Dewalt vs Milwaukee in general

[Drock93]

Let me start out by saying I know this discussion is as old as chevy vs ford, but with my set of circumstances I think it's a bit different. I'm tired of having the cheap Tool Shop & Black and Decker sh*t fail on me. I've decided it's time to start investing in qualities tools, and slowly build up my arsenal. That being said, let me explain some things:

-I chose Dewalt and Milwaukee because of their availability of tools, parts, and service in my area. I live in a quite rural area, with the closest home depot/lowes about 2 hours away. My local stores stock almost everything from these 2 manufacturers

-Once I pick a brand, I want to stick to it. Yes, I know that is somewhat blind following, but I have a mild case of OCD in which I really prefer things to be the same. Also, as far as Warranties go, it's easier to keep track of them when they are the same brand.

These tools will be used around the house as well as some general woodworking tasks. I'm not a contractor by any means, but my tools get used often.

All that being said, he are some questions I have:

1. Who has the better warranty? (i.e. Longer, better service, quicker/faster repairs)

2. Who makes better tools? (I know it's a general statement, but which companies tools seem to be built better and last longer?

3. Should I get a 12V or 18V Drill/Impact combo? (Note I will only get these two tools in cordless, the rest will be corded so selection of cordless does not matter)

4. In your own opinion, which company would you choose?

To start off, I plan on getting a cordless Drill/Impact combo and a corded sawzall from which ever company I choose. The only cordless tools I will get will probably be the drill and impact, I prefer to have saws and grinders corded. Just for reference here are two scenarios.

1. Dewalt, Get the 20V Max Combo, and corded Sawzall. (Local store has it on sale for $180 for combo, $90 for the saw)

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...Id=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UQAouSf7Kwg

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...Id=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UQAozSf7Kwg

TOTAL: $292.95 w/ tax

2. Milwaukee, M18 Combo and corded Sawzall

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...Id=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UQApUif7Kwg

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...Id=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UQAozCf7Kwg

TOTAL: $377.58

 

[Trey T]

I'm a Milwaukee fan and they listen to customer and their product is great.

Their battery pack is the best, from my experience and knowledge of li-ion battery building. Very important aspect but the least understood!!!

They just came out with their power source to provide 12V power plug and 5V USB. I can run a bunch of electronics from LED lights to bluetooth speakers.

 

[hifi_hokie]

Been a Milwaukee fan at home for years - their 14V cordless drill with a metal keyless chuck is still my favorite.

The only cordless tools I will get will probably be the drill and impact, I prefer to have saws and grinders corded.

Completely agree - the cordless Sawzall must have come from the same product development meeting as the electric chainsaw

 

[woody 73]

Service,Service,Service...Just like finding a good chevy or Ford dealer in your area.

I try and stick with one company because with all the different batteries and parts it starts to get confusing.

 

[jetmech09]

I use dewalt professionally. Mostly to take screws out of access panels. I would not recommend the 12v, the battery does not last very long albeit it does charge very fast. I have been very happy with it thus far, but I've only owned it for about a year now.

 

[Drock93]

Service,Service,Service...Just like finding a good chevy or Ford dealer in your area.

I try and stick with one company because with all the different batteries and parts it starts to get confusing.

Another reason I chose these too, both of them have service centers near me.

I assume Milwaukee makes the better sawzall, who makes the better grinder, circular saw, and random/orbital sander?

 

[woody 73]

PM sent about the other tools on your list.

 

[kngelv]

Most people will say Milwaukee because of they still remember when most of it was USA made. I own products from both. I think the DeWalt 20V max is better than the Milwaukee 18V stuff. The 1/4 impact smokes the Milwaukee all day every day, and the sawzall is better too. Milwaukee has more tools though. Both are good tools and you can't go wrong with either one.

James

 

[metaleltr]

Im a fan of Milwaukee for 12v and dewalt for 18v. I feel like these give you the largest number of tool availability.

 

[niget2002]

I have Dewalt for most of my tools and am very happy with them

I have the 18v drill/driver, 18v 1/4in impact driver, and 4.5in orbital sander.

I have had 0 problems with any of it.

The drill I've had since 2003. The sander I got last year and the driver I got a few weeks ago, but have used a bunch already.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[03protege]

I have the m12 line and I love it, I would like to eventually get the m18 line for their cordless saws.

I feel that Milwaukee is ahead of dewalt as far as how current their technology is. The current dewalt offerings are fairly old now and still based off of heavy Ni-cad batteries. I have used their Sawzall (cordless) and it is great.

If I had to buy a circular saw between the two I would probably get the Milwaukee although I have a Dewalt angle grinder that is very nice.

 

[03protege]

Most people will say Milwaukee because of they still remember when most of it was USA made. I own products from both. I think the DeWalt 20V max is better than the Milwaukee 18V stuff. The 1/4 impact smokes the Milwaukee all day every day, and the sawzall is better too. Milwaukee has more tools though. Both are good tools and you can't go wrong with either one.

James

Dewalt 20v has 1400 in lbs and 1.5 or 3 amp hour battery

Milwaukee 18v has 1600 in lbs and 2 or 4 amp hour battery

That is pretty impressive for the weaker Dewalt with a smaller batter to smoke the Milwaukee.

 

[Conductor562]

I'm a Milwaukee fan and while I own both, I have way more Milwaukee stuff. The 18/20V lines are pretty comparable in terms of quality but I believe Milwaukee's Red Lithium batteries are superior to Dewalt's. For 12V tools it isn't even close. Milwaukee is by far better and offers a ton more tools. Milwaukee also comes with a 5 years warranty versus Dewalt's 3.

 

[Conductor562]

Dewalt 20v has 1400 in lbs and 1.5 or 3 amp hour battery

Milwaukee 18v has 1600 in lbs and 2 or 4 amp hour battery

That is pretty impressive for the weaker Dewalt with a smaller batter to smoke the Milwaukee.

Don't ever base your decision on anything you find on YouTube. The Milwaukee Fuel hammer drill is a BEAST! You won't be disappointed in Milwaukee.

 

[Greatbear]

Dewalt 20v has 1400 in lbs and 1.5 or 3 amp hour battery

Milwaukee 18v has 1600 in lbs and 2 or 4 amp hour battery

That is pretty impressive for the weaker Dewalt with a smaller batter to smoke the Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee 2/4AH batteries have only been recently released. the majority of Milky batteries in use and in stock are 1.5/3AH. DeWalt will also be releasing 2/4AH batteries, as will Bosch and, undoubtedly, other major manufacturers.

 

[BD1]

Me, 18 volt dewalt. Have many batteries and a whole bunch of tools to go with. We started with milwaukee and dewalt at work. Ended up with ALL dewalt. No problems and great rep service. Your area may vary.
I found dewalt bare tool prices were best at amazon.com at christmas.

 

[colt zantop]

I own both and like both....

 

[robe5000]

The Dewalt factory service outlet is just to awesome around my parts to buy anything else, great service, deals are insane, Milwaukee service is blah, we have some M18 tools at our shop, not very impressive when compared to 20V max stuff, But Milwaukee does have a crazy extensive line up but some stuff seems more "gimmicky" than useful, but im a DeWalt guy to the bone anyway
as for youtube videos, theres not many out there where dewalt doesn't come out on top, post em up if you know different

 

[Conductor562]

What Milwaukee tools are "gimmicky" ?

 

[cheechi]

M12 is the best set of 12v tools, for the selection and quality you can get. If you only need a drill & impact, I would go 18v instead of 12v. You can certainly drive and drill with a 12v tool from either, but for similar money I'd go for an 18v hammer drill & impact. Why a hammer drill? Well, why buy another drill later if/when you need a hammer drill? Better clutch, better chuck, better guts than a regular driver.

To me neither M18 or 20v max are strong choices. Comparing DeWalt 18v to 20v tools, the older 18v stuff felt heftier, better, yes a bit heavier but I'll take it. Neither is really bad but there are enough nit picky things about both that would prevent me from buying either. If I had to pick, M18 has more to choose from so it would be better for that alone. As they say in old world, Bosch drill is best drill.

Cordless sawzall can come in VERY handy from time to time. I go to the corded one whenever possible, but my M12 hackzall can get into some tight spots and has earned its spot for sure.

 

[Stephenw]

Let me start out by saying I know this discussion is as old as chevy vs ford, but with my set of circumstances I think it's a bit different.

Didn't you mean Cantonese vs Szechuan?

I have 3/8" and 1/2" DeWalt drills that have been great. One was made in USA and the other in Mexico. I really like my Milwaukee M12 drill, made in China. My USA made Sawzall has been great.

I looked at country of origin on most of the DeWalt and Milwaukee tools in Home Depot recently. Milwaukee tools were all from China. DeWalt was a split between Mexico and China. Harbor Freight Chinese tools don't even begin to compare.

In my opinion, either brand is good.

 

[Conductor562]

Milwaukee still makes some tools here, but they are few and far between and none of them are Cordless. They have 2 plants in Mississippi.

 

[Treeman]

I'm going to interject some advice that won't be followed. I am the king of OCD and once thought how great it would be to have a power tool stable all of one color. Just like on the TV shows, This Old House, etc.. It's easy when you have a paying sponsor.

But, I took the road of the pro mechanics here who have a tool chest full of many brands. That's because no one brand makes the best of everything.

With cordless tools it makes sense to go with one brand. With everything else, it makes sense to go with the tool that suits you best (for a variety of reasons). For instance, my 4.5 inch grinder is a Makita, because I have small hands and my unit had the best ergonomics. Are you going to buy an inferior, uncomfortable, or otherwise bad tool because it has to be yellow or red? It really makes no sense. I have Dewalt, Rigid, Bosch, Makita, Porter Cable, and Milwaukee.

Just think, if you choose Dewalt, then you deprive yourself using the industry standard Milwaukee Sawzall. That would be a real shame.

Ha Ha. Good luck!

 

[justanengineer]

Im yet another who owns both, and personally Id say there is no comparison, Milwaukee wins by far. Ive killed several power tools (esp drills) and the Milwaukee motors just keep ticking. When you need parts, Dewalt is rather expensive and parts are often unavailable. With Milwaukee age doesnt matter and parts are CHEAP. Other than a $60 motor, Ive never had to pay more than $20 for anything and more often than not, spend <$10. My oldest Milwaukee tool is also one of my go-to's....a 1968 Sawzall that still cuts good as new.

 

[kngelv]

Dewalt 20v has 1400 in lbs and 1.5 or 3 amp hour battery

Milwaukee 18v has 1600 in lbs and 2 or 4 amp hour battery

That is pretty impressive for the weaker Dewalt with a smaller batter to smoke the Milwaukee.

I own both. The DeWalt kills it. Better balance, perfect lighting and more power, plus the same size batteries last longer. I'm no DeWalt slappy. I have Milwaukee stuff too. I think they make a better 12v tool than DeWalt, and my Milwaukee Portaband is a beast. I think the DeWalt is better in the 18/20v size.

James

 

[Drock93]

Thanks for all the input guys, I have a few more questions.

1. I was reading somewhere that Dewalt keeps their battery platform for a long time, meaning more tools and replacement batteries/parts where as milwaukee has change their battery platform quite often in the last 10 years. Is there any truth to this?

2. I went to a store today and they let me open and test both the M18 compact drill and 20V max compact drill. Noticed they both had chuck wobble. Proceeded to try the next one, same thing, next one same thing. All the compact drills have chuck wobble. Is this just accepted now? I read somewhere it's the Jacobs chucks that have this problem, and Rahm chucks don't? If so, what's the cheapest model of each?

3. Is the Fuel from Milwaukee Worth it? The M18 fuel is about $70 more than the standard compact. Does it have a different chuck than the compact? If I could find a drill without chuck wobble I would be pleased.

4. What brand of drill bits and driving bits do you guys recommend that I can pick up most places?

 

[the1nonlyjl]

Yup bosch all the way

 

[Conductor562]

Thanks for all the input guys, I have a few more questions.

1. I was reading somewhere that Dewalt keeps their battery platform for a long time, meaning more tools and replacement batteries/parts where as milwaukee has change their battery platform quite often in the last 10 years. Is there any truth to this?

2. I went to a store today and they let me open and test both the M18 compact drill and 20V max compact drill. Noticed they both had chuck wobble. Proceeded to try the next one, same thing, next one same thing. All the compact drills have chuck wobble. Is this just accepted now? I read somewhere it's the Jacobs chucks that have this problem, and Rahm chucks don't? If so, what's the cheapest model of each?

3. Is the Fuel from Milwaukee Worth it? The M18 fuel is about $70 more than the standard compact. Does it have a different chuck than the compact? If I could find a drill without chuck wobble I would be pleased.

4. What brand of drill bits and driving bits do you guys recommend that I can pick up most places?

1. Milwaukee had to change platforms to allow for the proper connector arrangement (that's how I understood it anyway). Dewalt hung onto the stem batteries as long as they could but had to phase them out because the space taken up by the stem was the same space needed to allow for onboard electronics like overload protection. Both manufacturers have clearly settled on their current platform and you should have no worries about any platform changes. Milwaukee had problems with their V series stuff and pissed a lot of people off when they had to abandon it. I don't think you have to worry about it happening again.

2. I can't vouch for the compact models, but I've never noticed any wobble with my Milwaukee hammer drill.

3. YES, the Fuel is brushless and IMHO worth the extra $70. It will get more run time and generates very little heat compared to the brushed models. With my brushed model I often used the side handle only because the heat generated made it uncomfortable to hold at times. No such problem with the Fuel and it specs out better too.

4. I buy the Milwaukee brand bits and I've been happy with them. They're good quality for the money and HD carries a good selection of them.

 

[Drock93]

Pertaining to the Fuel, would I be worth it in the fact I could only get that now and a few months down the road get an impact, or get the brushed dril/impact combo? Also do you know if the chuck is different on the Fuel than the cheapest compact? It looks different

 

[Conductor562]

Unless you need an impact immediately I'd go for the fuel. I do not know if the chuck is the same on the compact as I don't have a compact handy to compare it to. I do know that you won't be disappointed in the fuel. Here is a good side by side comparison done by Coptool a few months back: Coptool.com 18V Hammer drill showdown

Spoiler alert: Milwaukee was the clear winner

 

[Drock93]

I'd actually be getting the non hammer drill version, I have a corded hammer drill and rarely need the hammer function.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203221...=-1&storeId=10051&N=5yc1vZc2ciZzv&R=203221910

 

[IndyGarage]

I own quite a bit of Milwaukee stuff - including some old nicad, a bunch of V28 - which is awesome, but they quit making more because not enough folks bought them, a couple of V18's and quite a few M12's.

I was ticked off when Milwaukee went to the M18's and didn't make the tools backward compatible. They claim it was to make the tools more durable - that's complete BS. The old tools are plenty durable. They did it for one reason only - to sell more tools and batteries.

The tool companies have figured out they can get you to throw your old tools away if they make the batteries incompatible with the latest and greatest. .

The fact that my V28 three bay charger would charge everything from my 12v to the 28's was great, and why I stuck with Milwaukee - however I now have a chance to buy others - I recently bought some Makita 12v tools and a Porter Cable 12v lithium impact that was pretty inexpensive.

The M12's are pretty good, but a little underpowered for heavy use (they are really only 10.8 volt tools). Milwaukee has built an incredibly impressive line of tools there. You can find individual offerings from other companies that might be a bit better, but you can't go wrong with M12 tools. I'm looking forward to trying the new M12 fuel tools.

My son got a set of 20V Max Dewaults for Christmas, and he let me try them out and they are very impressive in size and power - I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set of them either.

 

[kngelv]

1. Milwaukee had to change platforms to allow for the proper connector arrangement (that's how I understood it anyway). Dewalt hung onto the stem batteries as long as they could but had to phase them out because the space taken up by the stem was the same space needed to allow for onboard electronics like overload protection. Both manufacturers have clearly settled on their current platform and you should have no worries about any platform changes. Milwaukee had problems with their V series stuff and pissed a lot of people off when they had to abandon it. I don't think you have to worry about it happening again.

I must be one of the lucky ones. I have a 28V Hammer Drill that saw heavy industrial use from 2005-2008, and is now used around the house. I'm still using the original pair of batteries.

James

 

[Drock93]

I actually would be getting the non hammer drill version as I almost never need one and have a corded hammer drill if I do.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/t/203221910#.UQDRwWdMGSw

 

[IndyGarage]

I must be one of the lucky ones. I have a 28V Hammer Drill that saw heavy industrial use from 2005-2008, and is now used around the house. I'm still using the original pair of batteries.

James

You are lucky. All my V28 batteries from 2006 died almost at the same time about 6 months ago. I guess 6 years isn't bad, but they are outrageously expensive to replace.

I bought a couple of M28 replacement batteries and I need to buy a third - I found some for around $100 apiece on Ebay, but most places want $150. They are good batteries.

 

[RonM3]

While I lean toward Milwaukee I don't limit myself to either. I have tools from both. Both brands have good and a few bad tools. I bought a Milwaukee 2611-24 last year and love it. I also bought a Dewalt DW920K and like it alot.( Only complaint with the dewalt is the nicad batteries) Which ever way you go I suggest getting Lithium batteries. The lithiums hold a charge for a very long time. I hate needing a tool only to find the battery needs charging!

 

[SlowPoke-Canada]

Another OCDish opinion...

Ryobi 18v cordless & Milwaukee corded for me.

My Ryobi tools are ideal FOR ME as a homeowner that may pick them up once or twice a month.
I started off with the "Six Pack" over ten years ago (somebodies internet blog/review) http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/columns/cupp/03/index.htm

Excellent value for the same money as some of those brands nobody has ever heard of; huge range of products and one ("one+") battery platform. I have completed many projects with them and have been very happy but if I had to work everyday with cordless, they'd be set aside for the likes of Ridgid, DeWalt or Milwaukee.

My Milwaukee preference is derived from two tools.
Miter Saw http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/corded/6955-20
Just a joy to use!

Circular Saw http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/corded/6391-21
Left blade saw. I don't know why the market is so limited on left-blade cutters apart from worm drives and cordless. I also LOVE the tilt lock feature and nice plate.

I have several other Milwaukee corded tools but those two are such a pleasure to use.

 

[Conductor562]

While I do prefer Milwaukee, I did get a bad one a couple years back. I bought a 6020-21 1/4 sheet palm sander and I've never hated a tool more in my life. It's useless. The tool is built like a tank and the 3 amp motor provides as much power as you could possibly need for this type of sander, but they use a funky paper clamp system that renders the tool useless. The paper pulls out of the clamp constantly. I've tried every brand of paper I could find and always got the same result. It's essentially a $60 paper weight.

I have probably 17-20 Milwaukee power tools in M18, M12, and electric, and I've been completely satisfied with all of them, except this piece of ****. I eventually gave up on it and bought a Makita and it's fantastic. The Milwaukee random orbital is great, but the 1/4 sheet palm is a turd. It's like a new Corvette with 4 flat tires.

 

[anthony666]

 

[Drock93]

So are you guys saying if I do go with Dewalt, I should go for the 18V Li-Ion over the 20V max? If so, they have this combo on sale at my local store:

http://www.farmandfleet.com/product...ammerdrill-impact-combo-kit.html#.UQGqaSf7Kwg