How many battery platforms are you using for power tools?
- Thread starter dclark2171
- Start date
alinc100
Well-known member
Before reading through the whole thread I'll reply
Milwaukee M12
Makita 18v
Dewalt 12v,20v
Craftsman Nextec 12v( phasing out)
Ryobi 18v (pex crimper)
Hilti 12 v (laser)
Eroein 3.7 v (cheap laser from Amazon,works great)
Bosch 18 v hammerdrill
Milwaukee M12
Makita 18v
Dewalt 12v,20v
Craftsman Nextec 12v( phasing out)
Ryobi 18v (pex crimper)
Hilti 12 v (laser)
Eroein 3.7 v (cheap laser from Amazon,works great)
Bosch 18 v hammerdrill
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I enjoyed my nextec tools for a while. They are a big part of what made me want m12.
Shoreline_
Well-known member
Makita and Matco
Theronswanson
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- Joined
- May 13, 2023
- Messages
- 539
Milwaukee M12/18
Rigid
Hercules 12 volt
Ego
Rigid
Hercules 12 volt
Ego
Jeff
Well-known member
Bosch 12v
Metabo 18/36v
Metabo 18/36v
swsman
Well-known member
Milwaukee M12 and M18 (majority)
DeWalt 20v (a few)
Plenty of batteries for all (20 plus) - most of it picked up on sales.
Rest is corded/air tools/internal combustion
DeWalt 20v (a few)
Plenty of batteries for all (20 plus) - most of it picked up on sales.
Rest is corded/air tools/internal combustion
NakeDiesel
Well-known member
This got me to thinking about all the tools for my dewalt 20 and 60v batteries.
2 20v 4.5" grinders
1 full size skill saw 60v
1 20v small chainsaw
1 20v grease gun
1 20v drill
1 20v 1/4" impact
1 20v 3/8" impact
1 10v 1/2" impact
1 straight die grinder
1 pole saw with a hedge trimmer attachment
1 4.5" skill saw
1 20v heat gun
1 20v tree shear
1 20v vibration cutter
1 20v saws all
1 20v hand light
1 20v underhood worklight
I have a jigsaw ordered, also a 3" saw and a caulking gun.
2 20v 4.5" grinders
1 full size skill saw 60v
1 20v small chainsaw
1 20v grease gun
1 20v drill
1 20v 1/4" impact
1 20v 3/8" impact
1 10v 1/2" impact
1 straight die grinder
1 pole saw with a hedge trimmer attachment
1 4.5" skill saw
1 20v heat gun
1 20v tree shear
1 20v vibration cutter
1 20v saws all
1 20v hand light
1 20v underhood worklight
I have a jigsaw ordered, also a 3" saw and a caulking gun.
engineer2
Well-known member
Question: Are all the Milwaukee 18V batteries interchangeable? My good friend and neighbor is on that platform and his wife is asking about Father's Day gifts. He needs a leaf blower. What model?
micromind
Well-known member
As far as I know, there are V18s and M18s. They are not interchangeable.
BTL-A4
Well-known member
Do AAA, AA, and C batteries count? I have flashlights with those.
swsman
Well-known member
For a leaf blower I would go with larger capacity battery, something like 12ah.
Lasts longer as those use up a lot of power.
I mostly use 5ah or 6ah high output depending on the tool used.
Grinders, vacuum, impacts get the 6 h.o., rest make do with 5ah (lights, drill).
Have M12 Fuel tools, for those I like and use 4ah and 6ah batteries.
Dewalt 20v and Milwaukee m12. Also have a Metabo 18v framing nailer but I usually run it with Dewalt 20v batteries and an adapter. A couple Paslode finish guns. Also have a 12v Bosch drill that never leaves the house
WagonHo!
Well-known member
Makita 18, Milwaukee 12, Shindawa hedge clipper, IR 20 impact, Oral B 4v?
wood02
Well-known member
Milwaukee 12v., Dewalt 20v. & 60v., EGO 56v.,
bassJAM
Well-known member
After fighting getting a second platform for years I now agree. I'm pretty invested in Bosch 18v, but they don't play in the yard tools market in the US so eventually I picked up a Ryobi ONE 18v leaf blower for my wife to use. At that point its been cheaper to get some Ryobi bare tools like a 1/2" impact that I won't use often and was prohibitively expensive through Bosch.
Technically I have 3 platforms though:
Bosch 18v
Ryobi 18v
Bosch 12v
Rabid Badger
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,338
Makita 18v
Covers everything from drills and saws to lawn mowers and weedeaters.
Covers everything from drills and saws to lawn mowers and weedeaters.
All my old junk is finally dead and I'm finally down to one brand of batteries - Milwaukee.
I have no complaints about other brands. I know many companies make great tools but somehow I ended up with Milwaukee..... and now it would cost to much money to switch over to another brand. Plus, Milwaukee has a HUGE line of battery tools. They already make everything I could ever possible need so I have no reason to switch to another brand at this point.
I have no complaints about other brands. I know many companies make great tools but somehow I ended up with Milwaukee..... and now it would cost to much money to switch over to another brand. Plus, Milwaukee has a HUGE line of battery tools. They already make everything I could ever possible need so I have no reason to switch to another brand at this point.
Just a reminder:
When we talk about battery platforms, we should split up (you pick where) the over 6aH batteries from the under 6aH. Just because you have Milwaukee 18V batteries, doesn't mean you can buy a bare track saw or leaf blower and use your impact driver batteries. To me, that means more battery proliferation.
Example:
I bought the Milwaukee Track Saw because I have Milwaukee 18V batteries (and it's good) . But my batteries weren't big enough to operate the saw practically. In retrospect, I probably should have bought the cheaper Makita track saw, and used its high power batteries to power Makita lawn equipment.
So battery commonality is now 2 things: manufacturer, and (roughly) amp hours (low and high).
My suggestion is, when thinking about a new tool purchase, think about the amp hour requirements for that tool and ask yourself if you really have "common" batteries or not.
When we talk about battery platforms, we should split up (you pick where) the over 6aH batteries from the under 6aH. Just because you have Milwaukee 18V batteries, doesn't mean you can buy a bare track saw or leaf blower and use your impact driver batteries. To me, that means more battery proliferation.
Example:
I bought the Milwaukee Track Saw because I have Milwaukee 18V batteries (and it's good) . But my batteries weren't big enough to operate the saw practically. In retrospect, I probably should have bought the cheaper Makita track saw, and used its high power batteries to power Makita lawn equipment.
So battery commonality is now 2 things: manufacturer, and (roughly) amp hours (low and high).
My suggestion is, when thinking about a new tool purchase, think about the amp hour requirements for that tool and ask yourself if you really have "common" batteries or not.
Southernbuild
Well-known member
M12 & M18 - Got into Milwaukee when DeWalt abandoned their 18v pod style battery. Great range of tools for the mechanical trades.
DeWalt 20v & flexvolt - DeWalt had better carpentry tools released before Milwaukee, still superior in some categories, and eventually released an adapter so their 20v batteries could be used in their older tools, so I eventually relented and bought a lot.
Ryobi 18 - oddball / tools for muddy work. The best bang for the buck by far. Homeowners that buy a high status brand instead of Ryobi are just spending for status lol
Bosch 10.8 / 12 & 18 - Basically retired, limited tools in the US killed the brand for me. So aggravating seeing something you need released overseas, and having to wait a year to get it, or risk an overseas ebay buy. Great tools though.
Makita 12 & 18 - Makita is definitely under rated, great tools for the dollar. Better free battery deals than Red or Yellow too.
Festool 18 - Special use class, they've got a unusual style track saw that I needed.
I'm not in the hobby camp. Possibly in the obsessive group though!
DeWalt 20v & flexvolt - DeWalt had better carpentry tools released before Milwaukee, still superior in some categories, and eventually released an adapter so their 20v batteries could be used in their older tools, so I eventually relented and bought a lot.
Ryobi 18 - oddball / tools for muddy work. The best bang for the buck by far. Homeowners that buy a high status brand instead of Ryobi are just spending for status lol
Bosch 10.8 / 12 & 18 - Basically retired, limited tools in the US killed the brand for me. So aggravating seeing something you need released overseas, and having to wait a year to get it, or risk an overseas ebay buy. Great tools though.
Makita 12 & 18 - Makita is definitely under rated, great tools for the dollar. Better free battery deals than Red or Yellow too.
Festool 18 - Special use class, they've got a unusual style track saw that I needed.
I'm not in the hobby camp. Possibly in the obsessive group though!
Dewalt 20v is the bulk, then Milwaukee M18 (big AH batteries for metal cutting circular saw, smaller ones for narrow crown stapler and 15 gauge nailer), then Festool (track saw) then Dewalt 60v (weed eater, circular saw) with a smattering of Porter Cable (pin nailer and one drill), Dewalt 12v (ratchets), and Stihl (weed eater).
That one that’s set up for more general carpentry rather than cabinet making that has a track attached? I want one, but can’t justify it since I’m not a pro and/or it would be occasional use. I use the **** out of my cordless TS55 though. Thinking about the TS75.
scooterbum46
Well-known member
One platform - Dewalt 20/60 volt. Lots of Dewalt 20/60 volt, enough that if I daisy chained them all in series, I could duplicate Edison's elephant execution....
gatewaysysop
Well-known member
Zero. 
Two and a half
Yard: Ego. I have four batteries to go with a mower, blower, string trimmer, clippers and... something else I can't come up with before coffee.
Home/Automotive: Milwaukee M12 and M18, which share a rapid charger. Multiple batteries for each, and many tools (probably ten M12 and 8 or so M18).
This works extremely well for me. Very little space and spaghetti dedicated to chargers, and I've literally never been in a situation where I had any issue with battery limitations since getting to this setup in place.
Yard: Ego. I have four batteries to go with a mower, blower, string trimmer, clippers and... something else I can't come up with before coffee.
Home/Automotive: Milwaukee M12 and M18, which share a rapid charger. Multiple batteries for each, and many tools (probably ten M12 and 8 or so M18).
This works extremely well for me. Very little space and spaghetti dedicated to chargers, and I've literally never been in a situation where I had any issue with battery limitations since getting to this setup in place.
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It's a fair point, but when you add a high-draw tool to a garage that doesn't have a high-capacity battery, the bundle is totally worth it. My M18 circular saw really wants a 8AH or 12AH battery for full grump and offers plenty of time-on-task.
Similar for Milwaukee OPE - the batteries should really come with it as very few people are going to have 12AH batteries for it.
For me, a tool would have to be vastly better than my current platform to consider putting another charger and battery in the mix. It's pretty great how many companies have portfolios that offer good options across a wide range of tools/applications (teams Red, Yellow, Blue, whateverthehellcolorRyobiis, etc.)
I wonder is there are any voltage problems doing that. Today's tools seem too smart for their own good sometimes. Does anyone have a success track record using an adapter?
NWOhioChevyGuy
Well-known member
Three here
Milwaukee M12 & M18
Porter Cable 18V (still have a few tools hanging on)
Milwaukee M12 & M18
Porter Cable 18V (still have a few tools hanging on)
purplezr2
Well-known member
M12
M18
Maktia-Tracksaw only purchased prior to Milwaukee released version
M18
Maktia-Tracksaw only purchased prior to Milwaukee released version
niget2002
Well-known member
Many years ago I chose Dewalt. I have stuck by that. My 18v Dewalt tools all have the adapters to use the newer 20/60v batteries. All my other battery powered tools are Dewalt 20/60v.
Leaf blower
chainsaw
trimmer
grinder
drills
drivers
Eventually I want to add jigsaw, RO sander, and a few other small tools.
I do have 1 off brand battery powered ratchet, but it lives in the travel trailer where it's used.
Leaf blower
chainsaw
trimmer
grinder
drills
drivers
Eventually I want to add jigsaw, RO sander, and a few other small tools.
I do have 1 off brand battery powered ratchet, but it lives in the travel trailer where it's used.
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niget2002
Well-known member
18v/20v It's the same battery, just different marketing. I'm assuming if I can run my older 18v Dewalt stuff on the newer '20v' batteries using an adapter, then this should be fine too.
Southernbuild
Well-known member
Yep, that's it! With the attached track it's honestly more of a crosscut saw like a mitersaw, than a traditional tracksaw.
Rarely used, but for more precise angle cuts than free handing a circular saw on scaffolding it has a place.
I stick with cordless so far for my normal tracksaw since I'm running dust collection anyway, the cord doesn't feel like an imposition. Would you recommend adding a cordless version?
Only reason that I went cordless with the TS55 is because it’s thinner kerf and feels more powerful than the corded counterpart. It’s a DC brushless motor too.
I have the overarm plus an additional hose extension so it sometime lets me get farther away from the dust extractor as well. My sanders (the square one, the six inch 3mm stroke, and the six Rotex) are corded though…sometimes plugged into the extractor and sometimes plugged in elsewhere. But I can see where the cordless versions would be handy for a pro.
(I’m just building my own shop and using these for my own projects (at least for now). I’m using 3/4 sanded ply for my interior walls and those Festool sanders are amazing…walls are getting a bondo treatment on any blemishes and sprayed with Benjamin Moore Command with fine finish tips. With three coats, they are damn near cabinet level. Screws are countersunk for appearance. I’ll be able to remove most wall panels if needed. But I digress).
Southernbuild
Well-known member
Their sanders are defiantly world class! That sounds like a cool looking project.
Interesting point. I got a deal on a Makita years ago, so I've been trying to not look at the Festool offerings. lol
But, the new Festool tracksaw with the scoring blade might be a game changer.
yhprum
Well-known member
I really hope this idea takes off, I hate having multiple makes of batteries.
www.cordless-alliance-system.com
CAS - Cordless Alliance System
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
I like the idea of Bosch AMP Share, with quite a few manufacturers using the same 18v batteries. It will be interesting to see how those 2 pan out in the future.I really hope this idea takes off, I hate having multiple makes of batteries.
CAS - Cordless Alliance System
bwringer
Well-known member
You kid, but... I am well along the process of banishing disposable batteries from my home, garage, and vehicles. All the flashlights and head lamps I use on a regular basis are rechargeable. I still have a few odds and ends that use AA or AAA batteries (I guess I could switch these over to rechargables easily enough) and 9V batteries in the smoke alarms.
BTL-A4
Well-known member
I was only partially kidding. I tried rechargeable batteries a long time ago and it didn't work for me because the batteries either were dead, wouldn't charge enough, or the charger was unplugged. I might have to try again.