Cordless power tool comparison. Is Dewalt king???

[fastline]

I have used Dewalt for many years and have always got the job done. I am not one to abuse tools but I will run them hard. I am needing to add some pieces for my truck to work out in the field on tractors and such. I need the 4.5" grinder, sawzal, circ saw, jig saw, impact, etc.

I have been considering just buying an upgraded kit to Li-ion since all my stuff is still 18V nicad. I understand Dewalt only recently went to the 20V Li with a totally different bat design.

I have nothing against Dewalt other than considering value in an entire kit. There are a LOT of names out there but I also want a long list of tools that operate with the same bats. The thing I liked about Nicad was I could rebuild my own bats pretty cheap.

Lowes was trying to sell me on Hitachi and Kobalt but IMO, only Milwaukee and Makita have my eye as of now. I need good tools but I will admit I won't use them all every day. Drill gets used daily but never an issue with my Dewalts.

 

[toolstools]

Maybe not king, but for the price they can't be beat. Very great name for power tools. All I've ever seen on construction sites driving by. Home and industrial.

 

[ADSR]

Do not buy the Mikita grinder. It's a pile of ****. They say its 10,000 rpm and as soon as you touch the work piece, it slows down to 500 rpm.

I have the dewalt li ion 18 and its a work horse. I've also use the Milwaukee 18 volt and its pretty good too.

Dewalt and Milwaukee fuel are the top dogs right now. I'd lean to dewalt 20v just because its a bit cheaper than the Milwaukee.

 

[fastline]

I know I am pretty interested in the brushless units BUT, knowing brushless pretty well, I am a little nervous to have that extra complexity in a work tool. I guess if they will stand behind them..... I do agree that brushless is just leaps and bounds over brushed DC motors. Quiet, efficient, cool running, etc.


Looks like that just came out though so I did not see any kits with them. And even when they do, I am not one to pay top dollar for the new hotness... I prefer deals on the older stuff. Maybe the brushed stuff will get dirt cheap. right...

 

[retfr8flyr]

Milwaukee fuel all the way. The only other would be Rigid, only because they have a lifetime warranty on the batteries.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You can frequently pick up new 18V DeWalt individual battery tools on eBay at very reasonable prices. You can also find generic 18V NiMH batteries on eBay, which last longer than the old NiCad batteries and cost less the LiOn.

I don't care what brand of circular saw you get, buy a carbide blade. They work MUCH better.

 

[pepi]

Is Dewalt king, no but it is yellow.

 

[belvedere]

Makita, Milwaukee, and Dewalt are all top-shelf.

 

[Davefr]

Top dog in cordless has always been Panasonic. The gap between them and the others have narrowed over the years.

 

[64Trvlr]

I really like my Milwaukee 18v tools. Milwaukee has a ton of different tools that all use the same battery and I like that too. I've got 10 18v tools now.

I've been using mine for 4 years now and have had no problems at all.

 

[quad shop]

I have dewalt and they work great they are the 18v system but if I had it to do over again I would go Milwaukee. Over the course of dewalts life they have been the better and more cost effective product which is why they have gained such a following in the construction industry. Although the current generation Milwaukee has them beat I think.

 

[Ign]

The only reason you see Dewalt more on jobsites is a carpenter culture thing. Used to be Dewalt was the easiest tool to find and hardware stores like True Value, Ace and even Home Depot. That's changing now with Makita and Milwaukee also marketing heavily in those retail locations, and of course Ridgid at Home Depots.

It didn't mean Dewalt it was better, it's just status quo and until recently no one challenged "the system."

As a metalworker I couldn't care less about what carpenters use. I vote Milwaukee.

 

[jakemac]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To add to the previous post, in the late 80's to mid-to-late 90's the preferred cordless on jobsites was Makita's 9v system. It changed to Dewalt when their 12v, then 18v systems came out.

These things go in cycles as "new and improved" systems are introduced.

I'd say try them all, and go with the one that is most comfortable for your hands. Power doesn't matter when you have to heft it all day long, go with comfort and ease of repair. Ryobi is a PITA to get serviced. The other brands are much easier.

 

[fastline]

I think a lot of my debate right now is between Rigid and Dewalt. I do have Makita drill I bought specifically for a machining job. I needed a small, light, 3/8" drill. I first bought the Milwaukee and took it right back. started out at like 500 rpm. Makita is much better, lighter, etc, BUT the gear selector does not work right.

I have really never had problems with Dewalt. Rigid has a great warranty BUT as I always say, the best warranty is the one I DON'T have to use. It seems Rigid price is right up there with Dewalt so that is not much help. I have also hear their bats are not as good.

 

[Monte]

Hilti ?

 

[Bustawrench]

DeWalt, Milwaukee and to a lessor extent Makita are what I see on the jobsites and they all seem to be about the same as far as performance and durability are concerned.

I'm a DeWalt guy myself and they are more than adequate for the abuse I give them.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I know I am pretty interested in the brushless units BUT, knowing brushless pretty well, I am a little nervous to have that extra complexity in a work tool. I guess if they will stand behind them..... I do agree that brushless is just leaps and bounds over brushed DC motors. Quiet, efficient, cool running, etc.


Looks like that just came out though so I did not see any kits with them. And even when they do, I am not one to pay top dollar for the new hotness... I prefer deals on the older stuff. Maybe the brushed stuff will get dirt cheap. right...

I've had 4 brushless tools (Makita's first impact, M12 drill and impact, and M18 impact) for about 3 years now, and none of them have given me a peep of trouble. The Makita survived a 12' or so drop nose-first into a concrete, as well as being run over by a tire of my Tacoma, where I had stupidly left it, still worked 2+ years in when I sold it because the batteries sucked.

I'm not a fan of Stanley, particularly sharing a hometown with Black & Decker and hearing/seeing what they did to operations here. However, I can't say they did anything worse to Dewalt than what B&D was doing to the name, and while they had been severely behind the times, at least now they're just really behind the times. At least if you judge by history, you're probably least likely to buy into soon-obsolete and unsupported tools with Dewalt, maybe barring a Makita 9.6v stick-pack drill.

 

[fastline]

Here are the tools I need and would prefer options for others. Bat life, warranty, and real world proof are important.

1/2" drill with hammer action
1/4" impact driver
1/2" impact gun
sawzall
jig saw
4.5" grinder/cut off

I also really liked the caulk gun by dewalt (never used one) but don't do that much of it.

 

[psychoclaw84]

I just purchased a 20 Volt Dewalt hammer drill & impact driver combo at Lowe's.

First of all, I am not a fan of Dewalt, but price and my current needs dictate the purchase.

Very pleased with the battery life and power of the impact driver. The Impact drove twelve "6" inch bolt into a rail road tie with little effort and was very pleased with the performance.

As for Dewalt being King? It is hard to answer with so many brands out there such as

• Hilti
• Milwaukee
• Makita
• Bosch
• Hitachi
• Festool

 

[firecracker]

I started off with a couple of Hilti's then got DeWalt but when I wanted new batteries WOW what a price, I part exchanged for Ryobi and have been pleased with them.

 

[Coptool]

I recently attended both the Dewalt and Milwaukee media events to see the latest 2013 tools and hear their plans for the near future. Both had launched some very nice brushless tools however Milwaukee is probably a good 6-18 months ahead in terms of product launches on brushless technology. Dewalt does not yet even have a high torque drill/hammer drill (should see something by year end) and it will probably be even longer for their brushless saws and grinders. I did a Post on Coptool.com last Friday about just this topic. These tool brands are always leap frogging each other in terms of technology but I'd say currently Milwaukee is in the lead.

 

[madison069]

I picked up the 20V Dewalt drill and 1/4" impact driver combo also for $199. Can't really beat it and I do home improvements around the house so they are holding up well.

I've only had them for 3 weeks now and it all seems to be good, just not use to the abrupt stop that the dewalt drill has, it seems like it stops so fast it wants to come apart! Is this typical?

 

[ADSR]

I picked up the 20V Dewalt drill and 1/4" impact driver combo also for $199. Can't really beat it and I do home improvements around the house so they are holding up well.

I've only had them for 3 weeks now and it all seems to be good, just not use to the abrupt stop that the dewalt drill has, it seems like it stops so fast it wants to come apart! Is this typical?

yes, that's how they stop. They have a lot of torque when it does.

 

[ADSR]

I recently attended both the Dewalt and Milwaukee media events to see the latest 2013 tools and hear their plans for the near future. Both had launched some very nice brushless tools however Milwaukee is probably a good 6-18 months ahead in terms of product launches on brushless technology. Dewalt does not yet even have a high torque drill/hammer drill (should see something by year end) and it will probably be even longer for their brushless saws and grinders. I did a Post on Coptool.com last Friday about just this topic. These tool brands are always leap frogging each other in terms of technology but I'd say currently Milwaukee is in the lead.

Red is ahead and is making some real nice tools. The only reason to go yellow is the bang for the buck factor. You get a lot of dewalt for a lot less than red brand.

 

[ADSR]

Ok, this is a pretty bold statment!!!!

quote from Coptool.com

For the high torque impact wrenches they were not able to give us the final torque ratings however they did say it will be higher than any competition, including the Ingersoll Rand 20v IQv tools which put out as much torque as their top of the line pneumatic impact.

 

[deter]

if you need all those tools out in the field, why not just buy a generator and use all your corded tools?

 

[cheechi]

I've used every gen Dewalt since the 80s, as well as been around guys using basically every brand in 18v, both nicad and li-ion. The big reason you see Dewalt at job sites so often is, every store carries them. No matter where you're doing construction, the nearest store has batteries & tools that work with your setup. So if you're in construction, that one aspect matters a lot. But for you out in your field, I doubt that's significant to you. It's not clear from your post if the tractors are yours or if you're a mobile heavy tech.

1/2" drill with hammer action
Bosch HDH181 or Bosch 17618

1/4" impact driver
Bosch 25618

1/2" impact gun
Bosch HTH181

sawzall
Bosch CRS180

jig saw
Bosch JSH180

4.5" grinder/cut off
Bosch CAG180

The ones in bold are the ones I own. I've used all except the grinder. I have used the dewalt 18v grinder, it's nice but it's not much nicer than the the Ryobi 18v. Im going out on a limb and assuming they're all about the same. You also have the option of the Bosch DGSH181 die grinder.

For the caulk gun, you can choose Ryobi, Dewalt, or Milwaukee (M12 or M18) though really, caulk doesn't need a cordless gun unless you're doing crazy amounts of caulk or subfloor adhesive. Yes, saying that I want one too.

 

[Farmall450]

Milwaukee fuel all the way. The only other would be Rigid, only because they have a lifetime warranty on the batteries.

That might be what moves me from DeWalt to Rigid. When batteries can't be rebuilt it'll be way to much $$ for occasional use.

 

[Farmall450]

I picked up the 20V Dewalt drill and 1/4" impact driver combo also for $199. Can't really beat it and I do home improvements around the house so they are holding up well.

I've only had them for 3 weeks now and it all seems to be good, just not use to the abrupt stop that the dewalt drill has, it seems like it stops so fast it wants to come apart! Is this typical?

Thats torque you feel.

I always feel like a badass with my 18v's and that stop lol

 

[retrobuilder]

That be Bosch (among the best)..

 

[fivespdcat]

I was surprised to see Bosch wasn't mentioned until post 27. I am pretty much exclusively Bosch on cordless except for some cheap ryobi stuff I bought (cordless painter and drill/impact combo kit for the batteries). However when in a pinch I almost always reach for the 12v impact. It's just that convenient.

 

[3xpendable]

I own a few brands. My 20v DeWalts are my go to's love the size,power and batt life. Led's lights are awesome. I have used mine daily for a year and a half and all tools work as if new no sign of lost batt life. Plus dewalt and I'm sure other brands as well have like three year warranty on batts. But beware the impact will strip some stuff out and bust up your bits lol

 

[ADSR]

For the caulk gun, you can choose Ryobi, Dewalt, or Milwaukee (M12 or M18) though really, caulk doesn't need a cordless gun unless you're doing crazy amounts of caulk or subfloor adhesive. Yes, saying that I want one too.

I thought all caulking guns were cordless?