12v cordless

[mike93lx]

I mostly use Dewalt 20V stuff, but have a Craftsman Nextec kit (drill, impact, jigsaw, light) that i like for light stuff around the house.

Well, after about a decade, the drill let out the smoke and they are hard to find.

Really just need a drill and an impact and i want small tools with the ability to take a small battery.

The battery thing rules out dewalt. Milwaukee seems like the default, but to be realistic, i don't need the huge array of tools and they are expensive. Bosch looks nice top, but also expensive

I'm leaning to ridgid. $120 gets the drill, impact, charger, a 2ah batt and a 4ah batt. Any opinions on this?

 

[IndyGarage]

Milwaukee M12, Bosch 12v max and Makita 12v max, are all almost identical with very similar, very good performance. They are very compact, and can do a lot of work for their size. They are not really 12v tools. They are 10.8 volts, but they all call them 12v.

Milwaukee has the widest variety of tools, including some great LED lights. They also have the XC battery packs, which have much more capacity but are completely interchangeable with the regular max batteries.

Makita has a different battery pack they call CXT, but it's incompatible with the 12V max tools - dumb move to split their product line in two in my opinion.

Bosch was the first in the space but hasn't really done much with the 12v tools, in my opinion.
I've bought all three of those brands in the past. Here's my recommendation:

If you are just going for a drill and or an impact driver, then I might go Makita or Bosch, because they offer really good basic packages at around $100. The makita box set with drill and driver and 2 batteries for around $100 is a great value.

If you are going for a line of tools that use the same battery or want great LED lights, Milwaukee wins, hands down...

 

[mike93lx]

Thanks, i honestly didn't think about makita. The cxt tools won't work for what i want due to their large batteries. I really want something with an in-handle battery option. Most of the time, this is for hanging pictures, assembling something or holding an extra bit during a project so i don't have to swap bits between operations.

Lights and lots of tool options aren't needed.

 

[Bryanthegreat]

I don't think the Rigid would be a bad choice the only limit would be tool options. I personally like the smaller battery that fits in the handle. I chose the Milwaukee but I also considered the rigid.

 

[mike93lx]

The milwaukee ratchets are what's drawing me towards them, but i do very little wrenching lately and it would be little more than a novelty to be realistic. If the milwukee wasn't $100+ more, it would be easy

 

[IndyGarage]

Thanks, i honestly didn't think about makita. The cxt tools won't work for what i want due to their large batteries. I really want something with an in-handle battery option. Most of the time, this is for hanging pictures, assembling something or holding an extra bit during a project so i don't have to swap bits between operations.

Lights and lots of tool options aren't needed.

I haven't owned the CXT Makita, but I do have the Makita 12v Max, which is what you describe, with the battery in the handle, and I think they are actually as good or better than the Milwaukee Fuel. They are a little thinner and lighter than Milwaukee and have the same speed and power.

For some reason about 3 years ago Makita came out with the 12v CXT tools which was incompatible with the 12V max tools. I don't care for the CXT type battery in the small tool. The value of the small tools is their compactness. I think they must not have sold for them, because they still seem to have the 12V max available.

Like I said, if you are only buying the drill and impact driver (actually these days you can get by with just the impact driver) then the Makita kit is a pretty good option if you can find it on sale.

 

[DFB]

Milwaukee's 2494-22 is $149 right now though it comes a 3rd battery on a promo a 2.0

Oftentimes you can find this kit for $99 on a special around major holidays. The similar Makita and Ridgid kits are usually competitively priced also at the same time too.

If Makita LXT style doesn't meet doesn't meet your needs I highly recommend the Milwaukee 12v tools. Even though you say your not interested now on other tools it still leaves the window wide open there. While there is nothing wrong performance wise with any of the previous listed tools the lines are somewhat limited.

A PERSONAL NOTE I had though I wanted the pod style Makita 12v "Max" as I had many other Makita tools when I first went looking some years ago. I found the Milwaukee's to feel much better in the hand and the performance rating are is slightly better too. But nothing to argue over You don't need Fuel tools The 3d optional tool choice could be the 1/4 hex collet screwdriver. I have the original brushed Milwaukee its the lightest and smallest tool I own. I also have the FUEL screwdriver its awesome but larger and heavier.

Good luck with whatever way you go The Ridged and Milwaukee are quite similar in design

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Doesn't Ryobi have a little 8v drill/ driver thing for $40?....no expansion of other tools probably. ..

 

[6PTsocket]

Thanks, i honestly didn't think about makita. The cxt tools won't work for what i want due to their large batteries. I really want something with an in-handle battery option. Most of the time, this is for hanging pictures, assembling something or holding an extra bit during a project so i don't have to swap bits between operations.

Lights and lots of tool options aren't needed.

Are you talking about tools that take the quick detach hex bits? I have Bosch drill and impact driver. I have even run some deck screws with the impact driver. The drill is fine for screws and I have a few hex drill bits but I prefer a conventional drill chuck that takes all kinds of drill bits that are not hex. To add to the excellent review above, the 20 volt stuff is really 18 after the initial discharge of a minute or so. The Bosch 12 was labeled 10.8 when it first came out and still is in Europe.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Bryanthegreat]

Ryobi does have one but you need to plug in the whole tool to charge the battery. Their smaller 12v drill is similar to the dewalt 12v in size and battery profile. I like the Ryobi 12v size but it is only 1 speed and they don't have anything else to offer in 12v

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Ryobi does have one but you need to plug in the whole tool to charge the battery. Their smaller 12v drill is similar to the dewalt 12v in size and battery profile. I like the Ryobi 12v size but it is only 1 speed and they don't have anything else to offer in 12v

Ok, cool. I don't really follow anything but M12 and then all the big 18v players.

 

[lafester]

I saw 2 nextec drills at sears yesterday and 1 at kmart last week.

I wouldn't say they are hard to find but they are discontinued.

 

[Voi]

Bosch looks nice top, but also expensive

I'm leaning to ridgid. $120 gets the drill, impact, charger, a 2ah batt and a 4ah batt. Any opinions on this?

I'd at least look at the Bosch clpk27 kit, assuming you already have a clutched drill in the Dewalt 20V line.

For about the same price as the Ridgid kit you get the impact driver but you also get a 1/4" hex clutched driver. There is no "regular" drill (meaning one with an adjustable, keyless chuck) with this kit.

With a small array of hex shanked drill bits it would make for a much more compact and light drill than anything else with a keyless chuck. Need more precision and power? Use your 20V drill. Need light weight and compactness for repetitive drilling? Use the 12V hex driver.

I have the early Bosch version. It's not a tool I use a lot but there are times it is so much more useful than my full sized Makita 18V hammer drill.

Food for thought.

 

[IndyGarage]

A PERSONAL NOTE I had though I wanted the pod style Makita 12v "Max" as I had many other Makita tools when I first went looking some years ago. I found the Milwaukee's to feel much better in the hand and the performance rating are is slightly better too. But nothing to argue over You don't need Fuel tools The 3d optional tool choice could be the 1/4 hex collet screwdriver. I have the original brushed Milwaukee its the lightest and smallest tool I own. I also have the FUEL screwdriver its awesome but larger and heavier.

Good luck with whatever way you go The Ridged and Milwaukee are quite similar in design

I bought the original Milwaukee 10.8V (now called M12) impact driver, as well as the second generation Bosch and the equivalent Makita. Later I upgraded to the M12 Milwaukee Fuel. I've used all of them extensively. I have not tried the Ridgid.

I've also tested all of mine side-by-side at the same time, and the results are surprising. Here's the result:

All of the tools will drive dozens of 3 inch deck screws on a single charge - they all have plenty of power and reasonable battery life. The original Milwaukee and the Makita have the best ergonomics of any of them. The original brushed Milwaukee however is considerably slower than the others.

The Gen 2 Bosch impact driver (what they sell today), the Makita impact driver and the Milwaukee Fuel impact driver all are almost dead even in power and speed. They all feel slightly different, for example the Makita has a faster hammer, but doesn't seem to hit as hard, but in the end it drives a screw at almost identical speed as the Bosch and Fuel.

I can't really comment on battery life, because I didn't have identical brand new batteries, but I can tell you that you do get a bit more power from the Milwaukee XC batteries, and of course more life, over the conventional batteries.

So, in my test there was no truth to the Fuel being any better than the others. It was almost exactly the same - but for some reason I don't like its ergonomics as well. I personally like the feel of the Makita best, with Bosch second and Milwaukee Fuel last. However that's relatively minor - it's really a coin flip between them.

 

[AE2]

I have been eyeballing the masterforce 12v set from Menards. Can’t find any reviews on it to help make the decision. Regular price for the dell and impact kit is $99 but I have seen it on sale for $69. I think the drill, impact, light and little usb charger are the only products in their 12v line.

 

[FigureItOut]

The Gen 2 Bosch impact driver (what they sell today), the Makita impact driver and the Milwaukee Fuel impact driver all are almost dead even in power and speed. They all feel slightly different, for example the Makita has a faster hammer, but doesn't seem to hit as hard, but in the end it drives a screw at almost identical speed as the Bosch and Fuel.

I'm curious if you're referring to the Bosch PS41, which is the second version and still sold, or the newer PS42, the brushless version?

 

[IndyGarage]

I'm curious if you're referring to the Bosch PS41, which is the second version and still sold, or the newer PS42, the brushless version?

Good point. I didn't realize they had a PS42, so I was talking about the PS41 - which I have had for several years and used a lot.

Not sure why they needed a brushless one, but they obviously did.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

If I were in your shoes, my first choice would be the Milwaukee M12 Gen1 drill & impact kit, on clearance at Home Depot for about $170 now. The Gen2 is smaller and a bit more powerful, but at $229.

If you're really not concerned about brushless or having the latest and greatest, you can find M12 non-Fuel brushed kits for $100, with a drill, impact driver, and usually a third tool like the little Hackzall. That may be enough for your needs, and I'd still prefer that over Ridgid.

The Bosch 10.8V (12v) lineup has good tools, but I'd be concerned with availability if you want more than the drill and impact driver. I think Lowes here has 3 Bosch 12v tools, but I can walk into Home Depot and try out about 30 Milwaukee M12 tools on display, and our local plumbing supplier has more there.

My favorite advantage with my M12 tools and batteries is, of course, my heated hoodie and jacket. Though hopefully soon I won't be needing them for several months here.

 

[IndyGarage]

Both Bosch and Makita have the heated jackets as well.

If you look on Amazon, Bosch has a pretty extensive 12v line.

 

[mike93lx]

If I were in your shoes, my first choice would be the Milwaukee M12 Gen1 drill & impact kit, on clearance at Home Depot for about $170 now. The Gen2 is smaller and a bit more powerful, but at $229.

If you're really not concerned about brushless or having the latest and greatest, you can find M12 non-Fuel brushed kits for $100, with a drill, impact driver, and usually a third tool like the little Hackzall. That may be enough for your needs, and I'd still prefer that over Ridgid.

The Bosch 10.8V (12v) lineup has good tools, but I'd be concerned with availability if you want more than the drill and impact driver. I think Lowes here has 3 Bosch 12v tools, but I can walk into Home Depot and try out about 30 Milwaukee M12 tools on display, and our local plumbing supplier has more there.

My favorite advantage with my M12 tools and batteries is, of course, my heated hoodie and jacket. Though hopefully soon I won't be needing them for several months here.

Appreciate everyone's feedback.

I dug a bit more last night and saw a deal at the Depot that I think you are referencing here. $150 for a drill, impact, charger and 3 batteries. Essentially the same price as ridgid if I add the third battery and it is a much more diverse and active platform. I'm also seeing some deals on CPO that add a hackzall for another $20-30, but minus a battery.

The Bosch still looks nice, but I think I want a chuck on the drill

 

[IndyGarage]

Appreciate everyone's feedback.

I dug a bit more last night and saw a deal at the Depot that I think you are referencing here. $150 for a drill, impact, charger and 3 batteries. Essentially the same price as ridgid if I add the third battery and it is a much more diverse and active platform. I'm also seeing some deals on CPO that add a hackzall for another $20-30, but minus a battery.

The Bosch still looks nice, but I think I want a chuck on the drill

I think you can get the Bosch with a chuck on it, and I know you can with Makita.

Hacksall is really a compromise tool and not really all that useful. It's underpowered, the balance isn't very good and the stroke is so short it really doesn't cut all that well. I found you really need the XC batteries in order to cut anything substantial with one.

Bosch makes a Hacksall copy - I never bought it. Makita makes a 12v recip type saw that has way better ergonomics than the Hacksall. Unfortunately it is also underpowered. I usually use the Makita most of the time rather than the Hacksall.

 

[mike93lx]

I have a small jigsaw with my Nextec kit and have found it quite useful at times, but I don't use it frequently. I'll probably just keep it around for when I need it instead of buying another in a different brand just to collect dust

 

[Voi]

The Bosch still looks nice, but I think I want a chuck on the drill

Understood. You can also get kits from Bosch with a regular drill but I thought I'd mention the pocket driver simply because I find it so useful and because I think another regular chuck drill in my arsenal would be just too redundant.

It seems like the single hand reciprocating saws and ratchets have been mentioned. I have the Bosch 12V Hackzall equivalent and while I do find it useful it is underpowered and limited in stroke for what I find it most useful for and that's trail clean up on our national forest.

Since you have the ratchets in the back of your mind and possibly the hackzall I'd steer you towards the deals on the M12 stuff. If price is still an issue AC Delco has a 12V line that includes ratchets as well as an impact and drill as I recall.

Honestly though despite having a handful of Bosch 12V tools I'm reluctant to buy anymore simply because of the breadth of the lineup of M12 stuff. A more powerful brushless Hackzall and that grinder/polisher plus the ratchets makes it very hard for me to expand my Bosch 12V tools.

 

[mike93lx]

Understood. You can also get kits from Bosch with a regular drill but I thought I'd mention the pocket driver simply because I find it so useful and because I think another regular chuck drill in my arsenal would be just too redundant.

It seems like the single hand reciprocating saws and ratchets have been mentioned. I have the Bosch 12V Hackzall equivalent and while I do find it useful it is underpowered and limited in stroke for what I find it most useful for and that's trail clean up on our national forest.

Since you have the ratchets in the back of your mind and possibly the hackzall I'd steer you towards the deals on the M12 stuff. If price is still an issue AC Delco has a 12V line that includes ratchets as well as an impact and drill as I recall.

Honestly though despite having a handful of Bosch 12V tools I'm reluctant to buy anymore simply because of the breadth of the lineup of M12 stuff. A more powerful brushless Hackzall and that grinder/polisher plus the ratchets makes it very hard for me to expand my Bosch 12V tools.

Price is not a big enough issue to rule out the right tool. I don't want something that is likely to be abandoned in the tools' lifetimes...like Nextec. But to be pragmatic, I'm an accountant and not a mechanic. These will never generate income and won't save money since I already have other tools. It's just convenience and that comes with a limited "budget".

For the pricing on Gen1 M12, they seem like the right choice. Deep product line, tons of development, lots of owners, and high quality. The ridgid might be a few bucks cheaper, but it misses on all of those. Bosch may be better in certain circumstances, but I don't think any of those outweigh the points I highlighted

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I was going through this same dilemma last summer and ultimately settled on the Bosch CLPK22-120 for $99 on sale through Amazon. The batteries are very similar to my 12V Dremel and popping off the end caps allows the body of the battery (identical to Dremel) to fit in the tool & I have two chargers for all three batteries. Bosch is certainly lagging in 12V offerings compared to Milwaukee at least in the US anyway. What TTI has done to Milwaukee compared to what they used to be stills leaves a bad taste in my mouth due in no small part to the fact that I have a dozen or so power-plus battery tools from when Atlas Copco owned them. In the UK and other foreign markets the offerings from Bosch are far better, I really wanted a small circular saw that accepts the 12V pack and thought I'd just have to wait, nope. Amazon UK had them and for less than $110usd total after shipping. Just saw Amazon US now offers the same thing for over $180. They also have a 3/8" impact that I'll get as soon as I can justify it.

 

[jgromada]

if you have no vested interest in a particular brand Milwaukee seems to have the most M12 tools hands down. Dewalt seems very uninterested in their 12v line as well as Ridgid.

HD was running a great special last year during the summer that was 4 tools + 2 batteries + charger for $200. I was actually just interested in the M12 ratchet which would have been $150 by itself until I saw this deal. I got the rachet, drill, driver and hackzall for $200. Hope they run it again.

 

[mike93lx]

if you have no vested interest in a particular brand Milwaukee seems to have the most M12 tools hands down. Dewalt seems very uninterested in their 12v line as well as Ridgid.

HD was running a great special last year during the summer that was 4 tools + 2 batteries + charger for $200. I was actually just interested in the M12 ratchet which would have been $150 by itself until I saw this deal. I got the rachet, drill, driver and hackzall for $200. Hope they run it again.

That's a good deal. I think i will probably jump on the current deal mentioned above (150 for 3 batts, drill and impact) and grab additional tools if needed

 

[kctyphoon]

12v - Milwaukee is hands down the best choice..