2-in-1 compact drill/driver, with removable chuck, is a personal favorite.
Milwaukee
Benefits: Great quality and reliability, fantastic 18V-class lineup (M18), unmatched 12V-class lineup (M12), unmatched LED worklight selection, very active innovator.
Downsides: Milwaukee’s higher power M18 battery pack, 9.0Ah XC, isn’t enough to drive the next generation of high-powered cordless power tools. Thus, you won’t yet find a 12″ miter saw or cordless table saw. This might all change soon, but not this year.
Overall: Milwaukee’s cordless lineups are extremely appealing. Both lineups offer all of the basics, and a great deal of specialty tools, especially trade-specific ones.
Milwaukee seeks to be a “solutions provider.” They have a strong and clear motivating philosophy. We’re seeing M12 tools that serve as hand tool stand-ins, such as their new stapler, and others that kick-start a whole product category, such as their heated jackets.
Their One-Key customizable tools and remote-controllable LED worklights have pushed the bounds of what cordless tools can do and how they can be used.
You can’t go wrong with Milwaukee cordless power tools.
Notable Products: Milwaukee’s Fuel brushless tools are particularly well-featured and offer high performance.
Porter Cable
Benefits: Good performance at value pricing.
Downsides: Limited product selection, brand confusion.
Overall: Porter Cable’s 20V Max lineup kicked off with a great drill and impact driver, but then grew with lower-featured tools seemingly developed around lower pricing.
There are some cordless nailers, and brushless drill and impact. 20V Max cordless product expansion has been very slow, and the 12V Max lineup seems to have been abandoned or at least neglected.
Porter Cable doesn’t know what it wants to be. It has a history of being a professional tool brand, but seems focused on competing with Ryobi, a brand that focuses on DIYers, homeowners, and some value-minded pros.
Porter Cable cordless tools are decent for the money, but the budget pricing restricts the quality.
Stanley Black & Decker seems intent on avoiding competition between Dewalt and Porter Cable brands, and so Dewalt gets all the good stuff.
Notable Products: I’ll have to get back to you on this.
Ben’s Note: Porter Cable’s cordless nail guns, which I’ve found to deliver consistent driving drive and clean nail holes.
Ridgid
Benefits: Growing 18V lineup with some unique or innovative tools. Good balance between performance and price. Limited Lifetime Service Agreement covers parts, service, and batteries, free for life – with some restrictions.
Downsides: The 18V lineup isn’t as varied as higher-level brands’. 12V lineup is very limited.
Overall: Ridgid is a good brand that’s maintained strong momentum in recent years.
If you have simple needs, theirs might be the only cordless tools you need. Some of their tools and innovations – such as their recent cordless air compressor – might convince users of other brands’ cordless products to mix some orange into their tool bag.
Notable Products: I am particularly fond of their new small capacity air compressor, which is unlike anything else on the market.
Ryobi
Benefits: Very high “bang for the buck,” strong selection of core tools, specialty tools, innovations, and problem-solvers.
Downsides: Some tools don’t seem up to heavy duty jobsite conditions.
Overall: Ryobi is best characterized as a DIYer-centric brand that also appeals to less frequent tool users, such as homeowners, and also pro users.
Notable Products: Their Airstrike nailers are particularly well-regarded.
Fein, Festool, and Other Premium Specialty Tool Brands
Benefits: High quality, high performance, features or tools that other brands lack or don’t execute as well.
Downsides: Higher pricing, limited product family selection.
Overall: When going with brands such as Fein or Festool, you’re usually buying cordless versions of tools that they do very well, and often better than what competitors can offer. But with limited product selection, most users might have to look to another brand for other core and specialty tool needs.
Notable Products: Fein’s cordless MultiMaster oscillating multi-tool and Festool’s cordless track saw are currently unequalled. Competitors come close, but you’ll need to buy into one of these brands if you want the best.
Your Recommendation
Which cordless power tool lineup(s) did you go with? What would you recommend to someone looking to buy their first cordless power tools?
Noah says
My big three in terms of pricing, availability and product line are Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita.
Sam says
I agree, but would change the order. For the price to ROI, I would say DeWalt, Milwaukee, and then Makita….
Jimmie Muggy says
Anyone that puts DeWalt in their list much less on top is not very subjective. After seeing how well my Ryobi tools perform, and the abuse they take, plus the low price point, my boss is changing over his entire cordless till line to Ryobi. If you remove the “hey my tools yellow so it’s automatically better” factor, seeing a tool that’s half the price point perform as well or better becomes a no brainier. Ad to that the breadth of the product line, how well does the DeWalt drain snake, or the bolt cutters, or the 6 gallon shop vac, or the blower work compared to Ryobi. Oh yeah, dang the don’t have any of them. Plus I’ve never witnessed any brand that had as many miserable failures on the job as DeWalt. Cordless drill that had switch problems 3 times, third one almost bursting into flames, corded angle grinder with gear head failure in less than 6 hours, next to my 18v Ryobi that I’m still using no problems 3 months later.
Joe says
I agree with the Ryobi thing, however, their performance and features are noticably inferior to the three industry leaders. Not having tried any of the Milwaukee line of cordless tools as of yet and only briefly using Dewalt (though impressed), I would say that based on price, performance, and tool availability… I’d have to rank Makita and Dewalt #1-A and #1-B ( both having slight advantages and disadvantages)… with Milwakee coming in 3rd based solely on their noticeably higher price tag.
That being said, if I needed the power provided by Milwaukee for the line of work I do, I’d probably put them #1 based on tool performance (based on tool performance reviews alone) – but then I’d be looking at more commercial grade tools like Hilti to compare them to too.
Mark says
I specifically read this article because I have bought a few Ryobi tools but I’m very unhappy with the batteries. I’m just a homeowner and have gone through 2 of the 3 batteries I received when I bought my kit ~2 years ago. I like the line and agree the pricing is nice but the batteries have been terrible.
All of them seem to be developing a broad range of useful tools.
Who makes the best battery?
Mike electrician says
Your nutts bro. I promise you, if your really stressing tools out regularly, by tasks hammer drilling through reinforced concrete, or driving large bolts all day or cutting a bunch of strut… your not goung to want ryobi tools. The battery wont last very long and their just not strong enough. So you will be working longer and harder to perform the same tasks. Ryobi has one good thing going for them… Their prices. They make a good tool for light to medium use. My helper has a ryobi and regularly switches to my dewalt tools for most tasks. But my top list with price not being the biggest factor would be…
Hilti,
Snap-on,
Milwaukee,
DeWalt,
Bosch,
They all still have some weaknesses. Like availability, customer service and tool refurbishment. Tools they offer on certain voltages and amps. Weight. Size and of course price. Also if you start buying 500 dollar screw guns… U better keep an eye on them.
Brian says
*what he said*
You get what you pay for.
Hence a different class of tools offered by TTI Inc.
Top tier: Milwaukee
Mid tier: Ridgid
Low tier: Ryobi
James says
Huh, I see that you are not very smart; so I will offer you this: take apart any comparable Ryobi and DeWalt tool, compare gearing/ housing, motors/brushes. Then go to Harbor Freight and buy another top tier power tool (like Ryobi)and enjoy seeing the where the affore mentioned tools share commanalities with the Harbor Freight tool. (short version) There is no professional comparison. Good Luck. (remove the battery before handling a disassembled power tool.)
GL!
Mrwirez says
Ridgid X5 Series. Period!
1). The new X5 Series drill/impact driver kit uses Li-ion batteries that FIT THE OLD Ni-Cad TOOLS… That’s HUGE!
2). Ridgit cordless tools have LIFETIME guarantee/warranty. Drop it, they fix or replace it. Again HUGE!
3). The new X5 drill/impact driver came with 2 – 4mah batteries and charger, that also charges the old Ni-cad batteries. 4mah batteries are very long lasting. Two 4 mah batteries will last days.
4). I updated to the new X5 drill/impact driver, and since the batteries fit my old Ridgid too kit, I was able to add to my old sawsall, light, circular saw, light & drill.
5). The upfront cost saved me $hundreds by NOT having to upgrade everything else.
6). I’m a union electrician, and on the big jobs, we use Ridgid for dependability and durability.
You can’t go wrong!
sf ski says
Hmm . . . good to hear that they understand the battery needs of customers. I got the Ryobi “full set” several yrs ago and the battery life SUCKS!!! The new batteries will not fit the older tools! LAME that Ryobi does not care about it’s customers!
dduff617 says
this last comment about ryobi seems objectively misleading. ryobi had some other battery sizes, before they “standardized” on the 18v one+ system. this was about 15 yrs ago, i think. they then progressed from ni-cad batteries to now lithium-based batteries. this chemistry changeover led to a substantial simultaneous increase in run-time and reduction in weight of batteries and was accomplished while maintaining backward compatibility across their one+ tool line. you could use both old and new batteries in both old and new tools. you could charge old batteries and new batteries in their new chargers. the only limitation (understandable) was that you could not charge their new batteries in the old charger.
you can fault ryobi for many things. they are often not the most powerful, nor the most “full-featured” product. they don’t have a lifetime replacement warranty or free battery replacement like ridgid. they don’t have the caché of elite “pro” brands – to the contrary, their bright green color screams “joe homeowner”. my experience suggests that perhaps their biggest selling point from a consumer standpoint is setting a battery standard, advertising it, (mostly) sticking to it, and producing a huge diversity of tools that are all compatible with it.
Chuk says
Ryobi hasn’t changed their batteries in over 20 years and is commuted to not changing them. You must be trying to put 18v batteries in old 12v tools.
Henri Berube says
Rigid ‘s Lifetime warranty isn’t as great as it sounds. I have a garage full of Rigid tools. for my first repair, I was informed that I had never registered my tools and no warranty existed. I have a whole line of power tools now with no warranty. Turns out I had two warranty accounts and Rigid decided to delete 1 instead of merging them. I appealed to them but without receipts ( some of my tools are 8 years old) they said I was OUT OF LUCK and will not warranty anything. My Oscillating saw broke on 4 use. A small cheap retaining washer broke. The Rigid repair shop refused to fix it stating that Rigid takes 2 -3 months to send out the washer and customers get mad. So I returned it to Home Depot. I have only ever had 1 Rigid tool repaired successfully under warranty.
Jim Felt says
Wow. Their snafu with entering two names and you’re sunk. Sorry to hear this.
Now I’m glad I call Bosch every single time I get a new tool. And they even modify their tools to futureproof them for free. Shipping both ways included.
I can onl hope to have have as good of experience with some new Milwaukee tools coming out this month.
Again sorry to read of their complete failure for you.
Criminy.
H says
Thanks for the sentiment. I am not happy with Rigid. I invested I their system and am looking to change now!
firefly says
Sorry to hear about your experience.
Generally speaking I don’t like the 100% lifetime warranty model for the fact that it’s not a sustainable model if everyone truly use it. This is especially true when it come to wearable component such as battery. It’s a model that open all kind of door for abuse so it usually end up benefit a few and screw the rest. Either that or it will destroy the company that back it.
Bix says
I never understood people who don’t keep receipts for things of importance, especially higher priced tools/appliances/electronics.
Jason says
Thats a shame, I registered my tools when I got them over 7 years ago and since then have only needed two new batteries, the charger works fine still, and I just recently had the 18v light that came with the set quit working and got it replaced all for free. Just had to call and give the serial number and a few days later new stuff. The rest of the tools, drill, impact, saws-all, and circular saw all still work perfect and I did an almost complete remodel of my last house, and have really put the drill to the test over the years and its still kicking just fine. Id say 7 years and only needing 1 replacement tool, and 2 new batteries, getting them for free, and having the rest of the stuff all still work just fine is about as good of an endorsement I can give a tool company.
Mike electrician says
Had the same issue. I didn’t register my tools. Didn’t know I had too and it expires like 30-90 days after purchase… So I was beat. I had 2 small 12 volt guns, which I kept a phillips on one and a flat on the other. I could do receptacles and plate in about 25 seconds with that setup. We were switching them out. So the plate went right back on. But I do like rigid tools. For medium duty use. I have never hammerdrilled with one. But 12/14-18/20volt tools kick ass and their prices are reasonable.
hary says
the only drawback it the companey only has there warenties on the combo packs not on aney of the other ridgid batteries if you buy extra ones for the other tools that you have so if you have a 5tool combo and two batteries and need a nother if boath tools are beging used at the same time you dont have a spares on the chatger
Leeplumber says
Plumbers use Milwaukee , electricians usually use dealt & makita is the builders favourite choice .
Hilton says
The reality is that once you have more than a couple of cordless tools, it’s almost impossible to change brands unless you are willing to double up on chargers and batteries.
At the time, Makita had an Impact driver and Drill that were class leading so I went that route. I would rule out Ryobi, Milwaukee, Rigid, Porter Cable and Kobalt simply because I can’t get batteries and chargers here in South Africa.
That said, if I lived Stateside, I’d look at Milwaukee along with Bosch and Dewalt.
dduff617 says
I couldn’t agree more with this statement. I hate to say it but it sometimes feels like a waste of time to read reviews of tools from other systems when I know it is virtually impossible that a feature or an improved specification is going to get me to buy into a new system.
Mrwirez says
Ridgid batteries are all universal.
Stuart says
No, they’re not. Ridgid 18V power tool battery packs are not compatible with some of their specialty tools, e.g. https://toolguyd.com/ridgid-interchangeable-head-electrical-tool/ .
sf ski says
Let’s face it, most folks want their own tools to get stuff done asap! It would be REAL NICE if all brands would keep the “same battery fit” matching the next lineup of improved tools “and” the improved battery tech., that would help them keep dedicated customers! When a brand changes either and you need to change or upgrade either the tool or battery, you want things to match! “The battery fit”, is VITAL, otherwise it’s like laughing at those who have invested into the company prior.
Stuart says
Yes, but it just cannot work that way, in nearly every industry.
The are some exceptions, and it’s unfortunate that it’s only in exceptions for forward and backwards battery compatibility to be true.
Nobody is wrong. I like for previous and next-gen batteries to fit previous and next-gen tools. But I can also see how it creates design constraints that in many cases limit the features, capabilities, or performance of next-gen and forward-looking products.
I really wish that brands would offer trade-up programs. That would offer the best of both worlds, making many more users happy.
Adam says
I’m invested in Milwaukee, but that may just be because I used their tools for years working for other people, before I started buying my own. I do like the breadth of their lineup, even though I’ll probably never need a lot of the specialty tools.
I’m also a big fan of Bosch and Makita, though I’ve used their corded tools a lot more than their cordless.
mike foley says
I love my Dewalt and especially the latest battery technology, but I am putting toe in the water with Milwaukee with the M18 right now with the M18 18-Volt Fuel Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 10 in. Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw and a nail gun for Father’s day. I’m concerned with your comment about the 9 ah battery, but I can’t counter with a comment yet, I’ve only done a very small project.
JC says
Unfortunately the 9ah battery comment is spot on. I have the M18 miter saw and the 9ah battery does a good job on straight and miter cuts assuming the PT lumber isn’t too wet. On bevel cuts you will begin to question if its going to finish the cut. I’ve been building a rather large playhouse for the kids and these are my experiences.
OTOH I love my fuel impact drivers, drills, circ saw, and fuel sawzall. Milwaukee is a class leader by a massive margin in jobsite lighting and create a lot of firsts in the cordless tool industry. I dont regret my decision to make them my main tool company. That said, I have a found a tool here and there that Dewalt or Makita has that is better or that Milwaukee just doesn’t have and I dont hesitate to pick those.
I recently bought 5 flexvolt batteries and a charger through a great amazon deal so i can see what certain 60v tools are all about.
Jason says
I personally have had a lot of success with DeWalt. I have found that their products hold up well, and they have a great selection. I have had some experience with Milwaukee, and see their products as comparable to DeWalt. As with any cordless tool set, once you start supporting a brand it’s hard to change; especially once you accumulate multiple batteries.
One brand not mentioned above is Craftsman. I still use their 12v Nextec line. These were/are great tools that you can still get. I have a great impact, right angle impact, oscillating tool, and a couple lights that I really like. Their drill is crap, but most of the other tools are solid and affordable.
Al says
Craftsman heavy duty drill 1\2″ is an absolute beast. 1 5 years and used for everything including mixing mortar ,drilling through railroad ties. 8×8’s concrete and using it to drive a 3″ auger 1 8″ into dirt. Dropped too many times
Steve says
I bought into the Milwaukee system years ago based on the comments from this web site and have been very happy with the selection.
Alan says
I have Dewalt 20v and older 18v tools along with Milwaukee 12v’s. If I had to start from scratch, I would buy into Milwaukee solely. Their focus on disruptive innovation and good product quality would be tough to turn down starting from scratch. Dewalt has been good to me but they’re no where near as innovative and have a more limited product line compared to Milwaukee.
Brian says
Milwaukee has such an expansive line that, to me, it was and is a no brainer. If I want a tool, if someone makes it, there’s probably one from Milwaukee…sometimes they’re the only one.
I’m not interested in Flexvolt, I personally don’t need to have a 12″ miter saw or even a cordless miter saw. The runtime is really short anyway. The power inverter is nice but you’re going to need four batteries. Dewalt also seemingly has an endless supply of introducing new battery lines, they’re still selling 18v Ni-Cad tools and batteries. They have 8v, 12v, 18v, 20V Max, 40v Max and Flexvolt. They aren’t adding to their 12v line, are they going to put the 40v line in the same comatose state? Also I HATE their 3-speed transmission, it gets stuck in gear and you have to blip the trigger and change gear, then it goes 1 to 3 or 3 to 1, so then you have to push it back to 2 if that’s what you want. Their brushless impact though, that is a work of art. Dewalt also has a better chuck than Milwaukee.
Kobalt’s 24V lineup seems solid and the battery cost is fantastic. I’ve read that some people have disassembled them and found Samsung cells, that’s shocking for the price. If they stick with this line, it might be something to really consider. They’ve added a jigsaw and ROS recently too.
Makita would probably be my choice outside of Milwaukee. Good build quality, good performance, nice ergonomics, great chuck and good sizing.
mike foley says
Bottom line though? It keeps getting BETTER! I love the freedom of not having to find power, especially for any field work. Folks, it’s a good time to do work with power tools. Can’t wait to see how spoiled we can get. You should see the tree I cut down (lightning took most of the top off) with my battery operated chainsaw. Are you kidding me? Nope.
Brian says
Agreed!
Ryan says
I don’t know what you mean about the flexvolt miter saw having short runtime… This past weekend i built an 8’x16′ deck on one charge and still had one bar left on each battery’s gauge. Very impressed with the runtime.
BeauxDGK says
I couldn’t agree more! I have the Dewalt 20v tools (except the porter cable nailer , which is the same as Dewlt really) and have renovated my entire house with not having to change batteries. I just throw them on the charge every night and the saws, drills, impacts and even the nailer last all day for me. I use them almost everyday,being in new construction and general construction jobs on the side, for over a year with no problem with performance. The only reason that I am considering another brand is their price. With my side business growing as fast as it is I am forced to look at other brands to be able to purchase the tools that I am lacking.
Nathan says
I think milwaukee is still the leader when it comes to the variety of tools the put out. And there is something to be said for that.
There are also some tools I wouldn’t run cordless anyway – like a grinder or polisher.
Meh.
Dewalt has solid performers – but I have to say I was on the fence to buy Milwaukee but I was given a dewalt cordless 20V Drill and So far haven’t looked back. I do lust after Milwaukee’s Cordless Ratchets – I’d love a Yellow version – or even the MAC version if only it ran a 20V battery not the 12. At any rate – Dewalts OMT is pretty awesome and I use it alot more than I thought I would. I love my 3 sp impactor – others do that now. Flexvolt has me intrigued but I don’t own any.
I will say I don’t even look at the other companies. There are Bosch products I want – none are of the cordless variety. I want a bosch router I believe. I like the idea of the Hitachi 3 anvil thing – I would not however part with my Dewalt device. And I will say I suspect the Milwaukee fuel version is probably equally good and I’d have made the same statement had I bought into RED vs Yellow. Makita isn’t on my radar for many reasons some political and some because of the devices.
Ridgid I look at – because I see that has a cheaper Milwaukee flavor – but I probably wouldn’t buy.
Ryobi does intrigue me because of sheer variety. Many other people I know use their stuff exclusively. but when one of them is at my house as we work on something – they pick up my dewalt cordless something – and always comment wow that’s nice. Tends to stick in my head.
Kevin says
I find I use my Milwaukee Fuel grinder the most. I have other corded ones, but to knock of some weld BBs or other quick thing, it’s great to not have a cord catching.
Elmer says
I wouldn’t want to use Ryobi tools exclusively, but one of the really nice things about them is that you can get solidly into the platform for very little money. They regularly have their 4ah batteries on sale 2 for $90. Combine that with a tool kit that includes a battery and charger and you can get started for only $200 or so. What I’ve found with Ryobi tools is that the vast majority are decent tools at a good price. There are a few that aren’t quite up to snuff, (18v planer, 18v chainsaw, etc…), but most of them will do the job and seem to hold up just fine. I keep a bunch of my old Ryobi tools at my mothers house so that I have tools to do repair work with when I visit and I don’t ever feel limited by them.
OBDave says
This. I’ve been on the Ryobi platform for more than a decade now (long time as Joe Homeowner, last 3-4 years my gear has been seeing professional use), and the cost of entry is so low that for the most part I haven’t felt bad if a tool fails on me and I have to junk it and buy another or sweet-talk the Home Depot returns folks into an out-of-warranty exchange once in a while.
That said, I took the dive into Milwaukee (it was really a toss-up between them and DeWalt until literally the minute a starter kit landed in my cart) with all the Christmastime freebies. I’m sick of breaking Ryobi sawzalls because vibration shatters the plastic clips that hold the battery in place, and even though my #1 go-to impact driver is still going strong after 2+ years I wanted better ergonomics and lighter weight from a tool that’s sometimes in my hand half the day.
I’m not looking forward to a mix-and-match battery job site, but I think the best bang for buck going forward is going to be replacing all my “core” tools with the grown-up M18 fuel and sticking with the kid-toy One+ for stuff that only gets broken out a few times a year, like the remarkably helpful pole saw and drain auger that have both seen service in the last week. And still, a lot of the Ryobi stuff (impact, grinder, 6 1/2″ circular, mini shop vac they discontinued years ago, Ridgid-equivalent multi-tool, brad nailer) has held up better than I’d have had any right to expect, given the price.
Chris says
Political?
Jim Felt says
I generally like Bosch 12v Brushless when offered over the the other brands. Bosch rotary hammers are up there with Hilti. The Bosch Core batteries are amazing with my 18v tools and Bosch certainly stands behind their tools.
That said I just ordered a dual voltage Milwaukee quick charger for 12/18V in anticipation of the upcoming ratchets, soldering iron and heat gun.
So two primary battery systems for now.
And a few corded Sawzalls and Bosch Rotary and HoleHawgs etc.
Groan.
alex says
I think Makita with their subcompact 18v tools have shown that a 12v is not a necessity. A M12 fuel drill is just as big as my Dewalt 20v compact drill.
Personally, I love Dewalt because they really take their time to produce a great tool (especially ergonomic wise) and not just a copy cat , they are fairly priced and sold about everywhere.
They could be faster though. I would love for them to add some new tools to their 8v line (dremel like rotary tool please) and produce some more really compact 20v tools (would really be pleased by a 4” circular saw). They should discontinue their 12v line. No need for it. Their lines should be 8v, 20v and 60v. And please create some sort of AC/60v transformer so we can use flexvolt tools corded. Don’t know if it realistic to make something not too bulky supporting high current but the transformer doesn’t have to be on the tool itself. It can be a laptop like power supply instead.
Also, please start shipping your tools in tstak in USA/Canada (just make it optional). And start providing dust extraction accessories in North America as well not just in Europe.
Finally, add some adapters to your tools so they can work on your tracks just like the Bosch rail system which is unfortunately not available in North America. It’s killing me that all the tool companies are not trying to build up on their track saw system. It’s a great system that I would love to use with a jig saw or a small circular saw or even a drill guide.
Anyway, if you are plumber or an electrician, I think Milwaukee is better given how many specialty tools they got. But Dewalt is a great choice if you are a carpenter.
Adam says
Discontinuing the 12v line is a terrible idea. It needs expanded and current products updated. I have the 12v stuff and I use it for about 75% of the things I do. The drill is much smaller and lighter than any of the 20v drills I have owned. I currently have one of the latest 20v hammer drills and although it’s lighter than my old 18v stuff it’s still a fair amount heavier than my 12v. The impact is also smaller and lighter and able to drive 90% of what I need driven. While you may not get the satisfaction of using the smaller, lighter 12v stuff a lot of people do.
RC WARD says
Can’t go wrong with DeWALT that’s for sure and I’m liking the kobalt new stuff with the really cheap batteries.
Slowburn says
I think this article absolutely nailed it when they said a pro user wants to buy into a system and stick with it. I think that should be added to the DIY home user or more serious user as well. I bought into the DeWalt system a while back with a drill/driver combination and I have been most happy with these. I have since added an electric impact wrench and 20v blower and I have been most happy with those as well.
I have to admit I have lusted after a few tools in Milwaukee’s line that DeWalt does not make, but it has passed.
The bigger question that is usually not answered is why is everything now cordless? I understand that because of improved battery technology and prices you can now but I still wonder why? For instance with circular saws I have two corded Skilsaws (wormdrive and sidewinder wormdrive) that I cannot image even a 40v system being able to compete with. The other tools I own (eg. routers, jig saws and angle grinders) don’t get enough use to warrant a cordless version at least for me. Yet walk into any Home Depot or Lowes and the cordless tools get the bulk of display space which I guess is testament to how profitable to the tool manufacturers.
My wife commented to me that the biggest benefit cordless technology could bring would be to vacuum cleaners. She pointed out that if she wanted to vacuum the stairs for instance not tripping over a cord would be really helpful not to mention much safer. I agree with her and also thought cordless hedge trimmers would be nice too So that comment is directed to my cordless provider, DeWalt there’s a MUCH larger market share to be pursued rather than cordless miter saws.
JC says
I have a hoover (owned by TTI, Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Ryobi parent company) cordless vacuum and 4 battery packs (dont need that many) and its great not running over the cord or tripping, or getting hung up on furniture.
fred says
Central vacuum system (plus a Shark) in one place, a mix and match of Mieles and Hoovers in the other places. I still haven’t found a small handheld cordless vacuum that I think is perfect. The kids bought us a Dyson cordless which was nice while it lasted (Christmas to the next summer). Our Hoovers haven’t lasted all that long either – but they work well and are relatively inexpensive. I think I like the Miele upright the best of what I have – although we do mostly touch-up cleaning – leave the weekly stuff to a service.
MichaelHammer says
Makita makes an awesome 18v stick vac. I liked it so much at work I bought another for home and use it every day.
fred says
On the question of why everything now seems to be cordless, as others and I have opined – the manufacturers probably make more selling batteries and cordless tools – with higher profit margins and repeat business (as batteries fail and tool features change) than they possibly could with corded tools. There are certainly benefits to be had from going cordless for many jobs – but they are still not the equal or corded , pneumatic or engine-driven tools for many other applications
Robert W says
… or economic/situational sense. I had a project that finally necessitated the need for a miter saw. Review after review of cordless miters, I u-turned and bought the $89 Hitachi 10″ corded at Lowes, put a nice blade on it… Job done, all smiles.
hangovna says
Because the big tool companies are competing in the job site categories, not the DIY or home owner businesses as much so being able to build/remodel without the need for active outlets and extension cords with a large crew is simpler, safer and faster. Time is money. Many times job sites do not have power while rough construction is completed so portable generators are historically used to provide lighting, power to tools and the like. That just adds to the expense a crew needs to invest in, not to mention costly, durable, long extension cords. So you could get away with less generators charging banks of batteries.
Also, as larger DC batteries emerge, you can actually pull more amperage from a battery than you could a typical 15 or 20a AC circuit on the job site, home, commercial building or generator resulting in more powerful tools than possible on AC.
Robert W says
Becoming a cordless tool nut I guess, but I like certain brands for certain jobs:
Ryobi 18v for knick knack jobs: love my inflator, glue gun and corner sander. I also have an older 18v trimmer and blower to use around my little tool shed. I also have that hybrid battery power string lighting for my shed. Another good buy, tons of light out of those little pucks.
Ryobi 40v for my heavy trimming and garden/landscaping. I still have old troy-bilt attachments that I use and abuse.
Kobalt 80v 18″ chainsaw. Had a few large trees fall, didn’t want to buy another gas saw. This was a great buy for me. Might eventually retire my gas mower.
Milwaukee M12. I just dumped my old Rigid 12v drill with the insane Home Depot combo/battery deals. The chuck and torque selector on the rigid 12v is one of my least favorite for a drill ever, and the power is kinda sad. The new brushed drill and impact I have are far better and feel better. If there is any one platform I’m looking forward to expanding it’s going to be the M12. I still have a Bosch 12v drill that rocks though, and I’m never parting with it… NEVER! 😃
Porter Cable: Someone returned the whole family of cordless nailers and stapler to my local Lowes and I snapped them up on clearance, as well as their newer cordless jigsaw. I’ve used the heck out of them. The only thing I don’t like about the 20v max is the batteries aren’t competitively priced and those nailers definitely overheated the battery a few times. I bet they’d do the same to a drill under moderate stress. Overall, the tools I have work great, and if Lowe’s wouldn’t be trying to push it’s own line along with B&D and PC, I think they could really do something with PC. IMO Lowes is in a sad state with cordless products, needlessly.
Ridgid 18V. I just got into this one a few months back, got the ongoing yearlong promotion of buying the brushless hammer drill kit and getting a free tool. I got the brushless 7-1/4 circ. Thats really what I took the deal for. I also picked up the 18v fan recently… Not only is the hybrid system nice, but the ways you can mount that fan without any accessories is sweet. I wish it pushed a little more CFM. The 1/2″ drill is nice but it still has that weird interaction with torque selector when you try to tighten down your bit, just like that darned 12v I have. I wish they’d change their design on that – it’s a head scratcher to me. The circ saw is fantastic, but put a better blade on. It’s cuts forever and won’t break a sweat even on the 2.0s. The Ridgid line is definitely going to be my keeper for 18v going forward and I hope to see more out of their hybrid family. The price is right for the tools.
Russell says
Absolutely ! I’m a electrical contractor and I use only ridgid 18 volt line up. I can drill all day on two 5.0 batteries in my brushless 1/2 inch hammer drill. The new lighting tool are great when I’m up in actics and basements without dragging cords. I recently just got the pulse impact driver for installing blocks for lights. Supper quiet and a beast for power. In future would like to see a drill with more torque for drilling the heavy beems and LVL’s. but for price and what you get in performance and the LSA. No brainer
Tim M. says
While I do love Dewalt, I have been using Ryobi and love it. They have a great variety and you get a better bang for the buck. If you are a contractor, then these tools are your livelihood. For others, it is crazy to spend too much for these tools. I would guess that there may be a 10% difference in power. It’s not worth the cost to the average person for that extra bit. And with Ryobi’s tool lineup, that gives you more reason to choose them.
Ryobi is awesome and I don’t think I would choose any other brand. My next choice would be Ridgid only because of their lifetime warranty.
Steve .F says
I love my Dewalt 20v max tools and being in the automotive field you cant go wrong with all of Milwaukee’s 12 volt tools they seem to be going after Snap-ons market a bit and are a great value cant wait for the fuel ratchets
pencil neck says
This seems like a good way to start a flame war…. may as well ask who was better, Joel or Mike.
I went through some cheaper drills and such when I was a dealer tech. But the last 5 or so years I used a Makita drill and 3/8th impact driver that was used daily. Left the dealer 7 years ago, still using those Makita tools…. so I feel that Makita will last for the long haul. I would highly recommend them based on my experience.
Brett says
Mike.
P says
I assume you meant Joel.
Blythe M says
I’m primarily m18, with some Bosch 12v and ryobi. I have been happy with all, especially pleasantly surprised with the ryobi stuff.
If I would start over though, I might go dewalt, but only because most of my work is carpentry related. Dewalt and makita have considerably more experience working with wood, and it shows in the core tools, i.e. Circular saws, table saws, miter saws, router soon, nailers, etc.
That being said, I’m still overall happy with milwaukee’s carpentry tools, they just lack a tiny bit. They are the only ones really invested in the mechanical trades, and lighting selection is crazy.
One more note, the 5 year warranty sounds great until you have to use it-send in the tool, wait 10-14 business days minimum, and then they send it back. Am I not supposed to run my business for 2 weeks? From anecdotal evidence, dewalt seems like they may have better customer service
Chuck says
We’ve had a pretty terrible warranty experience as well, with Ridgid. Our impact driver just stopped working one day, so we brought it into to get repaired under the warranty. That was two months ago, and they’re still “waiting on parts”. Seriously. If they don’t fix it by July, they told us we get a new one for free. But they also insisted on taking the charger too, so we can’t use the drill either.
Needless to say, I’ve learned that a lifetime warranty is often not worth it. If these weren’t just home-shop tools and we actually relied on them for day-to-day work, we would’ve bought a new one by now. As it is, we can get by with a manual ratchet, but it’s a bit inconvenient.
fred says
When we started changing out NiCad cordless for 18V LiIon for our carpentry/general contracting/remodeling business – we picked Makita based on the sheer volume of their offerings – all the core tools plus concrete vibrators and other job specific tools. Then when our 12V NiCad Porter Cable drills were toast – in out cabinet installation business – we went with M12 – again because of the volume of offerings. While a separate business – I still could talk to the plumbers/HVAC guys – and for that work – we also decide on M12 then more and more M18. If I were to start over today – I’m not sure – but it might be Milwaukee across all of the businesses – including the shops where a few cordless tools are making inroads where they offer more flexibility over pneumatics and corded tools.
AngryDrumGuy says
I use Milwaukee M12 for work and Ryobi 18V at home.
The oldest M12’s I have are from 2011 and neither the tools or batteries have quit after almost every day use.
The Ryobi line really is the best bang-for-your-buck and has been for a while. I bought my first stuff in 2002 and while the nicad batteries have been replaced with lithium, the only tools from 2002 I’ve killed are a recip saw and a drill. I have some of the green stuff now and things like their $20 inflator are priceless.
Charles Stopczynski says
MAKITA 18-VOLT PLATFORM!
Don’t need frills, just the best combination of overall quality, reliability and availability!
Nathan says
I don’t know that they have the quality or reliability advantage these days – and they certainly don’t have the availability advantage.
Now 10 + years ago I might would have agreed
fred says
You are right that TTI’s deal with Home Depot – has put their brands front and center – not to the exclusion of Dewalt or Makita – but with a lot of dominance.
Chris says
The answer is actually really simple…. No single tool brand is the best.
Jared Richael says
BOSCH
ca says
The best is DeWalt because that’s what I have. Plus they’re yellow.
Chris says
I love that answer. I’m personally a dewalt guy. Except for milwaukees m12 line. Dewalt 18v and 20v max with milwaukees m12 line, you just can’t go wrong with the combo.
Nathan says
Since I see a few people mention OPE I’d add to my post if we were going to talk OPE I’d throw a nod to Echo for their 58V system vs Husquvarna, Stihl and other companies.
Mostly because the ECHO trimmer is setup to just like it’s gas equivalents and can run those attachments. Nobody else does this but Ryobi now – and last I looked Ryobi’s kit actually says don’t run certain attachments on it.
the Echo takes all in stride. Also their other specialty tools (hedge trimmer, chainsaw) are as equal or more to their gas counterparts. The battery lasts a good time (I get 2 complete trimmings and edgings out of mine). I’d probably give a near equal nod to the EGO and the Dewalt in this camp too. I’ve used the Dewalt and I liked it but I like the Echo more.
bret smith says
ego are nice but the batteries are way to much money. I can buy a gas echo trimmer for the price of one 5amp battery.
JoeM says
I can’t argue with DeWALT. Durable, Reliable, right tools for the right jobs, end of story. People mention “Innovation” a lot when they talk Milwaukee, and how expansive their tool lines are, but what is always left off the end of that line of conversation is “How many different ways do you need to do the same job, and why does Milwaukee have 3-5 different ones released every couple years?” Does DeWALT do a lot of innovation? No. But does DeWALT do the tools RIGHT? Yes. Lightyears ahead of the Red brand. Milwaukee releases the OneKey System… Screws it up, makes it a useless gimmick. Might as well have gone with the same tool, but without the OneKey feature, and got the same performance out of it.
Then there’s DeWALT. Is it frustrating to wait for new products? We’re Tool people, and these are our toys. Of COURSE it’s frustrating to wait. No one likes waiting. But when they’re released, they’re everything that is needed for the job. Nothing extra, nothing fancy, they’re exactly what was needed. The Ergonomics are unmatched, the Balance and Power are unmatched, and for the levels of speed, torque, and overall use, their Pricepoint screams exactly what they’re worth. They say, without question, that you don’t need to replace this tool unless something supremely unnatural or unfortunate happens to this line. Stolen? Fell off a Mountain? Dropped off an Ocean Liner? Fine. You can’t recover from that, and they’re EXPENSIVE if you’re doing that on a monthly or yearly basis. But as long as they’re clean, cared for, and not treated like junk… These are lifetime tools. Sure, they can End of Life a product, but by that time you’re ready to buy another one anyways. Say… Once every 5-10 years? Batteries, every few years, obviously. But the tools don’t scream “Replace Me!” every couple years, or just because a new one comes out, like the Red Brand do.
Did DeWALT stop supporting the 12 Volt System? Y’know what? I don’t think they did. I think they stopped seeing the 12 Volt System as anything more than scaled down 20 Volt Max tools, and decided to make it all one system. The entire Max family, 8 Volt, 12 Volt, 20 Volt/XR/FlexVolt, all work together to represent “The Tools of the Line” rather than repeating the same tools over and over. I think, genuinely, the 12 Volt System, if anything, got too big before they realized what they were doing with the 20 Volt/XR/FlexVolt tools. So there are “Remnants” of the scaled down Saws, Screwdrivers, and Impact Drivers that shouldn’t exist in the family anymore. Instead the 12 Volt system is being used for instruments. Inspection tools, line lasers, flashlights, even the heated gear is able to run on this system. But nothing too strenuous or mission-critical. They’ve released tons of 12 Volt tools like that. They just stopped releasing scaled-down 20 Volt Max/XR tools in 12 Volt Max edition.
Then they solved the Screwdriver issue with the 8 Volt system. How often are we going to use an 8 Volt Max Drill? Never. What’s the 8 Volt Max system good for? Well, Screwdrivers and Flashlights really. If this was Milwaukee, there would be 20 iterations of everything, with different sized chucks, different coloured LED Flashlights, and just for giggles, a Can Opener. Because according to the Red brand, In ‘Murikah, a Tool User goes home to use his tools to get drunk and feed himself, too. Where DeWALT realizes, no… Tool users put their tools down, wash their hands, and have a life that isn’t centered on them. They don’t need their customers to replace a Can Opener every year, or a Drill, or a Saw, or any of the other power tools they make. They work on the same tool until it’s ready, THEN release it. If it screws up, they try again. They recalled the broken ones, so it cost them enough already, they won’t release the replacement until it’s properly fixed, end of story. They won’t offer their customers a different iteration, with different features, because they don’t MAKE a different one. Their customers bought THIS one, because it did THE JOB, and nothing else. For a price that would last longer than a couple years’ worth of release cycles.
But, all of this is only true for DeWALT POWER Tools. Whatever Marketing department DeWALT is using, whether it be their own, or SBD’s… That department is on drugs. The marketing campaigns, the market-speak, the sales-pitches out of left field… The TEASERS for things that are so over-produced you might as well be showing them in IMAX Theaters in front of the latest Marvel films.. This stuff is insane… it’s stupid, and insulting to all of us, including those Brothers and Sisters in the Tool User world who are devoted to OTHER brands. No wonder so many people go nuts for Milwaukee… The DeWALT Marketing for the products is utter insanity… You watch 20 minute how-to’s, and demos, and testimony from “Real Contractors!” you’re all excited… you wait for it… It’s a Tape Measure… They did a 3-hour song-and-dance over a Tape Measure… One that just does more of what the one on your belt does, because you already bought that model… last version… and it’s sill holding up fine.
When they TRULY Innovate, it’s the reverse… It’s a 20 SECOND tease… It’s a passing glance, from 10 feet away, and then you hear an electric guitar riff, and BAM! Totally new Battery system, that makes 120 and 60 Volt tools suddenly part of the 8 Volt, 12 Volt, and 20 Volt/XR family… and these suckers are POWERFUL compared to their 20 Volt Brothers. But… You still don’t know any of that, ’cause none of the specs are anywhere… and there’s still some random contractors being shown from 10 feet away, using the things. I mean, this is WORLD CHANGING… and they choose to show it off like it’s nothing… Unlike the Tape Measure, which is getting its own parade, and a NASCAR is getting a special sticker made for it… because in the world of DeWALT… THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT IS ON DRUGS!!
Listen… I’m not rich… I’m more of the Inventor type… So I can’t afford to get my tool choices WRONG. DeWALT always lasts for me. Blades and Bits, there are better brands, and house brands, and all sorts of ways for me to go through, and see what I need, CHEAPLY, and then go buy the more expensive brand, with the better track record. Blades and Bits? This is usually Bosch for me. The odd Dremel offshoot, because I own Dremel tools as well, but rarely to I get DeWALT bits and blades for my DeWALT tools, unless there’s a really necessary feature to them. Like they are the only ones that fit the tool, for example. Or they have an ultra-thin kerf, and run-cool slots to keep the blade lasting longer. But those same DeWALT blades will sit next to Bosch and Mastercraft blades, because the Bosch ones do the job best, and the Mastercraft house branded ones are a type I haven’t tried yet, and don’t know if I need to upgrade.
DeWALT is my loyalty brand due to reliability. It’s not that I’m right and everyone else is wrong, it’s that I can’t AFFORD to go with tools that only really have a short life cycle, timed to the company’s release cycle. I can’t AFFORD the Gimmicks. or to be Wrong about my choices, and have my tools blow up on me in the middle of a project.
So, I would concede this to my Red, Green, Blue, and Orange buying Fellow Tool Users… If you’ve got the money, and the steady income… You can’t go wrong with picking what you LIKE best. To the Reds: I’m glad you work in an industry job that pays you enough to keep up with Milwaukee’s constant experimenting… Good for you for not being afraid to break it. I’m not that brave. So I mean no disrespect when I make the statements I made above. They were just the only comparable brand to DeWALT.
If it helps, I can summarize each brand as follows:
Construction/DIY/People who know what the hell they’re doing: DeWALT, Milwaukee, Bosch. To each their own choice here, depending on what you can afford to MAINTAIN from them. DeWALT for Durability/Longevity, Milwaukee for Features, Bosch for Precision. But you will have to INVEST in these, because none of these three are inexpensive at all.
Precision Work/Needs To Work a SPECIFIC Job/The same thing day-in and day-out: Probably Bosch, but sometimes Milwaukee or DeWALT if it isn’t available from Bosch.
HOME/DIY/Amateur/First Timer: Black and Decker, Metabo, Makita, Hitachi, Rigid, Ryobi… They’re made cheap for a reason though. If you step foot in one of the previous two categories, you had better come armed with DeWALT, Milwaukee, or Bosch, or you’re going home in shame.
Stupid/Dumbass/Etc: Put the tools down. Go to a hospital, get patched up, and pick a new hobby. The big kids aren’t being mean to you when they tell you off for using your tools that way… they’re trying to stop you from managing to cut a major blood vessel with the BLUNT end of a Power Tool. You may need a hug, I’m sure someone is willing to provide one, but you really shouldn’t concern yourself with Tools. Just stay safe, and far, FAR away from the sharp ends of things. Okay?
Jason says
I lost interest after paragraph 6….
Dave says
Good for you but I think it was interesting.
Stuart says
Great info and opinion there, thanks! That last part is a little harsh though.
Dewalt vs. Milwaukee is a tough one, because one can’t go wrong with either.
I don’t think Dewalt has abandoned their 12V Max line, but I also don’t think they’re too eager to compete with Milwaukee on that front, at least not without clear indication of whether there will be worthwhile profit or not.
When at NPS17, I was looking at the new M12 Fuel ratchets, and asked about the older model. While the new M12 Fuel brushless ratchets are designed as air tool replacements, the first generation of ratchets will continue to be offered, and it was conveyed that they maintain their role at being a hand tool stand-in.
With that philosophy in mind, for the M12 lineup, their new stapler and some of the other new tools make sense. They’re not scaled down 18V tools, they’re compact cordless tools meant to tackle what are ordinarily manual tasks.
In general, there is much greater demand for 18V-class cordless power tools than 12V-class ones.
Milwaukee has a popular 12V-class product lineup, but how long did it take them to get there?
JoeM says
I have a sick sense of humour… Kinda twisted in the head… the whole “Idiot” section was supposed to be a joke. Probably was harsh, but, I have a sick sense of humour.
Honestly, from what I’ve seen, about the only thing Milwaukee and DeWALT are competing on are release dates at this point. I don’t think Milwaukee or DeWALT cares about anything else from eachother anymore.
DeWALT has managed to stumble on a multi-voltage “Family” that all belong on a job site together, in a bunch of different combinations depending on the particular Trade the user is in. The Electrician, the Pipe Layer, the Rebar and Concrete specialist, hell the Heavy Equipment operator can be using the Heated Gear of the line at this point… From beginning to end, from clearing the site to installing shelves and doing the interior design touches, DeWALT has stopped doing the traditional thing they used to do, that Milwaukee still does, where they start with a battery, and start making a full line of tools with it in mind. Now they’re releasing various tools, and fitting the Batteries to the appropriate level needed to run them on-site.
Milwaukee, although I’m a DeWALT Team Player, isn’t doing things WRONG. They’re doing things the OLD way. They innovate, they release a bunch of tools around that tech, and give the Milwaukee Fanboys choices in what they want. I’m a DeWALT Fanboy. Milwaukee Fanboys aren’t my enemies, they’re just invested in a different system. Good on them. They’ve got to be well-employed to keep up with that old system of Milwaukee releasing a bunch of different levels of things,with different feature combos. They’re gainfully employed enough to support this. They’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into their Red tools. And I don’t say the colour to demean them… I just don’t want to spell out Milwaukee every single time I mention them. So, Red Team/Team Red/The Red Guys… You go be Red, and proud.
I, from my limited perspective, can’t afford to do this. I’ve tried house brands, and I blew them up with what I do and create. I’ve tried middle-of-the-road… same thing. When I picked up a DeWALT, it’s because I picked up my Boss’ DeWALT many years ago, and it was so good, we bought a second one when the new generation one came out. They didn’t blow up on me. And I used them for years. When time came to buy MINE. MY OWN. MY TOOLS. I went with the brand I knew. That’s it. I had choices to go Red or Black/Yellow… There was ONE DeWALT I wanted… There were 4 Reds of the same class, or near it… So I became Team Yellow out of quality and durability choices.
Team Red and Team Yellow are going different directions now. They may be “Competition” in a business sense, but they’ve become Brothers in quality level. And they’ve started occupying the same niches. So… If you’re walking in Red or Yellow territory… You’d better be packing Red or Yellow.
The rest is ALL Preference. Found that one Makita that you love more than anything? Buy it. Don’t let us insult you by telling you otherwise. Bosch, Ryobi, Rigid, Mastercraft, Craftsman, Hitachi, or even DREMEL… If you’re doing something no one else here is doing, and that company is the ONLY ONE that makes YOUR tools? Buy ’em. Maintain ’em. Love ’em. At the end of the day, a Mechanic’s life experience versus a Cabinet Maker’s life experience are not going to be valid to you if you’re a DIYer or Inventor like myself. Best those two can offer is advice on torque and speed settings in specific materials. Beyond that… you gotta find your own way.
But I WILL stand by my statement that I think DeWALT’s marketing is on Drugs. And that I think Milwaukee releasing a manual Bottle Opener is somewhat insulting to Milwaukee users, and paints them as beer swilling idiots, quite unfairly. A bottle opener isn’t a necessary tool, it’s a novelty, and a joke. And frankly, it’s that kind of not-taking-it-seriously that turns me off most about Team Red. Hard working, skilled, invested individuals should not be treated like low-brow idiots. And from me on Team Yellow, to you folks on Team Red, I refuse to see you that way. We’re all Tool Users, and we should be proud of that, instead of arguing about whose team we’re on.
You know what team we’re all on? Team “Let’s get this job done” that’s the team we’re on.
Dominic van lievenoogen says
And mostly based on your personal opinion rather then facts unfortunately
Rob says
I am running Ryobi 18v and really appreciate the broad range of helpful tools for the work I do. Only had the inflator and a couple of sprayers go bad in ten plus years of using the Ryobi one+ range, and these were replaced easily under warranty. The new brushless drill and the brushless angle grinder seem a real step up in build quality and I was very pleasantly surprised with the new six year warranty. I must admit that I get a bit sick of comments from people who bag Ryobi and their users when they have no personal experience with the tools themselves and assume that the “Elite” brands are infinitely better. My personal experience with Ryobi is that they do the job, have not let me down in everyday use and the products are getting better and more innovative as time goes on.
JoeM says
Y’see… Ryobi is a house brand on Steroids. They ARE Innovative, and they ARE built to last… but they’re not built to replace DeWALT or Milwaukee. They’re not even remotely built to withstand what the full sized power of these two brands’ tools are designed for.
Ryobi is not crap. But, then again, you don’t compare reciprocating saw to a chainsaw either. Ryobi and Ryobi One+ lines have a specific audience. Don’t let anyone bad mouth you for having Ryobi. But, if you’re working in a DeWALT or Milwaukee dominated field, you had better be packing them. The Ryobi tools won’t hold up to them. Not because they lack quality, because they’re meant to be used elsewhere. Not a construction site, or industrial setting.
Some people are just very, VERY vocal and arrogant about their particular “Team” of tools. Tool people are passionate as hell. Sometimes we go overboard. On behalf of some of us who don’t want you to feel alienated by our zeal.. I apologize.
JoeM says
If you’re going to quote me stats about speed and torque, don’t bother. I don’t buy my tools for their high number stats, I buy tools that last, and work with my system already. I buy for Longevity, rather than high stats.
For what I use my tools for, my DeWALT lineup is usually overpowered and under used. I don’t need bleeding edge high stats. I need my tools to stand up to not being touched for long periods of time, while I work with other tools for a time, and go back to them later, still in working order.
So… From an Inventor/DIYer personal opinion? Yes. That’s all I’ve got. There’s nothing wrong with not agreeing with me. You wouldn’t be wrong based on your personal experiences.
Jason says
Sorry but your opinions lost all credibility when you listed Metabo under your list of DIY brands.
Jim Felt says
Oops. He meant Hilti.
JoeM says
Only did so because the DIY/Homeowner market is filled with brands that can do a lot more than just DIY/Homeowner needs, and Metabo, from what I can see and find of them, don’t seem to be shy about their capabilities.
Are they DeWALT or Milwaukee? Most certainly not. Is it so wrong for DIYers and Homeowners to have not-crap tools? No, I don’t think so. So, being Metabo, is it really so bad if I toss them in with Hitachi, or the other Not-DeWALT, Milwaukee, or Bosch brands? Can’t a Homeowner or DIYer have some Metabo without being a Tradesperson? Now… Kobalt, I would call Crap. They’re a pretty major knock-off quality brand. But I say that, having owned DeWALT 20 Volt tools, and Dremel Rotary Tools… Just looking at the Kobalt tools gives me a sick feeling in my gut.
As to Hilti… They’re German Milwaukee, as far as I’m concerned. They’re expensive to import, which makes them more status-symbol than effective tool. Not because they’re crap, but rather because they can’t do anything better than DeWALT, Milwaukee, or Bosch. At best they’re equals. Just… imported equals. They’re like owning a BMW or Rolls Royce, when all your neighbours drive Dodge, Ford, GM/GMC, or Chevy. Hilti are good tools. I’d be proud to own them, or Metabo for that matter. Just so happens I don’t have the funds to go playing around with so many different types of toys from so many brands… so I have just DeWALT and Dremel.
I honestly don’t mean any insult to any of you who prefer other tool brands. As I’ve said, we’re all Tool Users, and we’re all “Let’s get the Job Done” types. We can recommend our own preferences due to X or Y criteria, but we’re all pretty united in being Tool Users. There’s no real sides to be taken in this, and it’s not really a competition. So if you like Metabo or Hilti… Go for it. Nothing I can say will stop you, nor would I. You can afford it, fine. Buy them and do your jobs. Just… don’t go bashing others whose needs and choices are different, that’s all.
RX9 says
That’s quite the effortpost, JoeM, and I gotta give you credit where it is due.
You’re absolutely right, DeWalt’s marketing department has been hitting the bong pretty hard, especially given the fact that as a part of the biggest tool conglomerate on the market (Stanley Black and Decker SBD), they could have easily matched Milwaukee’s R&D and product development efforts. Instead, they ignore specialty trade tools for a long damn time and just give up those markets to big Red.
I love the quality of DeWalt tools (my DCD980 is still running strong), but I wasn’t going to wait 4 years for them to get off the dime to make a brushless impact wrench, or ratchet. So, I grabbed and a 2763 impact and a 2457 ratchet. Those tools, plus the steady stream of new applications afterward impressed me enough to commit to the brand. Hence, the overwhelmingly crimson hue of my cordless collection in the present.
Off topic, but since you are a man of strong opinions, who do you think makes the best pick-up trucks on the market today?
P.S.: The bottle opener thing is done by just about every tool brand out there – from the bottom of the market to the very top – and has been a thing for generations, if memory serves me right. I see nothing wrong with it.
Adam says
I know all the German tool brands make them (and KC Tool sells the whole lot as a set), and Klein makes one as well (its “what tool is this” symbol on the handle is a bottlecap).
JoeM says
Actually guys… 90% of my training and degrees are in Computers. So I TYPE Fast. These long posts? They’re being typed at close to 120 words per minute. I’m not actually devoting a lot of time into these things, and to those of you I’ve given headaches, I’m REALLY sorry. I just type fast, so typing a LOT comes pretty easy for me. I had to shut down a small business I started when I was 17, and give up Computers after College because my Parents had me late in their lives, and their health began to fail. I became a caregiver, and started applying all my knowledge from Scouting here in Canada, and my Mother’s Craft Supply tools that were always around me as a child, to scale up from there and apply micro tools to using full sized tools. Combined with troubleshooting from my actual JOB as a Computer Tech while in High School, and I am, effectively, a Caregiver/Inventor/DIYer. Most of my work is in Ergonomics and Accessibility. When something breaks, I fix it, if there’s a need for something, I build it, any way I can. Unfortunately, I also have some negative stuff in my past that makes me a little… shall we say, nuts? So I understand where some of you have trouble with my posts here. I assure you, you’re not a bad person if you feel that way about me. I am hard to deal with.
To answer the Truck thing… honestly, I don’t have a license to drive. I’ve never needed one. So, I can only go by hypothetical. But, I sit in 3 camps for Pickup Trucks, depending on the application. Because I’m still relatively young, I just turned 35 this year, so there’s still a future to think about. Some of these Hypothetical ideas may be needed by me in the future, should I decide I need them. And, I would like to add in Vans and other Transport, if you don’t mind?
Tradesman bringing his tools and supplies to the job, day-in-day-out, I would say one of Chevy’s larger models. Silverado, is it? They have, what, 5 different Silverados to choose from? Can’t go wrong there, I THINK. The bigger the trade, the bigger the truck you need, and I think a Truck box is necessary for your tools here.
Delivery of large items or just supplies: Dodge Ram. Big, Powerful Hemi Engine, tons of towing power, plenty of storage space. Gotta bring a Cord of Firewood 50 clicks to a customer who owns a wood stove in the winter? Dodge Ram. As long as it doesn’t involve constant in-and-out dropping of heavy or edged stuff in the back, Dodge Ram can handle the heavy loads reliably. Harder on the Fuel Bills, I admit, doesn’t have a lot of the stats of other trucks, can be very difficult in that sense. But if it’s an A-to-B job, this is probably better suited than the Chevy, unless you manage to put a Hemi engine INTO a Chevy, you won’t get the same output here.
Third camp: If you’re like me, and it’s not necessarily “Big” stuff you’re doing (though I CAN do big stuff, I do know how to build large structures and such, I just don’t do it professionally like the majority of you.) it may not be a PICKUP Truck you want. In which case you enter my dream vehicles. The Dodge Magnum (Very upset they stopped making them, they were perfect for my needs.), Dodge Ram Delivery Trucks (Customized to a mobile workbench in the back. Drooling RIGHT NOW over one of these things.), or a plain old Dodge Grand Caravan with all the bells and whistles. It might not be able to install a workbench in the back, but it can carry all my tools and a table to work at, AND I could visit family and go do stuff with them with all the seating. Plus, friends having so many kids, Uncle-Joe-Mobile! Sounds like fun to me.
As to the bottle opener… Honestly? It’s a BOTTLE OPENER. You can get them everywhere and anywhere, why do the Tool companies have to get in on it, too? I mean, Leatherman, I can understand. The typical Can Opener design inherited from the Swiss Army Knife is also a Bottle Opener, and so these Multi-Tools having a Bottle Opener is a no-brainer.
But, come on… Really? What about those of us who are sober in life? I just think it’s insulting to us Tool Users that they bother to do this. That they put Power Tool names on a Bottle Opener. Why waste a manufacturing line at the plant for this? It’s a personal peeve. I don’t expect others to agree with me here. You can get a dollar store bottle opener, no different than the Tool Company major mass-production model. It’s like asking Mozart to write Commercial Jingles… Or Leonardo to paint your house white… I’m not saying it’s a crime, I’m just saying… it’s a MASSIVE over-use of talents better used on other things.
I’m somewhat the same regarding Hand Tools from Power Tool companies. Okay. If we’re talking something that can be used WITH the Power Tools, Sockets, Nut Setters, Bit Sets… Fine. They’re manufacturing things with THEIR tools in mind. But… Really… Unless it’s a Hand-Powered version of a specific set of Bits they make for their Power Tools… Why are THEY making them? Again, not a crime, I just… Don’t see why they have to do this. When DeWALT came out with the MaxFit line of Bits, then later the MaxFit Drivers… Okay… I could see that making some logical, if not pointless, sense. If they could machine it precise enough for power tools, extending it and putting a comfy grip on it isn’t a big stretch. I didn’t follow the Milwaukee versions of the same, but I feel the same about them. I’m sure they make great tools, but… These are companies who are virtuosos at Power Tools… When they make Hand Tools, instead of Bits or Sockets, it’s like watching a Master Painter draw stick figures, to me.
mattd says
All I know is that as someone who works in the tool rental and repair industry I would never buy Dewalt over Makita. I think that Makita is on par or better than Dewalt in every category. I find it odd that you place them as home gamer tools when they are market leaders in many power tool catagories. Go find me a metal shop that prefers Dewalt grinders over Makita for example. Not bashing your preferences, just your rant seemed a little under researched.
Chris says
I second the Makita. Terrible reliability experiences with Dewalt and never had one with a Makita tool yet. Corded or cordless. I’m not saying Makita is best at everything. I think each manufacture has tools they are best at, but if I don’t have time to research I buy a Makita. I completely understand the sticking with a battery platform. Been using the current Makita platform since 2006. First set of batteries lasted 3 years I probably averaged charging them once a day in those 3 years. I have trouble keeping track now because I have to many batteries and tools that use them. I have used and owned a couple Milwaukee tools and been impressed. I think I could have easily ended up with a red trailer had I started with them.
RX9 says
Interesting perspective, JoeM.
One last thing to add here is that as a devoted car guy, I highly recommend getting a motor vehicle of some sort, especially a truck or van of some sort if you are into building things. The experience of hitting the open road is something not to be missed in life (like visiting the beach or trying out a musical instrument), and you owe it to yourself to at least try it out.
JoeM says
To mattd, you’re right. Y’see… I’m not in the Tool Rental and Repair industry. And so, when you have the question “What is the Best Tool Brand”… none of us is going to hit a unilateral decision. Tools are so diversified that some companies devote themselves to those who buy them most. I would say DeWALT and Milwaukee devote themselves to Tradesman industries most. Carpentry, Electrical, Construction, Plumbing, Etc. For your industry, obviously Makita has hit a sweet spot, and you’ve found YOUR brand. As a fellow Tool User, I can embrace that, and give you a hearty handshake for being a part of this wide world of grown-up toys we all get to play with in life. From MY experience, on a small scale, DIYer/Inventor, I had to learn from Construction and Trades. So there’s going to be an OBVIOUS bias that leaves out Tool Rental and Repair. If you were to do the same listing recommendation as I did above, and by all means, feel free to do so, you would obviously include Makita in a different category. Just as those who jumped in for Metabo did earlier. From each of our varied experiences, all these brands belong in a different set of categories. What we Lack isn’t research, but rather the need to bash others for not being just like us. An Electrician, a Carpenter, and a Mechanic should all be able to walk into a Bar as friends, and leave just the same as they came in. The fact that one prefers DeWALT, another prefers Milwaukee, and the third has a soft spot for, say, Snap-On or MAC tools, shouldn’t mean we’re at eachother’s throats. We have to see eachother’s perspective, and accept it. It’s really FUN to learn things like the Tool Rental and Repair business is more Makita than DeWALT. I find it cool to know that, and awesome that you spoke up about it.
As to RX9… Y’know… That was the plan at one point? I had a business plan started, I had ideas for it, but I was fresh out of College, and my Parents started getting sick, and I had to drop my entire career to take care of them. Within a year, the Tech Bubble burst on the Stock Market, and I couldn’t get gainful employment anywhere, any way with the degree I had. Plans were to take a little time off my constant schooling and training, think about my other skills, and re-form the business plan. Unfortunately, by then I was fighting a substance abuse problem that kept me going through College. Just Caffeine, but it was severe enough that I needed to recover before I could continue with a real life. Then, unfortunately, there was a string of losses in my Family, and I nearly had a heart attack at age 26 due to this substance abuse problem. Since then, I’ve been stuck as a Care Giver and Money Manager for my Parents. Then…Unfortunately, my Dad passed away back in January, and I’m still dealing with that, plus a VERY ill Mother, Cancer and Diabetes, and my funds are not up to expanding to a Vehicle.
I totally believe you that being on the road as a Tradesman is great, and I was going to do that. Life just got in the way. And, by the way, if at any point I was wrong about the trucks, I entirely concede it’s because I have been more occupied with building things to help my Mother be independent than I have been keeping up with Vehicles. Hence why I am so frustrated that Dodge discontinued the Magnum. A Station Wagon with a Truck Engine and a Hatchback Lift Gate? Are you SERIOUS? Do you know how easy it would be to slide your tools into that vehicle and just GO where you’re needed? hell, put a trailer hitch on the back, buy one of those crank/pop up camper vehicles and re-build it into a full-sized workshop and you’re set for LIFE! But, I’m afraid my life hasn’t gone the way I intended, and I’m wedged firmly into my Inventor position in life. I can’t even say there are skills I just can’t do, because every time I am handed a new tool, I learn to master using it within a few minutes. So, I can’t weld NOW, but if someone had a Welder setup and told me “Weld that Seam for me, would ya?” I think I’d be okay doing that. I’ve never touched a Lathe, or a Mill, or a Shear/Brake/Roll, or any other Machining tools, but that doesn’t mean I’d be afraid to use any of them. I’ve just never had the opportunity to get my hands on them.
BTW: Start time for this post: 1:44AM EST. Time Now: 1:49 EST, and I’m not wearing my glasses. I type fast, therefore, the long posts come easy.
Chris says
I’m glad they are working for you. I don’t currently have a Dewalt tool that has survived. I won’t buy another. The tool rep was at the local store and a selling point was that we have an authorized service center in our town. Wasn’t shocked they can support a service center. I guess I’m in the minority or people don’t know that there are tools out there that will actually last.
edward says
i really want to stick to dewalt only but the limited range (compared to ryobi) and the high prices of tools and batteries makes it bit difficult. but i do like the ergonomics and the durability. i look at my tools as an investment (even though i don’t make money of them as yet)
mikedt says
I bought into the Milwaukee line with a drill and driver combo set. But lately I’ve been wishing I was on the Ryobi bandwagon given their prices and extremely broad range of cordless tools and gizmos they’ve been cranking out.
JremyJ says
While working for contractors, we used the old 18V Milwaukee nicad. So I bought that drill/circ/sawzall/light combo. Those Nicad batteries died so quick. Later on, I also managed some apartments where my boss was a Ryobi guy and they were ok for property management. This was when their lithium batt came out, before the 18v nailers/routers etc.
When I started buying my own tools for my business a couple years ago I went with Milwaukee Fuel stuff, 5 year warranty is nice. 12v for smaller tools/radio/lighting and 18v for hammer drill, circ and sawzall. I went with Bosch for routers/planers and Dewalt for corded miter/table saw.
Sam says
I view 20v and 12v as two separate categories with independent brand loyalty.
Bosch 12v is the best weight vs performance. That maters if you do alot of overhead work. The 12v’s from some of the others are almost as large and heavy as the their 20v offerings.
Milwaukee 20v certainly has the breath of offerings compared to the other companies. I personally bought into Dewalt 20v about 4 years ago and have had no reason to change yet.
DeeEyeWhyyyy says
I don’t believe there is a clear “best” brand. Having multiple chargers doesn’t bother me. I buy whatever tool is best for what I’m doing. I have 20+ year old brushed DeWalt NiCd tools that still work great to this day. Recently have been buying a lot of Milwaukee M18, M18 Fuel, and M12 Fuel tools. I like being able to use 1 rapid charger for both 12 volt and 18 volt batteries. The 12 volt stuff is great for around the house, putting together furniture, or tossing into a toolbox for a road trip, while the 18 volt stays in my workshop for big projects. I could have just as easily gone with all DeWalt 20v Max or Ridgid and been just as happy.
For miter saw, I went with DeWalt because Milwaukee’s solution was battery powered only which doesn’t appeal to me. Milwaukee lacks a table saw and their jig saws and brad nailers don’t compete with the likes of DeWalt, Ridgid, or even Ryobi. I also prefer DeWalt’s impact bits over Milwaukee.
fred says
Lots of comments suggest that “best” may be like “beauty” – both dependent on the eye of the beholder. What’s your style of working , how big an operation you have etc. fit into what you think. For one business I bought hundreds of Makita batteries – mostly B1830’s. At the end of a day crews would put them (mostly – unless they forgot some – or were taking a truck home overnight ) into chargers in the workout center tool room to charge up off-shift. At the start of a work day – tools and batteries that were not already in the trucks were signed out for the next day’s work. Each truck had one Makita charger stowed away for use if needed. If we were using something with a different battery (like a Paslode Impulse) the battery and charger would be with the tool. Most of our vans, step vans and box trucks were fitted out by an upfitter when we bought them – so we had some assigned spots for the commonly carried gear. Having some commonality worked for us – but others might have found our process odd or worse.
I do have to say that making tool-buying decisions were sometimes akin to a crap shoot for me. With hand tools we often tried out something new in a onesy-twosey sort of way – to see if the crews liked something, thought that it improved safety or productivity etc. With power tools – we might have done the same if it was corded – but the idea buying into a whole new battery platform gave you more than a little pause for thought. In buying Makita – mostly for carpentry/construction work – and Milwaukee – mostly for installation and plumbing work – for the most part we were happy – but bought a few tools (both brands) that did not work well for us.
Justin says
One thing I’m not sure has been mentioned is that where you buy your tools may be a factor here. I have an Orange Store one town over and the Blue Store in town. While I tend to prefer the Orange Store, the brands they carry are somewhat different. I have Milwaukee’s M12 impact driver and drill but that’s an Orange only brand. I kinda wish I’d gone for Dewalt as it’s in both stores. But I prefer the small size / kick I get out of the M12 sized products; I haven’t needed anything M18 or above yet although in those cases I tend to consider corded tools and then brand doesn’t matter as much since you aren’t worried about battery compatibility.
If I had to do it again I’d actually consider Ryobi as I hear good things for a DIY person like me and I like the green. Also a non-truck guy, I have to say I REALLY like the red Milwaukee F-150s in the HD parking lots but can’t image how many M18 packs they need to run.
KenZ says
I have Makita, and run my 36V Bosch circ saw off 2x Makita batteries, and my Ryobi tools (used less frequently, or ones like the Airstrike which are pretty good) off of Makita batteries as well.
If I could go back in time, I’d substitute Milwaukee for Makita, but still use the 36V Bosch circ saw, and fill in with Ryobi. But still run them all with Milwaukee 18V batteries and home-made adapters. One battery to rule them all… that’s the way to roll!
johnny bright light says
Cordless 19.2 craftsman of course lith ion yes. homeowner love. don’t really need pro quality tools. for johnny bright light…. and hft.
SS says
I’m a homeowner but splurged on the DeWalt stuff because if I’m spending money on a set of tools the thinking was avoid renting stuff for harder jobs. The 996 hammer drill is an animal, the 887 impact driver is fantastic, the 899 impact wrench has turned old strut tower nuts into a cloud of rust. These (I believe) are all their top-of-the-line.
But I also got the 391 circular saw and it’s OK, just a very short runtime even on 4-5AH batteries (the guard also would catch and drag the back edge of the 5/4 x 6 lumber I was crosscutting = kickback). This didn’t do it for me, it is always two steps behind the corded stuff I have, and at a greater cost. I wish it was a 7.5″, which they sell now, but I don’t need two circular saws.
The 387 reciprocating saw (the late-model, compact, brushed) was tepidly marketed as a substitute for a 10A recip and it’s not even close. The corded recip blows this away, and doesn’t need battery changes every few mins. Wish I didn’t buy it. Flexvolt might fix these issues for some people, but that’s not what I’m invested in so I can’t speak to that. I don’t use my tools enough to upgrade the ones I already own (I’d rather get new ones).
And last, many new tools are too expensive for infrequent use, and I’m still miffed as to why other things aren’t out. Why isn’t there a random orbital palm sander? Why hasn’t the price come down on the grinder and oscillating tool? I’d really like to replace a crappy cordless jigsaw I have, but do I want to dump $130 into doing that if I’ve had limited success with their saws?
I work with pro contractors who beat the piss out of their tools, and the drill/driver of the DeWalt line is the best, hands-down. The Makita guys ask to use my tools. But it’s not remotely close to replacing corded no matter what the manufacturers tell you, so I wish I just got Ryobi. My brother has a set, they’re fine, and if he wants a different tool he can go scoop it up for $50 and not think about it. They might be toys, but in my opinion, a lot of the DeWalt I’ve used are just more expensive toys anyways.
OneHandLuke says
I am extremely lotal to Bosch and DeWalt, but as mentioned above Bosch doesn’t have the selection I wish they had. And DeWalt is often a little too pricey for their expansion tools. I’m just a regular DIY’er and I might invest in the Kobalt 24v, if I can find a good deal. The $10 battery is for the 1.5 Ah, and you only get one battery with the kit but the tools are very impressive. Their impact out performed a DeWalt on a project I was doing recently. I have an old Bosch 18v drill/impact combo, their first Li-ion slide battery style tools, they’re still going as strong as day one (6+ years ago) but I want to upgrade.
OneHandLuke says
Has anyone from this blog ever reviewed Hilti tools?
Stuart says
Formally? Not yet.
Joe R says
Makita 18V, but as others have noted it is because I am already invested in it. I do not have any complaints with my Makita Cordless tools mind you…in fact slowly replacing older models with the brushless versions.
I did give the Milwaukee 18g nailers some serious thought – but two chargers, etc.! And I did buy a DeWalt drill/driver for the daughter so she would not need to borrow dad’s Makita. She loves it – it works for her!
Even then, I sometimes revert to the Makita corded tools or my Milwaukee, Bosch, Rigid, B&D, Porter Cable or Skilsaw corded tools – depending on the situation.
Frank D says
Ridgid?
I used to love them, until I needed their warranty.
They burned their customers who bought into the 24v Lithium Ion system big time with their Lifetime Service Agreement and Lifetime Battery replacement program.
The program actually had no replacement batteries. I was able to get one set of old stock 24v batteries, from a tiny repair shop that had two sitting on a shelf from their own inventory; and that’s been it.
Calls and emails unsanswered.
Then they just tell me to buy an 18v kit.
Yep. $600 kit with ” lifetime replacement” batteries … just buy a new 18v kit.
Portable compressor with toolkit and hose reel. Last one new in box in store. Hose reel leaked air from day one. Discontinued item. No parts to properly repair the reel. (which was the reason I bought it). None left in the state to attempt a trade for a working one via Home Depot.
Cast iron table saw, saw motor and thus blade > 1 degree out of square.
…
Nathan says
I like my Milwaukee m12 tools — i’m really impressed with the Fuel impact driver and circular saw — but it won’t do everything. I do wish they’d release a second gen or Fuel vacuum because the m12 one is just a bit too underfeatured/powered. For the tools that can’t run with 12V or just aren’t available in m12, I was thinking about getting into M18. More and more though i feel like Ryobi is putting out great tools that i’d like to have, so i’ll stick with m12 for compact and lightweight core tools and pickup up the Ryobi nailer, glue gun and more. If you’re going to go with two platforms, i think those two together get you the best spectrum of options.
Joe says
Specialization of tools is the factor that led me to choose a cordless platform. I’m an electrician, and drilling studs & joists is a central part of the job. Milwaukee is the only company that makes a cordless tool for that, their Hole Hawg. Dewalt, makita, and others offer corded versions but nothing battery powered. Once I knew I’d need M18 batteries for the hole hawg, it didn’t make a lot of sense to get drills, drivers, saws, or any other cordless tools that weren’t M18 as well.
I know plumbers who chose Milwaukee for similar reasons—everyone makes a drill/driver kit but those trade-specific tools from Milwaukee are the ones that lock people in.
Aaron says
Speaking strictly in terms of the 18v class, you can’t go wrong with Makita. Their ergonomics are even better than DeWalt’s (their toggle switch doesn’t have that lame concaved oval button which is just slightly out of reach for people with small hands), their chargers are super-fast and don’t require a separate “fast-charger” purchase like Milwaukee for great bang for the buck, theirs is the most extensive (even if there’s a TON of redundancy with their impacts, etc.) and they’ve arguably been the most innovative in the history of the cordless tool platform.
I have 3 battery platforms: the 8v DeWalt (got a bargain on the gyro driver and love the flashlight), 18v Makita (for the subcompact as a 12v stand in; the balance and feel is better than any 12v platform and the assist mode is terrific on the impact), and 24v Kobalt (OUTSTANDING quality especially for the price, got the impact and drill combo for $149, finish mode on impact is tremendous for precision work and the batteries are the most affordable on the market by a landslide). I think Kobalt has the potential to be a real dark horse brand if Lowe’s supports it the way they should!
Sean says
I work in the sign business and I use my Kobalt impact driver every day. It’s been a year now and it’s still running strong. I was so impressed that I bought the drill, both saws, the grinder (which I use the second most and it’s a BEAST), and the flashlight got thrown in there too. They are all great and go toe to toe with the other guys’ DeWalt and Milwaukee stuff. For the price, the five year warranty, and the quality cheap batteries, I highly recommend this line for anyone that isn’t rich but wants high quality and durable tools. Now if only they would come out with a job site radio!!!
Jaytkif says
While all of the brands mentioned in the post have advantages, I think DeWalt, Milwaukee and Makita are at the top. Lots of tools, high performance, new innovations, and trade specific options. These brands are great choices for any contractor,tradesperson, or serious diy user.
DeWalt offers some great tools in the Flexvolt line, while weaker in the 12v area. Milwaukee is stronger in the 12v area, but can’t as of yet support a 12″ miter and table saw. Makita has lots of options and some tools allow for pairing batteries for increased power. Can’t go wrong with any of them. I spent a number of years working for an engineering firm and saw many contactors on the jobsite, those brands were on almost every one. Lots of great offerings feom other brands too.
The one brand I would add to this list would be Hilti, while likely rarely owned by Diy and sole proprietors, larger companies often use their cordless tools.
Brent says
I’m 100% Milwaukee M18. I liked the idea of OneKey (though I didn’t have a specific use requiring it at the time) and found a drill/driver set on a rare sale as a Home Depot daily deal. Now that I’ve had them for a while, I find the OneKey particularly valuable for finish-type work screwing things in with the impact driver. I used OneKey to create a preset of 100 rpm and 100 in/lb of torque. That’s perfect for a recent job where I had to sink some screws into a piece of particleboard/veneer Ikea furniture. Too much torque would have instantly stripped the holes in the particleboard.
I think that if I were a pro doing carpentry, I would absolutely have gone with DeWalt because of FlexVolt miter saw, but I’m a DIY doing general maintenance. I’m a huge fan of the DeWalt ToughSystem boxes (I have 10) as I’m constantly hauling everything over to my girlfriend’s house to help her with stuff. I think they’re still a great choice even in the face of Milwaukee’s newly announced comparable offering.
Aaron says
I think you might be selling Kobalt’s 24v brushless line short by calling it a DIY brand for the time being, Stuart. What they do have out compares very favorably to the pro-grade brands.
Stuart says
Perhaps, but the semantics can get distracting really fast.
Kobalt is not on par with Milwuakee, Dewalt, Makita, and the likes.
They compared their then-new drill to Ridgid’s a while back, but I’m not sure they could do the same today.
It’s a mid level brand that seems to be primarily aimed at DIYers, as I haven’t seen a pro focus to their marketing yet.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Aaron says
I didn’t say Kobalt was on par with the other brands yet, but their products are at least comparable in some areas of performance (skip to 2:30 of this video for a comp of their drill to the M18 Fuel as an example). When Kobalt first launched their 24v line, they were comparing them to the Fuel products at launch and they performed favorably.
I think you’re thinking of Kobalt’s old lithium 18v/”20v” line re: comparisons to Ridgid, as that was their marketing when that lineup first launched.
Lastly, the 24v impact is one of the best out there with 1800 in-lbs. of torque, 3 speeds, and a finish mode which (to the best of my knowledge) no other brand has. Have you tried them yourself yet?
glenn says
Over the last 40+ years I have used at least a couple of tools from almost all the brands and they all been pretty decent, even the budget ones.
I don’t there is any “best tool brand” as such but more a case of which brand is best for your own needs and wants. No brand make the best “everything”. I think the best idea is to go with the manufacturer that has the main tools that you need.
Personally I have mainly M12, some M18 and some Ryobi 18v, but there are plenty of tools I would like to have from other manufacturers that I believe are better than what’s available from the brands I currently have.
What stops me is just don’t want several different battery platforms, so I just accept that brand X or brand Y may produce a better grinder/impact/drill etc, but its only better by degrees. And certainly not worth the expense of having to buy another charger and batteries for just that one tool.
For what I do for work or at home I don’t need the biggest, baddest most powerful tools so I am happy with what I have. I won’t say they are the best but more the best solution for myself.
Alick says
Not having to rely on these tools to make my living, I don’t have to be driven just by the economics which would dictate buying into a system. The best tools are scattered across several brands and features that matter to me might not matter to you. I found that buying something that I consider second best just because of committment to a battery system doesn’t sit well so I’m glad I’m not forced into the choice.
This way I get my Festool tracksaw, Metabo drills, Milwaukee hole hawg, Fein oscillator, Bosch and Festool routers, Nilfisk extractor …
Arne says
Wow. You must have a well paying ‘real job’
Stuart says
What’s that supposed to mean?
Your comment makes it sound like this he’s showing off, but I don’t see it like that.
I also bought a Festool track saw and dust extractor, Fein oscillating tool (discounted Black Friday starter set), Bosch router (Craftsman rebrand, with Sears gift card).
I saved money on a router table by going with Ryobi, when we moved and needed a TV for the living room, I went with a smaller and lower level model than I wanted, and I compromised on some other purchases, to be able to justify tools that would better meet my environmental and project needs and wants.
Please don’t be quick to judge. I know that I scrimped, saved, and scouted out good deals before making these purchases. I put a lot of time into my purchasing decisions, and in some cases I had to delay other types of purchases.
I think the money from a few freelance articles helped contribute to my Festool purchase, I don’t really remember.
I didn’t have a good paying job when I made my purchases, and although I’m very happy at what I do, I certainly don’t have a good paying job now.
I’m sorry, but comments like yours don’t contribute to the discussion.
Nate says
I’m invested in ryobi and makita in 18v, dewalt in 20v, and milwaukee in 12v. It doesn’t matter that i have different battery systems, if a tool fulfills my need i buy it.
Julian says
Milwaukee has almost caught up, but Makita has been the king of having a diverse tool system for a long long time.
They had blowers before anyone, stick vacs before anyone, cordless right angle impacts before anyone. They have a nice range of cordless chainsaws too; who else has those even now? As mentioned, fast chargers standard as well.
I don’t think many people realize how many tools makita has in their 18volt system because Home Depot only carries 6 of their tools.
I can’t stand having different battery platforms, and I need to have the odd ball tools – they really make life easier on the job. Recently picked up their little Dyson-like cordless vacuum for the house.
Only because makita’s cordless 7.5″ mitersaw was Soooo $$$ as well as only running at a meager 2500rpm did I buy the Dewalt 20v max cordless mitersaw, which runs at 4400rpm as well as being pretty cheap. LOVE that little mitersaw and it’s been worth having the extra charger and batts in the kit.
Buying into a system new? Absolutely would buy into Makita. Many of their higher end tools are made in Japan; their brushless jigsaws are made in the U.K.; no one else even makes a cordless barrel-grip jigsaw.
Julian
Alick says
Look at the metabo cordless body grip jigsaw with liHD battery 🙂 been out a little while now. Not brushless yet.
glenn says
Also the Milwaukee M12 and M28, Bosch 10.8v and Festool Carvex, all barrel grip and all been out for quite some time. Again none brushless though.
EJ says
I’m not impressed by their jigsaws. Actually no manufacturer has come with a good-enough cordless jigsaw yet, IMO. I’ll stick with my old bosch 1591 for now.
Albert says
I bought into Milwaukee’s M12 and M18 lines so am stuck with them but I think they are overrated as far as initial quality is concerned. So far I’ve had to return an M18 miter saw (large crack near the top carrying handle), M12 5-3/8 circular saw (lowest of the 4 battery indicator LEDs did not light up) and M18 compact vacuum (several hairline cracks on the grey top cover). I realize these are minor quality issues, but I paid full price and don’t see why I should tolerate them. I dread buying more Milwaukee tools and feel relieved when I receive one in acceptable condition.
Matt says
As long as there are 10 different brands the discussion with surely ensue….
Ford or Chevy, Samsung or Apple, Miller or Bud….. Red or Yellow or Teal or Orange. The question really shouldn’t ever be which is the best overall but which is the best for you. Which platform suits your needs the best. Which can you afford and continue to afford. What color do you like the best.
We can sit here and toss the pros and cons of each brand back and forth until they create a universal 18v battery that fits every tool ever made and never get close crowning the best. Not because we cannot agree but because there will never be number one.
Milwaukee may lead the league in sales and Makita may have the most tools in their line up and Dewalt may have the most cordless ability and Ridgid may give the most bang for your buck but the pros and cons of each of these intermingle like ingredients in a fine marinara sauce creating, on the whole, a vast subculture where we all live and use and love our tools and to me, the availability of each and every tool is more than enough to finish the job.
Point being, Jim may work in an office but enjoy building birdhouses at home. Does Jim need Flexvolt? Or if Mike metal frames all day, will he buy a brushed, single speed hitachi impact with 1.5ah batteries or is he gonna buy something with more speed selection and bigger batts? Im not gonna buy a $700 Hilti kit if i can only afford Ridgid. But i may try to impress tjhe guys on a jobsite if its my first day with some brand new Dewalts…. If i want to fit in.
Its all up to the individual.
I have makita 12v Brushless cxt in my bag, impact drill and run an m18 surge, ridgid lighting and metabo 18v grinders and hammer drills. My circ saw is an older Metabo with 6.2lihd batts. I also carry the Hitachi triple hammer, an older hitachi brushed drill, a Hilti 12v screw driver and some m12 plumbing gear and 12v fuel hackzall. Im everywhere. I dont mind the chargers. I want the best, personally.
Jeremy Brown says
Milwaukee all the way. Closest to having everything across the line. A shame about their godawful dremel tool(they average 3 hrs between failures).
Best combinations of cheap bulk packs to add additional capacity for extra workers.
Chip says
12 years ago I started work, installing fence and hand rail .
I bought into 18v DeWalt , because they(and they only) had a grinder and impact. Over the next 10 yrs my helper and I worked them into the ground,parts,bare tools,and batteries were cheap+available everywhere.
I had just about every tool they made, including a laser which I loved.
2015 most of the tools/batteries were toast…… so I went with m18 because of the full(7 1/4)sized saw.
So far I’ve warrantied a cir saw, sawzall,2 drills, vacuum,2 multichargers.
Was it worth it,yes ….the saw has made life so much easier(try cutting a 2 1/2 in post with a 6 1/2 in saw),it takes 2 cuts…not 1
Not impressed with jigsaw,blade change mechanism on sawzall,slow rpm on impact.
But grinders, vacuums,power of sawzalls,angle impact,1/2 fuel impact,weedeater,mini blower,m12 impact/jigsaw/Dremel/omt/hacksaw I absolutely love.
I drool over chainsaws/ framing nailers(own a bostich and a DeWalt)but no brand has everything.
For me it’s #1 Milwaukee#2 Makita# 3 is DeWalt soley based on my needs…. none of the other brands are on my radar.
ShawnB says
It’s more like a Ford/Chevy/Toyota/BMW debate. The pro-level brands are all within striking distance of each other. Aside from a few specific one-off features, most pros/cons debated online are a matter of personal preference and are heavily biased towards what you own and are used to. Most consumer brands share a parent with a pro-level brand, and the broader technology improvements eventually trickle down. With most brands you generally get what you pay for, and maybe there are some things you will never use and don’t need to pay for. And there’s even some Dodge fans that are elated with this month’s version of whatever happened to fall off the boat at Harbor Freight and is priced accordingly.
What’s your budget? Are there any specific features you must have now? Aside from that, go to a tool store and see what you like the feel of. Some stores will let you try it out on a piece of scrap. If nothing stands out, odds are you will be fine with whatever brand you pick. No point in obsessing over finding the “perfect” tool or what is the “best” brand (per someone else), there is no right answer other than what works for you and you like best. Half the fun of tool ownership is that journey. Cordless tools are heavily electronic, so it probably won’t be the last one you buy anyway.
Batteries are also electronic, and have limited charge-discharge cycles. If you use your tools, you will be buying more. I understand the convenience of the “one system” mentality, but it also tends to be overblown. You don’t have to fire-sale your entire Milwaukee system because Dewalt came out with a mind-blowing tool that need. Buy the Dewalt kit and pick up a spare battery, with today’s fast-recharge you will be fine. Your Milwaukee batteries will last a little longer now. Yes, someone online will have a tale to tell of how such an arrangement led to disaster in a situation that will never apply to you. Take a deep breath, you will be fine.
MichaelHammer says
The one system mentality isn’t overblown. It’s more convenience and even a necessity. In the trades we have to haul around pretty much everything we own from job to job. Realestate in the truck, trailer, or van is at a premium. Worth mentioning is the job site with four trades working and two outlets to share. Having multiple charges would be a nightmare.
ktash says
I’ve gotten most of my tools on really good sales/clearance, so I’ve just mixed and matched–DIYer/hobbyist. Here are my faves from various brands.
Bosch 12v drill/driver set. Great for inside cabinets. Also have a right angle drill that’s decent. Got the baby 12v jigsaw. Nice and lightweight.
Makita 18v drill/driver–I love! Use it all the time. It just feels right, chuck doesn’t slip other drills I’ve gotten from various brands. Great weight. I have my eye on the even more compact 18v someday. If I had to choose one brand, cost not being a factor, it would probably be Makita since they have a decent range of cordless tools. Their cordless circular saw runs down batteries quick.
Ryobi–This would be my choice since cost is a factor. Brad nailer is fabulous! Love the worklight. And the vacuum, so cheap, to think I suffered with a Dustbuster for years. The glue gun, also so cheap. Decently priced good recip saw. Got the big one+ batteries a while back on sale and clearance for $25. Have a bunch of others, too. Always on sale/specials. Also like some of their cordless garden tools. I was going to get the multitool, but got a Ridgid instead. Interchangeable head with ryobi accessories, though. The Ryobi cordless circular saw I got with a kit is a joke. Not thrilled with their drills, the chucks seem to go. Also drills are clunky. I still use them outside, etc. And so on to a great cordless circular saw. . .
Kobalt–I recently got their 24v circular saw and it’s great! $79 on sale, before 5% card discount. Recently I got their 24v cordless jigsaw for $75 using both father’s day special and a 24% old cordless tool trade-in before 5% card discount. I have the 12v Bosch, but this should be much beefier and longer battery runtime. Amazing prices for brushless tools with good power. Their batteries are so affordable! I will someday try their drills, though don’t need any right now.
I didn’t think I needed cordless except for drill/driver for a long time. But now I’m a convert. It sure is nice not to have to deal with a cord. My local HD had a Ryobi cordless trim router, but I didn’t like the balance/extra weight. So for now, I’ll stick with the corded ones. When they improve this, I’ll be first in line.
Ray S. says
I’ve purchased a few sets over the years and when I started caring more about run time and quality, initially started down the DeWalt 18v line. Then I stumbled into a great deal on a Bosch 12V cabinet driver and impact driver pair (less than $100 new for both!). This pair saw me through renovating my kitchen 10 years ago. It just won’t quit. The one time I needed service it was one of the best customer service experiences I’ve had. Lucky for me I live within 5 miles of a factory service center.
So when I was ready last fall to replace the last vestiges of the last combo deal I’d bought, I looked into Makita, DeWalt and Bosch. I ended up not going with another combo deal, but lucked into a new 18V Bosch drill and impact driver for 129 at the blue box. Shortly thereafter I was working witha volunteer team on a build and I brought my new toys and my friend brought his yellow stuff. The others working with us quickly figured out the new Bosch stuff was running rings around the older yellow gear.
A couple of months ago at a woodworking show I had the opportunity to replace my cheap jigsaw with a new 18V Bosch cordless, add a recip saw, 2 4AH batteries, 2 6AH batteries and a charger. Total cost was $300. So for me Bosch has been both a quality and value leader. I’ll hang on to my yellow stuff for now, but that is all the charging systems I can handle.
Ultimately I couldn’t start over in teal or red. If you make your living doing this (I don’t) a full replacement of everything regularly might not be such a burden. If you can find any of these better brands at a good value in your eyes, and better with good customer service, you’ve made the right pick.
epistememe says
Look at rental stores and what brand they use for rental tools. I see Makita more than any other brand for rechargeable tools and many/most hand power tools.
DW says
My goal is to have ALL battery platforms (except Hilti and Festool). I currently have Bosch 12v, Makita 18v, Dewalt 18v and Metabo 18v.
In Australia it costs around $200 to buy a charger and a battery. This really isn’t that much considering the long term freedom you get with buying tools. I do it by cutting back on luxuries here and there or doing handy man jobs and mowing on the side, and it eventually adds up.
Each has something better than the other and it’s great to have he best from each. Milwaukee M18, Bosch 18v, Hitachi 18v and Ryobi 18v are next.
Ed S says
1. Panasonic: screwguns have been light, durable, reliable.
2. DeWalt: latest screwguns and tool kits outlast their batteries.
3. Makita: Grinders, sanders and Sawzall (AVT) none can match
4. Hitachi: Although not as durable as Dewalt or accurate as Festool, they are affordable and have enough features to make them useful (pneumatic nailers are light and reliable).
*I’ve never used a Milwaukee so I can’t attest.Nor Metabo.
RX9 says
The big takeaway, in my humble opinion here, is that there the idea of best *overall* tool brand is meaningless, because what really matters is the individual tool at hand, and how well it performs the specific task(s) you bought it for.
In the corded era, you could have a box full of different makes for different applications, because the power issue was sorted out by Nikola Tesla and friends decades ago, leaving manufacturers to focus on the tool itself and what you could make of it on that standard 120V/AC canvas.
Nowadays, we’ve got the prohibitive cost of proprietary lithium power cells, and a winner-takes-all war of battery systems. The ironic thing is that almost all the battery systems are nothing more than clusters of dimensionally identical 18650 cells at their hearts.
One of these days, manufacturers on the losing side of the current battery format war are going to band together and collaborate on a new rechargeable battery standard.
When that becomes the dominant format, we will once again have greater brand variety in our toolboxes and shops.
RX9 says
Concerning Kobalt, I think their 24V line is well-built and very well priced (especially the batteries), but they have completely lost credibility as a cordless manufacturer after creating and abandoning several battery formats.
For what it’s worth, a track record of continued support is an extremely important point of consideration for any serious power tool buyer, and one of the things that DeWalt seems to have grasped better than most. I am impressed by the fact that they not only supported their NiCd 18V system for years after other folks abandoned NiCd support, but also offered an adapter to the new 20V Li-Ion batteries. Ryobi also gets high marks for never abandoning the physical format of their old 18V NiCd system in the first place.
John says
Dewalt all the way for me. Certainly in the UK its by far the best value and most reliable. Add in the fact that you can run them over and they will still work fine.
I have around 20 different cordless tools and none have failed. Plus around 20 batteries which are still going strong.
Nailer are superb, the cordless vac is brilliant, ToughMusic is ace.
Milwaukee over here are overpriced, Makita is very behind the times and Bosch build quality is way down.
BikerDad says
Panasonic, Hilti, Metabo and Fein. All good brands, much more limited in offerings, but each is building some very, very good tools.
What? No mention of Chicago Electric? Surely they are in the running for “Best Cordless Powertool Brand.”
As for me, my first cordless was a Skil 7.2v NiCad drill. Not drill/driver, drill. That puppy convinced me of the utility of a cordless, a conviction that I followed up a few years later with a DeWalt 12v NiCad drill/driver. At the time, the quality choices were pretty much Makita and DeWalt, and I, for utterly irrational reasons, detested the Makita, which I have used btw. The hot tools were the DeWalt 14.4v, although I suspect at the time that the 18v tools were on the drawing boards.
Since then, I’ve replaced that 12v when it was stolen with the same, and now am into the DeWalt 20Max brushless. I also have a small herd of Bosch 12v, with the first Brushless in that realm on it’s way as I type. Each of the quality makers does some cordless tools at the top of their class. Here in North America, any of the 4 big players can make a claim to “best”, and there will be plenty of fanboys and haters to argue it out.
Find the tools that fit your needs and budget. EVERY major maker has made missteps. EVERY one has put out some lemons, and some absolute gems. Try to stick with a single battery platform (18v and/or 12v), BUT don’t be religious about it. If you’re only in Yellow and you need X, but Yellow doesn’t make it, then if you need it, you need it, and get it from someone else. Of course, if it’s simply a matter of WANTING it, well, decide which is more important to ya, having X, or having a unified stable. Nothing wrong with either approach.
Before getting all googly-eyed over the specs, try to get your mitts on the tools. For most of these tools, it’s Ergos Uber Alles. I love, love, love Bosch’s 12v platform, but I also realize that for folks with small hands, a slide-pack battery is almost certainly going to work out better.
My preference if for DeWalt and Bosch, but I’ve purchased as gifts in the last few years DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch and Rigid.
I will admit, the first one out with a single battery brushless multi-speed/mode mid torque hydraulic impact driver/wrench is gonna get my monies, battery platform be damned! I’m really, really hoping it will be DeWalt, but I suspect some of it may be patent dependent. (Does Bosch have a patent on their nifty driver/wrench schnauz?) And if Bosch goes all Flexvolty-ish with their Glide Compound Miter Saw before I get a DeWalt FlexVolt 12″ SCMS, then I’ll likely fall into another 18v platform. Sigh.
As an aside, I’m not liking the hyper-industrial look of the Rigid’s.
glenn says
You bring a great point about the “single battery brushless multi-speed/mode mid torque hydraulic impact driver/wrench” but expand on that and have it as a hex drill driver that has a switchable impact driving mode/ multi-speed etc.
Not quite what you’re after but have you seen the Bosch 18v flexi-click 5 in 1 system with an SDS rotary hammer attachment? If this had an impact driver/wrench attachment it could be a good thing.
https://sydneytools.com.au/bosch-gsr-18v-ec-fc2-flexiclick-6-0ah-18v-6-0ah-li-ion-cordless-brushless-flexiclick-drill-driver-combo-kit
fred says
Our first real foray into cordless was buying something like 10 (after the first 2 worked out well) 12V NiCad Porter Cable Magnequench drills. We had bought a few Makita 9.6V drills before that for specific jobs – but while they were useful – we didn’t see them replacing our corded Milwaukee and Skil drills.
https://www.ebay.com/i/322531018297?chn=ps&dispItem=1
firefly says
I have a mix of Bosch, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid and Fein cordless. I am relatively happy with all of them. I don’t know which is best but I know which brand I am likely to stay away from for cordless.
Craftsman, enough said. Kobalt, even though I have heard great things about their latest 24v system, neither Lowes nor Kobalt give me any confident about long term support and platform commitment. If they are still around after a few more year I think they might become a serious contender. Ridgid, I think they have some neat product at a great price point. Some of Ridgid product such as the cordless compressor and their lighting system is on my short list of purchase. However I really dislike the Ridgid drill/driver. It’s just so loud in comparison to all the other one that I own.
fsm says
i think you missed a few hilti (personal favorite) milwaukee , black and decker
dremel and they might be some others
but like you stated there are some brands like festool , fein , hilti that have some products that could be called gold olympic medalist and are the ones to beat.
me personally tend to research a lot and most often will buy the “best tool ” i can afford even if it cost 3 , 4 times more then average.
Yoshi says
I couldn’t read all the comments above, haha.
I still use my Dewalt 36V line about 10 years and still going strong,,, well batteries are getting weaker so slowly changing to those 20V line since they’ve come out with the flush cut saw which i love. Also Dewalt cordless framing nailer is a game changer. Just waiting for their finishing nailer to be available here in Canada.
I’ve been thinking their Flexvolt but they made the circular saws blade on the other side that I didn’t like . So being all said I’m very happy with Dewalt. Love the color too! 😉
JoeM says
Try BlackRock Tools online. http://www.blackrocktools.com What isn’t on the site, they can order, and they’re cheaper than Home Depot or Amazon.
Jon says
I’ve always been interested in Milwaukee but am invested in Ridgid. For me, Ridgid is a great brand because I am a home DYI’er who doesn’t use his tools nearly as often as the pros do and having the lifetime warranty is great since I may use a given took a few times each year (with the exception of the drill/driver). I’ve already gotten my money’s worth out of the tools having had to use the warranty last year when my impact driver broke after a fall. Fixed at my local Home Depot with no cost and no questions asked.
For a consumer in my situation, Ridgid gets my vote. That said, most of the pros I see working at my house seem to be carrying Milwaukee.
Doug says
Quality/durability: Makita
Performance: Milwaukee
Range of tools available: tie – Makita and Milwaukee
If starting out, I can’t see any reason to consider any other brand beyond these two.
mike says
A few years ago I bought into the Milwaukee brand before they settled into the battery they use presently. I called them and on the phone they “no longer support that battery” As a result I decided to go cheap, and yet, seemingly ok; Ryobi. Good price(tools and batteries), easily available, and if I lose one, buying a replacement looks to be tolerable. So far I have not broken one yet and they seem to function just fine. I’d prefer Milwaukee, I’ve always bought their stuff and like the look, but their lack of support on batteries sent me away.
bret smith says
90% of the time I use my 12 volt Makita.I don’t think people realize how much work you can do with them.I have a few Ryobi 18volt for jobs that the 12 cant do.I have yet to run into a job that they were using yellow or red that the Ryobi couldn’t handle.I don’t need a miter saw or a tablesaw.By time I’m ready to use those some kind of power is set up at the jobsite
Shawn says
I recently caught a very good deal on a Hitachi set. Impact, drill, jigsaw, skill saw recipe saw and four battery. The driver is amazing. I had an issue with the skill saw draining my batteries when I was cutting through treated lumber. I went back to Lowe’s and bought the 5 amp battery and now it’s a breeze. I have built a deck and patio furniture. I dont by any stretch think they are better than dewalt but I would put them against any other. Plus the green is sharp. I think this company is the next big thing in power tools. And it’s the only driver with a self tapping mode.
Johnny says
I own a lot of Robin 18 volt tools, the selection is unbeatable, and the value is certain. From the chain saw to the circular saw, impact the driver to the weed eater, or the radio to the flashlight Robinson has served me well. But I think it is time to purchase some Milwaukee 12 volt core tools for convince.
Richard says
I have started investing in ridgid for my go to power tool line they are mid priced yet in my opinion holds its own nicely against the big 4 (Dewalt, Makita, milwaukee, and Bosch) and a lower cost. Plus the tools and batteries have a lifetime warranty if you register them (and that only takes like 10 to 15 minutes)
They don’t have a huge line up of tools against milwaukee and Dewalt. however they make very solid tools core and specialty and it is an expanding all the time. I can really say I am not disappointed in them at all especially their new line with all of the brushless tools.
The other benefit of them is the company that owns them (Emerson electronics) also owns ryobi and milwaukee they are not all made together or exactly a like but they do have a lot in common to make them more of a cousin, so if you pay attention when one of those companies release a tool and if it’s popular the other 2 tend to pick it up and brand it them selves.
I can also say ryobis one+ line is fantastic as well huge line up and they are very sturdy tools. I personally don’t own any however my dad owns a lot, he does maintenance/light refurbs on mobile homes and houses for a company he work for pretty much going in and doing all of the finishing work to get the place ready to sell or rent. The tools aren’t heavily used but get used a lot on light duty stuff throughout the day. That being said he owns the cordless airstrike Brad nailer and that is an impressive tool especially if you put up a lot of trim or need to fix cabinets or drawers, and for the cost it’s a no brainer (fast quicker and quieter and cheaper then a pneumatic set up) I also got him a 7 1/4″ cordless miter saw because I know he puts up a lot of trim. However I think I have used it more than he has. It cuts nicely, it is power hungry so it can’t make a bunch of cuts however if you just need something for trim that is lightweight and easy to use and doesn’t cost $300+ I can say you won’t be disappointed.
I just wouldn’t recommend making ryobi a go to tool if you use the tools heavily for rough work they just cant quite survive a whole day without needing a charge or lack on power in some spots. Yet make a fantastic back up tool or diy tool line. And the specialty tools are a lot cheaper then the other companies.
Pete says
Anyone have experience with Porter Cable in comparison to the names mentioned above?
Ryan says
I just used them on my buddies house and they worked great. Beat the shit out of the drill and sawzall and still fine. Just saw an internet sale you can get circular saw, sawzall, multitool, drill, driver and batteries for 200. You can literally 3 sets before bumping into the next price tier (rigid?). Theyre all the same just different ergos and graphics. Im thinking about buying cheap (and buying a couple sets)
Ryan says
I take it back, $200 set is the homeowner version, they look like toys, probably no power. I still stick to my comments about the adequacy of their pro stuff.
Ryan says
I agree with a lot of the points in this post but how do we know Milwaukee hasn’t promised him the most in the form of kickbacks, and thus the blatant Milwaukee favoritism?
Stuart says
Trust and transparency?
Ryan says
Well played, you have my vote senator.
Atahuallpa Mejia says
Every brand have a tool that we all feel that is better for that precise job.
In my case will be as follow. (tools that i own or have owned)
Impact driver 18v -Makita
Jigsaw (Electric cord) -Bosch
Drill driver/Hammer drill 18v -Dewalt/Makita
Grinders Metabo/Bosch
Job site table saw Foldable/portable-Bosch
Circular saw-Festools (with track)Bosch
Miter Saw (sliding or not)-Bosch/Makita/Dewalt
Cabinet installation-festools driver with corner choke.
Nail guns-Porter Cable
Routers-Porter Cable/Bosch/Makita
and more…
At the end, if we take care of our tools and use the proper tool for that specific job
every tool will perform 100%
Atahuallpa Mejia says
Completely for got, i have to put it there.
Boring cabinets to be Blum
11/32 Design says
I work with varied groups of trades people from process piping to general construction and here are my thoughts:
Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing, working around already finished installations and/or maintenance especially in cramped spaces: Milwaukee 12v system, hands down has the most versatile array of tools that seem to be too small to pack enough power, but they surely get the job done.
Everything else is a toss-up, save for this:
If you are looking for a mainstream cordless track saw, you can get either a dual battery Makita or Dewalt. However, Makita does have an adapter to use it’s track with their 18v brushless circular and routers. That by iteslf makes the Makita 18v/36v system an order of magnitude more versatile. Makita track saws work with Festool tracks from my limited experience.
Curtis says
I own three cordless platforms, Milwaukee, DeWalt and Ryobi.
If I had to pick only one system it would either be Milwaukee or Dewalt. Milwaukee if I were doing smaller work, as they have a far superior 12v product line. Dewalt if I were doing bigger work as the Flexvolt system allows for more power.
The price of Makita batteries stopped me from considering it as a platform. The tools are well regarded and there are plenty of them, but I would have had to spend much more in order to build up a supply of batteries.
Ridgid seems to make a good product and they have a reasonable selection of tools, but Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi and Makita have more. If I could only have one platform that would nix it for me. Tool selection is a big thing. As it is, having both Milwaukee and Ryobi, I just don’t feel Ridgid would add much to what I already have.
I was tempted to go with Bosch for my 12v tools. Availability and selection made me go with Milwaukee instead.
I love the Ryobi platform and given their low prices I don’t know why any tool nut wouldn’t have at least a couple of their 4ah lion batteries and a charger around. I wouldn’t want to use them as my only cordless tools, but they’d be my number one choice for a second tool platform. They have a great selection and they’re always coming out with new tools.
Miguel Valdez says
Ive done the power tool shuffle the past 16 years..its funny where i started is where i finished..Porter Cable.
Ive done the dewalt makita ryobi dance..the only thing better is Milwaukee.
Drills #1 the chuck try some porter cable brushless drills and impacts..
RogsWorld says
I am an industrial metal building man and have had all of the porter cable 18v for 3 years now. using them every day, and letting my crew use them every day, getting the crap beat out of them in the hot sun 10 hours a day every day, I have yet to have a single one stop on me. I had one battery burn up but thats out of about twenty batteries I own and it was one of the cheapest ones that came with a set. Porter cable is kind of getting overlooked here. In my shop is a PILE of cordless tools that gave up on me. I have spent probably close to ten thousand dollars on them over the past three years. Nothing in that pile is Gray and black. Mostly Hitachi but some yellow, (had two drills catch on fire, and an impact fall in half at the handle) and some red (they just stopped working for some reason, yes even with fresh batteries, LOL) . The Bosch is great but I haven’t had many of them once the PC started treating us so well.
KS Custom Finish says
If they’re red, they have unlimited 3 year warranty. Drop them off at the store for free repair. I know this because EXACTLY the same thing happened to my Milwaukees. Faulty trigger, switch, contacts or something. So I got em fixed for free and now I’m selling em :).
Glad to hear your review of PC. I haven’t tried any of their cordless yet.
Jason says
An interesting article, thanks.
Some additional premium and / or speciality tool brands, in ascending order of establishment are listed below. Perhaps some have already been mentioned in comments…
– Mafell (Germany, est. 1899 – predated by Fein in 1895): make some very esoteric woodworking tools such as portable chain mortisers (invented) and absolutely huge portable electric planers / circular saws.
– Duss (Germany, est. 1920): who also made large inroads in electro-pneumatic hammer technology including dust extraction and lubrication. The still produce concrete processing power tools.
– Flex (Germany, est. 1922): appear to be the inventor of the angle grinder. They’re still producing various power tools.
– Hilti (Liechtenstein, est. 1941): inventor of the electro-pneumatic hammer or what is now commonly referred to as the rotary hammer. They’re still producing concrete processing power tools.
– Baier (Germany, est. 1938): inventor of the percussion drill and to date create many wet concrete processing power tools especially around coring and cutting.
I find it very interesting that almost all of the above are German and virtually all come from that area and if the already-mentioned Festool, Fein, Metabo and Bosch are included the Germany-and-close-by area list is even bigger. I have to say hats off to the Germans for their mechanical and electronic know-how – the above speaks volumes for itself – really, it is absolutely incredible. I appreciate that there are many other good / great non-German brand such as Makita, Hitachi, DeWALT et al and some of these have invented staple power tools such as Makita with the battery drill. However, many of these were established later. Another commonality some of these companies share was that they worked with electric motors first before they moved into power tools.
One notable fact that I’m sure some but not everybody is aware of is that Milwaukee, Rigid and Ryobi are subsidiaries of Tech Tronic Industries (TTI) of Hong Kong. I’m not sure what to make of that if anything.
It’s interesting to see that photography equipment followed a similar route (Germany to Japan) – Zeiss and Leica originated in Germany with Oskar Barnack from the latter inventing the 35 mm film format. Then the Japanese got in on the action and we have most of the best 35 mm DSLRs coming from there now such as Canon, Nikon, Sony and others. That said, both Zeiss and Leica make legendary equipment to this day including Zeiss’s Otus lenses and Leica’s M series rangefinders and lenses amongst others. I think aspects of the car industry are similar too. I wonder are their other manufacturing related areas? Probably.
Jason says
I’m only after realising that this was an article on cordless power tool brands, rather than just power tool brands. Based on that Duss and Baier above can be discounted but Mafell, Flex and especially Hilti have cordless offerings.
Stuart says
That’s okay, I enjoyed your post nonetheless.
Jason says
Thanks : )
mike foley says
These TTI stories have been the best thing I’ve read in a VERY long time. I’m a hand tool fanatic though.
JMG says
A short history of TTI shows that the majority owner of the corporation is of German nationality.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shuchingjeanchen/2016/01/07/father-son-in-power-tools/#78dfa0476519
Jim Felt says
JMG!
What a great article! Thanks for sharing. Genius comes in many forms. And we’re all better for it.
And ain’t capitalism just grand?
Jason says
Thanks JMG, that made for some fascinating reading. I didn’t know everything was made in the same factory nor ironically, the TTI founder was German – _owner_ might be a generous term given he owns less than 20% of TTI but perhaps that’s enough to control or at least wield a modicum of clout.
I am a little skeptic of the Milwaukee brand from comments made by Youtuber AvE in his videos about his pre TTI Milwaukee takeover battery drill vs. his post TTI Milwaukee takeover battery drill. That said, I’ve never owned Milwaukee product and am sure that are a solid brand nonetheless.
Stuart says
When I asked someone at Milwaukee about the factory, they told me that they spec completely different components than the other brands.
With designs, engineers, and components being different, I’d say not to read too much into what the tools being made at the same factory means.
Jason says
True. I think the proof is in the pudding and if they was reason to be particularly skeptical, then we’d see more empirical evidence. A brand cannot become that successful to a trade industry through marketing alone : )
JMG says
I suppose that “majority partner” would have been more correct, but I have not read the article recently and was just posting from memory. What I remember mostly is that is was very well written, and worth every minute spent reading. I find such quality in online journalism fairly rare these days.
Jason says
No worries and apologies for my pedantry!
Benjamin Stephens says
Mafell makes Festool seem positively affordable in Austria!
KS Custom Finish says
Great write up, thanks. Like you said, the “best” brand depends on the customer and application.
I’m a pro finish carpenter, but still do a bit of structural carpentry (like fancy decks, saunas etc).
I started out with a Dewalt Nicad 18v system, almost a decade ago. Those tools were the industry standard around here at the time. Practically every pro I knew used Dewalt. Ridgid was a plumbing tool company, and I don’t think Milwaukee had any cordless besides 12v. Makita made solid drills and drivers, and that was about it. At least from my perspective of the local selection.
So I bought Dewalt Nicads, and worked the heck out of them. Never had to get a repair or replace in all those years. Great solid tools.
But in the last couple years, the new Lithium Ion systems started coming out the same time my old Nicads were starting to wear out. I decided it was time to upgrade.
So, last year, on Black Friday I invested in a whole new Milwaukee 18v kit. Started with 5 tools, then added a couple more this summer. I think I went win Milwaukee because it was new, exciting, a different color, and they did great marketing. But in the year I’ve been using them, I haven’t quite been sold. It never made sense to me why the batteries were lighter but the tools were heavier. Compared to Dewalt’s ergonomics, most Milwaukees feel like clubs. They beat my old 18v Nicads, sure, but not my buddy’s new Dewalt 20v. I also had to send 2 Milwaukee impacts in for repair of a faulty trigger switch. Great warranty, free repair… but I never needed any repairs to my ol’ yellows. And in the last year, it seems that Milwaukee has been struggling to keep up as Rigid takes some of the innovation (like the air compressor), while Dewalt keeps on rolling out better and better product and ideas (Flex Volt, power bank, track saw to compete with Festool.) I also recently discovered (because I was oblivious) the Dewalt battery adapters that let me run my old trusty 18v tools on slick new 20vMax li-ion batteries!! This means that several hundred $$ worth of tools basically get a new lease on life instead of collecting dust or getting yard-saled.
The verdict: I’m switching back. I’ve currently got a year-old 7 piece M-18 kit for sale, and I’ll be restocking with trusty old yellow for the foreseeable future. I don’t consider myself a brand loyalist, but Dewalt just keeps winning me back.
Dmitry says
Hello
Thank you for overview. Just want to ask what is your oppenion about HILTI brand as I using some of they tools
Stuart says
Haven’t used them much.
Jim Felt says
I’ve noticed some of my subs have switched to Hilti as they say they have the absolute best repair/replace resources through their Hilti stores.
No shipping, no middleman and no hassle. If you live in a town like we do where Hilti has a store.
Otherwise, I personally think most of their common tools like drill/drivers etc. are pretty pedestrian and kinda bulky.
Their uncommon tools, however, are obviously their forté.
Swizzleshoot says
I started with Makita 12v, then Bosch 18 v, but since I went to Dewalt 20v I got rid of the rest. Love the Dewalts. I have drills, impact drivers, sawzall, circular saw, vacuum, oscillating tool, angle grinder, and maybe some more I forgot. Great tools, especially the brushless. I finally got a couple of the little 2 amp batteries that make the drivers and drills not so heavy. I’m not a pro, just a handyman and these suit me great. Where I shop they have by far the best selection of Dewalt and that’s what got me switched.
Ivan Ivanoff says
Where we live in Queensland , Australia , Milwaukee are very popular in the mining industry , and as the mines supply a lot of tools , nobody cares how they treat someone else’s gear and Milwaukee gear cops a lot of rough treatment and seems to have proven itself in all conditions above and below ground .Ive been told Milwaukee are great with warranty and prompt service .Personally for the average home owner most cordless tools will do the job .As sugarcane and turf farmers we reckon Milwaukee is best suited for us .IvanCCQ
King Nikon says
Milwaukee Fuel 18 volt 100%, the amount of options you get using their battery packs is absurd, and it’s growing more and more.
Stevie B says
I have a great deal of respect for brands such as Makita, DeWalt and Milwaukee but I personally have seen too many DeWalt gear boxes fail on workmates tools and Milwaukee is expensive compared to Makita.
I’m an electrician. I live in the UK and I use Makita 18v LXT (no brushless tools as yet).
They are very good. Not perfect, a bit on the heavy side, but tough and reliable. I have lost count of the amount of times I’ve dropped a drill or impact driver from two metres up, picked it up and used it like nothing happened.
Apart from armature brushes which are cheap and easy to replace, no tools or batteries have broken over the three years of hard work I’ve put them through.
I like DeWalt tools because they are generally lighter than Makita but not as tough in my experience working with other trades and speaking to other lads.
I think Milwaukee’s tools are great but way too expensive compared to Makita’s line up.
There was one final thing that swung it for me. Towards the end of the day I often find myself so focused on getting the job finished that I put off, charging batteries (not so much now that I got a 110v charger).
When that happens you ask to borrow a battery from someone to get the job finished off.
In my experience about 50% of the lads have Makita, about 30% have DeWalt, about 10% Milwaukee and 10% random other brands.
The bottom line is what Makita have got going for them is that they are tough, reliable, commonly found on sites, not too expensive and have a massive line up of more than capable 18v power tools.
However I wish they made a better designed smaller site radio that would do Bluetooth, AM /FM, DAB and charge batteries for example rather than one thing or another.
You can register your tools on the Makita warantee web page, this gives you 2/3 year warantee (tool dependant).
Never had to use any warantee as yet so I can’t make comment.
Like other people have said, once you’ve found something that your happy with and have already got loads of their tools you’ve effectively made your bed.
I hope this helps.
Best of luck.
BRIAN QUAN says
Fantastic discussion with great input from so such a diverse group of toolaholics. I’m not a pro so I’m not under the constant pressure of time. As an avid DIYer and I pretty much do everything myself from plumbing to electrical, from HVAC to carpentry so tools rarely sit idle for extended periods.
Over past 30 years I’ve used almost every brand under the sun but I buy the best tool that I can afford for all around use with a focus on longevity. Holding on longer to tools means means live with the older technology which I’m okay with. Tools don’t earn money but they’ve saved me $$ over their lifetime. I keep up on my reading and I oogle them at the store but I try to resist the mantra of ‘newer, lighter, faster, better… blah blah blah’ . This comparison video of Old vrs new Makita vrs is interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGY_O5Gvtg0
My core tools are cordless while the heavy duty and less frequently used tools are corded. Having a common battery platform would be nice but it is not a priority as I can bear with multiple chargers. Here’s my .02 worth:
Makita: First 7.2v drill with the stick NimH batteries. Remarkably, a few of the batteries are still good but the drill had died after 24 years.
Portercable [pre B&D ownership]: 14.4 NiCad drill. The drill is heavy by today’s standard but it is a workhorse. The auto braking trigger flaked out after 5 years in but it doesn’t affect performance . I’ve rebuild the Sub-C batteries and it is still going strong as ever. It sits on the workbench as my back-up, back-up drill. The current gen of tools look hip but they feel a bit light. They seem to be on par with Ryobi’s quality and their targeted home DIY group.
Bosch: 14.4 NiCad impact. Bomb proof. The build quality is fantastic. Metal geared & housing. I’ve also rebuild these packs so still pushes out 1,150 ” lbs. Not the latest nor the greatest but it does everything I ask and more. I fear it will never die so I don’t have a good excuse to upgrade. The current generation feels the same- solid but the range of tools in Canada much more limited then Dewalt or Milwaulkee.
Dewalt 12v Lithium drill/driver. Light weight and reliable. Ergonomics are spot on and it’s ideal for assembly, installations and all around repairs. In the 5 years I’ve had to replace one battery. I would not be unhappy owning tools from their 20v Max line.
Overall I’ve been happy with these cordless brands. Having common battery platform would be nice but it doesn’t drastically affect what I need to do.
I know it’s just a dream to expect a universal platform but it can be had if do some research.
At the moment I feel Makita is calling me back. On my radar is the subcompact drill kit. It seems to be the perfect match for what I want/need out of a tool -reliable, light weight, compact & versatile.
Jim Felt says
Totally agree about your tool longevity success.
Until a couple of years ago I had the early 90’s stick 7.2v(?) NiCad Makitas in many variations. They and the seemingly bulletproof mid ‘90’s 18v NiCad Dewalts all went away.
That said I’ve come to appreciate the significantly lighter weight of the most modern cordless tool platforms.
Hello Bosch 12/18 and Milwaukee 12/18.
And luckily I’ve got friends with whom I permanently “shared” my older Tools with. Win. Win.
(Though I’ve literally never lost a corded Sioux/Porter Cable/Bosch/Milwaukee/Skil/Dewalt/Hilti tool yet).
Sam Spade says
Use them till they are run into the ground.
Buying the best ya can afford is the best policy for long-term return. Just ask any tradesman.
James says
In my experience, DeWalt and Bosch have always been front runners in quality since the days of teal Makita NiCad’s with the battery sticks. Bosch makes seriously great tools, if you just need that tool or possibly 1 other (I believe their Bulldog SDS is the best in the industry). As for the real world professional or the scrutenizing consumer is concerned, the top brand for tool platforms is DeWalt period. There are many cocktail brands all manufactured by the same corporation, of these brands Milwaukee is the bread winner. Makita, Ridgid, kobalt, blah, blah, blah are simply the Craftsman, Stanley, Proto, Blackhawk, Husky versions of the exact same thing, if you have any question, get a Kobalt drill and compare it to a Craftsman. I am a heavy deisel mech. by trade and I also have many years into design rehabbing properties ( Prop. Bros. etc.) DeWalt has stayed the most economically reliable tool on the market, thier line up has been undeniable. In the very recent years the cocktail company parent has made great strides to gain clout in the power tool market, by punching out everything imaginable(as if they offered a free car in the mall if people answered a questionare about tools and their thoughts on what would be helpful). I will attest that Milwaukee is making some better tools now. But, that having been said, some of their design cues are 10 years behind DeWalt, for instance, on their drills the led is placed under the chuck which casts a shadow over any accessory not sticking 3″ out of the chuck(like a drill bit), they still use ridgid plastics which do not fair well in drops and accidents, (better recently, but a major achilles of the brand), their tools still act and feel like their bretheren counterparts Craftsman drills, if anyone has ever sadly owned a black 20v Craftsman drill with the chuck that would cleave flesh from your hands, felt as though it was made from sharp blocks of Hickory, and had the Chevrolet versions of electric motors(high strung and whiney), then you will be flooded with nostalgia handling a new Milwaukee cordless paower tool. Now that haging been said, My buddy/co-worker has Milwaukee tools and I have played with them testing and comparing. I was impressed with the function and capability of the 1/2 impact wrench, but the drill and impact driver are still akin to the days of old. As for technology and reliability, one cannot go wrong with either of these two brands, but DeWalt still maintains it’s edge bar none. as for the 3rd place beings the rest of the Milwaukee litter and the few misc. store brands this really is where doing your homework will be in vain. These other brands are good enough for any consumer and mild pro use, Rigid, Kobalt, Makita Ryobi, etc. Just look into which one offers what you would like and which ones are available with the best deal. Personal experience with Ryobi – ehh “Look honey I hung a picture and changed Tommy’s license plate”, Rigid – poor fitment QC in thier tech. advance tools, regular fails including batteries, plastic bodies and rubbery bits, Makita – decent quality meets nice innovation “Milwaukee jr.”
Summary:
1st. Dewalt
2nd. Milwaukee
3rd. Makita
On a further note this ranking applies to the tool bit sets as well. Milwaukee’s magnetic extensions are prone to QC issues and the magnets falling out and their bits tend to twist like the average Taiwan made bits. Makita’s bits are much the same way and it’s new, it’s shiney, it’s polished, it is still a turd. As for Ryobi and the rest of the lemming tools and bits only if you plan to work in mild to soft wood most of the time. real test of reliability, power, battery life, ergo’s, and function is using the hammer drills in concrete, this will paint a crystal clear picture.
HTH
Jash Smith says
1st. Dewalt
2nd. Milwaukee
3rd. Makita
This three company is very good but I generally like Bosch 12v Brushless when offered over the other brands. Bosch rotary hammers are up there with Hilti. The Bosch Core batteries are amazing with my 18v tools and Bosch certainly stands behind their tools.
That said I just ordered a dual voltage Milwaukee quick charger for 12/18V in anticipation of the upcoming ratchets, soldering iron and heat gun.
So two primary battery systems for now.
And a few corded Sawzalls and Bosch Rotary and HoleHawgs etc.
TonyT says
A while ago we moved into a totally renovated building at work. I kept informal track of what the various commercial contractors used (prime builder and specialists, fixing all the stuff that hadn’t been done or needed fixing). The results?
1. Milwaukee and DeWalt were by far the most common (I’d say Milwaukee had a lead in cordless, but fairly close, especially considering corded tools).
2. Makita was a distant third.
3. And, yes, fourth place was Ryobi….and I can’t remember seeing significant numbers of other brands