Cordless tools - What brand???
08-23-2010, 06:37 PM
#1
Cordless tools - What brand???
I'm thinking about getting some new power tools and I want to go the cordless rechargeable route. Any opinions on the major Home Depot/Lowes brands, ie. Dewalt, Bosch, Porter Cable, Ryobi, Milwaukee, Hitachi???
I've heard good things about all except Ryobi and Milwaukee. Any input or discussion greatly appreciated.
I've heard good things about all except Ryobi and Milwaukee. Any input or discussion greatly appreciated.
08-24-2010, 05:32 PM
#3
We have best luck with Makita, Hitachi, and Milwaukee. Dewalts have gone down hill in the last couple of years. There batteries are pieces and you might get a good one might not. Out of 10 batteries, 6 had dead cells and wouldnt charge. Porter Cable cordless tools are weak, Bosch is ok, and Ryobi is ok but on th weak side.
08-25-2010, 06:49 PM
#4
I am also surprised you heard bad things about Milwaukee. My dad still has the same Milwaukee Sawzall that he bought before I was born (I'm 26). Personally I have a 18 volt Li-Ion Hitachi drill, and I am pleased with it. It's the nicest drill I've owned (out of Craftsman and Ryobi). It's also really light for as powerful as it is. Came with a charger and two batteries and a flashlight. Got it at Lowe's.
12-11-2010, 08:14 PM
#7
Personally, we use exclusively Milwaukee M18 tools at work. Their battery/tool warranty is hard to beat and their tools are top notch. I liked them so much I bought an extensive set for myself. The best thing about them though, is that you can buy a massive amount of tools that all use the same battery pack.
01-08-2011, 08:30 PM
#9
Ive had a Dewalt 12v XRP drill since 02. One battery died 5 or 6 years ago. The other one is pretty much dead now. The replacement battery is doing OK. Its time for Li-ion batteries. The drill has never let me down but it could use some maintenace. The brake is weak, the chuck is really tight, and the bit holder is bent but hey the drill works. Ive been hard on it. The good thing about Dewalt is its sold everywhere and so are batteries. A few years ago I bought a 14.4 Dewalt for work and its been great. Batteries are doing well.
I bought an 18v Ryobi cordless impact 4 years ago. Works fine for what it is. Those batteries are getting weak however. I got the 4 piece combo kit last summer and built lots of storage shelves. I cut down a ton of bushes and trees with the sawzall. The battery run time is not all that long. Im thinking about getting the Li-ion batteries for these as well. Maybe even the huge charger too go with it.
I also have a small Hitachi 10.8v micro drill driver and it is the s**t. So small and light I love it. Power for days even though its the lowest powered and slowest model. The regular drill has the higher power and speed. I took it to work and everyone laughted at me. I install appliances and it had no problem doing everything our huge and heavy 14.4 Dewalt or 12v Ridgid or 18v Black & Decker did. This is my only Li-ion tool and it has made me a believer.
About 5 years ago I bought a 12v Ridgid for work and it was very good when new. We broke some bolts when it was new but the batteries didnt last more than a year maybe 18 months. The Ridged battery replacement didnt work out for me. I filled out the paper work but they stopped selling the batteries. Probably could have done some leg work but ended up buying a new drill.
We had some Craftsman drills at work but those were crap. Ive never cared for Craftsman cordless tools.
Porter Cable looks nice but Im skeptical since they are CHEAP. Consumer Reports rated them well however.
For the money the Ryobi Li-ion combo kit looks like the way to go.
I bought an 18v Ryobi cordless impact 4 years ago. Works fine for what it is. Those batteries are getting weak however. I got the 4 piece combo kit last summer and built lots of storage shelves. I cut down a ton of bushes and trees with the sawzall. The battery run time is not all that long. Im thinking about getting the Li-ion batteries for these as well. Maybe even the huge charger too go with it.
I also have a small Hitachi 10.8v micro drill driver and it is the s**t. So small and light I love it. Power for days even though its the lowest powered and slowest model. The regular drill has the higher power and speed. I took it to work and everyone laughted at me. I install appliances and it had no problem doing everything our huge and heavy 14.4 Dewalt or 12v Ridgid or 18v Black & Decker did. This is my only Li-ion tool and it has made me a believer.
About 5 years ago I bought a 12v Ridgid for work and it was very good when new. We broke some bolts when it was new but the batteries didnt last more than a year maybe 18 months. The Ridged battery replacement didnt work out for me. I filled out the paper work but they stopped selling the batteries. Probably could have done some leg work but ended up buying a new drill.
We had some Craftsman drills at work but those were crap. Ive never cared for Craftsman cordless tools.
Porter Cable looks nice but Im skeptical since they are CHEAP. Consumer Reports rated them well however.
For the money the Ryobi Li-ion combo kit looks like the way to go.
01-08-2011, 09:37 PM
#10
My cordless tools include:
Dewalt 18v drop light and drill. Had them 3 years so far. LOVE them.
Ryobi 18v saw zaw, drill, flashlight (which grew legs and ran away) jigsaw, circular saw. I use them all from time to time and they are great. Wait for them to go on sale. I just bought my brother the 4 piece combo set for christmas for $70. After 2 years of owning them the battery is still great, but I could use a second one. The saw zaw kills the battery rather quickly.
I just got a makita 10.8v drill and impact. I used the drill once and it works great. I used the impact a few times. I used it today changing the trans filter and gasket and it works awesome! Got them both and a charger for $139 on a black friday deal. Well worth every penny.
My dad bought me a znex 3/8" ratchet. It doesn't use a lithium ion battery and I used it a few times for quick things so far and it works good. Only time will tell though.
I had 3 of the 1/4" rechargeable skill ratchets from home depot. One would never stop running until you banged it on the ground. One stopped working all together and I forgot what happened to the 3rd one. They were $60 each at the time and the 3rd one I got for $10 as a display model at home depot. I think lowes carries them now. When they work they work great. When they don't they suck. I think sitting in the garage over winter is what messed it up. My garage gets COLD. For little jobs they are worth the money for sure.
Dewalt 18v drop light and drill. Had them 3 years so far. LOVE them.
Ryobi 18v saw zaw, drill, flashlight (which grew legs and ran away) jigsaw, circular saw. I use them all from time to time and they are great. Wait for them to go on sale. I just bought my brother the 4 piece combo set for christmas for $70. After 2 years of owning them the battery is still great, but I could use a second one. The saw zaw kills the battery rather quickly.
I just got a makita 10.8v drill and impact. I used the drill once and it works great. I used the impact a few times. I used it today changing the trans filter and gasket and it works awesome! Got them both and a charger for $139 on a black friday deal. Well worth every penny.
My dad bought me a znex 3/8" ratchet. It doesn't use a lithium ion battery and I used it a few times for quick things so far and it works good. Only time will tell though.
I had 3 of the 1/4" rechargeable skill ratchets from home depot. One would never stop running until you banged it on the ground. One stopped working all together and I forgot what happened to the 3rd one. They were $60 each at the time and the 3rd one I got for $10 as a display model at home depot. I think lowes carries them now. When they work they work great. When they don't they suck. I think sitting in the garage over winter is what messed it up. My garage gets COLD. For little jobs they are worth the money for sure.
03-02-2011, 06:26 PM
#11
I have Dewalt and Milwalkee 18 Volt power tools and I personally think Milwalkee makes a better battery pack, that holds it charge forever whereas The Dewalt charger seems very lightweight itself and the batteries last for a few hours.....The Milwalkee last for days doing the same damn job!!!!!
03-02-2011, 06:40 PM
#13
Makita is good....I had a 9.6 Volt cordless for about 12 yrs it was good but not as durable when dropped off an aircraft tail or tailboom......the casing was to brittle so it would crack.....My 18 volt Milwalkee is made out of some sort of impact proof plastic.....plus I have a hammer drill mode that will drill thru brick/masonary and most concert all day long......It's a real beast!!!!! My Hitachi was pretty good but suffered from charging memory issue and would fall dead too much toward the end of the battery pack's life....
I probably have $20K-$30K in tools alone......But I still need thing like all technicians
I probably have $20K-$30K in tools alone......But I still need thing like all technicians
Last edited by CMax03; 03-02-2011 at 06:42 PM.
05-03-2011, 10:04 AM
#14
Hey, a cust of mine threw a Dewalt 14.4V cordless drill in a trash can and I notified him that him that the Dewalt drill was in the trash and he stated to me " That the drill did not work, and if I wanted it,..... I could have it, but it's broken and doesn't work!!!!" I said cool! Took it home and charged the battery since it wasn't working. Took the battery pack off the charger and attached the pack to the drill ...still didn't work!!!!! Checked the battery pack voltage with a VOM and the battery pack was defective! Used some jumper wires from a 18V dewalt battery pack to my drill and it works.....Time for a $49.99 battery pack......HaHaHaHa!
Last edited by CMax03; 05-13-2011 at 10:07 PM.
02-12-2012, 06:11 PM
#16
03-29-2012, 09:49 PM
#17
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08-05-2012, 10:15 AM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: SLC, UT
Posts: 660
Gotta get on here and give a mega vote of confidence for Hitachi cordless tools. I've got an 18V hammer drill, 18V impact, 10.8V driver, and 10.8 impact driver, 10.8V mini sawzall. I have used almost all other major brands, and had plenty of good experiences with them. But the Hitachi stuff is awesome. Especially the little 10.8V impact driver--that gun is incredible. Daily use, and zero complaints about any of the guns. Can't go wrong with them.
08-29-2012, 08:03 PM
#20
I use dewalt cordless tools and absolutely love them. I also use milwaukee but corded sawzall and love it, never tried the cordless version though. Most of the top brands will be plenty good for any homeowner or small business.
08-30-2012, 06:30 PM
#21
To update my original post above.
I looked at buying replacement batteries for my Ryobi combo kit last year. The 2 packs are cheap but you can also get the drill combo for about the same price. I think I paid $200 for the 4 piece kit, and $100 for the impact driver kit. I felt getting more of the crappy ni-cad was a bad idea. I did look into the li-ion batteries but I felt investing in the Ryobi stuff could be a waste. Even though the tools are ok, I ended up giving them away to a friend. Time to look for a new set of tools.
10/11 HD had the 5 piece Ridgid X3 on closeout, plus a free battery. Total price was $380. I thought that was a great deal. 18v li-ion, drill, impact driver, circ. saw, recip. saw, and light. I ended up exchanging the first kit due to poor quality. The drill was off center, the charger had something rattling around inside, and the circ saw would not cut straight. The second kit seemed better but not perfect. I used them for 3 months but was not really all that impressed overall. Also there weren't many other tools in their lineup. So I returned them for a full refund. The only thing I really liked was the CFL work light.... On to another kit.
1/12 I came across a 5 piece Dewalt XRP 18v kit on clearance. It was around $400. To be honest this is what I wanted all along. I just could not justify the regular price of $550. They have tons of cordless tools and everyone sells Dewalt, especially good if you need batteries. I also picked up the compact 18v drill kit for $100. Last month I found a refurbed cut off kit for $150. What a deal! It is a bit big but I use my regular angle grinder more than any other tool. This will get used and abused. I will be buying more tools like the jig saw and impact wrench.
Cliffs:
Bought Ryobi combo kit and impact, killed batteries in 2-3 years. Not worth investing more $$ in batteries. Tools are actually good performers, just not the batteries.
Replaced Ryobi with Ridgid combo kit. Tools did not perform that good, no other tools to expand kit.
Replaced Ridgid with Dewalt combo kit. Now I can expand my tools as needed.
I looked at buying replacement batteries for my Ryobi combo kit last year. The 2 packs are cheap but you can also get the drill combo for about the same price. I think I paid $200 for the 4 piece kit, and $100 for the impact driver kit. I felt getting more of the crappy ni-cad was a bad idea. I did look into the li-ion batteries but I felt investing in the Ryobi stuff could be a waste. Even though the tools are ok, I ended up giving them away to a friend. Time to look for a new set of tools.
10/11 HD had the 5 piece Ridgid X3 on closeout, plus a free battery. Total price was $380. I thought that was a great deal. 18v li-ion, drill, impact driver, circ. saw, recip. saw, and light. I ended up exchanging the first kit due to poor quality. The drill was off center, the charger had something rattling around inside, and the circ saw would not cut straight. The second kit seemed better but not perfect. I used them for 3 months but was not really all that impressed overall. Also there weren't many other tools in their lineup. So I returned them for a full refund. The only thing I really liked was the CFL work light.... On to another kit.
1/12 I came across a 5 piece Dewalt XRP 18v kit on clearance. It was around $400. To be honest this is what I wanted all along. I just could not justify the regular price of $550. They have tons of cordless tools and everyone sells Dewalt, especially good if you need batteries. I also picked up the compact 18v drill kit for $100. Last month I found a refurbed cut off kit for $150. What a deal! It is a bit big but I use my regular angle grinder more than any other tool. This will get used and abused. I will be buying more tools like the jig saw and impact wrench.
Cliffs:
Bought Ryobi combo kit and impact, killed batteries in 2-3 years. Not worth investing more $$ in batteries. Tools are actually good performers, just not the batteries.
Replaced Ryobi with Ridgid combo kit. Tools did not perform that good, no other tools to expand kit.
Replaced Ridgid with Dewalt combo kit. Now I can expand my tools as needed.
08-30-2012, 10:07 PM
#22
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Murfreesboro TN
Posts: 261
I recommend Hitachi...12v compact with quick connect end. Can use the multisize drill bits, quick change phillips/straight/hex bits, or the 3/8" drive adapter for all your automotive uses. I've had one for 4 years with no issue's and I used it for numerous home improvement projects, inlaws roof project, deck project, and every time I worked on a car(alot)
BTW, we use them at the factory to build new Nissan/Infiniti's everyday
BTW, we use them at the factory to build new Nissan/Infiniti's everyday
09-02-2012, 07:31 PM
#23
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 17
milwaukee is a step above everything else.. makita is nice.. rigid is nice because of the life time warranty on the batteries but if you bang them enough they cant take it.. if you want the best tool go with the best.. Milwaukee and Makita are your top tier then go from there..
09-18-2012, 06:35 PM
#24
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tampa, Fl
Posts: 16
I have an 18v rigid set, that has been getting put through the ringer for two years without a single problem. And no other manufacturer (not even milwaukee) can come close to their LIFETIME service agreement. buy once, register the tools, and have free repair or replacement until you die. It's a no-brainer
10-22-2012, 09:16 AM
#25
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 17
MILWAUKEE for the win.. Rigid might have a lifetime warranty on the batteries but the rest of the tools are so fragile.. working with my FIL building houses i wouldnt use anything else but Milwaukee tried ridgid they don't hold up like the Milwaukees
10-24-2012, 04:40 PM
#28
Funny thing is, Milwaukee and Ridgid are owned by the same company. Some of the tools are nearly identical. Mil. has a much better selection and a far wider amount of tools so they are a much better choice.
10-28-2012, 05:30 PM
#31
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NY (somewhere between Queens & BK)
Posts: 2,122
Work for TTI (owns Ryobi, Ridgid & Milwaukee).
Can't go wrong with either brand. More extensive tool platform for heavy duty pros/users (Milwaukee), some pros & homeowners (Ridgid) & mostly homeowners/DIY'ers (Ryobi).
Can't go wrong with either brand. More extensive tool platform for heavy duty pros/users (Milwaukee), some pros & homeowners (Ridgid) & mostly homeowners/DIY'ers (Ryobi).
12-14-2012, 06:24 PM
#32
I would stay from ryobi or porter cable those are deemed as "home owners."
I do construction and I use dewalt and ridgid.
Dewalt's battery is no good. But I use a corded drill to mix my tile mortar.
Ridgid is good. I have the cordless drill.
Makita is very good. I have their impact driver.
Milwaukee never tried their drill, but have the sawz all. Those are reliable heck mine is ancient.
Hope this helps
I do construction and I use dewalt and ridgid.
Dewalt's battery is no good. But I use a corded drill to mix my tile mortar.
Ridgid is good. I have the cordless drill.
Makita is very good. I have their impact driver.
Milwaukee never tried their drill, but have the sawz all. Those are reliable heck mine is ancient.
Hope this helps
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