Cordless tools??

What brand of 20volt tools do you guys like? I am disappointed with the "Made in USA" marketing campaign on tools clearly marked made in China. I realise that very few things are made here anymore. But don't lie to me. That being said what brand is best? I was looking at DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita etc. But I'm really second quessing if it's worth paying for a "brand name" or not. Fleet Farm is really pushing the porter cable and Menards is really pushing the Bosch lately.

Thoughts?

Had years of success with Makita and Bosch. The thing of it is they are 20+ yrs. old (and still working). The only thing I have done is buy 'offshore' batteries for them from Amazon for less than 1/2 price, keep them charged and all is good. HTH

I second the Makita vote. I bought drill driver 15 years ago, used the sh-t out of it, and bought offshore bats 2 years ago, and this will go another 10 years. I also use everyday!

I have 20V Porter Cable and really like them.

Started out with skill then Black & Decker and was ready to give up on them completely, batteries not holding up
and etc never feeling it would be worth the plunge for the high dollar brand name but finally did, got an 18v
Milwaukee and it changed my whole line of thinking, definitely worth the price!!! Now when I pick up a tool even if I
haven?t used it in a month or two chances are it?s still charged up and ready!! I love being able to push a button on
the battery and see its state of charge before I need it!!! If it?s half charge and I have a big job coming up I can go
ahead put it on the charger for however long and not worry about over charging or causing a memory thing with the
battery or damaging the battery?s life!!!!

If your pockets are really deep, you might want to look at Festool. German engineering. Excellent reputation. They are 18v, not 20. On the other hand, one could buy a lot of Harbor Freight replacement tools for what one Festool tool costs.
Festool USA

dewalt is what I settled with, I have tried other but they have lot tools to offer. and with any of the tool brands if you use them out of there intended range of use the will were out sooner.

Milwaukee fuel is the only reason I still
own cordless tools. The Porter Cable and
DeWalt's were pitiful in my book. Some
people do have good luck with them though.

Look into Ridgid sold by Home Depot and others, lifetime warranty of tools and batteries.

Rich

Milwaukee. They have more mechanic-oriented
stuff than dewalt. And they have 9 and 12
amp-hour battery packs. Weed whacker, chain
saw, oil pump, ratchets, impacts (their big
half drive is good for 1400 ft-lb in
reverse)

Look up Jersey discount tool company. He handles enough that he can sell you the heavy half inch, plus the big 3/8 (good for 600 ft-lb) for 100 more than you can get just one from Fastenal for.

I drive a concrete mixer truck for a living
and I see more dewalt tools on jobsites
than any other brand.

I'm not convinced the expensive 20v Li battery is
any better and hold more charge than the old 18v Ni-
Mh.

I'm keeping my dewalt tools which some are 20 years
old. I don't leave home without some of my dewalt
tools in truck, corded and cordless.


Been updating a 1950's vintage kitchen cabinets.
Installing a new countertop. What a mess I got into.

I am a Milwaukee person, I have over 25 different cordless tools. I just purchased the 7 1/4 inches circular saw, and it will cut thru oak boards better than my corded saw. My favorite is the blower, I keep it in the combine and blow it off every evening.

I had porter cable tools but had bad luck with the battery's. I had a circular saw and it was a joke. You could maybe cut one sheet of plywood and the battery would die. I have switched to Milwaukee M18 fuel tools and they are awesome. You wouldn't know by the way it cuts that there saw is cordless.

My experience with Porter Cable is based on my buying an 18v set thinking they were the same Porter Cable that I'd used 20 some years before in the construction industry. They aren't. PC is probably better than a Walmart Skil or Wen, but not much. I wouldn't buy another piece of PC if I could avoid it.

I currently have Makita and Dewalt, both about a year old and gifts from my son. IMO the Makita is a couple levels above Dewalt, in fact I think Makita are still about the best power tools you can buy that are readily available. But the Dewalt is good too. I did notice the case on my Dewalt 18v drill driver is kind of "flexing", eg- when I'm pushing down from above trying to drive a screw and the tool really has to work I can feel the halves of the case shift. I don't get that with the Makita at all. Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's a flaw, I'm just putting it out there. The little 1/4" impact driver Dewalt is a jewel! Don't know how I ever got along without one. I should note I'm a Makita fan having been using them for a good 35 years and owning 7.2, 9.6, 12 and 18v tools as well as corded tools. I still have 7.2v batteries that are at least 20 years old that take and hold a charge and work about as well as they ever did. THAT is QUALITY!!!

I've never used Milwaukee, but a lot of people love them. You will pay a premium for them though. I'd try to get to a store I could handle a few of the premium brand tools in and see what feels best in your hand. There probably isn't all that much difference in the tools once you get out of the Walmart/TSC level tools. Or, as someone else mentioned, you could save a bundle and ago Harbor Freight. I know people that have their cordless tools that really like them. HF quality is coming higher every day.

I was looking at the latest black Friday flyers the other day and could not believe how EXPENSIVE the cordless tools have become.

I would say of the new stuff, Milwaukee is the best, followed by Dewalt. My kid just got the Milwaukee set with a driver, drill, grinder, skill saw and impact - they are very impressive
Pete

It was not more than a couple few days ago the exact question posed.
For all intent it has become the new oil thread.

It doesn't matter.
buy with confidence
hold you own personal beliefs
perhaps it was a much better day when they all had nicad batteries and short lived as they were
we all learned that brand loyalty was a thing past
there is no brand loyalty to rely on
so many brands
every month each brand seems to change design or supplier
I use yellow (refurbished from CPO outlet)
I buy chinese batteries at ebay

it could have been red or blue
harbor freight is meeting the odds
get on youtube and watch all the jokers try to do testing and evaluations
watch some guy called AVE on youtube tear them apart

which oil is best

Before retiring sold power tools for over 30 years. Porter
Cable back in the day was a good choice but now owned by
DeWalt. Everyone has had success and disappointment with
all brands but my favorites have always been Bosch and
Milwaukee. I even own a Metabo combo kit that has lasted for
many years. Just heard the other day Metabo bought out
Hitachi, don?t quote me. Metabo grinders are the best but not
the cheapest.

Like the thread from the other day said there is no single right answer to this one. Very much like asking what chainsaw brand is best this really comes down to personal preference.

I gave up Dewalt a number of years ago and started using Makita cordless tools at our shop and have been very happy with the results.

I buy cordless tools from CPO outlets where you can choose from lots of brands and many times score great deals on refurbished items.
CPO tools

My thoughts are forget them get a cord and 120 volt drill or you will be chasing batteries all day long and not get any work done. Extension cords don't run out of juice.

Hello sodbuster97,

Its been discussed before. You can beat the price, bot not
the quality. Hers is my choice!

Guido.

(quoted from post at 16:43:01 11/20/18) Like the thread from the other day said there is no single right answer to this one. Very much like asking what chainsaw brand is best this really comes down to personal preference.

I gave up Dewalt a number of years ago and started using Makita cordless tools at our shop and have been very happy with the results.

I buy cordless tools from CPO outlets where you can choose from lots of brands and many times score great deals on refurbished items.
CPO tools

Click to expand...

I had a very negative experience with that business last spring and would recommend caution when considering making a purchase. At the risk of getting too lengthy, I'll say that I ordered an item through Amazon, paid for it, and when the box arrived they had sent me a similar item worth about half. The ensuing debacle has caused me to rethink purchasing from Amazon altogether.

Milwaukee, DeWalt and Makita are my "short list." Now I have to narrow it down to one. Availability is a factor. I can get both Milwaukee and DeWalt localy. Makita is harder to find. Finding a brand I can find close by is a big selling point. I'm nervous to spend $ 150-$200 or more sight unseen.

I spent the $150.00 for a 20V 1/2? DeWalt drill and after six months the
chuck came apart. Probably because I used my channel lock pliers
on the chuck trying to get it to hold a drill bit. No chuck key, supposed to
hold with your hand to grasp a drill bit.
Also, it was supposed to be variable speed, but it was mostly off or full on.
Thought I would replace the chuck with a Jacobs, discovered the DeWalt
chuck is not replaceable. Disgusted, threw it in the trash.

Both of my Dewalt drills came with Jacobs chucks.

(quoted from post at 23:48:17 11/20/18) I spent the $150.00 for a 20V 1/2? DeWalt drill and after six months the
chuck came apart. Probably because I used my channel lock pliers
on the chuck trying to get it to hold a drill bit. No chuck key, supposed to
hold with your hand to grasp a drill bit.
Also, it was supposed to be variable speed, but it was mostly off or full on.
Thought I would replace the chuck with a Jacobs, discovered the DeWalt
chuck is not replaceable. Disgusted, threw it in the trash.

Click to expand...

Dewalt offers their drills with about 3 different quality levels of chucks. The cheapest of them are just about worthless unless the shank has 3 flats grounds into it. The best of their chucks is nearly as nice as an Albrecht.

Milwaukee 18V Fuel and their matching best lithium-ion battery wins all comparisons on other forums hands
down favorite. SON bought a matching Porter-Cable 1/4" hex impact and cordless drill about 5-6 years
ago. The Magic Smoke got let out of the drill couple years ago. ALL his new cordless tools are Milwaukee
now.
They may cost more, but you get what you pay for.
I've got Craftsman 19.2V cordless tools, bunch of them, 2-3 drills, recip. saw, 4-1/2" circular saw,
couple work lights, string trimmer, hex impact driver, half dozen batteries, both ni-cad and lith-ion.
When I have tough work to do, I have corded tools to use too, a mix of DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Milwaukee,
and some Black and Decker from back when they were really good. Used to have some Rockwell corded tools
too but they all wore out.

My opinion is that they all have strengths and weaknesses, my use is primarily in a mechanic environment for reference... I have been using cordless tools for about 20 years.

I have owned or currently own; Craftsman, Milwaukee, Rockwell, Bosch, Makita, Snap-on and some odd cheapies.

I have used & borrowed Panasonic, Dewalt, Rigid, Ryobi, and others I dont recall.

I abused the old 18v Ni-CD Bosch Brute Tough drill I had for years before it was finally "retired to home use", I couldn't wear it out... It weighs more than a corded drill and extention cord together though.

My craftsman batteries and chargers quit about the time the drill gears stripped out. Not impressed with those.

I killed 2 (used/refurbished) Snap-On drills not wanting to pony up the big bucks for new one. (Of course the batteries and chargers and other tools had all changed by then.)


The newer 20v Dewalts are lighter than the old 14/18v ones but we have already threw more of those away at work for electrical motor/trigger failures and broken grips/bodies than I'd care to admit. I've seen one of the drills burn up already.

The new 18v Milwaukee Fuel drill that one of my co-workers bought was in the garbage in less than 6 months from a failed motor and he was starting to have issues with the chuck loosening up. He went with a Snap-on after that but personally I can think of better ways to kill $800 in a hurry.

A different co-worker swears by Ryobi. They seem cheaper to run and all the batteries seem to interchange. He has no complaints about them, same with a past co-worker...

Dad used most of the big name brands on jobsites in the sheet metal trade and he likes Panasonic and Rigid.

I own Brushless Makita LXT tools (18v Lithium) and Rockwell ( 12v Lithium, made by Worx) and have been VERY pleased with them both.

Weight, durability, power and run time are better than most others I have borrowed/tried. I personally will be sticking with Makita on my next purchase.

It seems that the bigger name brands have a better overall tool selection. Makita for one has about a gazillion different tools going back quite a few years that use the same batteries/chargers etc...

I will say no matter the brand the batteries and chargers will do better overall if stored and charged close to room temperature (ie not left in the cold over the winter).

Hope this ramble helps. LOL

Carl

I bought the Milwaukee 18 volt about three years ago. We have almost
everything they make in our tool cabinet at work. The one I have is
the 1/2 inch drill with charger and carry case. Bought an extra larger
battery on Ebay for half the cost of a box store. It always works and
is very handy. By the way. One thing we have at work is that big bad
18 volt two speed adjustable grease gun. That thing is AWSUM! The
cheapest I could find it on Ebay was around $150.oo! A referb was in
the 100 range. List is almost 200. The 4 1/2 angle grinder works
really well too. Not as powerful as a cord grinder but for batteries
it is very handy. Also good is the charger brings the batteries up to
full pretty darn quick. Impressive.

I have 18v Ryobi, 3 drills and 3 impacts plus other stuff and since they came out with the drop-in LI replacement batteries for the old ni-cads, I've had
no reason to move up to 20v. On reliability, I still have and use the first pair I bought so many years ago I forgot when......back when they were blue,
yellow, and black. If I went to 20 it would be with them...right reliability at an affordable price.