Help Me Select Impact + Drill Set

[Zinc2005]

Pretty much trying to decide whether to go with the $200 Rigid set at home depot (for the allure of the lifetime guarantee) or the Milwaukee 18v Fuel... OR the Dewalt 20v XR.

They are all amazing form what I can tell.

I am a home user. I would expect to use this drill 12 times a year.

Thanks!

 

[madcrisis]

Well I have the Ridgid and I am happy with the tools. I got it for the lifetime warranty as well. I have not had to utilize it yet but registering it for the warranty was easy.

As for Milwaukee and dewalt, they are definately higher quality tools and have a better tool line up to expand to.

So ig your going to stick with a drill and impact then the ridgids are fine but if you want to expand id go somewhere else.

 

[ncfh]

Supposedly you can no longer just bring Rigid batteries to any Homodept and simply exchange them. Now you must mail them in to a third party, with your original receipt.

 

[BryanB]

I have the DeWalt 20V XR set. I like it.......the impact driver is awesome and the battery lasts a long time. I've been using it quite a bit on projects around the house and haven't had to charge it back up yet and it's been weeks!

 

[d.mcfarland]

Supposedly you can no longer just bring Rigid batteries to any Homodept and simply exchange them. Now you must mail them in to a third party, with your original receipt.

Even if that's true, the warranty pays for the tools after so long.

The Ridgid are nice and very well built.

 

[skcj213]

I just bought the Ridgid Drill/Impact/Radio set a couple of weeks ago. I chose the Ridgid for the Lifetime Service Agreement. Even if you have to mail the battery in to get it replace you still get it replaced. That beats having to buy a new one. I guess you would have to consider how the tool will be used though. If you are a professional and use the tool everyday then I can see not wanting to wait a couple of weeks to get your replacement. I am a hobbyist and being down a battery for a couple of weeks wouldn't be a problem.

BTW, I used a 20% off HF coupon and got the set for $159.20 + tax. No questions asked.

 

[Ign]

Not sure you can go wrong with any of them. But Milwaukee has the deepest line of tools of your 3 options. Buy before Feb 1 for the $50/100/150 promo at HD

 

[jsharpphoto]

I have the dewalts. I think they are better for the homeowner/diy guy, vs the Fuel which would be better for a mechanic. I have 6 or 7 of the Dewalt tools and they have all been excellent. The jig saw is terrific, as is their oscillating tool. I say they are better for a homeowner, because I like their wood-working tools in the 20v lineup better than other brands. But an auto mechanic would care about a jigsaw

 

[AndeiH]

i bought the milwaukee set because of their tool selection. i will be adding a right angle impact, fuel bandsaw, fuel impact wrench and the flood light in the near future.

 

[RedRabbit]

Why no Makita. They make excellent tools and the batteries have the best life because the charger cools them down. Makita is my favorite powertool brand.

 

[LB-1911]

Pretty much trying to decide whether to go with the $200 Rigid set at home depot (for the allure of the lifetime guarantee) or the Milwaukee 18v Fuel... OR the Dewalt 20v XR.

They are all amazing form what I can tell.

I am a home user. I would expect to use this drill 12 times a year.

Thanks!

Have you had the opportunity to actually hold them to check how the tools feel and balance in your hand?

If so and you felt they were equal -

Go with Ridgid for your piece of mind.**

Consider the addition of an LED work light if for no other reason than an additional light source in the event of a power outage.


**
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/three-year-limited-lsa

Good Luck

 

[txdude87]

+1 Milwaukee. I use them daily and they never let me down. You will not regret it.

 

[Nele]

milwaukee fuel.

 

[crewchief888]

i have ridgid li-ion 12v & 18v as well as milwaukee 12v & 18v li-ion
drills, drivers and impacts.

2 ridgid 18v batteries crapped out in less than a year, and were replaced.

i've had zero issues with the milwaukee.

the ridgid stuff is kept in the house, and rarely see's the light of day. it's never been left in the garage overnight in any weather.

the milwaukee stuff stays in my service truck 24/7/365. gets covered in grease, oil, fuel, been dropped in the mud, snow and rained on....
i do bring my batteries in when the weather gets below 45 f (or so)


i vote milwaukee, especially the fuel tools battery life is significantly better.

 

[NitroSun]

Gotta be honest. I've used all of them and I think the Rigid line is quite good considering price and warranty. No one has the variety of Milwaukee though. Go to HD, handle them to get a feel. Going to come down to personal choice.

 

[Andy8430]

I agree with the comments above. Handle them and see what you like. As another option, consider the 12 volt Dewalt sets. IMO they have plenty of power for a homeowner and are lighter to use.

 

[JMJones91987]

I had the same dilemma not too long ago. I was stuck between the Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita drill and 3/8 impact combo sets. I went with the Makita because it was the most common one I saw being used by the techs in my field. I am in the automotive field but my plumbing and electrician buddies told me to go with the Milwaukee which is what I most commonly see in their fields. I love the feel of my Makita drill and impact so far but can not give any input on longevity besides knowing that some of the techs I have worked with have had theirs for years with doing nothing more than replacing batteries. I know little to nothing about the Ridgid but I know their pipe wrenches are THE BEST.

 

[Ckengine]

I have the makita LxT and they have been fantastic. They have been used almost daily for the last few years and are going strong.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I have the Makita 18v set. Impact , drill, saw and the flash light (handy, but dumb) I bought Makita again b/c I had a 10.8v impact and driver set that I love. I use those around the house 10 to 1 vs the big 18v. They are great for all but repeated driving of 3" screws in tight lumber.

As much as this place has a hard on for Fuel , they do have a pretty complete line up. Especially a valid contender for 1/2 " impact. I bought my FIL the 18v makita set with 2amp batteries. I think they are the "compact" versions. They were 180 at HD. I liked the warranty of rigid, but was just meh.. About how they felt. Just my .03. I think you can't really go wrong with any of them. If dewalt is still made like the old 14.4v of the late 90's- those things are built like tanks.