Cordless tool options (manufacturer)

[billw]

I keep looking at the ranges of cordless tools that are available, but obviously with the requirement for (not cheap) battery packs it makes sense to plump for one brand and stick to it. Only thing is I’m in the dark about the pros and cons or each, so wondered if I could get some ideas about why people picked the brand they did rather than the others.

I’m starting from scratch here, current power tools are a lot of somewhat old Black & Decker stuff that’s lying around but has to do.

 

[Ollie78]

Personally I have quite a bit of Makita 18v stuff, I bought a kit with 6 tools and batteries years ago and still have most of it. I like their circilar saw design and the jigsaw is nice as is the recip saw, get the drill with the proper metal gearbox and chuck if you go Makita.
The batteries last a good few years but I think it is important to remember that they are a consumable in the end.

Makita make almost every tool you can imagine in 18v now and some with 2 batteries for extra power.
I also highly rate Metabo tools, I have a few and they seem to last forever.

Ryobi have a similarly enormous range of tools but to me there is something lacking in the feel of them. Feel is important if you use them all the time.

Everyone has their favourites Dewalt and Milwaukee are popular.

I suggest you go to a proper tool shop and actually play with the stuff you are considering, you might not like the feel of the triggers or the way certain things are done, ergonomics is important and personal to every individual.

Also which offer is on has a lot to do with it, sometimes you can find a cracking deal !


Ollie

 

[clogs]

Royobi is rubbish other than the basic DIY then u'd be better off with Lidil or Aldi gear......
Anything Japanese is great......
the only other make I'd use outside Japan is Milwaukee.....as my Jap stuff wears out thats where I'm going...
already have a few Milwaukee Fuel bits....it the best out there.....expensive but proffesional qual....

 

[Jameshow]

I have a couple of Stanley fat max drills great drills by DeWalt. I've used my for 5years part of which was full time.

Better than basic DeWalt tbh but cheaper than pro stuff.

Range isn't the greatest though.

Cheers James

 

[AJB Temple]

I don't buy into the battery platform thing. In my case I buy what I consider to be the best tool within what I can afford at the time. In the workshop I am fine with corded or even 110V but I do have some battery stuff

Festool - small SFX drill
Greenworks - chainsaw and hedge cutter
Festool - multi tool (also have corded)
DeWalt - nailers 1st and 2nd fix (really good)
Milwaukee Fuel - drill & 2 impact drivers (one oil drive) - these are great. Had a huge amount of use over 5 years. 5Ah batteries
Stihl - chainsaw and strimmers
Makita - two radios
Elu - old drill (30 years? still in use!)
Ryobi - drill (batteries now failed after 20 years. This was when Ryobi made proper tools bit today's DIY light duty stuff)
Makita - small circular saw (not very good)

I don't find multi platform any inconvenience at all.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I've gone for dewalt because I got a good deal on a drill and I liked the look of their multitool, since then I've picked up a few other bits. Once you're into a system, it makes sense to stay with it, and I've no complaints with dewalt, but I'm sure makita or blue bosch would be comparable. If I had the cash I'd go for milwaukee fuel or festool, but realistically that's not going to happen for my DIY use. My advice would be to list the tools you are likely to want, look at the reviews, and make a considered choice from there. Also I'd always go brushless, costs more but better. Whenever I don't really need the battery (ie I only use it in a workshop) I would consider going for the mains model, no worries about running out of power, often considerable saving, and better choice as you are not locked into a specific make.

 

[Terrytpot]

I'd always go brushless, costs more but better.

+1 for brushless...I have a mix of makita and dewalt but the only item I had cause to regret was a non brushed makita 4.5" angle grinder..utter crap that couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding (if thats your thing).

 

[Ollie78]

I do wonder about brushless being the best. I have changed the brushes 4 times in my Makita circular saw over the years and a few times in some Festool stuff as well.
I understand brushless use less energy which is obviously a plus for cordless tools.
Would they have just been dead had they been brushless or would they have actually lasted 4 times as long ?
Could you tell in a blind test?

Ollie

 

[billw]

I think Makita looks a good bet right now, I nearly dropped my phone when I saw the price of Milwaukee kit

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Brushless every time, it's more powerful and less strain on the batteries. I spoke to some roofers a few months ago who were using exclusively DeWalt (which was why I spoke to them) and they said they'd switched a year or two ago from Makita and that the DeWalt was better by by a mile. I have a brushless DeWalt drill and a jigsaw which was bought purely because I already had the drill, both excellent excepting that the base of the jigsaw is held in place witha cable tie because it works loose. It makes sense to keep to a make as doubling or trebling up on batteries doesn't make economic sense, it also doesn't make too much sense to choose according to recommendations from people who bought gear several or more years ago - the makes go up and down in quality over the years like yoyos.
(My neighbour, a builder has a Makita jigsaw and has used my DeWalt jigsaw - he says the DeWalt is way better.)

 

[Trevanion]

I used to like Milwaukee but they've become rather expensive for what they are, I've got an M12 Fuel Drill and Impact set and the Drill had to have a new coil under warranty, with perhaps about an hour of runtime doing lightish tasks!

I've since switched to Dewalt and the quality is better, in my opinion. I've got quite a few Dewalt tools now and they've all been excellent thus far, I've bought a cordless SDS drill today which I expect will be just as good and very handy!

All my corded stuff is Makita though which is also top notch (with the exception of the jigsaw, I think the corded Dewalt is a much better machine), but I've seen many bad experiences with the cordless stuff.

 

[Ollie78]

Milwaukee is made by the same people as Ryobi now as well which has lowered the quality apparently.
Check out the "black friday "bargains, FFX are doing a sale right now.

These days I don`t think there are many truly "bad" tools as such, the stuff that is budget now is as good as the high end stuff from 10 years ago.
Its all about the smaller details and what you like or don`t.

Ollie

 

[Sideways]

Deciding on just one system will deny you some of the best tools on the market, but it does save you some duplication of batteries.
I'm with AJB T on this. I have cordless tools from Bosch and Fein, corded from Bosch, Metabo, Festool, Elu and Makita. Some of them 30+ years old and will be going strong long after I'm gone.
DeWalt and Milwaukee tend to win on out-an-out power. I think of them as strong but crude and favour Milwaukee (owned by TTI and made in China). Makita have a very wide range and are widely sold.
Bosch I find comfortable and their best machines are well made but no longer rate as "lifetime buy"s as they aren't designed for repair the way they used to be.
Fein: good grinders, the best oscillators, and their big 4 speed brushless drill has a killer top speed. Limited range and slow to innovate.
Metabo: own lots of their older corded tools. V v good. Great grinders and the premium cordless stuff is strong. Jumped on the latest battery tech years before the bigger guys. Cordless drill with power tapping chuck is v impressive.
Hitachi: make a good brushless circ saw. Decent workhorse tools.
Panasonic: their premium cordless drill and impact driver pair are super comfortable. Best I've ever handled. Reputed to be v popular with kitchen fitters.
Festool: refined but pricy.
Mafell: the best at what they do but even more pricy. Some very specialised woodworking power tools.
Hilti: high quality tools for working with concrete and metal.
Cheers

 

[mikej460]

I mostly have 18v Li-on Dewalt cordless - drill, impact driver, angle grinder, circular saw and dab radio - all excellent, but I really, really like the angle grinder with it's soft start and brushless motor. I have a 240v sds dewalt hammer drill/chiseller which is very useful for restoration work on our house. I also have an old but excellent 240v dewalt mitre saw that I use a great deal, an old but serviceable 1/4" 240v dewalt router, a very good 240v bosch multi-tool that's given great service over the years and a 30 year old 240v 500W b&d hammer drill which I still use occasionally. I've also just had a Triton TRA001 router as a birthday present (how did she know??) which I have yet to use but I'm building a router table to house it. I also have a 240v metabo duo orbital sander that I've had for years and has been superb but now starting to show its age. Finally an old 240v makita jigsaw which I still use and is still excellent.

If I could afford it I would love to upgrade the circular saw to 54v Flexvolt as I could use the battery(ies) in all the other 18v tools; the standard 18v circular saw is very good but I sometimes need more power and depth of cut, especially when I start the workshop rebuild. I would also like a router trimmer (the dewalt looks fab but budget may reduce my expectations to a katsu hand trimmer for now).

And I dream of a 240v sliding mitre saw as, after a splendid afternoon spent in an Axminster store, I was really taken with the 240v Makita LS1219 (I mentally spent thousands that afternoon but came out with only a catalogue ).

Please bear in mind that I've built this little lot up over a number of years and I started many years ago with just an 18v NiMH Makita drill that is now down to its last, rather tired battery but still useful as a backup when I need 2 drills e.g. counter sinking to save time changing bits.

I believe a new battery technology is being developed called carbon-Ion technology that will next power our tools but when it will be available I've no idea....

Hope that this helps

 

[Spectric]

Hi

Treat every tool as individual like AJB said, buy the best for each role and forget brand loyality, no one is the best at everything.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Which makes perfect sense for corded tools, but is the expensive (and inconvenient?) option for battery tools.

 

[Spoonboy]

I have Dewalt 2 cordless drills, circular saw and jigsaw, 2nd fix nailer, all have served me well. blue Bosch 12v (which is surprisingly powerful) screwdrivers and impact drivers, 75mm 12v disc cutter which is brilliant!! A few years ago when I bought my Bosch screwdrivers, I plugged in the charger, it wasn't working so I phoned bosch and they said they would arrange to have it picked up and fixed, the reason being, the shop where I had bought it didn't have a replacement.
A week later it was returned fixed. A week after that I received a impact screwdriver with 2 batteries in a box, I thought they had made a mistake until I read the paperwork and it said commercial goodwill. Now that's what I call customer service. That was nearly 10yrs ago, and there still going strong. BTW don't get rid of your old black and decker stuff. It's better made than alot of the new gear.

 

[Danieljw]

I am 64 years of age.
A retired carpenter, I have been a makita and metabo user all my life.
My tools have been well looked after and extensively used, now as they wear out, it is a decision of cost of replacement, I dont need tools that will stand the test of time in a hard working environment, I still keep myself busy building bespoke furniture and rocking horses for my grandchildren.
I have been using worx 20v tools for about 4 years now.
A well priced powerful range, not made for a production environment, but certainly suitable for the busy DIY enthusiast.
The switchdriver is an amazingly convenient and powerful, lightweight tool.
The vibrafree sander is about the best I have ever used.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I stopped buying anything by Makita 20+ years ago when they couldn't be bothered to answer my letters. I have a mains Metabo sander which is by a mile the worst power tool I've ever used.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Don’t forget about dust extraction. I battled with the same issue and with a garage that has no power it was an important decision. I went with the Dewalt because I really liked their flex vault mitre saw but as I gained more experience and dust extraction became more on my mind I now love and tend to look at Festool first. Having said that I think I will probably stick with both.

It is very true that if you stick with one you may over look some great tools. I have to admit though I am a weirdo because I always look at where a tool is made. If I can’t get German or Japan I’ll settle for Swiss, cheq etc which IMO with the eyes of the German and Japanese are just as good.

Milwaukee have a great range of tools and it’s large too, and the quality is good as it’s part of AEG (German eyes).

For me Festool and Milwaukee