What’s your favorite flavor of cordless tools?

[Dusty]

I have been full circle on this topic myself. Decades back I bought an 18v Makita drill / driver when they were fairly new to the market. I have abused it many times doing things it really shouldn’t like hole saws and concrete drilling yet it has never faltered.

These days I no longer use tools to make money, more the opposite. Working on things is something I enjoy and I do appreciate the feel of a quality tool. A few years back I decided to start investing in cordless as I replaced air or 120v corded tools.

I did some research at the time, and team Red looked more affordable and available, so I bought a couple of Milwaukee pieces. Didn’t think they were as well built as the blue, so when some thieving ****** stole most of those, I gave away the remainder and started fresh with DeWalt. Which have served OK so far, emphasis on “okay”. Under heavy use -beyond their reasonable use to be fair- they don’t push through like the old Makita does.

A while back while on the road I needed a drill for a lightweight task, so I picked up the cheapest thing I could find, a Ryobi. Got the job done, and it’s well worth the price paid. However it’s a grade below the red and yellow in my opinion.

So, this week I decided to spend some more money on blue. When I started the cordless conversion I expected to eventually toss out the old Makita. But it’s still reliable, and the best quality of the bunch I feel. Got a compact 1/2” impact on the way to see of the new stuff is as well built as the old.

If you read this far, I salute you as a fellow tool nut. But isn’t tool use what separates us from the animals? So, what’s your favorite and why?

I converted from Makita to Milwaukee. The cordless Makitas i owned were robust tools, but I had to replace the switches on both of my drills several times. My Makitas were nicad devices and I found the price of replacement batteries quite high.

When I decided to go to lithium-ion devices I decided to start fresh. I did a lot of research on power tools, including some of the online testers. To me it looked like the Milwaukee products I would be interested in were at the high end of durability and reliability.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 3 June 2018. Now at 86143 miles

 

[Torque]

I'm team yellow, gray, blue, red, green, and now [dark] yellow (JCB ) I don't have any allegiance when it comes to corded power tools.

I wanted a cordless impact driver and after seeing the high prices for DeWalt and Milwa (weren't any sales at the time), I happened to see JCB (think heavy equipment) had a line of power tools on Amazon. Since I wasn't part of any cordless eco system yet (only had a very old 12V Craftsman drill with tired NiCd batteries), I figured it's worth a try. A brushless impact driver, two 2Ah batteries and bag for about $70. It has great power and speed and lasts a really long time on one battery. Then I saw Amazon sold bare JCB tools with no battery or bag for cheap too. I picked up the brushless hammer drill for $25. I used the heck out of these tools to remodel my basement and have been extremely happy with their performance. If you use Camel x3 to track the Amazon listings, the prices can swing wildly from heck of deal to same price or more than DeWalt or Mil. Snagged the bare JCB circ saw for $25, a worklight for $10, and an extra 4Ah battery for $40 so I could be using all without swapping batteries between them.

 

[Andersoncma]

Milwaukee with Milwaukee branded batteries (even though the Milwaukee batteries could be made in China). Batteries that come branded as Chinese batteries are junk. Pay the extra for the Milwaukee branded batteries

 

[jpin9b]

I've had good experience with DeWalt cordless and corded tools for years and have stuck with them based on experience and batteries.

However, I'm not necessarily stuck to one brand. I just bought a Milwaukee tire inflator and plan to buy one of their impacts. I also own a couple Bosch, Rigid and old-school Skil saw.

That being said, I'm not a tradesman by profession so I don't beat them up as much as some guys do.

 

[M376X6]

Started down the Ryobi path years ago and have had tools from all the names. I am 90% Ryobi and have never had any problem. The older 18V blue tools work just fine with the new type batteries. The one tool I use the most outside of Ryobi is the Milwaukee high torque 1/2 inch drive impact wrench. I believe it puts out over 1,000
ft lbs. of torque. I use it when I'm disassembling trucks for parts and restoration. I don't believe Ryobi has one with that much power. But the Milwaukee was a gift and so the price was right.

 

[tgrfan2]

I hear ya! Once you have tons of batteries for whatever brand you are stuck with them.

Ive broken every brand of tool in 25y of construction work. Same goes for batteries. They all suck after a while.

I bought my first yellow set back when 18V came out. I would say I abused them. The original batteries seemed the best of the 18Vs. I broke the handle on my 18V circular saw last fall and decided to go 20V brushless in yellow. If they last half as long as the 18s they will outlast me!
I hate the safety switch but love how it cuts. I also bought a 20V PC "going off display" bundle for the price and vacuum cleaner to go in the RV. I love it so far.

 

[CEK3]

Had 12+ Dewalt 18V tools, just recently switched to Milwaukee M12 and M18 tools. Passed the dewalt collection onto my youngest daughter.

 

[Tapat1o]

Hilti is the best for contractors, Ryobi is the best for homeowners. I have yet to have a Ryobi drill or any of their power tools break on me. I will say their Dremel knock off sucks though so avoid that one. Their portable battery powered shop vac is awesome, I always keep it in my vehicle.

 

[TotallyHucked]

I love red but I have alot of ryobi for the stuff that doesn't get put away hot and wet. You can't beat the cost and versatility of ryobi at the price point. Their cordless brad nailers are built pretty good (AVe Approved them). The tools that get used the most are Milwaukee, 1/2" impact, drills and 1/4 impacts, 3/8" rachets, die grinders etc. Most of my automotive stuff is red basically. I don't do a ton of wood working so I cheap out (router, air nailers blah blah) and the ryobi batteries are cheappppp compared to Milwaukee and the ryobi bleeds over to my 18v lawn tools. I only have 1 dewalt tool and its a corded shorty reciporating saw since Milwaukee didn't offer one. I'm not a fan of Makita but the Rigid brand are really nice actually for the price. If your going to beat on it and use it regularly go with Milwaukee but don't waste your money if your not going to abuse it.

This is exactly why I started swapping over to Ryobi. I've got a couple Milwaukee tools from my racing days but now that I don't make a living with them, I can't justify the price. I LOVE my red electric ratchet but when/if it dies, it too will be replaced with a green one

 

[Ronald E Shelton]

From what I understand from the Utubes the 18-20v Craftsman and DeWalt will use the same batteries. Both are made by Stanley Black & Decker.

The Craftsman C3 19.2V are a completely different breed.