What is your favorite brand powertool?

[TOOL FANATIK]

I love and use mostly only DeWALT power tools. It has been one of the industry leaders for a long time. Other big brands like Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch, Rigid, Hitachi are great too, but I'm loyal to DeWALT!

 

[bob15]

I love and use mostly only DeWALT power tools. It has been one of the industry leaders for a long time.

I'm not sure if i would call them industry leaders......

When B&D brought the name back in the 1990's it was only a re-badge of their B&D Professional Line and promoted heavily by Home Depot. Even today I don't see them as industry leaders, but rather: well marketed, average tools that are made overseas.

As for the question, no I don't believe in brand color in tool choices, but rather what or who makes the best.

Circular saws: older Skil worm saws
Drills 1/2 drive: older American-made Milwaukee hole shooter (if I was to buy a new drill, it would be Metabo)
Compact, low speed 1/2 drive, break your wrist drills: B&D
Rotary hammer drill: Hilti
Heat gun: German made Milwaukee
Cordless: American and German-made Milwaukee's (15 year old tools) & German made Metabo
Soldering gun: whoever makes the American made Craftsman
Sheetrock gun: Milwaukee
Roofing screw-gun: Bosch
Metal chop saw: B&D Professional

I do own a DeWalt 1/2 drive cordless impact gun that is gutless and a dewalt miter saw that I cannot complain about. My RAS is a 1970's Dewalt/B&D combo (best way to describe it)

 

[lakota]

Many of my powertools are older, B&D Professional Line. They use to be my favorite, but are now gone, as a line of tools. 7 1/2 Sawcat 2,circular saw, with large magnesium base, B&D designed the tool by asking carpenters the features they wanted in it.
I have a few older Makita tools that I do not like, power planer and hammer drill.

 

[mattygee]

I think every tool mfr has their niche... I'm partial to Porter Cable routers; I have 3 of the 690s.. Simple and reliable. I like the Dewalt corded drills.

 

[bcradio]

I used to be a big DeWalt fan, then I was more into Bosch, and now I'm more into Milwaukee. They do all have their specialty areas though and I make sure to buy what each manufacturer is best at. Lately it has been the M12 fuel line, but I also recently purchased a Ridged palm router, Bosch 3amp oscillating tool, and yesterday bought a Bosch 3 plane laser level.

PS: I do consider DeWalt as ONE of the industry leaders.

 

[crewchief888]

cant say i have a favorite

circular saw is a B&D
sanders ridgid, B&D (menards) tool shop
corded drills B&D
bisciut joiner Freud
table saw skil

cordless

ridgid 18v drill & driver 12v drill
ryobi 14.4 drill & trim saw
bluepoint 14.4 3/8" dr impact
SO 12v 3/8" dr impact
milwaukee fuel 3/8" dr impact
milwaukee 12v drill & flashlight
HF heat gun

 

[dr_clyde]

I agree that each maker has their strengths. No one brand is king of the hill.

I like Milwaukee and Makita cordless drills
Bosch jigsaw
Skil worm drive circular saw
Hitachi and Bosch miter saws
Milwaukee portaband
Metabo grinders and specialty stainless working tools
Milwaukee reciprocating saw, older porter cable tiger saws were pretty good too.

I like Stihl for my gas powered tools, cutoff saws and chain saws, that kind of thing.

I don't dislike dewalt, I just don't own very much of their stuff. I wil say the old nicad drills were apocalypse proof. Heavy, bulky and loud, but they would outlast everything. My dewalt circular saw fell off a crane and had the outrigger land on part of it. Still works.

 

[Davefr]

For corded - old US Milwaukee
For cordless - Panasonic

 

[cgv69]

I agree that each maker has their strengths. No one brand is king of the hill.

+1 /\

When it comes to tools, I think you are doing yourself a disservice by sticking solely with one brand.

I have tools from almost every major tool brand. I'd probably have to say that when it comes to power tools, Milwaukee and Bosch probably get my first looks with Makita coming in 3rd. Porter Cable use to be a good brand but Black & Decker is slowing bringing that brand down so that it doesn't directly compete with Dewalt.

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of Dewalt. They make good tools but I can usually find a better version of anything they make by some other brand. Then again, maybe is a psychological thing simply because I hate the color yellow!

Seriously though, I know we all want to think we are highly intelligent, analytical men who make wise decisions based solely on facts and logic but you would be surprised how much of our decisions are based on psychology and marketing.

 

[KinzeMech]

I don't know that I can pick a favorite, but I can talk about what I have, and what I would get if I replaced it.

If I lost all my tools tomorrow, and were starting over without an interest in maintaining compatibility with what I already have, I think I'd look hard at milwaukee. They have a good variety of tools, two that have caught my eye are a powerful impact wrench and a good cordless grease gun. They're also keeping up with current technology, with things like brushless motors.

Presently, I have a large volume of Craftsman's C3 line. Pros in their favor are a very wide variety of tools available. Perhaps the widest variety of them all, although some of the "tools" are clearly not geared toward serious usage but more of a homeowner type light duty/novelty tool (seriously, how much wood are you going to cut with a cordless chainsaw). The fact they have a 4.0 amp hour lithium battery that fits older tools is a big plus in my opinion. Several of the brands considered "better" cordless tools only have 3.0 Ah batteries, and they required new tools to be compatible with the new battery. Their tools don't have the same quality feel in your hand as more expensive brands, but the reliability is still there. None of mine (tools, not batteries) have failed, the oldest is 13 years old, and still runs great with a Lithium battery. Price is a big plus. From what I've seen, you can't get cheaper than craftsman without buying junk.

Cons for that line is some gaps in their tools. A cordless grease gun is absent from their lineup, and the better of their two 1/2 impact wrench offerings is only rated at 300 ft-lbs. Many of their tools still sell with NiCd batteries, and their NiCd batteries are junk. For most of their tools, they won't have the most powerful tool in that category, and the XCP batteries that really make the tools worth having, are sold separately (the exception being the newest cordless impact, I think it comes with the 4 Ah XCP battery.

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

Even today I don't see them as industry leaders, but rather: well marketed, average tools that are made overseas.-

They are industry leaders. that is a fact. sales dictate that as well as popularity. and it makes sense to stick with one brand when you enter into 2014 where we are seeing a wide range of cordless tools performing excellent, almost as good as their electric counterparts. if i already have a charger and one battery to power my dewalt drill, it only makes sense that if only minor differences seperate milwaukee from dewalt, my next cordless purchase will be another dewalt. and most of our companies make the tools overseas, the difference is how fancy they chose to word that admittance. and Dewalt now makes select tools here in the states...skil worm drive saw, that ws the best back in the day, but the dewalt worm drive has a better shoe, better rafter hook, amoung other improvements they made. i have an old craftsman jigsaw or"sabresaw" all aluminum body, i love that jigsaw. the original case has a seperate compartment for your blades, the lid for the case allows you to wrap your cord around it and the blades container clips onto the power cord! so user friendly! they definately do not make them like that anymore.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Cordless drill/driver: RIDGID.

 

[KinzeMech]

+1 /\
When it comes to tools, I think you are doing yourself a disservice by sticking solely with one brand.

I think this is a great point. It's very easy for one brand to have the best tool "a" and another have the best tool "b".

There's also a practical advantage to not needing a unique battery and charger for each individual tool. If that means in some cases I have to settle for the next best tool, in the interest of battery compatibility, sometimes a compromise is the best overall solution.

 

[cgv69]

They are industry leaders. that is a fact. sales dictate that as well as popularity.

That is not even close to a fact. Marketing and Sales numbers doesn't make a product better. Chevy sells a lot more cars then BMW does in any given year but that doesn't mean Chevy's are better or even a better value.

and it makes sense to stick with one brand when you enter into 2014 where we are seeing a wide range of cordless tools performing excellent, almost as good as their electric counterparts. if i already have a charger and one battery to power my dewalt drill,

Yes, obviously with cordless tools it usually makes sense to stick with one brand so that batteries and chargers can be shared.

I don't however agree that cordless is always the way to go (even if the cordless version truly does have the same performance as a corded equivalent). Cordless tools are almost always more expensive then their corded equivalent and because of the batteries, the cordless version will not be a lifetime tool. Eventually the batteries will die and often its more cost effective to buy a whole new tool rather then just buying a couple of replacement batteries. Depending on the tool, intended use and environment, the benefit of being cordless may not supersede the negative aspects.

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

i did not say they are the best. i said ONE OF THE INDUSTRY LEADERS. industry leaders in what you ask? well they are one of the industry leaders in sales, and popularity. they get the job done, for most people. and as far as Dewalt, i think their saws are better out of the box than milwaukee, their impact drivers crush all others, and yea ill even bring up the boys from tools in action and their tool fight where the Dewalt hammerdrill bested the milwaukee. there are many tests, hardly scientific, that pit the dewalt model against the milwaukee, and the dewalt usually takes it. ive heard the milwaukee sawzall is better than dewalts but i have a 20v recip by dewalt and i could not ask it to do anything else.

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

and i didnt say cordless is always the way to go. in my shop ill mainly use my electric drills. i have all these outlets i might as well use them. with electric you have infinite power. but the cordless lets you borrow some of that power and take it where you need it. 14amp monster vs a 20v 4amp hour battery; yea youre looking at way better performance coming from the electric, of coarse.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I am very loyal to DeWalt for my contractor needs. I am very loyal to Snap On for my automotive needs.

 

[jml93]

I've found that Milwaukee can cover all of my needs, work and at home. Own both M12 and M18 items at work, along with both at home. Own multiple drills, impacts, ratchet, sawzall and even a high torque 1/2" impact at home. Not disappointed with any of it, performance is great and battery life is superb.

 

[HairMetal]

I like Hitachi, they seem to hold up to a lot of heavy use.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I have quite a few brands. Dewalt, hitachi, Milwaukee, etc. As mentioned it seems each brand has strengths and weaknesses....still haven't found a circular saw I'm totally happy with.

 

[Larch]

I have a mixed bag of power tools, corded. My compound miter saw, and saws all are Dewalt. My circular saw is a Milwaukee, that thing is awesome! Most of my sanders are old craftsman as is my jig saw. My belt sander is Porter Cable. As far as cordless goes, I have Ridgid, Makita, and a bunch of the Craftsman C3 L-ion. I am very happy with everything I own. I think as long as you get quality, the tools will not let you down. I do have a cheap B&D table saw, I really only use that for trim wood, although I have ripped some 2x6 with it. I would love to have a nice one, just can't justify one at the moment.

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

I've found that Milwaukee can cover all of my needs, work and at home. Own both M12 and M18 items at work, along with both at home. Own multiple drills, impacts, ratchet, sawzall and even a high torque 1/2" impact at home. Not disappointed with any of it, performance is great and battery life is superb.

a lot of guys in my area swear by milwaukee. i must admit aside from their performance, they look awesome. im kind of the minority up here with Dewalt, but im used to that. its kind of like the red sox and the yankees lol

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

yea the first circ saw i baught was a milwaukke, still got it although i dont use it much. last few jobs ive done my dewalt cordless was enough... just lite duty stuff.

 

[theluke]

Makita

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Honestly when I was young B&D had decent tools at a decent price. Quality went down, price stayed the same (or went up). Several of my friends were buying Dewalt, IMO the tools were marginally better than B&D. I started buying Milwaukee. Then my wife gave me a Milwaukee sawsall as a gift. I've never seen another exactly like this one, it is a piece of junk. Not even close to the quality of other Milwaukee sawsalls.
My last two power tools (a drill and a miter saw) have been Hitachi.

 

[BirdMobile]

Easy.
Bosch, and pre-Mexico Dewalt. For HUGE power tools, Mori Seiki, Haas, and Monarch.

 

[rlitman]

I've gotta add Fein to the list.

 

[Monte]

Fein, Festool, Flex, Suhner...

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Dewalt, Porter Cable. Black & Decker, Ryobi, Makita, Craftsman, Skil, Bosch... I am not brand loyal, but shop for the tool that best suite my needs.

 

[stearn786]

I bought a 12V screwdriver from Milwaukee almost 5 years ago and it has done more work and taken more abuse than I could ever have hoped for. I also own a M12 3/8" rachet and a Fuel 3/8" impact and I'm happy with both. Any other purchases I make will be Milwaukee unless I can find a reason to buy something else.

One of the guys I work with has a 1/4" Matco Infinium impact that's great other than the charger dieing after 4 months. Anybody know who makes them for Matco?

 

[Holzarbeiter]

I would have to agree with others that there is no one brand that has the best power tool across the board.

IMO
-Porter Cable still has the best power Door Plane In the Industry as well as Mortising Lock Router
-Porter Cable for Belt Sander, Router and Barrel Jig Saw
-Bosch has a good portable Table Saw with Stand, good Jig Saw
-Hitachi old 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw
-DeWalt and Bosch for 12" Sliding Compound
-Hilti Hammer Drills are hard to beat
-Makita has good Circular saws but then again so do many others
-Milwaukee Right Angle Drill, Recipercating Saw
-Makita 1/2 Sheet orbital sander
-Fein Multimaster
-Festool Circular saw with Fence, Mortising, Power Plane

 

[colt zantop]

I've got a little bit of everything from dewalt to craftsman and like almost everything I own so no favorites here... I grab what's charged LOL

 

[espyking83]

Sioux, hands down.

 

[rlitman]

I would have to agree with others that there is no one brand that has the best power tool across the board.

-IMO
-Porter Cable still has the best power Door Plane In the Industry as well as Mortising Lock Router

Only a nose ahead of Bosch.

-Porter Cable for Belt Sander, Router and Barrel Jig Saw

WAY behind Bosch on all three. On the jig saw, Festool has one that is a nose ahead.

-DeWalt and Bosch for 12" Sliding Compound

The Bosch is the one to beat right now with their rod-less saw.

-Hilti Hammer Drills are hard to beat

Unless you have Bosch or Metabo. I hear Hitachi is good too. My Makita demolition hammer is one of the best, but I don't have anything smaller from them to compare against the competition.

-Makita has good Circular saws but then again so do many others

Yeah. I love my Porter Cable, but it was an older one in magnesium. The current ones, not so much.

-Milwaukee Right Angle Drill, Recipercating Saw

I guess. I prefer my Tiger saw. Milwaukee does hold their own just fine though.

-Makita 1/2 Sheet orbital sander

Who uses a 1/2 sheet sander any more?

-Fein Multimaster

Totally agreed unless you're comparing against the Fein Supercut.

-Festool Circular saw with Fence, Mortising, Power Plane

Their track plunge saw is truly a thing to stare at in amazement.

 

[bob15]

They are industry leaders. that is a fact. sales dictate that as well as popularity. and it makes sense to stick with one brand when you enter into 2014 where we are seeing a wide range of cordless tools performing excellent, almost as good as their electric counterparts. if i already have a charger and one battery to power my dewalt drill, it only makes sense that if only minor differences seperate milwaukee from dewalt, my next cordless purchase will be another dewalt. and most of our companies make the tools overseas, the difference is how fancy they chose to word that admittance. and Dewalt now makes select tools here in the states...skil worm drive saw, that ws the best back in the day, but the dewalt worm drive has a better shoe, better rafter hook, amoung other improvements they made. i have an old craftsman jigsaw or"sabresaw" all aluminum body, i love that jigsaw. the original case has a seperate compartment for your blades, the lid for the case allows you to wrap your cord around it and the blades container clips onto the power cord! so user friendly! they definately do not make them like that anymore.

i did not say they are the best. i said ONE OF THE INDUSTRY LEADERS. industry leaders in what you ask? well they are one of the industry leaders in sales, and popularity. they get the job done, for most people. and as far as Dewalt, i think their saws are better out of the box than milwaukee, their impact drivers crush all others, and yea ill even bring up the boys from tools in action and their tool fight where the Dewalt hammerdrill bested the milwaukee. there are many tests, hardly scientific, that pit the dewalt model against the milwaukee, and the dewalt usually takes it. ive heard the milwaukee sawzall is better than dewalts but i have a 20v recip by dewalt and i could not ask it to do anything else.

Like what was mentioned already, sale do NOT make them industry leaders or the best. Because HD pushes their sales, of course they will seem to be most popular. In heavy industry, I don't see as much DW as Milwaukee, and neither is that good. High end furniture people seem to use Festtool and Fein, not DW.

Dewalt wormdrive being the "best", your opinion, NOT fact. We will see how well your DW will stand the test of time, as the Skil's keep going and going nd going. Hammer drills, how did Hilti and Metabo do. Have you ever used a Metabo cordless 18 volt drill/driver? Try one sometime......I have tried a DW, and the Metabo has more nut, longer battery life and more comfortable to use. Metabo hand grinders are second to none....very smooth and can take a ton of abuse and a lot less vibration. Belt sanders and orbital sanders are PC.

If you like the new yellow DW stuff, fine. but to say they are industry leaders (or even one of), you are mistaken. There are other companies out there that are real leaders and make tools for the long haul, not the Home Depot DW specials.

 

[RedRabbit]

1. My favorite brand for cordless and corded is Makita. I think they are well-made and great tools, if I had the choice I will mostly buy Makita tools ie. drills, recips, impacts, flashlights, circular saws, and most other things for non-automotive.

2. Howver, I love Dewalt corded drills, and i like the slightly older ni-cad Dewalts since I learned how to fix the batteries. And they were made better than some of the current models that are ****. Milwaukee and Bosch are tied in my eyes. I love them as much as Dewalts, but i like my compact stuff to be from them. I have no preference between them. I do like the 12v fuel for automotive though since it is compact and has power.

3.I have an older Ryobi set from 1999-2001 and a bat. from '04 that still works and that i use a lot. My first drill was a 9.6v B&D that i still use when i want a small light drill that i don't care about much.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I'm pretty sure since Stanley Black and Decker is a giant conglomerate they pay a premium for shelf space and end isle caps at big box retailers.

 

[Steevo]

I have a DeWalt 18v cordless drill, and Dewalt 18v cordless hammer drill that are both over 18 years old and have been through several sets of batteries. Only the Hammer drill is experiencing some odd clutch symptoms, and these have been abused through several home remodels/flips and hundreds of projects each.
I also own a Dewalt 12in sliding compound saw ( first generation with the slides above one another) that I bought new in 2000 and have used through the same several home makeovers/flips and hundreds of projects. It is still as good as the day I bought it.

I have no complaints about DeWalt at all. So, when I wanted some newer lithium powered tools, I got a Dewalt 12v impact and 12v drill/driver, and was so fully satisfied with both that I bought a second 12v impact to use in the shop for 1/4" and 3/8" sockets.

That said, my primary corded saw and drill are both Milwaukee. I have had them both for over 25 years and they are both as dependable as when new.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I will admit wholeheartedly to being a dewalt fan. They may or may not be the best in the business but I have owned and currently own a lot of dewalt tools and have not once been let down. So while there may be "better" out there in other brands, I've yet to have a reason to go anywhere but dewalt.

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

Like what was mentioned already, sale do NOT make them industry leaders or the best. Because HD pushes their sales, of course they will seem to be most popular. In heavy industry, I don't see as much DW as Milwaukee, and neither is that good. High end furniture people seem to use Festtool and Fein, not DW.

Dewalt wormdrive being the "best", your opinion, NOT fact. We will see how well your DW will stand the test of time, as the Skil's keep going and going nd going. Hammer drills, how did Hilti and Metabo do. Have you ever used a Metabo cordless 18 volt drill/driver? Try one sometime......I have tried a DW, and the Metabo has more nut, longer battery life and more comfortable to use. Metabo hand grinders are second to none....very smooth and can take a ton of abuse and a lot less vibration. Belt sanders and orbital sanders are PC.

If you like the new yellow DW stuff, fine. but to say they are industry leaders (or even one of), you are mistaken. There are other companies out there that are real leaders and make tools for the long haul, not the Home Depot DW specials.

this is crazy to me! first of all dewalt's impact driver is brushless, im pretty sure the hilti is not, the dewalt is actually balanced, the new 20v have the most ergonomical handles on the market. my impact feels like it was custom made for me. the dewalt is lighter and shorter front to back, recessed chuck, one hand bit insert, i can go on about how its better than the hilti. oh,...and its cheaper. you say home depot pushes dewalt but you must be thinking about milwaukee and makita, as in every home depot you go to, their whole line up is on display for all to try and experience. they are not "hd specials" they are a brand for the professionals and DIYer alike; tried and tested. of coarse a fine furniture builder is going to pick a festool over dewalt, but only if they can afford to. us regular guys use dewalt and it gets the job done. i dont consider festool an industry leader. i do consider dewalt an industry leader. show me brushless technology in your metabo and hilti tools, and then show me their lineup of tools. dewalt cant be as precise with a dust collection like a festool or as good as a metabo for polishers. but festool cant get me an impact wrench, or an impact socket set, or bits, or half the other products that dewalt floods the market with. let me know when festool comes out with a brushless framing nailer...cordless....no gas.... they cant. neither can metabo... or hilti... milwaukee can, and makita can. that would, to me place them as the industry leaders, helping me with all my needs, listening to the end users and making adjustments. dewalt's worm drive saw is better than skil, who, by the way, other than the 77mag, makes no good tools worth mentioning, or atleast better than a dewalt counterpart. all the pros i know and knew love dewalt. if they didnt love dewalt, they loved milwaukee or makita. truthfully, i could go on for days. not everybody has the money to be as fancy as buying a festool saw, or a fein multimaster. but, to each his own, and thats what this forum is for perhaps. i cant have this argument with my wife, she doesnt know about half the stuff i own heehee