The ?BEST? Cordless Tools

[dnschmidt]

Like who is going to argue with Mafell? They make Festool look cheap but unlike Festool, which in my opinion is more show and less go their claim to fame isn't the durability of their tools but their vacuum extraction capabilities, Mafell is the real deal.

 

[dr_clyde]

There is no such thing as a "best" platform.

I own or have owned power tools from most makers. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. You will always be compromising something if you stick with only one brand.

I own and daily use Metabo and Milwaukee m12 and m18 in the shop. At home I have Bosch. My dad has DeWalt. I used to use Makita as my primary. I have also used Snap-on daily in the past.

I don't have any issue with multiple battery platforms. Some tools simply aren't available in other brands, or aren't very good if they are. I think I have 4 or 5 brands of chargers on my charging shelf.

So far in my experience, Metabo makes the best tools for a welding shop. Bar none. Their cordless drills, impacts, hammer drills and grinders get daily use in my shop and they are leaps and bounds better than the nicest Milwaukee or similar. Milwaukee makes a lot of tools geared toward the construction trades that just aren't available in other brands. And they are very nice. But not available on the Metabo platform. So I buy the Milwaukee. Bosch was running a promo for a drill, impact, sawzall, and flashlight in a bag for a steal a few years ago. So I bought it for my home toolbox, despite having Makita and Metabo at work.

Forget the idea that these are legacy tools. You won't be handing these down to your grandkids. Cordless tools are disposable. They last about 10 years. Even the best power tools on the planet have a useable life. We also are making leaps and bounds in cordless tech every year. I remember when Makita was the absolute hotness with their Ni-Mh batteries back in the 90's. The long skinny ones. They were the bomb then. Absolutely un-useable by today's standards, even if the batteries would hold a charge.

Buy what you need to do your work. Use it for as long as you feel is practical. When the next best thing comes along and you can justify an upgrade, do it. I think some guys put more thought into "what platform is best for me" than they do with what woman to marry. I don't understand this. When I needed a new impact wrench, I bought the one with the best reviews and that happened to be a Milwaukee. I had Makita, SO, DeWalt, and Metabo at that time. But the Milwaukee is better. So I bought that one. And now I can buy more Milwaukee tools and add to that fleet.

If you buy a tool you don't like, sell it on facebook or whatever and get a different one. ANY brand made today is 10x better than the NiCad stuff of the 90's. And that stuff cost 2 or 3x as much.

 

[RedOak]

As I raised the issue in the OP, I wanted the folks on the GJF to know our findings...We just received a Milwaukee M18 cordless tool "package" that included the 2997-22 kit and, as an added bonus, the 2760-20 (tool only) M18 Surge 1/4" Hydraulic Driver. To clarify further, the 2997-22 kit included (1) 2804-20 M18 1/2" Drill/Driver, (1) 2853-20 M18 1/4" Impact Driver, (2) XC 5.0 18V batteries, (1) Milwaukee Rapid Charger and the carry case to hold all of this.

The main point is that, after waiting anxiously for the 2853-20 to arrive, I'm happy to report that it's been upgraded to Gen 3.5 by the folks at Milwaukee. In other words, I didn't receive the Hitler (one-ball) version of the tool and, instead, we received the two-ball collet with this particular tool.

 

[midorix]

I had the same question 2 years ago as a Makita fan boy. Love Makita so purchased 3/8 12V CXT ratchet for automotive use. Kept having issues with directional switch moving due to rotational force during use. Thought I got a lemon but found out it was commonly reported design issue. Returned it and got Kobalt 24V ratchet and been very happy with it (I believe they are made by Greenworks). I now have dozen of the Kobalt 24V tools and 80V lawn care tools and all of them have been really good. My garage started to look like Lowes tool center. Bang for the buck is amazing when purchased during Lowes holiday sales and clearances and performance has been great for me as a weekend warrior. All of this started because of Makita’s design flaw on a ratchet I decided to purchase first. I still like Makita for corded tools and their air compressor but love Kobalt for cordless, especially their XTR line. Kobalt also has lot more tool options than Makita.

 

[RedOak]

midorix..... Our cordless odyssey started with a 15-piece Makita kit, which included [I don't recall how many] 3.0aH 18VDC batteries. We still own and operate some of those same "OG" tools, but it's the batteries that sort of facilitated our move to the Milwaukee brand. Specifically, we have a drawer full of dead Makita 18V batteries and zero defective Milwaukee M18 batteries.

By the way, the corded (AC) Makita tools that we own -- which were purpose built for timber faming -- are absolute tanks. We own a dual-head housing router, for example, that clamps right to the top of large timbers and cuts receiving housing in the X- and Y-axes. Here's a photo of the Japanese-made Makita 2516N, and it remains a prime example of power tool engineering at its peak...

 

[RedOak]

Like who is going to argue with Mafell? They make Festool look cheap but unlike Festool, which in my opinion is more show and less go their claim to fame isn't the durability of their tools but their vacuum extraction capabilities, Mafell is the real deal.

dnschmidt.... We don't own many Festool power tools -- and zero Festool cordless tools -- but one that we do own is the OF2200EB router [shown below]. Generally speaking, we have to remove a lot of material and this 3 hp router has proven to be a real work horse.

I agree with you about some of their stuff, however. Their track saws, for example, are essentially underpowered copies of Mafell's designs with black, white and green plastic on them...

 

[Rst277]

I switched to Ridgid about 10 years ago primarily because of the lifetime warranty. No regrets. I have had a few batteries replaced on warranty, replacements are also warrantied.