Your Favorite Battery Powered Tools?

[mpire]

I'm going to be building a new house in the next year, and I'm sure I should be investing in some new tools.

Currently I have plenty of Ryobi 18v tools I have accumulated over the years, but maybe its time to step up to a different brand.

I need a track saw and a framing nailer, a table saw that cuts straight, a chainsaw, and I'm sure I'll need a lot more before the job is done.

Other than that, I have a terrible Ryobi job site table saw and a dewalt DWS780 12" trim saw.

Currently using diablo blades and have them sharpened by a local shop.

Is it worth the money to invest in a new system like Matabo, Milwaukee, or Bosch?

I would like to stick to one system of batteries and not have a handful from every brand.

 

[engineer2]

I like Makita. They have served me well and I don't baby them. Some of them look well-used. I think they make more types of tools than anyone else. Their price point is slightly higher than others, but you get what you pay for. Zero battery issues and some of them are 11 years old now. It's a regional thing, but most contractors around here use Makita, DeWalt or Bosch for battery tools. Milwaukee is mainly seen for corded tools.

For a job-site table saw, I'd look at Bosch or Ridgid.
Your miter saw looks like a nice model.

Check out the Makita Addiction, Milwaukee Addiction, and DeWalt Addiction threads for user experiences and problems.

 

[Ton ton]

Not Milwaukee, motors seem to be weak on the M18 line. Yes, I have experience.

 

[M635_Guy]

Milwaukee doesn't make a track saw (which is an egregious hole in their product line IMHO) - My M18 right-handled saw is as good or better as the Makita Hypoid it replaced. Unless you're absolutely unable to have power, I don't see much benefit for a battery-powered table or miter saw (and I'm usually the guy waving the flag for battery tools, but in those cases the cords aren't really making the workflow worse). Your DeWalt miter saw is a really good one. (I searched to make sure I was thinking of the right one, and noticed HD has it on sale for $399 right now, which would be really tempting if I had any need for anything better any time soon)

The new generation of Milwaukee nailers are outstanding. I have the Gen2 18ga brad nailer and it rocks. The reviews I've seen of the other tools using the same technology have been really good.

For other general-use tools, their M18 drills are good-but-not great overall, but the Surge impact driver is awesome. I use the M12 (which will charge on the M18 chargers so there's at least charger commonality) version and it's flat-out my favorite overall tool. It took away everything I hated about using impact drivers - low noise and vibration and modes to apply the power correctly (and the power is excellent).

No experience with the Milwaukee chain saws.

 

[subroc]

A circular saw.
A reciprocating saw.

 

[duneslider]

If you want everything you have mentioned in just one battery powered option then I am not sure you can do it.

I am a Makita fanboy but have used dewalt and milwaukee and they are great too. The milwaukee cordless framing nailer is awesome but I am fine using my air framing nailer. I use my makita cordless circ saws with the Kreg accucute for a "faux" tracksaw setup and it is adequate for what I use it for.

Not sure what you plan to use the tablesaw for but I used a ryobi jobsite saw for a lot of years doing flooring and it was just fine for that type of work, my trick was to use a 7.25" framing saw blade on it and it rocked for cutting hardwood flooring and laminates. If you are needing to do "fine carpentry" then it might not be the best choice.

 

[Voi]

I'm going to be building a new house in the next year, and I'm sure I should be investing in some new tools.

Currently I have plenty of Ryobi 18v tools I have accumulated over the years, but maybe its time to step up to a different brand.

I need a track saw and a framing nailer, a table saw that cuts straight, a chainsaw, and I'm sure I'll need a lot more before the job is done.

I would like to stick to one system of batteries and not have a handful from every brand.

Ryobi is coming out with a track saw and a new table saw. Not sure when they're being released or if they have been yet.

 

[Robinson1]

The big 3 are Dewalt, Milwaukee and Makita. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of them.

Metabo makes the best nailers. And dont overlook Paslode either. They are much lighter and more compact, especially the trim nailers.

Honestly it doesn't take a heck of alot of tools to put a house under roof. Its all the finish work that requires a ton of speciality stuff.

90% of your cutting will be done with a circular saw.

 

[subroc]

OP, what do you have for woodworking/building tools? What condition are they in?

 

[MushCreek]

I built my house with Milwaukee M18 tools, and they did great. Even now, I rarely break out the corded stuff for most tasks. Probably the most used tool is the 1/4" driver, followed by the drill, and the SawzAll.

 

[tyyost]

Given your usage I would consider that very few brands that hit all your points. When you say building a house and need a track saw, framing nailer, a table saw that cuts straight, a chainsaw some of these tools exist in a few ecosystems that would be considered best of class.

What is the building site like? I’m a cordless guy too, but pneumatic nailers are cheaper, lighter, and give less fatigue if you are using them all day. Same deal with cordless chainsaws, battery power has come a long way, but gas saws still make sense for felling trees and site work over having a ton of big expensive high amp hour batteries. If you drop nailers off the list Makita and DeWalt both have good solid cordless choices in everything you want.

I have a hard time considering cordless table saws unless your a trim carp. I have a Bosch portable, and it is a good jobsite saw. Honestly, I just picked up a Delta Contractor saw for $150 off of FB marketplace and it’s twice the saw the Bosch is, but not nearly as mobile. I’d put it under a good tarp on a job site and be confident it could do everything needed in construction before laying out $500-$600 for another portable.

If the site has temporary power or you have a generator you’ll be better to mix corded and cordless on a building site. Otherwise, the batteries needed to run circular saws and nailers will add up fast.

 

[Bockscar]

My Dad and I built a work shop addition from his garage.....we both had Craftsman 19.2 and masterforce 12v both brands did everything we needed done as for cordless. I have since replaced all my battery tools with Dewalt and they are much nicer but no complaints from the old craftsman ....what we used was a drill and impact driver, 5 1/2 circ saw, recip saw and jig saw...we used a corded circ saw a few times along with a 12" miter saw...used a air framing nailer and air roofing nailer. My Dad also bought a sds drill from harbor freight for some concrete issues we had to deal with.....so I would suggest use your Ryobi until you are not satisfied with their performance and get new stuff be it getting new Ryobi or Dewalt, Milwaukee. Makita or what ever platform you choose

 

[Re-Tired]

My Greenworks 80V leaf blower and my Milwaukee 12V caulking gun.

 

[seber]

For a table saw and any other stationary tools stay with corded. For battery, Milwaukee, Dewalt, or Makita. You will find plenty of fans for all of them. Milwaukee has the greatest range of tools. I would also stay with a corded circular saw and track saw. They use a lot of power and batteries will die quickly.