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What brand power tools do the pros use in your area?

never enuf time

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North of the Motorcity
I feel older as most corded tools are 90's area porter cable, saws dewalt, circ milwuakee, bosch jigsaw, nailguns senco. All common tools made to be serviced with avaliable parts.

Cordless is ridgid. Good line of tools, middle of the road durability.

I am on my 4th cordless platform, don't think much of Bosch
 
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Pronk

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Feb 6, 2019
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Mechanicsburg, Ohio
Just finished up working a big solar job down in Florida, we tried several different brands of cordless impacts, Hilti, Milwaukee and Makita. Overall Makita worked the best for us in that environment.
 

WittHay

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Jan 6, 2016
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Surrey, BC Canada
The general handyman guys seem to prefer DeWalt cordless. The popular brand of compressors for the nail guns is Makita. The table and mitre saws yellow is the most common.

Corded saws, spade drills and grinders Makita dominates

Bigger commercial sites there is a lot of Hilti and Makita

DeWalt, Milwaukee and Hilti each has a distribution centre in the area. Makita has 2 factory centres. Hilti has 3 stores in the area
 
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DFB

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Southern VT/Western Mass
In contracting Milwaukee is 1st and most everyone around HERE is running Milwaukee hand held drills, impacts grinders, and sawzalls NOW. Plumbers are most ALL Milwaukee

Dewalt is still prevalent. Drill drivers and the table saw especially.

As are are some Makita, impact and cordless 6 1/2" saws mostly. Electricians seem to favor those as they smaller and lighter.

But the 15amp corded 5007 saw is still a solid favorite with carpenters.
(the smaller Makita 8 1/4" table saws were awesome at one time never see them much anymore)

For years Makita was like the chop saw king but the Hitachi compound miter became very popular

There are a few that have some Ridgid and Ryobi stuff on a job but its a real minority. Honestly I personally don't know anyone running any Bosch tools in general on a jobsite

Still the garages are using mostly using Snap On impact tools
 

bbrins

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Dec 25, 2012
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MD
The only contractors that I deal with around here are smaller operations, just the owner and a small group of workers. The only ones that seem to subscribe to any kind of battery platform mostly use DeWalt. The ones that are using any Milwaukee seem to just have one or two tools, and half the time with one battery shared between them. Everything else is a mix: Ryobi, Ridgid, Porter Cable, Makita, Craftsman, I haven't noticed much Bosch. For nailers, they are mostly using good brands, not HF, but they are usually rocking some tiny, cheap pancake compressor that can't keep up with what they are doing, and it just runs constantly and is as loud as hell.

As far as mechanics are concerned, the rare times I pay for someone else to work on my stuff, I hear an awful lot of air being used from the waiting room.

I'm not a contractor, I work for a nonprofit, maintaining their facilities, everything from changing light bulbs to building offices to doing general maintenance and repairs on vehicles and lawn equipment, and yard work. I provide most of the power tools. My bigger stuff is all DeWalt 20v: larger drills, impact drivers, reciprocating saw, mid torque impact, large impact, new circular saw, etc. My smaller 12 volt stuff is Milwaukee M12: drill, impact driver, stick light, hackzall. My corded stuff is a mix: Makita circular saw, Makita reciprocating saw, Makita jigsaw, Makita portable compressor, Porter Cable oscillating tool, Milwaukee hammer drill, Milwaukee Hole Shooter drill, DeWalt angle grinder, Bosch random orbit sander, etc. Air nailers are Bostitch, DeWalt, and Porter cable. Air impacts are Aircat, Chicago Pneumatic, and Ingersoll Rand. Plus a bunch more I can't remember right now.
 

KDoug

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Southeast Texas
I work for a small plumbing company. Only running one service van now, but we have all cordless Milwaukee tools (Sawzall, Hackzall, Impact driver, Drill, Pex expansion tool, Hole Hawg angle drill). Corded tools is a mix like most people- Fein oscillating tool, Older Skil circular saw, Dewalt grinder, Black & Decker Industrial right angle drill, Milwaukee Sawzall, Bosch hammer drill, Milwaukee drill.
 

Handyandy23

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Nov 8, 2017
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Ontario, Canada
As a DIYer I've learned to do lots of research before investing in a tool, have no specific brand loyalty, and just buy what proves to be the best. If I need a new tool I'll scour through reviews on Home Depot, Amazon, etc. and you can easily tell which reviews are written by contractors and experienced DIYers. You can usually get a very good idea from a high volume of reviews which tools are the best, and what strengths and weaknesses each has. And it seems most companies of their strengths and weaknesses, so I think being 100% brand loyal isn't getting you the best tools for your money. Some companies like DeWalt or Milwaukee don't really have any "bad" tools, but every company certainly has their stronger tools.

For saws I pretty much have all DeWalt as they generally rate out at or near the top for all saws. When I needed a router I went with Bosch based on reviews. My biscuit joiner is Ryobi based on having very good reviews and a better price. I'll usually take quality now over price when there is a substantial difference, such as my DeWalt miter saw over say a Ryobi, but if there are more than one similarly performing option I'll definitely go with the less expensive one.

I buy mostly corded tools because as a DIYer I value having the longevity of corded over the ease of batteries, but the cordless I do have is all DeWalt. I started out with their 20V drill and impact, and the few other cordless tools I've picked up I stuck with DW so I could keep with the same batteries. This is the one exception I have to buying whatever is the highest regarded by users - obviously it makes no sense to have multiple battery systems kicking around.

Air tools are more of a mixed bag. My OCD wanted me to stick with mostly DeWalt tools since a lot of my stuff was yellow, but they are never near the top in terms of satisfaction in air tools. I just bought a Bostitch framing nailer that I've been very happy with so far. My finish/brad nailer is a Ridgid, which again was based on reviews. My automotive air tools, like impact gun, are Ingersoll Rand (combo of affordable and decent quality).

I know this isn't necessarily the point of this thread, but I will say I've learned the expensive way that it's better to save up for the quality tools than buy the cheaper ones. Here in Canada most of the cheaper tools come from Canadian Tire (Mastercraft) and Princess Auto, and I'm finding that most of the stuff I've bought from them over the years is either breaking or just doing a really poor job at what they're supposed to do, and I'm replacing them.
 

mudflap

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cincinnati,ohio
Around here it seems to break down by trade. Electricians love Milwaukee, Framers and Conc guys use Dewalt, Plumbers seem to gravitate towards Ridgid, and trim/cabinet/HVAC guys like Makita. I think it's peer pressure...lol. My Brother in law is a job super for Drees Homes, I asked him..and thats the feedback i got. But he said these days the top 4 are all good...pick your favorite color.
 

Ilikeike

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Jan 8, 2015
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Northern Ca.
All Makita on the industrial jobs in the early to mid 90s

2000s DeWalt 18v dominated.

I started buying/investing in the new DeWalt 20v for our work crew and my home tools just before the new Milwaukee 18v stuff came out big.

I see about half and half Milwaukee/DeWalt on construction sites along with my buddy's that are in the Union Trades.

Although I have mostly Yellow 20v tools, I really prefer the Red 18v gear,
all my new 12v tools are Red.
 

mudflap

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cincinnati,ohio
All Makita on the industrial jobs in the early to mid 90s

2000s DeWalt 18v dominated.

I started buying/investing in the new DeWalt 20v for our work crew and my home tools just before the new Milwaukee 18v stuff came out big.

I see about half and half Milwaukee/DeWalt on construction sites along with my buddy's that are in the Union Trades.

Although I have mostly Yellow 20v tools, I really prefer the Red 18v gear,
all my new 12v tools are Red.

I dont know if your old enough to remember, but back in the late 80s, early 90s, Makita came out with that 9.6 volt cordless drill that had the long battery pack that slid up in the handle. I think that drill started the whole cordless tool thing.. It was the first one that was any real use on a commercial jobsite. It's dead now..but i still have mine. That thing was the 5hit back then...
 
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Ilikeike

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I dont know if your old enough to remember, but back in the late 80s, early 90s, Makita came out with that 9.6 volt cordless drill that had the battery pack that slid up in the handle. I think that drill started the whole cordless tool thing.. It was the first one that was any real use on a commercial jobsite. It's dead now..but i still have mine. That thing was the 5hit back then...

Yep, that why I said Makita in the 90s. When I got out of the Service and started working as an electrician in 1992 the 9.6v Makitas were all you saw.
I even had one of the small plug in ones that did not have a removable battery for small indoor jobs.
 

Antoin

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Dec 31, 2013
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97
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Ireland
Here in Ireland on sites it's mostly dewalt, makita and milwaukee these days. I do see the odd AEG, bosch & hilti tools as well.

Panasonic was the must have drill for a joiner/ carpenter years ago but I haven't seen one in ages!

As a diyer I have dewalt, Hitachi, makita but mostly moving towards dewalt to be honest. Never liked my makita drill so passed it on to my da.

Sent from my SM-G850F using The Garage Journal mobile app
 

jgromada

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Oct 13, 2011
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Maryland (between DC & Balt)
My plumber that i use is mostly all Milwaukee M12 & M18. He swears by them especially for the plumbing specific Milwaukee tools (PEX Crimpers, electric PVC cutter etc)

I did see one of his crew using a Ryobi Jigsaw when they thought no one was looking ;-)
 

Miss the Pontiacs

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Nov 7, 2016
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Saskatchewan Canada
I have a small cabling business. We use 80% 18v Bosch 20% 12v Milwaukee. The only corded tool used with any regularity is the Bosch Bulldog hammer drill.
I would say the brunt of other contractors appear to use cordless Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee and in that order.
When working years ago I used the Skill cordless screwdrivers (self purchased) for light work and then the were given the 7.2 volt Makita drills.
 

Dakkyz

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Mar 28, 2018
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South Yorkshire
Here in the UK, A Lot of weird off brands stuff you get on amazon for £50, Makita, Milwaukee, See a lot of Bosch SDS drills, and Dewalt saws, some of the bigger contractors use exclusively Hilit.
 

Mr. VR6

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Aug 24, 2010
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I’ve had a bunch of different brands, Mikita, Milwaukee, ryobi, and Snap-on.
I now run rigid tools, and Milwaukee smaller tools (12v). I have a pile of Snap-on stuff on my bench that I can’t seem to throw away because it cost so much.
The Milwaukee stuff I’m most impressed with, I have screw guns that are over 10 years old and still work, with original batteries, and the motors are caked in rust. I also have a couple of big rigid setups with some extra tools like the grinder, trim router, skill saw etc that are easily as good as the Snap-On stuff but the big seller for me is lifetime warranty on all rigid tools and batteries. All of the rigid stuff cost half of what Snap-On costs. The Mikita was alright but their drill motors ****.
I’m in the northeast, my preference probably isn’t the norm.
 
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Finance Guy

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Saudi Arabia
For commercial construction the dominant brand appears to be Hilti, followed by (perhaps) Makita ... I guess I’m surprised that DeWalt’s FlexVolt hasn’t had more significant penetration.

I do finance for an oil & gas company that operates offshore ... I’m rarely in the shop, but I’ve noticed an old DeWalt cordless 18v drill and DeWalt corded angle grinders.

At home my tools are all Milwaukee, though I’m planning to buy some saws and may consider DeWalt.
 

BarryWells

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May 26, 2019
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In the mountains
Around here if it has a cord it's likely Metabo or Makita.
Milwaukee is Sawzall and Portaband. Nothing more.
DeWalt own the battery crowd. Most of the mechanics round here are Mac-Proto guys.
The Mac driver fixes Dewalt stuff sometimes on the spot and have a shop full at the warehouse, batteries, drills, impacts and stuff on the truck. Hard to beat. None of this MSRP BS either.
5 AH Dewalt 20 Maxx for $100 cash for a pair........My Axis flex 90 in 3/8 ,$90.....c'mon man. That's the way it should be.
 

2ndGearRubber

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Pittsburgh
Everyone I know runs Milwaukee cordless, less my one plumber buddy who has dewalt. IME those with snap-on cordless were usually pretty disappointed in them over time. Most of the corded stuff I see is milwaukee. My electrician friend says they have nearly zero corded stuff now. M18 sawzalls and everything else they can get a hold of. Another friend works for an awning company, they're are milwaukee. But the company has a home depot credit card for work tools. Not sure they wouldn't all have dewalt if it was a Lowes card.


I have mostly Skil stuff for grinders/sawzalls. I've tried various brands, Skil is doing me well for price and usage. I use them a couple times a week max. For impacts IR typically reins supreme, and snap on. For everything else, you have people just buying die grinders and air hammers from whoever is on sale/cheapest, or people like me with mostly CP stuff. Personally I don't care much for brand on air tools, whatever is the best. So if SP air is the best, that's what I buy for an impacting air ratchet. That has zero bearing on my 1hp die grinder choice, aside from looking at SP Air for options being that their ratchet has been good to me.
 
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Nineeightyone

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Mar 21, 2018
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Pennsylvania
Central PA, I have a masonry company as a client that sells Metabo, but uses Dewalt cordless.

The one I find more interesting is a dental milling outfit who is also a client, where I've spotted a ton of Cherry keyboards and Wera hand tools (mostly screwdrivers) -- I need to make it a point to mention to the owner that he has fine taste in tools.

At home, I use Dewalt because I was able to get a good deal on a DCD996B, which now has me in for all sorts of neat things. A good friend of mine is the primary maintenance man at a quarry, and while they use Milwaukee there, he has also bought into Dewalt at home.
 

Mecha

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Dec 28, 2016
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Volunteer State
I've worked in assembly factories for 16 years. Last place was all Makita (made furniture and tables), otherwise always DeWalt.
 

jimmyin3D

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Apr 15, 2016
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southbay, CA
Los Angeles area. I see a lot of Milwaukee M18 cordless but also mixed with Dewalt(used to see much more of the older version with the Nicad)
 

BarryWells

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May 26, 2019
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In the mountains
Los Angeles area. I see a lot of Milwaukee M18 cordless but also mixed with Dewalt(used to see much more of the older version with the Nicad)
The tools were awesome. Tne nicad batteries were shiite. The adpater to use the 20 Max lithio to the 18 made things real appealing.
Yeah. I'm a fanboy of Dewalt.
 

abelacres

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Jul 11, 2019
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Back yard
I'm an Elevator mechanic (I specialize in modernization) in NW Florida but I work all over the southeast. I use all Dewalt cordless tools because they are available almost EVERYWHERE- Lowes, Home Depot, even local hardware stores in the middle of nowhere.

On construction sites it's mostly Dewalt 20v cordless except for Electricians who are mostly Milwaukee (City Electric Supply and Mayer Electric Supply are both dealers, and I think Rexal is too) Plumbers I've seen about half and half Dewalt and Milwaukee. Corded tools are typically Dewalt for saws, Bosch Bulldogs for Hammer Drills, sometimes Hillti. Naturally there are some Makita and Hitachi mixed in. Cordless Bosch is rare.

The maintenance guys I see at condos, hotels, etc. tend to use whatever is sold closest.

It was a toss up between Dewalt and Milwaukee when my old 18v Dewalts needed replacing. I went black and yellow because of available, but there are some tools Milwaukee makes I sure wish Dewalt did- like a cordless riviter, 3/8 ratchet and soldering iron.


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

nikerret

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Jan 22, 2015
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Kansas
Milwaukee then DeWalt, for general construction. Some Makita. A bit of Hilti. The rest are lower priced brands. No Rigid-no seller close.
 

nieuport17

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Jun 20, 2014
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466
Construction site here.
I’ve seem every brand. Even Ryobi shows up.
Whatever gets the job done.
 

cherrybomb

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Oct 18, 2016
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Near Madison Wi.
Way,way back in the day,Makita came out with a cordless drill that the battery actually stayed in the handle.Maybe early 80's,7.2 volts or something like that.At that time we were in hogs heaven.How the industry has changed.We have an Makita Sevice Center near us,and the contractors in the know buy and use the Makita Brand for that reason.I have used and bought Makita ever since,very satisfied.The yellow and red brand is also extremely popular.Its a very competitive industry.
 

CGarage

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Nov 23, 2018
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United States/Switzerland
In response to the title of this thread:

It depends on what deals are done between the tool manufacturers and their distribution partners. Namely, Lowe’s and Home Depot. The tool makers all compete against one another for shelf space at these retail locations.

Sadly, I see very, very few tradesmen who research tools and look for deals online or elsewhere. Acquisitions are done in person at retail locations.
 

engineer2

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Dec 13, 2009
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Location
Chicago burbs
Electricians: DeWalt
Commercial and industrial contractors: Makita
Residential carpenters: mixed bag, but lots of Bosch and Porter Cable
Flooring installers: AEG for drills
Job sites where stuff gets stolen: Harbor Freight
 

jd_1138

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May 8, 2013
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NE Ohio
Around here it's mostly DeWalt and Milwaukee. Where my mom lives, it's mostly Makita.
 
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