Best 20v Lithium Cordless Power Tools??

RTR

Well-known Member
Ok. I know the fate of the Craftsman brand (supposedly higher quality Black & Decker). I'm aware of other brands and their SUPPOSED durability and quality. Now, from your experiences, your friends experiences, and from articles you've read....what would be the best 20 volt Lithium Battery Power Tools out there? I'm not putting price as the last factor because I want to weed out the best ones and look at price last. I'm also looking at available tool choices too because I would hate to buy one brand and then want/need a tool from another brand and then have to buy new batteries and chargers. These will be moderately used around the house and restoring old tractors.
 
I have the Milwaukee fuel 18v. Some are 3
year's old & I keep adding. Never a glitch.
Most of my batteries are 5.0 & 1 9.0. They
are expensive but worth it.

My son has the Ridgid 18v & likes them a
lot. Lifetime warranty when registered
correctly. He has had a couple batteries
replaced & two drills repaired but he uses
them every day. Wait time on repairs is 4
to 6 weeks so he borrows my Milwaukee's
then.
 

Black and Decker "Firestorm" 18 volt drill. At least 15 years old. Still going. Won't brag on the batteries. I've bought several new ones over the years.
 
I've been collecting Dewalts
drill
1/4 driver w/impact
3/8 impact gun
1/2 monster impact gun
the first set driver drill had small bateries and a charger
I've been buying 4amp chinese li-ion clones without issue
the tools many from CPO as refurbed
and the batteries at ebay 4ah $24 20 Volt Battery For DEWALT DCB200 DCB204 Max XR 4.0Ah Lithium-Ion Power Tool TP
CPOtools
 
Hello RTR,

What is important is the battery capacity regardless of brand, none make the batteries by the way.
Also a brushless tool will be much better, then the brushed ones for battery life. Brand? up to what you can assert is the most likely to be the best,

Guido.
 
Don't get too wrapped up with the voltage claims of a 20V battery over an 18V battery. The folks selling it as a 20V battery are stating the "fresh out of the charger" voltage. That voltage is not sustained and drops to 18.5V as soon as a load is applied to the battery.

The folks selling an 18V battery are stating the nominal or sustained voltage of the battery. Their battery will also measure ~20V right out of the charger, but they have enough scruples to not state something that can not be sustained.
 
I have no idea which is best. I use 20v Porter Cable and have happy with them. My two most used are
1/4 inch impact driver and 18 Ga. nailer.
 
Hello Oliver 500 Was,

You are right! Voltage ratings means nothing. The are 5 cells
in each tool 18 or 20 volts. Both will charge to 21 volts or
so.
An 18 volts rating usually indicate 5 cells of higher
capacity, and higher discharge rate, then a 20 volts rating packs The 18 volts pack has 5 cells rated @ 3.6 volts each,

Guido.
 
I think the best battery is the cheapest one to
replace. Friend has 36v Li dewalt tools. Dewalt
Replacement batteries are too expensive.

20 years ago I started buying 18v dewalt tools. The
tools hold up but no battery lasts forever. Dewalt
18v Li replacement batteries are too expensive. So I
buy aftermarket batteries off Amazon.

So research which battery has the largest ma-hr
rating and you can afford to replace. I find Li
batteries don't seem to hold that much charge. They
don't self discharge like the rest.

I can still buy 18v batteries for my old tools. How
many tools can you still buy replacement batteries
for 20 year old tool?
 

Are you saying that any make battery is compatible with any brand tool as long as it is same rating (18v, 20v, etc)
 

I bit the bullet and emptied my wallet dec 2010 for a M18 Milwaukee combo set they get a work out all the time.... buy Milwaukee life will be good...
 
(quoted from post at 00:08:27 11/15/18) I think the best battery is the cheapest one to
replace. Friend has 36v Li dewalt tools. Dewalt
Replacement batteries are too expensive.

20 years ago I started buying 18v dewalt tools. The
tools hold up but no battery lasts forever. Dewalt
18v Li replacement batteries are too expensive. So I
buy aftermarket batteries off Amazon.

So research which battery has the largest ma-hr
rating and you can afford to replace. I find Li
batteries don't seem to hold that much charge. They
don't self discharge like the rest.

I can still buy 18v batteries for my old tools. How
many tools can you still buy replacement batteries
for 20 year old tool?

Makita you can. 7.2v, 9.6v, 12v, 18v. You can get them all from Makita or a lot of other suppliers.

My Makita 18v battery last a lot longer than my DeWalt 18v batteries. They were both new last year (gifts from my oldest son) but they may have different amp/hr rating on the batteries. I have to say the Makita is built better as far as the case goes than the DW, but they are both many levels above the Porter Cable tools they replaced.
 
Hard to argue against Milwaukee M18 if you use them hard and often however I get along very well with my collection of 18V Dewalt tools. Still am running a couple OEM batteries but new ones come from Ebay and the land of almost right and are lasting just as long as OEM Good battery life is more about how you take care of them than what color or shape they are. I went with Dewalt because they sold a LOT of them and I should not run into a deal where the batteries are no longer available.
 
Are you saying that any make battery is compatible with any brand tool as long as it is same rating (18v, 20v, etc)

From a voltage point of view, tools using 18V or 20V lithium batteries could interchange IF they mounted correctly and the connections matched polarity. I have not looked at any to see if this is possible, but very much doubt that it is possible.

Do not try interchanging battery types. Lithium Ion batteries require a totally different charging and discharging functions than Nimh or Ni-Cad batteries. Incorrect charging of a Lithium Ion battery will frequently cause it to catch fire. Sometimes exploding.

The folks marketing tools as 20V are just stretching the truth about their battery as a marketing ploy. Most folks buy things based on biggest spec and lowest dollar.
 
Hello RTR,

What I said was that battery packs have the same cells in
them, regardless of the tool manufacturer. The Lithiums are
18650 cells.
18MM dia. X 65MM lenght. You can take the cells out of a
Makita and put them in A B and D. The case is what fits the
individual tool. Hers are some 18650 cells I am working on.
They differ in capacity, and has you can see, in color
too. I rate them first, and assemble like capacities in
packs,

Guido.
cvphoto2718.jpg
 
I have a bunch of Ryobi 18v...one battery fits all the tools. Very handy and cost effective.
I use one of them every day, but I never use all of them in a day. I keep a fresh battery in the truck and
grab the tools I need for the days project. Surprisingly the tire inflator and the little chain saw
gets almost as much usage as the drill.
 
I have several Milwaukee m18 fuel tools
and am more than happy with them. My
1/2" impact will out perform any 1/2"
air imact I've seen and most 3/4". The
3/8" is also powerful but also very
handy and light. My most recent is a 4
1/2" grinder that altho not as good as
electric is very good, and has no cord
to get in the way. I'll be adding more
soon.
 
Our Dewalt drills puked at the shop so we bit the bullet and bought a Makita 18V 4.0mah hammer drill set and it has worked flawlessly for about 5 years and we don't baby these.

I have been so impressed that for home use I bought myself a set of 18v 3.0mah Makita hammer drills for Christmas last year and have been very happy with them. Had a set of B&D 12V before and they were junk.

I have taken to buying cordless tools from CPO outlets. They are always pretty reasonable and the holidays are about to kick savings into high gear. Good quality, fast shipping.
CPO tools
 
I was looking to buy an impact, so i checked the specs on both Milwaukee and dewalt and the milwaukee brushless impact hit harder than the dewalt so i bought it and havent looked back, ive added a lot more and donated all my non Milwaukee stuff plus i can order online through homedepot and catch some pretty good deals.
 
Milwaukee M18 Fuel, everything else are
just toys. The first time I used my M18
impacts, it was a where have you been all
my life moment.
 
(quoted from post at 20:28:07 11/14/18) I have no idea which is best. I use 20v Porter Cable and have happy with them. My two most used are
1/4 inch impact driver and 18 Ga. nailer.

I have Porter Cable 20v and they do great for light to moderate work . The reciprocating saw is light weight , smooth , and easy to handle . I made about ten cuts through 2" 14 ga square tubing and still had battery power left . The 4-1/2" angle grinder is heavier than the corded version but works well , the 1/2 drill & 1/4 impact I have used a lot with no problem , and I just got a 1/2" impact ( bare tool delivered for under $100 ) and it has a good feel / balance to it , have not used it yet . It was one of the lowest rated in ft lb torque but should do lug nuts easily .

The Dewalt tools I have used were better tools if they are in your budget . The price adds up quickly . If you can afford to get a full set initially you may be farther ahead of the price game .
 
I have been wanting to buy another cordless drill. Mine is a 9 volt Makita I bought in 1992.It still works fine. I get batteries of Amazon. I doubt I will use a larger drill more than once or twice a month. After reading the comments. I'm thinking for me the Dewalt would last me fine?
 
My vote is for Makita, speaking from personal experience. They offer a Large variety of available tools. Great quality. Great runtime for a 1/2" drill on a 4 AH 18v battery.

I would recommend a brushless motor. My 18v Makita 1/4" brushless impact driver will take off a lug nut! I've broken a 1/4" hex to 1/2" square Irwin (impact rated) adapter with it... My 1/2" 18v brushless Makita drill is stronger and lighter than my 1/2" Milwaukee Magnum corded drill...

I have a shop blower from Makita as well. Works great for blowing snow off the truck and dust out of the tractor.

Carl
 
I splurged and got a few Milwaukee tools last year. The 1/2 impact gun is just plan awesome, my IR air impact hasn’t been used since. I ended up getting the weed wacker/blower combo over the summer, the 9.0 battery last about as long as I want to run a string trimmer, which is perfect for me. The blower is so handy, clean the shop, trailer deck, whatever else you can think of, the house if you’re unsupervised.

Milwaukee’s 12 volt stuff is even impressive, got a 3/8” racket recently, gets places the little impact guns can’t and still has a set.
 

I think I've decided to go with Milwaukee fuel from everyone's help here. Still looking but those are standing out to me from your recommemdations and what I've seen in the store.
 

I wanted to update everyone that gave their helpful input, and let you all know that I got some Milwaukee tools for Christmas! I also got some Amazon gift cards and might add some more tools to the box. You tell me if these are the good ones.....or should I get the ones that say FUEL on them. What are the differences?


mvphoto28887.jpg


mvphoto28888.jpg
 
The drill-impact kit is brushless. FUEL is Milwaukee's higher end brushless tools. Brushless tools have a lot more power, use less battery they last a lot longer due to not having brushes. :D Although they cost more I think they are worth the cost. That being said you must have the correct size of battery for the tool, for example if you have a 2ah battery on a circular saw the saw will not have max power and battery life will be short compared to a 5ah battery
 
(quoted from post at 00:06:27 01/01/19) The drill-impact kit is brushless. FUEL is Milwaukee's higher end brushless tools. Brushless tools have a lot more power, use less battery they last a lot longer due to not having brushes. :D Although they cost more I think they are worth the cost. That being said you must have the correct size of battery for the tool, for example if you have a 2ah battery on a circular saw the saw will not have max power and battery life will be short compared to a 5ah battery

Are you saying that the Batteries for the FUEL tools will fit and the others will fit, but FUEL tools need the "correct" aHr batteries to run/work correctly??
 
No. What he is saying is you need to match
the battery to the tool as some tools like
a circular saw or drill hog need more
amps. Any battery will work in them too
but won't last long between charge and
will be weaker. I prefer the 5.0
batteries. A 9.0 came with my saw but I
normally use the 5.0 because I like the
balance better. It's builders who are
running it all day who need the 9.0. The
little 2.0 die to fast.

You will love those. I mostly buy fuels
but do have some brushless that aren't.
BTW, Amazon has the best price on 5.0
batteries that I have found. eBay has
cheaper tools because guys buy the big
kits at less than half price and sell off
the individual tools for a good profit. I
bought a fuel grinder and drywall gun at
Christmas way below any other place.
 
Look on youtube for a guy called Red Beard
and the Den of Tools. He recently did a
video on just this. He compared several
brands.
 

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