thinking new cordless tool purchase !what brand?

[adamant118]

Not happy with my 18 volt cordless Dewalt. Seems like everybody switching to Milwaukee. Which brand is the go-to tool for guys who use them?

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[majerus]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

My buddy uses Milwaukee for everything I would guess close to 9k between batteries and tools. Overall he loves them, I have a drill and a sawzall which have worked fine for years.

 

[77Birdman]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

I am a contractor and we use battery impact guns to death. Our go to is Makita. I also have a lot of Milwaukee stuff. I like them both and they hold up to our daily use and abuse.

 

[engineer2]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Makita user here. Lots of love for here for Milwaukee too. Either one should be good.
Makita has more outdoor power tools, but I'm sure Milwaukee will catch up. Both are continuously coming out with new products.

 

[DFB]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

I use both Milwaukee and older Makita. All my new investment has been in Milwaukee tools though and a lot of it is from the M12 lineup. Light and powerful

All depends on what tools you need

 

[NUTTSGT]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

What makes you unhappy with the Dewalt ?

 

[PelicanPines]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

I use both Milwaukee and older Makita. All my new investment has been in Milwaukee tools though and a lot of it is from the M12 lineup. Light and powerful

All depends on what tools you need

I went away from my 18v dewalt to their 20v but I didn't like them enough to buy everything. Wanted something with power but less weight... so I went Milwaukee M12... I still have and use the Dewalt 20v...

For need... I wanted a portable vacuum... after looking at a bunch... I went with Ridgid. Along with two fake batteries that work great.

All said... get the tools you need from the manufacturer who makes a good one...

 

[finn]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Bosch or Dewalt

 

[AMCguy]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Makita and Milwaukee tool for tool are very equal in quality and price point. The big difference for me is Makita has a far greater selection. So if you want a great tool to ad to your collection and want it to be the same colour, chances are Makita has it.

I have lots of Makita. No other brands for me.

Glenn

 

[rburke65]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand? <<<I still can't figured this out......

 

[cgrutt]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand? <<<I still can't figured this out......

Me thinks he meant "Rethinking" damn auto correct, LOL...

 

[Bert_]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

My Milwaukee stuff has been great except for the fuel drills. Had several of those fail in a short times, never had an issue with the older ones.

Now I have been getting some hilti stuff and it has held up well.

 

[rburke65]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Thanks cgrutt......been pulling out my hair. Makes sense.

 

[dbabicky]

Hate to say it but,........................I like my Snap-on stuff. It is a bit pricy, but if you're gonna use it every day or use it hard............................Just my .02 !!

 

[adamant118]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

What makes you unhappy with the Dewalt ?

Batteries ****

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[adamant118]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Me thinks he meant "Rethinking" damn auto correct, LOL...

Lo..yep

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[NUTTSGT]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Batteries ****

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If the batteries are the problem and you like the tools themselves, why not switch to 20V batteries and buy the adapters to use them in the 18V tools that you already own ?

 

[PelicanPines]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

If the batteries are the problem and you like the tools themselves, why not switch to 20V batteries and buy the adapters to use them in the 18V tools that you already own ?

Exactly what I did as well...

I had an 18v right angle drill that i LOVED... instead of including it with my sale of the other 18v tools... I kept it and waited till I could get a 20v/18v adapter on sale.

I was able to snag an adapter via the Amazon Warehouse Deals... I check them out often and found one.

The adapter works well.

 

[Streetbu]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Exactly what I did as well...

I had an 18v right angle drill that i LOVED... instead of including it with my sale of the other 18v tools... I kept it and waited till I could get a 20v/18v adapter on sale.

I was able to snag an adapter via the Amazon Warehouse Deals... I check them out often and found one.

The adapter works well.

Yep, this. I had a circular saw, sawzall, drill, 1/2" impact, impact screw gun, flashlight all in 18v Dewalt. Batteries did ****. Bought a 20v kit with the impact, drill, charger and two batteries for $149. Adapter was $35. Also bought a big 6ah battery for $99. Couldn't be happier for what I need.

 

[adamant118]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

If the batteries are the problem and you like the tools themselves, why not switch to 20V batteries and buy the adapters to use them in the 18V tools that you already own ?

never knew you could do that.. thank you

 

[tarmy]

Where are you...I have ALOT of 18v DeWalt tools and batteries that I could make you a sweet deal on...I am migrating to Milwaukee Fuel...

 

[6768rogues]

Mikita with the 3AH fat battery is what my son’s crews use. I have a few sets and they are great tools. I wanted some for occasional use in our FL house and Lowe’s had a Hitachi marked way down. It is good so far.

 

[SCSportsman]

Makita. Durable, plenty of power, great batteries and great selection of tools.

 

[PhysicsDude]

Makita and Milwaukee are both solid choices.

I personally think the Makita tools are more ergonomic, and so I went with them (10 years ago). It also seems to me Makita is somewhat more geared towards the carpentry type of tradesman, while Milwaukee has some pretty great offerings for the mechanic/industrial type of tradesman.

The newer Dewalt 20V and 60Vflexvolt stuff is good too. Usually people choose one or the other due to a sale going on at the time, or a specific tool they really want that only 1 brand makes.

 

[ItsNemo]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

Yep, this. I had a circular saw, sawzall, drill, 1/2" impact, impact screw gun, flashlight all in 18v Dewalt. Batteries did ****. Bought a 20v kit with the impact, drill, charger and two batteries for $149. Adapter was $35. Also bought a big 6ah battery for $99. Couldn't be happier for what I need.

This is the way to go...the adapter works but kinda ***** as it upsets the balance of the 18v tools. So as a transition, buy a new kit with your most frequently used tools to get you in the 20v system, use the adapter for your less used tools, and slowly replace as you go.

I've replaced all my frequent tools with straight 20v stuff, mostly with the brushless versions too but still am hanging on to my old 18v stuff. I agree the 18v batteries **** (I even have two of the 18v lithium packs) and mine are getting long in the tooth, hence making the switch.

When it comes to picking a brand of cordless tools, ignore all the hype/reviews/fans/bashing (milwaukee people seem to do the most bashing of other brands sadly)...go to the store, pick up the tools you most often use in all the brands, and see which one feels best in your hands. 20ft-lbs more torque you'll never notice in the real world but an uncomfortable tool you'll have to deal with everyday.

 

[redneckcharlie]

Im a pro, used milwaukee and ridgid in the past. We use the heck out of our cordless stuff. Ive used up just about every brand. Its par for the course if u use them day in and day out. Alot of my ridgid stuff started going. Batteries were still good, and so were the impacts. I just bit the bullet and switched to Dewalt 20 and 60 volt stuff. The 20 volt stuff is really nice, but the 60 volt is amazing. Hole hog, worm drive circular, etc all work like a true corded tool. Granted most dont need that type of cordless stuff, but short of framing an addition or new house, we dont carry corded tools any longer. Made in the USA is a bonus as well.

 

[RWorth]

Personally I have had incredibly good luck with the dewalt, I went to Dewalt many years ago when my Makita 9V stuff became obsolete. The only tool failures I have had is drill chucks kind of ****. I've replaced a couple of those. As far as batteries, I probably have about 12 or so , everything from the cheapies that came with the tools years ago, to the newer EXP's. I don't think I have lost more that 2 or 3 batteries in all these years.

My son started a 20V set a few years ago so I bought one of the adapters to ease into the transition, but found that the adapter will not take the large 6ah batteries I bought. So I traded with my son for a couple of 5ah that do fit the adapter.

As for 18v battery life, I have always run the batteries until they wouldn't turn at all, stone dead before charging. Seems to have worked for me.

 

[jonshonda]

Before I joined GJ I bought a Bosch 18v Drill/Driver combo because it was the best Menards had to offer and I had a gift card. After joining GJ I noted all the stuff guys were adding to their already large selection of cordless tools that weren't offered by Bosch. Lots of stuff I never thought of that would be very handy, and keeping common batteries and chargers is a great convenience.

If I had to do it all over again I would look at the complete lineup from Dewalt, Mil, and Makita and see if one offers a better value for me then the others.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Re: Free sinking cordless tool purchase !what brand?

never knew you could do that.. thank you

No problem, we're all here to help.

18V to 20V adapter

https://www.dewalt.com/en-us/produc...chargers/batteries/18v-to-20v-adapter/dca1820

or another option, is the 18V Li-Ion batteries. Keep in mind though, you'll need the proper 18V battery charger capable of charging these different batteries. One of the kits I bought came with this type of charger.

https://www.dewalt.com/en-us/produc...argers/batteries/18v-xrp-liion-battery/dc9182


I will admit, I have not switched to 20V/18V adapter or have any of the 18V Li-Ion batteries so I can't vouch for their effectiveness, merely adding it as an option.

 

[crewchief888]

I've had CM, bluepoint, ryobi, rigid, snap on, and lastly Milwaukee. The Milwaukee batteries and tools have outlasted all the others.
My "working" tools get abused, covered in grease, oil, and diesel fuel. I've had one 3/8" impact repaired under warranty @ 4 years

 

[pogrelis97]

I've been happy with all my Dewalt 20v tools, I would call myself semi-professional usage.
Half the reason I went with Dewalt is because the yellow matches my boat, otherwise I would have flipped a coin between Dewalt and Milwaukee.

 

[mike in tucson]

A couple of items:
1. For really good pricing on reman tools (with full warranty) go to CPOMILWAUKEE.com or CPODewalt.com, etc
2. I talked to a Dewalt factory field guy about batteries. He said the battery has about 700 "charges"..... if you use a battery for 10 seconds and put it back on the charger, you have used one of the charges. He said it is best to run the battery until the tool no longer functions and then recharge. I have been guilty of putting batteries on the charger that were still fully charged. My bad.