Persephone
Established Member
Like some commenters I also run several platforms and I've acquired them more by accident than design.
I am just a hobbyist so my living isn't dependent on my tools but I will always go with what I prefer rather than sticking to a platform for convenience of loyalty.
For many years I used corded tools and occasionally picked up the odd tool while buying groceries in Aldi. But eventually I needed to do something at my parent's house and wanted a quality drill and impact driver. I settled on the Milwaukee Fuel twin pack after looking at some reviews. I have to say I am delighted with them and later added a second drill so I don't have to change bits while working on projects. If I need an SDS drill in the future I will definitely stick with Milwaukee as they are just flawless in every respect.
At some point I was given B&Q vouchers from work and they don't sell Milwaukee so I bought a DeWalt multitool kit and bare recip saw (pretty pointless tool for me and I'd have been better off buying wood stain!). I later wanted a barrel grip jigsaw and sander and preferred the DeWalt versions to Milwaukee. I also added a grinder and several batteries.
Back to Milwaukee... I liked their Fuel router so I bought that and I also added their 18 gauge brad nailer and a couple more batteries.
Platform three arrived when I decided a track saw would be useful and bought the Festool.
A few more vouchers from work were converted into a cordless Dremel kit and accessories.
So I currently run four battery platforms and I've got no problem doing so. However I am just a hobbyist and my livelihood doesn't depend on my tools. In fact I was quite taken by the Metabo cordless table saw so that may be platform five...
I've found that I prefer to buy the best tool for my needs and I don't worry about which battery it uses but there have been a couple of occasions where I'd have liked two spare Festool batteries and if my drills had also been Festool I could have just swapped them out but I can't justify Festool drills for what I do. Also, I've noticed that buying bare tools to add to an existing system isn't always the cheapest option - occasionally you can get a great deal on a kit with a couple of batteries so system loyalty becomes redundant at that point.
I found actually being able to hold the tools at the Norther Woodworking Show was a great help - I really didn't like the feel of Makita tools so perhaps visiting a show and trying out the tools might be useful.
Anyway, best if luck with your purchasing decision.
I am just a hobbyist so my living isn't dependent on my tools but I will always go with what I prefer rather than sticking to a platform for convenience of loyalty.
For many years I used corded tools and occasionally picked up the odd tool while buying groceries in Aldi. But eventually I needed to do something at my parent's house and wanted a quality drill and impact driver. I settled on the Milwaukee Fuel twin pack after looking at some reviews. I have to say I am delighted with them and later added a second drill so I don't have to change bits while working on projects. If I need an SDS drill in the future I will definitely stick with Milwaukee as they are just flawless in every respect.
At some point I was given B&Q vouchers from work and they don't sell Milwaukee so I bought a DeWalt multitool kit and bare recip saw (pretty pointless tool for me and I'd have been better off buying wood stain!). I later wanted a barrel grip jigsaw and sander and preferred the DeWalt versions to Milwaukee. I also added a grinder and several batteries.
Back to Milwaukee... I liked their Fuel router so I bought that and I also added their 18 gauge brad nailer and a couple more batteries.
Platform three arrived when I decided a track saw would be useful and bought the Festool.
A few more vouchers from work were converted into a cordless Dremel kit and accessories.
So I currently run four battery platforms and I've got no problem doing so. However I am just a hobbyist and my livelihood doesn't depend on my tools. In fact I was quite taken by the Metabo cordless table saw so that may be platform five...
I've found that I prefer to buy the best tool for my needs and I don't worry about which battery it uses but there have been a couple of occasions where I'd have liked two spare Festool batteries and if my drills had also been Festool I could have just swapped them out but I can't justify Festool drills for what I do. Also, I've noticed that buying bare tools to add to an existing system isn't always the cheapest option - occasionally you can get a great deal on a kit with a couple of batteries so system loyalty becomes redundant at that point.
I found actually being able to hold the tools at the Norther Woodworking Show was a great help - I really didn't like the feel of Makita tools so perhaps visiting a show and trying out the tools might be useful.
Anyway, best if luck with your purchasing decision.
