Best Power Tool Brands

[William Payne]

This has probably been asked before. With so many different brands of power tools I thought I would ask for a collective opinion.

Is there a brand or brands that you could say are the best of the best of the best? Tools that will happy stand day in day out use.

 

[bob15]

Ford vs Chevy or Coke vs Pespi

There is no straight answer.

 

[William Payne]

Ford vs Chevy or Coke vs Pespi

There is no straight answer.

Exactly why I asked. I know I will get many different answers. It is a nice way to see what people like, don't like. Or such and such.

 

[crewchief888]

cordless?
corded?
air?

 

[Parrothead]

Ford vs Chevy or Coke vs Pespi

There is no straight answer.

Off topic, but since this is likely to turn into a anyway, why is it Ford vs. Chevy is a big deal and people choose sides, but the Honda and Toyota guys don’t care either way.

Personally there are so many good options for power tools for every need and budget I don’t think there’s an answer.

 

[Honkey84]

Buy what you can afford that is quality built. I've got tools from Milwaukee, Dewalt, Bosch, Festool, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. I'm looking at quality of construction, not brand loyalty.

 

[Ton ton]

Makita corded drills are the bomb.

 

[William Payne]

How are people finding battery life. That is one thing that still makes me lean towards corded tools. When used day in day out battery changes tend to be regular and often I wind up using up a battery quicker than I can charge one.

 

[Professional Tool User]

It depends on what tools you need, which brands offer them at the quality level you are looking for, and whose platform is best overall (for cordless).

 

[HenryAZ]

I love my Metabo (not HPT) 1/2" corded drill. I has some newer features such as releasing the drive train when it gets stuck, and presetting RPMs (10 different settings, using the #1 and #2 speeds and the speed selection dial).

For cordless, I have 2 Metabo drills, and they are the best I've used. But most of our cordless stuff is 18v Bosch, simply because we went with a single Bosch kit (drill and driver) many years ago and continued with the Bosch battery system for additional tools. I think Milwaukee is another good cordless system to consider.

 

[Rinspeed]

I have 25 people that work for me and we are using power tools constantly. I have tried many brands but Milwaukee cordless have held up better than anything. In the last ten years the only failure with Milwaukee was the brush card which is a easy swap. I've thrown out many Dewalt junk into the dumpster and won't buy another. The Dewalt corded drills on the other do very well.

 

[subroc]

How are people finding battery life. That is one thing that still makes me lean towards corded tools. When used day in day out battery changes tend to be regular and often I wind up using up a battery quicker than I can charge one.

Clearly, we all have specific tool and power needs. I couldn't imagine dragging a cord around when these modern battery powered tools work so well. I am retired and am pretty much a DIYer these days. What tool are you powering, how big are the batteries, how many do you have that the battery powered tools come up short?

 

[William Payne]

Clearly, we all have specific tool and power needs. I couldn't imagine dragging a cord around when these modern battery powered tools work so well. I am retired and am pretty much a DIYer these days. What tool are you powering, how big are the batteries, how many do you have that the battery powered tools come up short?

I’ll give two examples. I work in the tool and die industry. I have done jobs where I have had to use a battery drill constantly for over 8 hours. In that case I am constantly swapping batteries.

My personal use case for my business is power tools for weld preparation, which could be a casting repair or other kind of repair or new fabrication. So my use case is mostly grinders.

Right now I’m looking at die grinders. In a perfect world I would go pneumatic but I don’t have an adequate air compressor for that also trying to keep noise to a minimum due to my shop location.

I was looking at one brands cordless die grinder and they proudly advertised 20 minutes of run corded equivalent power. That for me is not very long and would mean a lot of battery swaps.

 

[Ralf11]

BTW, Toyotas ****!!

 

[Bubba Fett]

DeWalt, Mekita, and Milwaukee are generally considered the best. You can't go wrong with any of them, IMO. For some, the selection of tools is the most important, and for others, ergonomics is a greater factor.

I'd go to a brick and mortar store, and just handle a few from each brand, and see what you like. For me, it's DeWalt, but a large part of that is simply availability. I've used all three and I think they are all excellent.

 

[William Payne]

Looking at what I’m seeing for sale as far as quality corded angle grinders I will probably in future be buying either Metabo or Fein. Fein appears to have better pricing than Metabo from the local supplier.

Still unsure on die grinders. I really want to get some really good top notch die grinders of various types. I know exactly what to look for in small pencil type grinders but the 1/4 inch ones there doesn’t appear to be a “this is the best” opinion out there on them.

 

[richfinn]

You have to mention Hilti as potentially the ultimate in cordless power tools, I guess it depends what trade your in and whats available locally

They don't really cater for automotive techs, but all the top end construction projects in Europe seem to use their products and services

 

[subroc]

I’ll give two examples. I work in the tool and die industry. I have done jobs where I have had to use a battery drill constantly for over 8 hours. In that case I am constantly swapping batteries.

My personal use case for my business is power tools for weld preparation, which could be a casting repair or other kind of repair or new fabrication. So my use case is mostly grinders.

Right now I’m looking at die grinders. In a perfect world I would go pneumatic but I don’t have an adequate air compressor for that also trying to keep noise to a minimum due to my shop location.

I was looking at one brands cordless die grinder and they proudly advertised 20 minutes of run corded equivalent power. That for me is not very long and would mean a lot of battery swaps.

Understood.

My grinders seem to eat batteries. I don't worry about it all that much. Yesterday, I cleaned a casting with a cup wire wheel on my Dewalt 4-1/2 18v or pod style grinder. I used a 5a 20v LI battery with an adapter. That lasted me over an hour. I found that outstanding performance. When it died, I had 4a ready to go. Didn't miss a beat. Interesting how different people view such things.

Anyway, good luck with your die grinder search and selection.

 

[William Payne]

Understood.

My grinders seem to eat batteries. I don't worry about it all that much. Yesterday, I cleaned a casting with a cup wire wheel on my Dewalt 4-1/2 18v or pod style grinder. I used a 5a 20v LI battery with an adapter. That lasted me over an hour. I found that outstanding performance. When it died, I had 4a ready to go. Didn't miss a beat. Interesting how different people view such things.

Anyway, good luck with your die grinder search and selection.

I completely understand. Everyone’s use case is different. I’m 99% of the time working in a shop. My plan is to have multiple grinders setup for different tasks. I want to minimise any down time involved in changing batteries and consumables so that I’m not passing those costs into customers.

Same with my Tig welder. I eventually want to get a multi torch setup when budget allows. That way I can have different torches setup for multiple tasks and can just grab and go.

 

[William Payne]

You have to mention Hilti as potentially the ultimate in cordless power tools, I guess it depends what trade your in and whats available locally

They don't really cater for automotive techs, but all the top end construction projects in Europe seem to use their products and services

I haven’t used much Hilti due to availability but have heard good things.

 

[Qualitytools]

Another vote for HILTI especially if you are outside the US.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I was going to mention Hilti as well, but the price is simply too high, IMO. They are good, but I'm not convinced they are worth the money, not to mention they are not easy to find unless you order them.

There is also Bosch, which are very good, but they don't seem to have as many tools as Milwaukee, Makita, and DeWalt.

Brands I would stay away from:

Sears Craftsman. Sears Craftsman tools are basically zombies. Once Sears finally goes bankrupt, you will be out of luck finding batteries, etc. They are NOT compatible with the SBD Craftsman power tools you can now find at Lowe's, etc. SBD Craftsman are mostly re-branded Porter-Cable and and older DeWalt models, so they are probably the better of the two Craftsmans.

Speaking of Porter-Cable, that's another power tool brand I would stay away from, for the same reasons I just mentioned. SBD is making Craftsman the mid-tier power tool brand, and not too much is happening with Porter-Cable on that front. However, I have a suspicion that SBD is going to revamp the brand. I'm thinking we'll hear more about that near Father's Day, but I could be wrong. IMO Porter-Cable should focus on stationary shop tools like drill presses, table saws, bench grinders, etc, since SBD already has a low-medium-high selection (Black&Decker, Craftsman, DeWalt).

Several years ago there were Bostitch brand power tools sold at Wal-Mart. You will probably not run across these, but it you do, keep walking. They were rebranded Porter-Cable as well, and appear to have been discontinued. Bostitch seems to have gone back to pneumatic staple guns, nail guns, etc. That's a good thing IMO.

 

[richfinn]

My only experience of Hilti is talking to one of the service guys, after I got sent to fix his van

They basically concentrate on fixing/anchoring equipment for construction and provide a mobile service to the industry repairing and warrantying broken tools on site etc (A bit like having a Snap-On dealer)

They do sell impact wrenches and drill/drivers etc and some of the tools still have brushed motors and other older proven technology compared to the pro-sumer stuff I'm familiar with, I think they are market leaders in anchoring systems and the tools are designed to work with these systems mostly

Expensive to buy outright, but I guess big companies have service contracts. AVE/BOLTr has reviewed a few Hilti products

 

[vanapplebomb]

Air compressors (reciprocating): Saylor Beall. Both their splash and pressure fed lubrication pumps are top of the line.

Vertical Mills: Wells Index. Currently, as far as I know, the only American made vertical mills. Classic American Iron, still made the old school way.

 

[Ton ton]

Where are Hilti power tools made? Pardon the stupid question.

 

[IndyGarage]

These days there is less difference between brands than in the past.

I would say if you want one brand to cover all the bases it would probably be Milwaukee or Makita. They have the widest range of tools and they are generally all pretty good.

Milwaukee cordless is probably better if you lean toward construction, and Makita is probably better if you are into fine woodworking or branch out into lawn and garden tools. Both of them make excellent corded tools as well.

Bosch and DeWalt are close behind - only because their line is a little more limited.

If you want to go toward tool categories - Festool has some really great woodworking tools. Skil still makes the worm drive circular saw, which many have considered the best for a long time. Metabo makes the best angle grinders. Hilti probably has the best impact equipment, including drills. Panasonic used to make excellent cordless tools, but I don't see them available anymore - they may have sold that business to Hilti.

And for all those, there is probably some premium brand that makes even higher quality stuff for pure industrial use.

 

[bassJAM]

There is also Bosch, which are very good, but they don't seem to have as many tools as Milwaukee, Makita, and DeWalt.

My shop is a sea of Bosch blue, both corded and cordless. One of the things I like is their batteries seem to have a long shelf life. When I bought their drill/impact kit 10 years ago they came with 4 slimpack batteries. I've continuously abused them, even using them to run a circular saw or reciprocating saw for a couple minutes when I was too lazy to grab a higher amp battery pack. They're still kicking, and even being kept out in my cold garage in the winter the charge doesn't ever seem to deplete. They don't have as much of a cordless offering though as some of the other brands. When I wanted a vacuum I had to order a one off ebay from Korea, at the time they didn't offer a cordless vacuum in the States. They seem to have more 18v yard tools that are offered elsewhere too, but not here.

 

[redragoon]

Where are Hilti power tools made? Pardon the stupid question.

Hilti is a European Professional brand based out of Lichtenstein (small country on the edge of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria). Factories are found in Lichtenstein, Germany, Austria, Hungary, China, Mexico, USA, and India.
They are known to have very comfortable tools with great reliability. Several companies use them as rentals. They are more expensive than most brands, and do not have a large variety of tools (compared to Milwaukee, etc.).


Personally I prefer Makita corded tools, especially circular saws. Their cordless tools are also very well made. I only have Milwaukee tools because the M12 automotive tools are amazing and I got the M18 tools on clearance.

Currently there are only a few large corporations that own the majority of brands.
Dewalt and Porter Cable fall under Stanley/BD.
Bosch is on their own.
Emerson Electric owns the Ridgid industrial brand.
TTI owns Milwaukee, but licenses the Ridgid and Ryobi (green tools) names to sell cordless tools in the US.
APEX has been slowly consolidating all their hand tools into the Gearwrench name.

Many brands also do not produce all their products. Many cordless brands outsource their hand tool production to factories that are already producing the same tools for other brands.

This graphic does leave out some brands like Makita and Ryobi Group Japan (dark colored tools), who are their own entities.



I've come to follow 2 conflicting truths about the modern manufacturing world.
1) Everything is made in the same factories, they just change the name on the label before it leaves.
2) You get what you pay for.
This makes brand loyalty for anything (cars, tools, etc.) irrelevant. Find the features you need, and find someone who makes it well.

 

[bassJAM]

Personally I prefer Makita corded tools, especially circular saws. Their cordless tools are also very well made.

Makita makes a very smooth circular saw. I have their hypoid drive saw which I love for cutting heavier material, and the orientation seems to help with longer accurate cuts too. My only sidewinder is an 18v bosch, but if I got a corded sidewinder it'd almost certainly be a Makita.

 

[Ton ton]

Hilti is a European Professional brand based out of Lichtenstein (small country on the edge of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria). Factories are found in Lichtenstein, Germany, Austria, Hungary, China, Mexico, USA, and India.
They are known to have very comfortable tools with great reliability. Several companies use them as rentals. They are more expensive than most brands, and do not have a large variety of tools (compared to Milwaukee, etc.).


Personally I prefer Makita corded tools, especially circular saws. Their cordless tools are also very well made. I only have Milwaukee tools because the M12 automotive tools are amazing and I got the M18 tools on clearance.

Currently there are only a few large corporations that own the majority of brands.
Dewalt and Porter Cable fall under Stanley/BD.
Bosch is on their own.
Emerson Electric owns the Ridgid industrial brand.
TTI owns Milwaukee, but licenses the Ridgid and Ryobi (green tools) names to sell cordless tools in the US.
APEX has been slowly consolidating all their hand tools into the Gearwrench name.

Many brands also do not produce all their products. Many cordless brands outsource their hand tool production to factories that are already producing the same tools for other brands.

This graphic does leave out some brands like Makita and Ryobi Group Japan (dark colored tools), who are their own entities.



I've come to follow 2 conflicting truths about the modern manufacturing world.
1) Everything is made in the same factories, they just change the name on the label before it leaves.
2) You get what you pay for.
This makes brand loyalty for anything (cars, tools, etc.) irrelevant. Find the features you need, and find someone who makes it well.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Earthquake from Harbor Freight are excellent power tools honestly. And that’s using the professionally. Every guy at my last shop had at least one power or air tool from them and they are so strong and durable. Also I’ve had good luck with Makita and Porter Cable. If you are going to go to a tool truck for power tools get Matco I’ve used all brands from tool trucks and Matco is the best. Also Kobalt is really good too. It’s pretty much whatever works for you it’s like Apple vs Android or Ford vs Chevy it’s a never ending debate but all work for someone.

 

[Dave455]

A couple of things to think about :-

Firstly, I think you are assuming that every manufacturer offers a similar range of tools. For some big manufacturers, that’s true, but not necessarily at the top end.

For example, if you wanted the very best sander, I would probably suggest a Mirka. I’ve used one, better than anything else I’ve encountered, but if you decide Mirka are the best, and look for a Mirka drill, you will be disappointed, as they only offer sanders. Same applies with Jigsaws, you can’t beat Mafell, but they really are saw specialists, and although they offer other tools it’s the saws that excell.

Secondly, bear in mind that many makers offer different grades of tools. Makita are one example. I have two Makita 4 1/2” grinders. One is decent enough, 700 ish watts, made in Romania, cost about £45. The other looks similar, but has a metal gearbox, 1300 watts, variable speed, paddle switch, made in Japan, and about 3 times the price!

So, as others have suggested, by all means do some research, some brands are better than others, but ultimately buy the tool not the brand!

 

[goldtang]

I have a bit of every thing just to mention a couple of three, Bosch blue corded angle grinders, circular saw and rotary Hammer drill and one old Hitachi coded angle grinder , Fein reciprocating saw
cordless Makita drills , Milwaukee impact and pop rivet gun , Hitachi drills I have no loyalty to any brand and bought what I feel is best for my needs and having 4 different battery types dose not bother me
( Ford and iPhone LOL)