Fien, if you have the big bucks if not you cant go wrong with milwaukee,makita,or bosch. never been a dewalt fan.
Best brand rechargeable tools
- Thread starter CDKennedy
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Fien, if you have the big bucks if not you cant go wrong with milwaukee,makita,or bosch. never been a dewalt fan.
quattroJoe
Well-known member
Lots of good points here. I mentioned above my preference for Milwaukee (at work,) but in my home garage it's all Craftsman C3. They are typically bulkier, less powerful, and "cheaper feeling" than Milwaukee's stuff, but depending on your usage they may suffice. They are decent enough for most light to medium duty usage, and even my original drill purchased 10-11 years ago is still going strong. Prices are reasonable, especially when most of it is perpetually on sale, and even the batteries go on sale once or twice a month. The NiCd batteries are nothing to write home about, but I've got about four of the lithium XCP packs in the stable and only purchase the bare tools now. Some of the kits do come with the standard lithium batteries. They have been slow to move to brushless motors, only one drill so far and it's (relatively) pricy. Got to hand it to Sears for sticking with one platform for so long, improving the tech, and expanding the available tools. They even still stock batteries in store for their old discontinued lines. I find myself continuing to add more of them to my collection, sometimes just burning up coupons and SYW points during sales- recently got the 4 1/2 inch angle grinder and Max Axess auto ratchet for about $25. Also have a standard drill, right angle drill, 1/4 impact driver, 1/2 impact wrench, and a couple lights.
Long story short, is C3 pro grade? No. I wouldn't look to them for something I'd use all day every day. If you're on a budget, looking for weekend use only, or buying specialty tools that you only bring out occasionally then they're a good choice.
JonnyMac
Well-known member
It can happen to any tool, however ive had 2 poor experience with Ryobi Palm and Belt sanders. Both died with very little use, so as a result i dont touch anything ryobi. We have just taken delivery of 2 fein 9inch grinders with soft/slow start and shut off brake, god knows how much they cost but they are made in germany and feel very expensive!! nice to use though...
bushmechanic
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Brand awareness isn't as high in America, and they price themselves out of many other markets. You've got to pay to play with their stuff.
Panasonic manufactures some of the absolute best, no compromise, no nonsense products on the planet.
Now, this next part isn't meant to be an argument, or Panasonic pimping. It's simply an observation of how people can fool themselves.
"Best" in regard to "personal preference" may be somewhat subjective, but quality and performance are not subjective in the slightest. Those aspects can be quantified, and the results can be compared to similar offerings.
I don't put much stock in "personal preference", either. You either need a 1/2 inch drive 90 degree 350lb/ft battery powered impact wrench or you do not.
There's nothing subjective about that.
Not even compromise between heat evacuation versus resistance to water ingress, and other things of that nature are "subjective". Neither are considerations such as battery systems you may already have, weight concerns, or affordability.
That's still objective. You're merely dealing with facets of the product, it's use, and your own lifestyle that may or may not be specifically useful or warranted in your environment.
Other factors matter, though. I don't personally own a Panasonic power tool. I haven't been able to justify the purchase price until recently.
Subjective aspects are things such as brand preference, and whether or not you like blue, white, or red.
Panasonic has equals. I'm not saying you can't buy the same or better. The top shelf is certainly not empty, and they draw the line at a certain point. They simply don't try to compete where they don't stand a chance.
One can pick out the absolute best long pattern 1/2 inch combination wrench for a specific application if he tries hard enough. The thing is, not all of us need the best.
Not all of us make logical choices, either. I could have bought a vehicle better suited to some of my uses. I didn't. I like what I have, and I've gone out of my way to make it work.
I like S-K tools. Snap On makes quite a few tools that would be better suited to some of the tricky bits I encounter. That's me being subjective, and unwilling to pay more.
We've got to admit when we make compromises, and not simply chalk everything up to subjectivity.
I know people that own and use Panasonic. I have used them myself. And they are nice and seem to last forever..
But they really lack in the presentation department. And lets face it people love flash.. Hell If I wanted a tool that looked like it came from Harbor Freight I would just go buy one.. Panasonic looks and IMO they feel like junk, The drill I used did work great but I would never buy it..
I bet that they looked awesome back in 1984 though...
IndyGarage
Well-known member
I currently own Cordless from Ryobi, Panasonic, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch and Porter Cable, and I've used the latest Dewault.
In my opinion, those brands from best to worst:
1. Panasonic - The best blend of usability, function, battery life and power. They've been the best for 20 years and still are. Had brushless tools 10 years before most competitors. Panasonic 14.4 V is equivalent to everyone else's 18V. Negative is that the product line is very limited. Limited availability. Expensive. Hilti is apparently a rebranded Panasonic Tool.
2. Tie - Milwaukee, especially the fuel line is very very good. They have a ton of 18V tools in their line. Good toughness, good battery life. Good Value
2. Tie - Dewault 20V Max - These tools win the size challenge. The 20V Max tools are smaller than 12V tools used to be, but they are plenty powerful. Somewhat limited product line.
2. Tie - Makita Brushless. Makitas have proven to be long term reliable, no frills tools. They have a very wide range of tools in the line. Good value and availability. Some question battery capacity and life - they somewhat lag the others in battery technology. Makita has the new 36V circular saw, which uses two 18V batteries.
2. Tie - Bosch - Bosch makes good, tough tools. Their latest 18V designs include brushless, but they are a bit late to that party. They have the L-Box container system - which I haven't used, but some folks really like.
3. Porter Cable - used to be a premium USA made brand, but since Black and Decker bought them a few years ago they've been rebranded to the consumer brand under Dewault and sold at the Blue box store. My 18V lithium P-C impactor has been a great tool, however. It's not the best on power and the battery isn't the best, but it works fine.
4. Ryobi - Ryobi makes a very successful line of very inexpensive power tools sold at the Orange box store. The One+ line has an incredible variety of tools that can be mixed and matched with lithium and nicad batteries. They are consumer grade tools, but are able to work hard. Batteries are somewhat short lived. The 18v drills are excellent.
My take is that you can't go wrong if you buy any of the top 5 on my list, and the bottom two are fine for hobby use.
18V cordless is still a compromise. It's overkill for Drilling and driving screws, but not enough for heavy draw motors like a circular saw. The newer 18V Recip saws seem to finally have enough power. Milwaukee just came out with a brushless 18V bandsaw which might be nice. Makita has a couple tools, circular saw and SDS hammer, that use two of their 18V batteries to make a 36V tool.
When you buy 18V tools, pay as much attention to the batteries as the tools. Most brands come with two battery sizes - 1/2 size 1.5 amp hour batteries, which are light weight, but don't have much run time, and larger 3.0-4.0 amp hour batteries which are big and heavy, but have more power and much more run time.
Unfortunately the tool companies have figured out they can get you to throw your tools away and buy new if they change the battery mounting system. With the exception of Ryobi One, all of the major 18V designs have gone to a new battery in the past 10 years, which is incompatible with their old 18V system. This is ridiculous, but it's apparently their marketing strategy. Unfortunately there's no way to tell when they are going to foist a new battery system on you.
In my opinion, those brands from best to worst:
1. Panasonic - The best blend of usability, function, battery life and power. They've been the best for 20 years and still are. Had brushless tools 10 years before most competitors. Panasonic 14.4 V is equivalent to everyone else's 18V. Negative is that the product line is very limited. Limited availability. Expensive. Hilti is apparently a rebranded Panasonic Tool.
2. Tie - Milwaukee, especially the fuel line is very very good. They have a ton of 18V tools in their line. Good toughness, good battery life. Good Value
2. Tie - Dewault 20V Max - These tools win the size challenge. The 20V Max tools are smaller than 12V tools used to be, but they are plenty powerful. Somewhat limited product line.
2. Tie - Makita Brushless. Makitas have proven to be long term reliable, no frills tools. They have a very wide range of tools in the line. Good value and availability. Some question battery capacity and life - they somewhat lag the others in battery technology. Makita has the new 36V circular saw, which uses two 18V batteries.
2. Tie - Bosch - Bosch makes good, tough tools. Their latest 18V designs include brushless, but they are a bit late to that party. They have the L-Box container system - which I haven't used, but some folks really like.
3. Porter Cable - used to be a premium USA made brand, but since Black and Decker bought them a few years ago they've been rebranded to the consumer brand under Dewault and sold at the Blue box store. My 18V lithium P-C impactor has been a great tool, however. It's not the best on power and the battery isn't the best, but it works fine.
4. Ryobi - Ryobi makes a very successful line of very inexpensive power tools sold at the Orange box store. The One+ line has an incredible variety of tools that can be mixed and matched with lithium and nicad batteries. They are consumer grade tools, but are able to work hard. Batteries are somewhat short lived. The 18v drills are excellent.
My take is that you can't go wrong if you buy any of the top 5 on my list, and the bottom two are fine for hobby use.
18V cordless is still a compromise. It's overkill for Drilling and driving screws, but not enough for heavy draw motors like a circular saw. The newer 18V Recip saws seem to finally have enough power. Milwaukee just came out with a brushless 18V bandsaw which might be nice. Makita has a couple tools, circular saw and SDS hammer, that use two of their 18V batteries to make a 36V tool.
When you buy 18V tools, pay as much attention to the batteries as the tools. Most brands come with two battery sizes - 1/2 size 1.5 amp hour batteries, which are light weight, but don't have much run time, and larger 3.0-4.0 amp hour batteries which are big and heavy, but have more power and much more run time.
Unfortunately the tool companies have figured out they can get you to throw your tools away and buy new if they change the battery mounting system. With the exception of Ryobi One, all of the major 18V designs have gone to a new battery in the past 10 years, which is incompatible with their old 18V system. This is ridiculous, but it's apparently their marketing strategy. Unfortunately there's no way to tell when they are going to foist a new battery system on you.
Briefly skimming through the thread I didn't see Hitachi mentioned and feel as if they definitely deserve consideration. I have no experience with most of their offerings, but I bought the DV18DL 1/2" drill/driver/hammer drill back in 2007 and it has never let me down on any task. I carefully compared this drill to the top end offerings from other brands at that time and have no regrets whatsoever. The raw power, pack longevity/steady power output, pack recharging, tool balance, etc. has served me well on tons of projects.
FWIW the main task I had in mind when I purchased it was using it to bore holes in oak/hickory stumps that would later be burned. This involved boring dozens of holes in each stump using an 18" x 5/8" auger bit and the DV18DL had absolutely no problem burying that bit hole after hole. Actually impressed me to say the least. Good luck on your decision as it probably won't be easy.
FWIW the main task I had in mind when I purchased it was using it to bore holes in oak/hickory stumps that would later be burned. This involved boring dozens of holes in each stump using an 18" x 5/8" auger bit and the DV18DL had absolutely no problem burying that bit hole after hole. Actually impressed me to say the least. Good luck on your decision as it probably won't be easy.
bushmechanic
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I always forget about Hitachi. Hitachi and Bosch slowly took over construction sites after Makita stopped being blue.
Pretty darn good bang for the buck, there.
rancherbill
Well-known member
Bosch and Makita are World Class manufacturers. I like Makita for their extensive support and product line width.
BTW, Ryobi made Craftsman tools in the past, it don't know about now. So before you sma Ryobi think twice.
BTW, Ryobi made Craftsman tools in the past, it don't know about now. So before you sma Ryobi think twice.