I bought a DeWalt Cordless Combo...Going Back Tomorrow..

[krooser]

OK...Most of you guys have heard my rants about Ferrin' made stuff...mostly my disdain for all things Chinese (except food)...

I've been looking at cordless reciprocating saws for awhile...I've been cleaning out an old salvage yard and being able to cuts parts off of rusty cars in the back 40 would be lots easier with a little modern technology.

So tonite my bride and I were coming back from the family Christmas get-together (not Holiday get-together..Christmas...it IS Christmas, afterall)....anywho...we stopped at Lowe's since I wanted to take a look at saws...mostly a Milwaukee Cordless Sawzall

Met a guy who was doing the same..a local contractor...he's buying a DeWalt six-pack combo since they have a sale going on...20% off..PLUS a free cordless tool rebate deal.

That got me thinking...

Pretty good deal...sooooo I look 'em over..made in Mehico...at least it's in North America...so I pull out the plastic and lay down $405.00 for FOUR tools plus the free one..

We go to dinner...and I start thinking about the sale and the rebate....

An hour later I'm back at Lowe's...this time I RETURN the four pack and buy the six pack. Now I've got SIX cordless tools PLUS another for $486.00!!

I was pretty stoked...I usually don't buy a lot of new stuff since I've been buying lots of older tools at auction recently.

Anyway, I get home, slide the stuff outta the box, play with 'em a little and...tell my wife I'm taking them BACK!!!

HUH?

Well....I just don't like 'em....I don't like the way the switches feel...I don't like the cheap plastic...the battery doesn't fit the charger very well...I'm pretty disappointed.

I've been buying Milwaukee stuff for years..I've got a Milwaukee 14.4 cordless drill....a Porta-Band saw...a 1/2" Holeshooter...a 4 1/2" grinder...a Sawzall...and some Blackhawk and older B&D stuff, too.

That stuff is real pro quality...and I guess I'm spoiled.

My dad always bought the highest quality he could afford...and there's an old saying that you'll never be sorry you bought the best.

I guess they were both right.

 

[eschoendorff]

Go to (omg... I cannot believe that I'm gonna say this) Home Depot. They are having a 20% off sale on ALL of their cordless tool combos, including the Milwaukee V28. It started at $729, but with 20% off comes to about $583 or something - definitely something to consider.

 

[kartracer55]

I dont know what you mean here... Ive used a a few different brands and got to playw ith them all at sears, and I decided the dewalt was my favorite out of them all. 2+ years still going strong, My dad has a agnum hole shooter as well and I use this drill in its place most of the time because its tough as ****... sorry you feel that way about the de walt

Jim

 

[krooser]

My son's tried the V28...he's a carpenter...I thought I'd like it too...but he sez it's real heavy...hard on the old arms...and since I need surgery on both shoulders, it's probably not an option....but I may buy an 18V Milwaukee....

 

[Fast Orange]

While I can understand your doubts on the quality of the DeWalt stuff based on the outward appearance and feel of the switch,you will find they are as good functionally as any cordless tools out there in the 18V category.The color,fit and finish of DeWalts stuff does leave a lot to be desired,but they are as good if not better than Milwaukee when it comes down to power and durability.
For the difference in price,I'd stay with the DW kit myself, unless you want to go all out and get the 28V Milwaukee tools-they're probably the ultimate cordless tools at the present time,but VERY pricy.

George

 

[nova65ss]

I have 4 of the DeWalt 18v combos and have never had a problem. My guys are VERY hard on them too. They would never dream of taking care of them as if they were their own either. Love their recip saw also they will last forever. I buy my stuff from tool king on ebay he is always much cheaper thatn Lowes or the Depot.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DeWalt-18V-5-To...573233105QQcategoryZ28057QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Jimmy

 

[krooser]

Did a little research on the weight of the Milwaukee Sawzall 18V vs. 28V ...seems the weight is virtually the same....6.8 lbs vs. 6.7 lbs....guess that's a wash.

I guess I'm going to buy a Milwaukee tomorrow...my wife priced an 18V at a local dealer (whom I've bought from before and has excellent service)....the kit is $251.00...cheaper than some of the on-line stores AND I keep the $$$ in the community...a good deal for everyone...

Fast Orange...I see your point, and I guess the DeWalt is probably pretty good
(my carpenter son likes his 14 volt drill BUT he also loves all of his cheap Chinese stuff...even though it breaks and he's buying replacements quite often)....

But I guess I'd feel like I "settled" for the Dewalt...and, at my age, I really hate to "settle" for anything anymore. I'm not well to do by any means...I bust my *** 80 hours a week plus driving that damned old Peterbilt...I live paycheck to paycheck...but even at $89.00 for the Dewalt saw, I'll probably buy that red one instead...

 

[haulna]

Check out the 18 V Bosch.

 

[ranger_dood]

Whatever you do, don't go with the v28. As we've seen on here, they're not all they're cracked up to be.

Don't discount Ryobi's 18v kits, either. They work very well for the money. My bro's kit has taken a ton of abuse over the years, and it still going strong. Plus, spare batts are like $20 a piece.

 

[krooser]

I guess I'm pretty picky...I won't buy a Ryobi, either.

I actually bouight my wife a 12V Ryobi drill for Christmas a couple of years ago....both batteries died within a few months...OK...so I bought two reeplacements...those died, too within a short time.

The batteries never had more than a few minutes run time even when new. I bought this for her so she wouldn't keep using my Milwaukee...She really didn't use the drill very much...my son did some remodeling work for us but used his own DeWalt stuff...

I thought the drill quality was good....but those batteries sure ****!

Oh yeah, now the charger is DOA...

 

[Luckydevil]

Krooser, you might want to check out the individual components rather than the kits. Not sure if they are all exactly the same, but I would be willing to bet that at least some of the expensive kits use the cheaper stuff.

Someone also mentioned on here before that the Dewalt stuff at Home Depot is different than the Dewalt stuff you can buy through the stores tailored to just proffessionals (contractor grade). Might be worth looking into as I am sure those gift kits from all manufacturers were rushed to be in the store for the holidays.

 

[krooser]

Krooser, you might want to check out the individual components rather than the kits. Not sure if they are all exactly the same, but I would be willing to bet that at least some of the expensive kits use the cheaper stuff.

Someone also mentioned on here before that the Dewalt stuff at Home Depot is different than the Dewalt stuff you can buy through the stores tailored to just proffessionals (contractor grade). Might be worth looking into as I am sure those gift kits from all manufacturers were rushed to be in the store for the holidays.

I guess you're right on "contractor" grade...that drill in the kit sure didn't feel the same as my son's DeWalt.

Thanks.

 

[l_bilyk]

My pops bought the 18V milwaukee sawzall with the pivoting head (that i stole and claimed as my own ). It's a really nice tool. You won't be disappointed.

My corded sawzall is an old porter cable tigersaw. Good tool but I dont use it any more.

 

[REFLEXX]

Krooser,

I've also bought a small Ryobi cordless (12v) and the battery was ****.

But before I started on my shop project, I bought the Ryobi 18v set. and I have hammered on them and they've held up! the 18v drill has been used the most, I've dropped it from about 12 feet onto concrete TWICE. the battery shot out across the shop, the drill body feels loose, but still works great. My building has got about 3,500 2.5" screws in it and the drill has worked 100%.

The best part was the price. It was less than $200 for the kit, even less now with the 20% off. I automatically bought two extra batteries ($45!!!) and have never looked back.

I had a milwaukee for 5 years, great drill but I refused to buy $90 batteries every few years!!!

my 2.5c

 

[Uncle Buck]

18 volt Ryobi tops for me.

 

[gb387]

My son's tried the V28...he's a carpenter...I thought I'd like it too...but he sez it's real heavy...hard on the old arms...and since I need surgery on both shoulders, it's probably not an option....but I may buy an 18V Milwaukee....

The V28's will wear your arm out!!! To heavy!! The drill has IMO a very poor balance either way the battery is in the drill. Sounds like a good system but needs some tweaking and has a weight issue.

I stick with the 18V dewalts, they will take a beating and keep coming back for more.

 

[krooser]

The V28's will wear your arm out!!! To heavy!! The drill has IMO a very poor balance either way the battery is in the drill. Sounds like a good system but needs some tweaking and has a weight issue.

I stick with the 18V dewalts, they will take a beating and keep coming back for more.

With the Milwaukee corded and cordless with an ounce of one another in weight I really don't have a problem with them.

My Milwaukee Sawzall has given me over ten years and two remodeling jobs worth of service. Plus my kids have al used it for there jobs...lots of sawing there...

I would think there's a reason they are heavier...copper windings vs. aluminum? Heavier components? There's gotta be an explanation....

 

[eschoendorff]

Here's yet some more food for though... make sure you read the entire thread, though.

http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28947

 

[96MysticSVT]

I own just about every 18V DeWalt tool made, and I love every one of them (I think the only one I don’t have is the grinder), hell, I have a 6’ cabinet in my garage that is basically dedicated to my DeWalt tools. I haven't had a bad experience yet.

One of my favorite tools (and most used) is the 18V sawsall. I use it weekly for cutting everything from steel plate and tubing to pruning and clearing trees on my property. My wife is afraid to use a chainsaw so she uses the cordless sawsall to prune and cut down trees (I like using it because it so much more convenient than having to start and stop the chainsaw all day long). So far we have cleared about 1 acre of heavily wooded areas using the sawsall almost exclusively. Granted most of the trees are small oak, mesquite and cedar but the sawsall tears them up. I would estimate my sawsall has well over a hundred hours of actual operating time on it and it still works GREAT!

 

[ranger_dood]

krooser, that's interesting about your experience with the 12v ryobi system. I bought the 14.4v system for my dad and it has worked great, and gets abused a lot. THen my brother has the 18v system as above. I've never had experience with their 12v system, but the 14.4 and the 18 are good! The 18 is what i'd buy now, you can get the sawzall, which you can't get with the 14.4v system.

 

[krooser]

I think the drill itself is OK for occasional use...I'm going to buy a new charger and try again.

I did look at a few Bosch tools last night...they seem pretty well made...a lot nicer feel to the switches and such than the DeWalt I had purchased.

 

[01G8R]

I have come to really like the Ridgid tools. I used to own all DeWalt, but a couple of years ago when the Ridgid stuff came out I bought new drill. They had lifetime warranty on their batteries (Not Anymore) and they seem to be built really well. I have the cordless sawzall and it works great.

 

[danski0224]

The Milwaukee V28 stuff weighs the same as the 18v version of the tool. However, the V28 battery is physically larger than the 18v version.

The new Makita 18v stuff weighs the same as their 12v versions.

For now, Makita does not have the fancy bandsaw like Milwaukee, so unless you plan on buying other Milwaulkee V28 tools solo, check out the Makita.

Used as a regular drill, the Milwaukee is fine, but it ***** as a hammer drill. Haven't used the Makita.