From this week’s mailbag came a question I’ve been dreading for so long. It essentially comes down to this: Which is the Best Cordless Power Tool Brand?
Steven wrote in:
Firstly, your site is excellent! Very informative, just what a tradie needs! My question is, if you had to stick to one brand for most of your tools which would it be? Taking into consideration tool reliability, power, ergonomics, batteries and number of cordless tools. Milwaukee seem to get rave reviews for power and reliability, Makita seem to have the largest variety with 70+ tools but with Dewalt offering gasless 1st nail gun and Bosch’s massive strides with large capacity batteries/wireless charging and gasless 2nd fix nail gun I wonder what would sway your decision?
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I am a carpenter to trade. Appreciate any feedback!
Each major brand is special in their own way, with their unique innovations, expertise, and advantages.
Short answer: Bosch is my favorite cordless brand, and I would have to say that Milwaukee is the best.
The major contenders would be Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee. There are also other brands, such as Ridgid, Ryobi, Metabo, Hilti, Panasonic, and Festool. But generally, the greatest competition is between blue, yellow, teal, and red brands.
Off the top of my head, here are some of the things that stand out about each of the brands:
Bosch
Benefits: Solid performance and reliability, decent product selection in 12V and 18V lineups, occasional innovations, a great overall brand, stellar 12V offerings.
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Downsides: 12V and 18V lineups not as vast as other brands’, some core tools aren’t “best in class” in notable categories.
High interest Bosch products include their inductive charging system, cordless drills with anti-kickback protection, and their hybrid impact driver and wrench.
Dewalt
Benefits: Known for superb durability (a lot of 18V tools keep on ticking), expanding 20V Max product line, with a couple of fantastic innovations (such as the 2-speed brushless nailer), okay 12V product selection. 20V Max pistol grips are super-ergonomic.
Downsides: 20V Max expansion has been slow, answers to competitors’ advancements have been slow.
Some of the best newer Dewalt cordless products include a compact reciprocating saw, 2-speed brushless framing nailer, and a rather popular 3-speed brushless hammer drill.
Makita
Benefits: Very large 18V selection, fast charger with best-in-class charging times, surprising innovations, often solid performance and jobsite durability, 18V X2 lineup allows for bigger and beefier 36V tools to be powered by 18V batteries.
Downsides: Very limited and long-in-the-tooth 12V lineup, slow to bring certain tools and battery pack sizes to the USA.
Makita is the brand to choose if you have very specific needs, such as the maximum torque in a cordless drill, quietest impact (impulse) driver, or smallest impact driver.
Milwaukee
Benefits: Vast M18 and M12 tool selection, including largest brushless tool selection in both battery sizes. Often a leader, with innovations that break the mold, such as an M12 rotary hammer, brushless tools with corded-like performance. Many more specialty tools than competing brands.
Downsides: Certain tools are especially pricey. First to market means competitors have time to answer with slight improvements to tool size, weight, power, or features.
Some of Milwaukee’s recent innovations include a brushless cordless Hole Hawg, 3rd generation heated jackets, and a full-size brushless circular saw.
ToolGuyd Favorites
I’ve said it before, but Bosch is my favorite power tool brand. They might not have the fan loyalty as Dewalt, or vast product catalogs as Makita and Milwaukee, but their core cordless tools are very good.
If I had to recommend just one cordless brand, it would be Milwaukee. They have made phenomenal strides in recent years, and make some excellent tools. A lot of their focus has been to create solutions to many specific problems and user frustrations. Dewalt and Makita also have excellent offerings, but don’t quite reach Milwaukee’s WOW factor. Makita’s 18V lineup might be largest, but there is also a lot of redundancy, especially in the drill and driver categories.
So Bosch is my favorite power tool brand (corded and cordless), but I would consider Milwaukee to the best cordless brand.
Dewalt would be a very close second choice, especially if they hurry up and come out with a brushless circular saw and a brushless reciprocating saw.
I’m the kind of guy that would pick and choose from among the best tools of each brand. In an ideal world, there would be a smattering of Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, AND Milwaukee tools, as well as other brands’.
For my personal tools, I bought into Bosch’s 12V and 18V lineups. If I didn’t have access to more power tools than I know what to do with, I would stick with Bosch for additional personal purchases.
But I’m also not a carpenter, electrician, plumber, contractor, or tradesman of any kind. If I were, I would probably stick with Milwaukee. For professional users, it’s best to stick with one or two brands, as multiple brands often means multiple batteries and chargers to juggle and keep track of.
From where I’m sitting, it looks like Bosch and Dewalt are the brands to choose for general construction work, Milwaukee is the better brand for specific trades, and Makita is the better brand when you have very specific needs that can be met by their products.
Here are additional discussions that might provide for more reading:
Upgrade path from Dewalt 18V tools?
If I Lost All My Tools, Which Brands Would I Pick for Replacements?
Reader’s Choice?
Which would you say is the best brand? Is that the same as your favorite?
Josh B.
Thanks for the review. I’ve currently got a bunch of older 19.2V Craftsman tools that I’m considering getting rid of and upgrading. After reading this definitely leaning towards the 12V Milwaukee or possibly Bosch.
Mark
Don’t “settle” for the 12 volts. Go with the bigger 18v 0r 20v, as more and more tools are heading that way!
Bob
I also think milwaukee has great tools but I have chosen makita because I use them every day and in all weather and makita stands up better in all cases
Jeffrey
Milwaukee has the best line up for electricians. I wish that this was not so, but it is.
James
Makita seems to have more variety and a few exclusives, but they sell their 1/2″ 18 volt impact wrench for $900 with 325 ft./lbs. I went out and bought the Milwaukee Nut buster ($460, 1100 ft./lbs.), and it will bust your hands even wearing gloves when she hits 1100 pounds. The 4.0 battery lasts all day and the some, on the 3/8″ Milwaukee the same 4.0 battery lasts about an hour, intermittent use…
Take a look at Makita’s drywall gun (BFS450H2), it fits the hand like a glove, using small battery you can work overhead all day-but the 1.5 ah battery only lasts 30 mins. The 3.0 ah battery will last about 9.0 hours but you feel the weight fast (overhead).
fred
Prior to my retirement I was involved with buying power tools for 2 very different shops (metal/pipe fabrication – and woodworking) – plus the needs for outfitting field crews that did plumbing (commercial and residential), some general contracting and cabinetry installation work. Our first foray into cordless tools were with porter Cable Magnequench 12 Volt NiCad drills – which I considered to be the first cordless tool of a quality to stand up to commercial use. We had also bought some Makita 9.6 Volt tools to fill in niches –but the explosion in cordless had not yet taken off. Over the years we hopped platforms a few times – but mostly stayed with Makita – moving from NiCad to NiMH to LiIon battery platforms. When we first standardized on Makita 18V LXT tools – it was more because of the breadth of their offerings – rather than brand loyalty or superior design etc. Makita seemed to fit well with our needs – and while we bought more drills, impact drivers, reciprocating saws, and jig saws than other tools – we did buy oddballs like cordless concrete vibrators, die grinders,and powered shears. Not every tool was a hit with our crews – but once we locked into the battery platform (even though we experienced some hiccups with quite a few early 18V batteries ) it was hard to switch. We did find some needs to buy off-platform (non-Makita) tools to fill needs where things like a Dewalt 36V saw was just so much better than what Makita was then offering. Along the road – as Milwaukee’s M12 offerings started expanding- we decided that our installers and plumbers would benefit – so we bought heavily into that lineup as well – again with more tools like drivers, drills, and Hackzalls – but then expanding buying Milwaukee’s line of PEX tools and Force Logic ring compressions tools (to replace Ridgid). Again – not every M12 tool that we bought proved to be a hit for us – (the tubing cutter comes to mind). When I retired we were more and more phasing in Milwaukee M18 tools to supplement or replace our older Makitas. All of this has been based more on what was available in a manufacturer’s lineup to meet our needs rather than on what brand we thought was “best”.
In corded tools we had probably more Bosch, Milwaukee and Porter Cable tools than other brands – but also bought tools from Dewalt, Fein, Festool, Hitachi and Kett to name a few. Since these all came with USA standard plugs – there was no imperative to worry about standardizing on brand to have battery/charger compatibility
James
I have an old Dewalt 18 volt sawzal and my brother has a brand new state of the art Maikta LXT. There is no difference whatsoever between the two (battery life, torque, vibration). The Makita could be a little quieter.
I’ve found that Dewalt runs rough, even if you drop it 50′ it runs the same, and they are heavy. Makita tools seem to be perfect when you use them, but if you have a miss hap (drop 6′ feet or bind the blade) it will then run like a Dewalt, vibrate and shake.
Milwaukee seem ok, they do have a 5 year warranty and the batteries do hold up good in the cold, Makita does not hold up in the cold so well. They both hold a charge for a very long time. The new Makita 4.0 batteries are impressive, for run time. My Dewalt 20 volt don’t seem to hold a charge over a long period of time, and they really don’t work in the cold.
alex
milwaukee doesn’t have a true 5 year warranty the real warrant on Dewalt and Milwaukee is one year after one year it is only manufacturing defects which usually show up early on in the life cycle
James Crowe
If you really want to use it, reciprocating saws kill the batteries quickly. You should really use a corded model. I’ve had them all and Sawzal by Milwaukee is by far the best one. All the ones I’ve ever owned were Made in America too!
Albert Thai
True about the corded recip saw being better, but I had a fireplace company and for cutting one hole in a roof the cordless is the only way to go. One important thing with the dewalt is to alway use a fresh battery, low batteries shake the saw too much and that vibration will ruin the connectors, and kill the batteries. I find that the milwaukee tools have the best speed control and are quite heavy duty. the Makita tools are also good but tend to be a bit less powerful. If you stick to a main brand , Dewalt, Makita, Ridged, ect you should be well served. Some brands that are cheaper however are sure to disappoint. So if you depend on the tool you’re getting don’t go cheap!
szin
Your solutely right I have a DeWalt reciprocating saw and I could put the 18 volt battery in and that thing’s dead within like less than 10 minutes use and the 12-volt battery gets about 60 seconds before it kills a fully charged battery
Drao
Dont know much about other brands but you are absolutely right about dewalt dropped my drill many times still using
KenZ
As a Makita owner, I’d say…. choose Milwaukee. You’ll pay a bit more, but if it’s your trade, then you need to pay the extra (whereas if you were a casual weekend project homeowner on a budget, I’d actually say Ryobi).
The ONE reason you might want to consider Makita is you said you’re a carpenter, and the X2 solution to keep the same battery for using a 36V circular saw is very, very compelling. 36V circulars just work better and cut through more, faster, cleaner. The alternative is you go Milwaukee, and buy a 36V saw with a different battery system, which kinda blows, but….
My solution was to wire a 36V Bosch circular to run off two 18V Makita batteries, but to be honest, unless you’re an electrical/circuits guy, I wouldn’t advise. Plus I had to have a dead 36V Bosch battery to start with for the base (otherwise the circ saw won’t ‘recognize’ the 36V input; probably some resistor value or comms system. Irritating. I digress.
Summary: if you insist on one battery and really depend on the best circ saw power, go Makita. Otherwise my hat is hung with Milwaukee even though I don’t own them.
Adam f
Or wait for the Milwaukee brushless 7 1/4 that was announced. I can’t recall the site, but the Milwaukee did a hair less in cuts, i think 85 vs 90 on the makita. And that’s 18v vs 36v. Also, I couldn’t buy into a system that has incompatible batteries between devices, even though they fit the same.
Less and less reasons to get >20v tools. Though makitas 36v chainsaw seems cool
Pete
I completely agree with KenZ’s comments. I’m a Makita owner and I can’t stop eyeing the Milwaukee line up. both the 18v and the 12v. Seems like some more planning went into the Milwaukee line. Although Makita has the largest 18v line not all of them are compatible with the battery you may have. It gets frustrating if I left my 3.0ah battery on the charger at the shop and then i need it to use my Makita grinder. Simply because the 1.5ah batteries aren’t ment to be used on the high drain grinder and i understand why. i know with a simple file i can fix the problem but id rather not.
i could ramble on and on about my quips with the Makita line, and I’m sure that the Milwaukee also has it’s problems. But when i reinvest in new batteries it will be with Milwaukee.
zeemoney
Just wanted to pitch in my experience,
Total death to 4 out of 5 Ryobi batteries(40v $100 ) within a 2-3 months. after some research I found an account claiming that the chargers occasionally destroy the batteries, this would seem to be my experience. (18v seems ok, they just slowly lose their ability to hold a charge but are still usable. however watch out for some seriously bunk devices, such as the radio)
my yard is tiny, and i was going for the cheap-o option. unfortunately, after arguing with home depot about mail in battery warranty rebates for several days, I decided ryobi works for nobody except for home depot, and promptly returned every neon green tool in the shed..
Looks like i will just go with milwaukee, since they are carried at HD and they would only give store credit..
Dickphan
Upon saying that….are you comparing apples to apples??? ie. Milwaukee fuel line up vs top of the range makitas??? I jumped on the milwaukee platform because prior to that i was using hitachi cassette 3amp lithium batteries and up until they changed their whole tool line into slide batteries…i was willing to try something new….up until 3yrs ago i never heard of milwaukee but noticed around a few of my mates where using red tools and are becoming more and more popular….and plus they where having a sale because of the arrival of gen2….. I’ve bought a fuel drill -driver-angle grinder combo and have been very impressed with it since…with a 5yr warranty piece of mind… u can’t go wrong.!!…. hail team red!!!! Cheers…
Adam f
Stuart, under the benefits of Dewalt you mention the 2-speed nailer when mentioning their 12v innovations, or at least that’s how I read it. The only brushless nailer that I was aware of (b/c of this site) is the 20v version.
Boy a 12v nailer would be pretty sweet if it is true, even if they are just finish nailers. Though I suppose that if Ryobi can do it, Dewalt could improve on it.
Stuart
Sorry about that, I switched a few sentences around to make it more understandable. My line of thought was “so-so 12V line” and then “ooh, there’s also that great 20V brushless framing nailer – gotta mention that too.”
Adam f
Fastest editor ever! You fixed it while i was replying to another comment.
Keep up the fantastic work!
Ross Rozycki
I bought into Milwaukee for cordless. I’m a home hobbyist mechanic, also do a little woodworking, etc. The impact wrenches are nice, both the compact m12 3/8 brushless which has more oomph than something so tiny has a right to, and the big m18 1/2 brushless which is a solid competitor to the vaunted IR cordless gun. The other m12 tools like the right angle drill, rotary tool, LED light can really make life easier. Full retail prices are high but there are lots of sales and package deals out there.
Dave L.
I got the M12 Rotary Tool for my job and it’s the BOMB! Torquey, solid construction, charge level indicator. I use it daily, mostly for cutting metal. Worth every penny.
Nick
I’m a general contractor. I bought into Milwaukee about ten years ago with the original NiCad 18V setup they had. I purchased two contractor kits (coincidentally, it was cheaper to buy a second contractor kit to get the batteries than it was to buy them individually with an extra charger at the time). The batteries on that system left a lot to be desired and died quickly, but so did every other brand.
Then came the original M18 series, which I skipped. Finally, when they came out with the brushless M18 hammer drill and impact, I got on board and purchased the brushless hammer drill and brushless impact. Those tools are no joke. I now rarely pull out my super hawg right angle drill for plumbing and electrical because that drill will literally break your arm. They include a side handle with it, which originally I thought was a joke… until I bit into a nail with a self feeding bit and it nearly broke my arm. The impact driver can sink anchor bolts without blinking an eye. It’s truly an amazing system, and I’m not a fan of the word amazing.
I also purchased the brushless 12v units and use those for installing electrical and plumbing. I have a few festool drills I reserve for cabinet and finish work, but when it comes to a cordless system — Milwaukee is just the way to go. The six battery charger is killer, the portable vac is excellent, the portable band saw can cut through just about any conduit or pipe I throw at it, it’s just plain great. The 12V pex gun is excellent too.
The only tool I’d avoid is is the 12v oscillating saw. I finally gave up on that thing, it just doesn’t last long and binds up in light materials. Stick with the fein corded model if you can. I have a buddy with the dewalt 20v oscillating saw — he has similar problems, maybe it’s the cordless aspect. Good in a pinch I suppose.
James
I bought the Milwaukee 1/2″ nut buster, the claim is 1100 ft./lbs and it is. The XC 4.0 Battery lasts all day and then some. On the Milwaukee 3/8″ impact the 4.0 XC battery lasts less than an hour.
The nut buster does have more torque than any 1/2″ impact out there (Snap On etc) and more torque than most 3/4″ impacts.
My 1/4″ hex 20 volt Dewalt will out perform the Milwaukee 3/8″ on 10″ lag screws.
My 18 volt LXT 3 speed Makita 1/4″ hex will blow away anything out there, and the Makita 4.0 batteries are impressive.
Must be careful on the kits, all brands put their cheapest tools in the kits. One must look at the model numbers, even though the tool looks the same they are not, my brother found out the hard way with his 9 pc. Makita and my buddy found out with his Dewalt set….
But it's me!
As a semi-serious DIYer, I have to agree that Bosch is my first choice for cordless drills and impact drivers. I don’t use nor need cordless tools like saws or sanders, since I am always close to an outlet. I did use a Dewalt battery powered reciprocating saw some years ago for work, but it was only due to it being a very remote location — it was ok power-wise, but lugging the batteries was quite a chore. I wish I could justify the newer brushless models, but my current brushed drills and drivers work fine, especially with multiple batteries on hand for those serious projects.
Bosch’s stuff is sturdy and good enough for pros, so I usually look to Bosch first. That said, I would consider Milwaukee’s 18v line if I were not already locked into Bosch. If money were no object, Festool would probably be a serious contender.
I only wish the US market would get all the goodies Bosch has in the EU.
Matt
Milwaukee
Michael
I love Bosch tools. My only gripe is the US market is slow to see new tools and sometimes we never get them at all
RX9
I hate to be a fanboy, but Milwaukee is the best. They keep adding new specialty applications, as well as brushless models, and the quality is second to none.
Bosch (2nd best) has about 90% of Milwaukee’s variety, identical quality, often 5% more power and 10% more price.
Makita (3rd best)has a huge selection, good quality and great prices, but the battery issues ruin their lineup for me.
Ryobi (4th best) also has a huge selection and even better prices, but ok quality. Some of their stuff is weak though. Their 40V line of garden tools is the best (in that category) though.
Another important point is that Milwaukee (via brushless motors) and Makita (via 36v double battery models) are the only cordless toolmakers close to truly breaking the corded tool power barrier.
DeWalt is great quality, but very much lacking in selection. I almost bought further into DeWalt’s systems (12 and 20V), but I stopped buying any more from them due the fact that at the time, DeWalt was missing several important tools compared to Makita and Milwaukee. I still see a few advantages in DeWalt’s line up, particularly in their inspection cameras (the detachable screen makes it superior to Milwaukee’s version) and their cordless nail guns, so I’m holding onto the 3 DeWalt tools I own. Their continued support of the 18V line shows me that they have the best support of any manufacturer, but I wish they would start expanding their newer lines and stop messing with hand tools.
Hitachi is nice, but also lacking readily available specialty tools.
Panasonic suffers from the same, coupled with a smaller selection and even more limited distribution.
Ingersoll makes brilliant cordless tools for mechanics, but Milwaukee does just as good a job for half the price (With these two, it’s like comparing an R8 [Ingersoll] to a GT-R [Milwaukee]).
Festool is ridiculous quality and even more ridiculous price, making them only suitable for high-end carpentry.
Metabo is essentially the Festool of metalworking, and Hilti the same for general construction.
James
Makita is the best! sort of. You can’t buy a Makita kit. Myself I buy the tool itself and the exact tool I want (the good one made in Japan). My brother got a 9 pc. Makita kit a few years ago, completely made in China. I bought him a new 4.0 battery, the 4.0 battery does not fit his tools, or his charge. I had to buy him a new charger and he modified the 4.0 batteries to fit his made in China Makita bullshit tools.
Most of Makita’s kits (all the large ones for sure) are crap tools. There is the odd two pc set with good/real Maikta tool made in Japn inside!
At my new job, they all use Milwaukee 18 volt drills. There are 37 burnt out Milwaukee drills. My Makita’s are still going…I think Milwaukee does the same thing with their kits…
Eric
My brother and I are electricians, and we use both Dewalt and Mikwaukee. We use Dewalts 20v cordless and Mikwaukee’s 12v cordless. All of our corded tools are Milwaukee as well. You can’t go wrong with Dewalt or Mikwaukee, in my opinion.
Dominic van Lievenoogen
If you would buy in at this very moment i would say makita.
Some makita problems mentioned above: battery compatability. This is not a problem as long as you stay away from the 1.3 amp batteries. ( some times you find these small 1.3 amp battery packs in bargains for a seemingly very low price but the catch are the low amp batteries who do not fit on some tools. )
Go 1.5 amp or higher and you wont ever have any problems with the current or future makita line up.
Makita lxt battery problems: Also a problem of the past. Their older battery packs/ tools did not feature over heating nor over discharge protection. And in the hands of someone who does not know what he is doing that means dead batteries. Again: all current batteries of 1.5 amp or more feature all the electronic protection. Not an issue anymore.
Anyway, makita takes the lead in power on the hammer drill so I’m quite confident the upcoming brushless angle grinder and circular saw are easily going to compare, and likely be better then the Milwaukee fuel tools. We just need half a year more patience I think :p
dave
unfortunately the Makita brushless grinder turned out to be a pup ..talking to my supplier he has had many complaints about lack of power ..to be confirmed by a mate who has an old Bosch grinder and used a new brushless makita this is a shame as i am a fan of the old Makita 18v nimh stuff..i have to buy in to a new system as many new tools are not available in the old battery system
so having researched for over a year now my conclusions are Bosch are good but i don’t like the fit and feel in my hand i seam to have to stretch for the forward/reverse switch on the drills
Makita i still think have battery problems and only have 1 year warranty on them and the grinder is not as powerful as the competition this is very important to me, i also don’t think the quality is not what it was … Dewalt quality has been going down hill for some time …so the winner is with a big range of tools and with a 3 year battery warranty and a impact wrench with 1600nm of torque!!!!!! ………………..Milwaukee
ed
In the 12v platform I have all Milwaukee. In the 18v I use mostly Milwaukee, I have the 20v DeWalt framing nailer and oscillating tool. I just wish Milwaukee would get a little more into some tools for the carpentry trades. Would like to see a FUEL drywall screwgun and some nailers. Maybe Milwaukee is hesitant to try the nailer business since their Pneumatics didn’t seem to take off a few years ago
Mike
If I were to buy today I’d go all Milwaukee. I’ve been SO happy with all the M12 tools I’ve bought. I’d decide which is your MOST used tool and buy which ever one feels the best in your hands. Now a days all these guys are so close I think it’s more about who has the tools you need and which tool feels best in your hands. No reason to buy a brand of tools cause they have more tools or might last a few extra months if you hate using them when you pick them up. If you think someone’s saw is better then anothers…wait 4 months till another version is out. Power tool tech is changing faster then cell phones.
BikerDad
Mark
Festo actually already do a 18v cordless tracksaw, at least here in Australia we can get it
Glenn
Its a very broad question, I think its a case of who makes what tools that you need the most.
I work in two different industries, mostly HVAC doing split installs and a bit building concrete swimming pools.
I work for my brother doing the HVAC and he uses Milwaukee M18 gear while I use Milwaukee M12. We have chosen our tools based on we need to get the job done and I say that so far we are more than happy with our gear. The 5yr warranty doesnt hurt either!
Doing the pools I dont need many power tools but when I do,(mostly only need power tools while doing the form work), I just use some of the Ryobi 18v gear that I have. I have some the original 18v line from ten years ago as well as some of the newer stuff and it has never let me down.
Basically I have in Ryobi what is not yet available in the M12 line. ie; circular saw, angle grinder, fan, router, etc. I find the M12 well and truly meets my needs at work and at home and will continue to add to that line.
There are some tools in other brands that I would like to own but I personally just cant justify having multiple platforms, so I essentially have chosen the 2 that suit my needs the best.
You may find that being a carpenter you will have to choose the brand that has the majority of tools you need then add the tools you want from another brand/platform.
jason. w
I have no experience with anything but ryobi, which in ok with. Ryobi meets all my needs (especially my budget)
Bur from everything I’ve read….if I had the money id go red.
Jason Hale
I was told in the early 90’s by a friend that dewalt was the way to go. I still have my first 12v ni-cad drill and it still works. So I guess it’s around 23 years old. I must have dropped that thing in the above ground swimming pools that my company used to build about once a week. I would be absolutely petrified that it was goner every time we fished out of the water. We would lay it out in the sun to dry and eventually it would take off again? I became pretty loyal to the dewalt brand because of that drill and so loyal in fact that I’m still using dewalt. It wasn’t until recently that I strayed a little bit. Bosch came out with these pocket drivers that really registered with me. They are small enough to put in a tool belt or in my veto pro pac lc and still had pretty good power and run time. I didn’t go with the dewalt 12v line because theirs aren’t much smaller than their 20v line. I think they made huge mistake there? So currently I’m invested in dewalts 20v line and bosch’s 12v line. It’s hard to say what I would invest in if I were to start over right now with all the tools that seem to be comming out on an almost daily basis. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with the big four of dewalt, milwaukee, makita, and bosch. I’ve even considered panasonic because of their excellent battery technology but there line is very limited and hard to acquire. It’s an exciting time to be a tool nut like me with all the the tools comming out. It’s enough to make your head explode! I’d say have have a variety of brands but don’t get to carried away because charging all the different batteries takes up valuable space on your truck or bench. Remember standing in the toy isle when you were a kid and had a certain amount of money to spend? We do the same thing now only we are standing in the tool isle! Find the brand that has the expansion tools that fit your trade and go that route. No matter what you do though, invest in tools that make your job easier and don’t feel guilty about it because it WILL make you enjoy your work a lot more if you have the right tools for the job and that’s a fact. Now go buy some tools!
Jon
You forgot to mention that the Makita chargers sing to you when they finish charging! And you can select the song! (I’m only half joking. The ability to know that the batteries are charged without walking to the charger is priceless, especially when you’re on a roof with fall protection and all that. But the use of a song instead of a beep cracks me up. Nice touch, just like my mother’s Samsung washer and dryer.)
I have been itching to buy both M18 and M12 systems for a couple years, but the Ryobi kit that was given to me, along with the batteries that I upgraded, just kept going and going in heavy professional use. So when I needed a cordless rotary saw I bought theirs. When I absolutely needed an oscillating tool I bought theirs. And the little vacuum for cleaning up after small repairs in occupied homes (works surprisingly well). And the metal grinder. And a second charger (one for home, one for the truck). And two new high capacity batteries. And…
Now my original drill, circular saw, and reciprocating saw all died at about the same time (burned up, bad bearings, and rattled itself apart, respectively). But I had asked FAR more of them than I had any right to. But by the time they died (within the last month) I was so far into the Ryobi system and they’ve worked so well that I can’t justify going red at this point. Which kind of makes me sad, but then my cordless grinder was $40 (plus like $7 for an extra two year service plan) while Milwaukee’s is like $250.
I did my sister’s new metal roof over the weekend. Instead of going down for a new battery I just grabbed my brother’s M18 impact since he was off the roof at the time. Man that thing rocks! Mine is so much more powerful than the usual compact Makitas that most guys buy, but his blew mine away, and drove the 6″ screws (anchoring the polyiso insulation) at least twice as fast. But mine shows no sign of wearing out after almost 18 months of heavy use.
Someday. I’ll definitely do the M12 system first. Drill/impact combo and a jacket. But that M18 system will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.
Jon
Wow, that was long! It’s hard to gauge (and edit) with the tiny window on my phone browser.
Tim K
currently, milwaukee wins hands down. but not far in second place is makita even though i just started to make the jump (over all reason cordless hole hawg). makita has finally realized that we want brushless motors in ever thing, yes they are that much better. and finally has come out with tools that are game changers, most powerful cordless drill. 3rd place is dewalt good stuff but are so slow to release tools. i really want to like bosch, and if i only was going to buy a drill and impact i would concider them.
i hate to say it but big red wins.
Lenny
DeWALT. I’ve always liked their tools to begin with but turned my back on Milwaukee when I learned they were a Chinese company. To their credit they do seem to come out with a lot of tools very quickly. If I can’t get what I need from DeWALT I go Makita. At least they don’t try to fool anyone by naming their tools after an American city.
BikerDad
Milwaukee isn’t “trying to fool anyone.” Milwaukee Electric Tools is an American company with a long heritage, more than 80 years. In 1995, Merrill Lynch (who had owned the company since ’86) sold it to a Swedish company. In 2005, the Swedes sold it to Techtronic, a Hong Kong company. Milwaukee Electric Tools is still headquartered in Wisconsin, and they continue to design, engineer, and produce (DEP) products in the US. Not all of their products are DEP’d here.
Matthew Fant
Great question! My response my be counter intuitive to what’s trying to be accomplished here, but I feel it needs saying. I look at it like this: A tool is something that helps you accomplish a job. How expensive it is, how efficiently it performs, how ergonomic it is, and how long it lasts, depend on a huge variety of variables. I used to swear allegiance to Dewalt, mostly because I’ve seen people still using 15 year old drills, that are still ticking. Hell, they’re still selling brand new ni-cad drills, and impacts! But once I thought about it, sticking with one brand doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Life is very much not a commercial, and you’re not being paid by one company for your allegiance. While in my opinion, the Dewalt 20v tools that I’ve bought have been outstanding, I’d be very biased, if I didn’t admit that in the innovation category, they’re getting their asses handed to them. Buy a tool, or a set of tools, to do a job, not for the name on the side. I guess that’s my long winded point… which ever brand you choose reader, enjoy… Thanks!
Michael Quinlan
About two years ago I was faced with either buying relatively cheap NiCD batteries or lithium ion batteries for my aging DeWalt 18V XRP tools, or selling and replacing the tools, I opted to sell and go with Milwaukee’s M18 line – primarily due to DeWalt’s limited 20V Max line, and the glacial pace at which they were expanding the line (there were several tools I use semi-frequently that they didn’t have in the 20V Max line). I decided to try some of their M12 tools, and found the handles to be too bulky, though I still have the oscillating tool and rotary tool.
My most commonly used tools are my DeWalt 12V Max screwdriver, impact driver, and drill. Sure, the M12 Fuel tools are much more powerful, but I don’t need that much power often, and the ergonomics of DeWalt’s 12V Max tools is perfect for me, and when I need the extra power, I go to the M18 tools.
If I had to stick with one brand two years ago it would have been Milwaukee due to the absence of some tools in DeWalt’s 20V Max line, but now that the line has expanded (and meets my needs) I would choose DeWalt for their capable (but not best, IMO) 20V Max tools and the excellent ergonomics of the 12V Max line.
Steven Marshall
Great responses to my question! Being a carpenter I don’t think the 12V stuff would pack enough punch day-to-day if I’m honest. I understand the point that milwaukee are the first to release a lot of these tools but I do agree it can only allow he competitors time to improve on these! I do think if you mostly need 3/4 items every day then milwaukee/panasonic may be the way to go from what I’ve read/heard but I do think makitas recent advances with brushless tools and the sheer amount of tools compatible with 3ah/4ah/5ah tools makes them the choice for those that need variety! I currently have a 5 piece 3ah makita kit and although the run times aren’t great during certain types of work, a 22min charge time is invaluable at times! I am emigrating in the new year and will be investing in a larger array of tools/batteries/equipment, hence my reason for asking this question! I do see myself sticking with makita but leaning more to the brushless/4ah+5ah side of it, although milwaukee and bosch certainly do present food for thought!
Mark
I´m a facilities manager by day and a farm owner by night/weekends. On the job we used Milwaukee, both 18v and 12v. The 18v line does exactly what you think it should. My real surprise is the 12v line. The Red 12v line seems to be as powerful as some other manufacturers 18v . . . especially the Fuel branded items. That said, you’ll never see me know Ryobi. I have +/- 85% of the Ryobi’s line at home and use them everyday. We are just finishing up a home renovation during which I’ve used everything from their Airstrike nailers, to their planer, router, and various drill/drivers/impacts. Really impressed with Ryobi’s jump from “consumer” to “prosumer” provider. Between my Milwaukee itemw and my Ryobi’s items I’m not lacking anywhere. I do run a Bosch table and love it as well . . .
MJ
I love my Milwaukee M12 tools for several reasons, but one of them is that the core tools are not that costly if you look out for their specials. Over the past three years I have acquired the brush versions of the hammer drill, impact driver, right angle drill, rotary tool, oscillating tool and hackzall with seven red lithium batteries (5 original, one double size and one 2.0) and the total cost was under $500.
Patrick Ellis
Bought the DeWalt 20VMax brushless compact hammer drill/impact driver combo not long after they came out. Absolutely love them (particularly the grip and balance, relatively light weight, extremely respectable power and run time). Recently added the 20V circular saw and it is solid (though I’d love a brushless version). Great tools for a handyman/DIYer. The 4 piece 12 volt kit I bought is okay but DeWalt doesn’t seem interested in building on that battery platform so it’s unlikely that I’ll keep them for too long.
So I’ll be sticking with my present (and potentially growing) 20 volt DeWalt investment for big stuff but eyeing either the Milwaukee M12 or Bosch for 12 volt tools… Makes more sense for me to invest in a platform that shows continued growth and not abandonment.
Derek
At my work (Electrician) we use Makita products exclusively for our cordless options, my industrial job 3 years ago we used Milwaukee. I’ve also used Dewalt tools here and there.
Im my experience, Makita is the better of these brands from what I’ve used. They take a beating, we used them daily, and for things like roughing in houses when theres no power, we slap the auger bit in one of the Makita drills and off she goes, we can get a lot of studs drilled with a 7/8 auger bit before the battery dies. Our impacts are all Makita as well and usually you don’t have to worry about changing your battery for a day or two or fairly regular use.
Milwaukee was also an overall good experience, tons of tool options out there, though we had a lot more issues with the Milwaukee tools than we do with Makita. The Milwaukee ones also took a beating, used daily, and for things like drilling through one inch steel with a half inch bit sometimes. They’d sure get steaming hot quickly when using them for hard work, and they are physically not built as strong as I think they should. I’ve literally had a Milwaukee M18 drill break in half when drilling steal. I braced it solid and it couldn’t handle its own torque, the drill was about 3 or 4 months old. At least the drill had plenty of torque.
Dewalt is far more inferior than either in my opinion, the battery life isn’t comparable (although I haven’t had the opportunity to use the new Dewalts with the 20v Max 5.0AH batteries, which I hear are pretty good) and the durability isn’t comparable.
alex
What about Hilti products?
those are way better than dewalt…..
Cosmin Anton
I’ve bought a Milwaukee 18V Fuel impact driver based exactly on this kind of impressive reviews I’ve found online. Cannot tell you how sorry I was, the tool died after just two days and had to have the electronics board replaced, then after another month it scared me again when it completely lost its power, but happily it recovered by itself the next day. Any time now I’m waiting for it to give up on me.
I think there’s a reason why 90% of other traders I’ve met use Makita or DeWalt.
florin
hello..so no one of you used wurth? and milwaukee saing is the best it should be a joke,with respect for you guys but i think you are americans all. bosch.wurth,hilti hilti life guarantee,dewalt are all best than milwaukee just watch problems with batteries of milwaukee,
florin
1.hilti
2 bosch,wurth,dewalt
3makita .metabo milwaukee hitachi
Marian
For me, its Makita, I brought my first Makita tool from United Tools Clayton and I’m loving this tool.
Richard
I live ontario canada, so form the brands Ive seen/used in order hands down 1)Mastercraft/Mastercraft Maximum, 2and3) Milwaukee and Craftsman 4)Dewat. Mastercraft has usually been my favourte
jamie
As a roofer and joiner for the past 25years, i must say that Makita is always my first choice when it comes to power tools etc. sometimes can be a bit pricey however i have had some good deals from buying online. i have used this store a few times and always been happy with the savings. elitekart.co.uk
Elliot
As a worker in a shop which sells power tools, I must say I was surprised at the non inclusion of AEG power tools which are very well priced, powerful have a brilliant warranty (6 years) and are very durable and reliable. People tend to forget that the people at AEG actually founded “lithium Ion” and every other company has to pay royalties to AEG for using their idea, which means the AEG are always the first to make new advancements in battery technology.. e.g. 7ah batteries.
AEG is only out muscled by about Milwaukee, but I would still put them ahead solely due to the reliability and warranty plan. This only applies to the Drill drivers, Impact drivers and Hammer drills, and only in the 18v range, anything else AEG does is rubbish
Also a quick stat from my shop, over 25% of all Ryobi products are sold through a trade account, which signifies that people are going to use it on site!!! which of course voids its warranty!!!!!!!!!!! personally I would not reccomend ryobi to anyone other than the home handy man despite its great value for money and fairly decent reliability in poor conditions.
Otherwise. Dewalt make the best drop saws and have the most durable products, no questioning that. Albeit expensive
Makita have the widest range of products but in my opinion very overrated tools, as they have a painful battery plan, and a substandard warranty, and also very uneconomical pricing. Also a very slow to advance brand, still very good products though if you are willing to pay a little extra.
AEG make the best Drills and impact drivers, have the best warranty plan and best battery plan and are very quick to advance. All while being very affordable!
Bosch is a very good brand, reliable tools and reasonable pricing but slow to advance and with a very very poor battery plan, curiously enough they make very reliable and popular angle grinders, never ever buy an bosch sander though, that is a whole new world of pain.
Milwaukee make the most powerful tools in the world, only AEG, Meatabo and Hilti come close to matching the power, this is only faulted by an average life expecancy and a poor warranty plan
Other good brands to buy: Hilti, Metabo.
Sean
Still taking replies?
Milwaukee has the best 12V lineup, hands down. I’ve never tried Bosch cordless, but I’m sure they’re great as well. Makita has a terrible 12V lineup.
I use Makita 18V because they have a stellar line-up as well, although I’m sure Milwaukee or Bosch 18V are just as good, if not better with many tools. Makita 18V has a large lineup for sure. Gotta pick one of the 3 and run with it though.
As far as CORDED tools go, Bosch makes most of my favorites. I own a Bosch planer, rotary drill, router, and random orbit sander. The rest of my corded tools are Makita. They’re overrated but consistent. Bosch can probably compete with most of the corded Makita tools I own (circular saw, sanders, recip saw, drills, etc.) Actually the Makita corded drill I have (HP2050?) is pretty terrible. Makita has a crazy amount of specialized corded tools, as well, that other companies don’t make. How about the dual-action polisher that can be flipped to rotary only mode? Or the GIANT 16-5/16″ beam saw?
There are a few tools where I would buy Milwaukee in a heartbeat if I had money to throw around (like the Super Hawg and the Super Sawzall.)
Toolpig
I say why limit yourself to one company. I love them all except ryobi and craftsman as well as other budget companies. I wouldn’t want to choose just one company. They all have standouts as well as flops. I have ridden the DeWalt roller coaster as well as the Milwaukee one. It seems they are both getting better lately. I am in love with Festool and have many of their tools but half of what they make is not available in the U.S. Bosch and Makita have been the most consistent of the widely available companies. I have many of their tools some well over 20 years old. Holti is great for ommercial construction but offer nothing for woodworking. love metabo metal working tools and have several. Porter Cable used to be great but has become an also ran I stopped buying them. I guess if I had to choose one company it would have to be Makita. They are quality oriented and if they don’t have the top tool in the class they are near the top. They have made the most advancement in cordless tools in the last year. If you don’t believe that, check out some of my Instagram videos. I own all the tools you see and use them all.
john
For me at present its Dewalt all the way. Previously I had Bosch for years and prior to that Makita. Also love Festool but I find that sometimes the tools are a bit overengineered and sundry items like batteries and spare chargers are phenonomenly expensive.
I had my van broken into and a lot of Festool and Bosch stolen and it coinicided with me winning a Dewalt 18v XR (US 20vmax) impact driver for putting 5 screws in a block of wood in under 15 seconds!
Tried it out and loved it and went from there. I think the pace of tool release is quicker over here. Milwaukee is a smallish brand here.
Very jealous of the new 20v Max Miter Saw! Think I will be importing one over!
Mattia
I am surprised by what it seems only One person mentioned HILTI.
HILTI BAD:
1) 3-5 times more expensive than any other brand
2) not sold in stores but only through representatives
3) weak but secretly true for us all: people bragging about their DeWalt or Makita or Bosch, and you pull out your HILTI, and crew man ask you if they can buy you McD that night
I dropped from 12th floor a full optional HILTI impact d. And after seven years still use it at standards above any other brand. Every other hard-core change a B. e. D every sunday. D. W. Every year. And Makita just will suvive till you go over the “limit”.
HILTI FOREVER
john
Hilti for certain is the most durable, most technically superb brand, but certainly in the UK it is almost an “on the books” only option, as in its almost out of the reach of the self employed as it is so so expensive.
For me the idea of best isn’t just the best quality its more about the most suited as in scored on a range of qualities such as price, quality, availability, range etc etc.
Ryan
For the home DIYer which brand would you guys recommend? I need a drill/driver, impact driver and circular saw. Would also like the option to expand in the future if need be. Thanks!
Matt
love the reviews and have read a lot of them, but I’m left here wondering why Hilti is never brought into these reviews? Specifically their cordless tools (I’d say their impact would be near the top in tool guy reviews)
Stuart
Haven’t tried anything from Hilti yet. They’re pricey, and lack the breadth of other major cordless tool brands’ platforms.
Matt
Can’t argue that!
gtaus
Ryobi 18v One+. I don’t make my living using tools. The Ryobi system hit the right price point for my occasional use around the house.
Over the past 10 years, I have acquired many Ryobi 18v One+ tools from drills, saws, fans, flashlights, pole saw, weed wacker, impact wrench, cultivator, tire inflator, radio, planer, sander, recip saws, chain saw, leaf blower, and a few others. All run on the same 18v batteries. For my small DIY projects, these tools have never let me down and I have never had a Ryobi tool of mine break. Every couple of years, If I need new batteries, I just buy a combo kit with tools I don’t have. If you wait for the kits to go on sale, you can pick up a kit with batteries for less than the cost of the batteries sold separately. That’s what I do, anyway.
The new Ryobi lithium 18v 4ah batteries last longer than any small project I am working on. Really, I use the half sized batteries most of the time. On larger projects, or projects that require more than cordless power, I’ll take out my corded DeWalt tools. But that is rare for me these days. So most of my corded tools stay in their drawers.
For the DIYer that does not need, or want, to spend 3X or 4X more for the “professional” grade tools, I would recommend the Ryobi 18v One+ system as a “Best Value” purchase for the weekend DIYer. I have been very pleased with my Ryobi tools and just felt the need to add another perspective to the conversation.
Richard G.
I bought myself into Milwaukee line, even though I like Makita, but as an industrial mechanic I have something to compare to. In our shop we have Dewalt, Makita, Hilti and Milwaukee power tools. Theese tools are getting through hands of about 20 mechanics on three shifts, and mostly, people don’t care for something they don’t buy, so tools are getting abused. From my experience I can say that the most beat up but holding well tools are: Milwaukee – high speed straight grinder, sawzall and a drills., Makita grinder and a rotary hammer drill, Hilti grinder and a drill/driver. These tools been used in -20 freezer, very humid environment, dusty, hot, oily, name it. They hold numerous drops on concrete floors, keep working after been splashed with water or oil, e.t.c. , you can have an idea. I chose Milwaukee because of the reliability and cost factor. If I would be a professional contractor, I’d buy myself in a Hilti t i justify little extra cost compare to Milwaukee but as a DIYer, red line is more than enough for me. I do love Hilti though, my recent visit to their store made me think of. ..maybe…? 🙂 No, I told myself, Milwaukee is just fine for you! Lol. Just in case someone interested my price quote for a 18v set was $2k, which included: sawzall, rotary hammer drill, high torque impact wrench, compact impact, brushless grinder (cut-off tool), circular saw, 4 speed drill/driver, 3 batteries with charger and three tool bags with some other stuff. Which is not bad for lifetime service tools. I just hope that Milwaukee will make a good nail gun and couple other tools for a carpenters.
Steve G
I’ve been a pro high end renovator and builder for about 12 years (North East USA). Dewalt product have proven durable, reliable and well designed. Now adding 20v products to my shop and trailer. Very impressed with new 20v framer (after paslode died to soon). Also have 12v Milwaukee which are great. Dewalt all the way for pros. Most pro tools don’t make sense for diy and home use due to cost. For non pro use ryobi or craftsman should hold up well.
tom
The first time I got a cordless tool it was a 9.6v Makita drill. Cordless was a new thing then and every brand was rushing their latest tool to market so I did research by going downtown(Seattle) where there was a ton of construction going on and spent a whole day wondering different sites and asking questions and the Makita 9.6v was the proven gun. This was so long ago that the keyless chuck hadn’t been invented yet and the tool came in a METAL BOX!! with room for all your bits and misc. junk. The next tool I got was Makita’s 9.6v reciprical saw – a one handed tool that got used on a regular basis for the next 25 years! I still have it and use it sometimes but my newest battery is years old so it doesn’t last long. As the years went by I went to 12v Makitas and then to 18v Ryobis but was very disappointed that though everyone made a cordless reciprical saws they were all two handed tools, until a while back Millwakee (thank you, thank you) came out with an awesome little 12v, one handed recip saw. I recently worked with a guy who has all the latest Makita 18v liion tools. Loved the small size, the power, the balance and the quick charging, and though it is tempting to retool, I’m approaching retirement fast and have a slew of tools that still have life left and will get any job done. Enjoyed visiting this site.
webber
Florin, Wurth Power tools are made by Milwaukee and rebadged. Battery & tool compatibility is 100%
Ryan
That was quite the edited rant.
florin
Thx webber i didn t know.
GazUK
cannot believe the milwaukee bias here, they shifted all their tooling and design to china. The quality is awful now.
Makita all the way
WhatWouldJesusDo
My dad does Dewalt for power tools and he has been in construction industry for over 35 years.
John Coughlan
Not sure about this article, I agree that in a perfect world you could pick the best tools from all brands. but that would mean multiple chargers and batteries which for a contractor or general builder like myself is not an option. milwaukee are a good brand although a bit pricy in the UK.
I have never got on very well with dewalt tools, I don’t think they put enough effort into ergonomics when designing there tools. Don’t get me wrong they are very durable but always feel heavy and don’t sit right in your hand.
Bosch are a great brand but lack the range of cordless tools that makita and milwaukee have. Still though a great brand if a little pricey.
As a general builder and multi trader I find makita offers best 18v tool range at a very reasonable price. And there battery charge time is better too which makes all the difference. But most of all its the range of tools and decent performance and price that puts them ahead of the competition in the UK.
If money was not an issue then maybe I would go milwaukee, but I’d have to buy one of there fast chargers for them to compete with makita. Failing that…. Festool rules them all….
Tyler
Which system has the best batteries in terms of quality/value (considering NiCd and lithium separately)?
james
I have several different brands of cordless tools dewalt. porter cable black and decker.sears but I am going to buy me a greenworks digapro impact and I/2 in impact in 24 volts you can buy those for about half price of other cordless tools.and have a four year warrenty some like dewalt want a small fortune for there products
Daniel
im looking for a brushless drill set with a combi drill & impact driver im a plumber by trade i want somethink that is suitable for me ive been told bosch and milwaukee are the best out there what about dewalt too
Stuart
Are there any special features you want? Budget?
Bosch, Dewalt, and Milwaukee are all great brands for these types of tools, and all have brushless offerings too.
Mike
My opinion Dewalt make the best most durable tools on the market my cousin works in Home Depot and tells me that Dewalt outsells both Milwaukee and Makita together but both Milwaukee and Makita get the most returns because they don’t hold up
Ian
Festoon and Hilti shine far and away above the rest!!! If you actually know what your talking about
TerenceC
Just to add my $.02.. I try to keep things simple. I got a bit disenchanted with having so many cordless tools with the 18v yellow line up of yesteryear and gave up all but my drill and impact.. I work residential maintenance and remodel and have found that my corded tools will always do the job and never need to be replaced due to a change in availability.. but then I’m almost always near a power source.. today I keep only 3 cordless tools on my van, dewalts 20v drill, impact and oscillator. I’m happy with all of them and only need a few batteries on hand, man I got so tired of charging 18v batteries.. I did buy into the m12 line for my woods truck but mostly cause I wanted something I could run off the trucks battery via a custom battery with attached jumper cables, works well and I don’t have to keep charged batteries for the sometimes needs. They live in the truck and are only used on the truck.
Rytis
i would like to hear who work with festool.any one recomend?
Stuart
I own a couple of Festool tools, and definitely do recommend them – if you could benefit from their features or advantages.
Brody
Does anyone know if DeWalt is going to be coming out with a full-size 7-1/4″ 20 volt circular saw to compete with the full size Milwaukee brushless 18v and the 18×2 36 volt Makita circular saws? My 18volt impact and drill are going to be toast any time, so I want to start my next generation cordless tool kit soon. I am loyal to Dewalt, but I love the reviews of the 18v Milwaukee, especially with a light and a rafter hook! If dewalt is going to release one soon, I will stay with them, but if not, I gotta make the switch to all Milwaukee!!
Mr Martinez
Dewalt brushless impact 3 speed impact gun clowns on all Milwaukee makita or bosch impact drills I have a bunch of 20volt max tools always reliable always heavy duty made to last! Just go to any construction site you’ll see nun but dewalt that will tell u that u can’t go wrong with dewalt
Paul
Hilti way to go
Dickphan
Well said in this article!! Toolguyd….g’day from Australia mate!!….when i first started out ….we moved onto hitachi li-on cassette 3amp tools and they where the hypeback then, made in china but works amazingly…..till the new model of slide battery came out and made them lineup obsolete….so instead of investing in hitachi again i may aswell go on another battery platform…..up until 2 yrs ago i have never heard of milwaukee brand, but do see a few of my friends starting to use them…..i walked into my local tool store and all i see is Red…. i go on YouTube alot and watch all the tool reviews and tool fights….and now am on team red…there fuel/brushless range are the way to go….and here in Oz…there the only brand that actually have sales and bonuses that are worth anything…. they have the largest range in brushless …. next on the hierarchy is makita…..with a vast majority of 18v lineup and durability proven over the years….they got a few tools that came out after the milwaukee that has surpassed them….ie.high torque impact wrench but do have a dozen models of drills that range from crap to pro….that is abit confusing for buyers and is generally 40-60 bucks more expensive then milwaukee…..the bosch range 18v do seem alittle big and bulky for me but i do like they are made i Malaysia….yellow dewalt never had a thought for them….but are making a comeback on the market and starting to release alot of good tools but go into 20v,40v,60v and having to buy them batterys will burn the pockets…..sum it up ….stick with the crowd and go Red…and you can’t go wrong
.
Landon
I’M so glad I stuck with dewalt! I bought into there 20 volt line and then it took forever for them to add the tools I needed. I feel a bit like Benedict Arnold now for even thinking about switching to Milwaukee(the only other option) especially now with the 60 volt flex line. we forget It is dewalts 18 volt line that set the bar for the past 10 years and I’m getting this warm fuzzy feeling that dewalts new stuff will take the wolves another decade to catch.
Dickphan
Dewalt has really good ergonomics….but i still think milwaukee is a better choice allrounder…because they carry better warranty and have more brushless range (fuel) …i also like a couple of makitas 18v items eg. Like there monster 3/4 impact wrench….but dewalt i never had a thought for except for there rack and pinion portable table saw ….that ones on the wish list…..overall milwaukee a winner for me
M. Lyons
Is Rigid so bad that the lifetime guarantee doesn’t matter?
Jc
I’m a weekend warrior and purchased dewalt tools (20v) overkill for what I use them for but rather it be more than what I need than not powerful enough….
Angie
I have a cordless drill, flashlight and circular saw set that is approximately 15 years old. The 18V batteries have finally tuckered out. The make is Strategy, but I cannot find it anywhere. Anyone out there ever heard of it, and if so, do you know where I can locate replacement batteries. Thanks
Stuart
There are some stores that will rebuild NiCad or NiMH battery packs.
Pat
I am looking at buying into a cordless system for home use. I have a bunch of different systems that I piece mealed togther at my shop but want a single system at home where space is too tight to have multiple chargers. Is there any way toolguyd.com would do another one of these articles? It’s been almost three years and I would love to see their opinions now.
Stuart
I’ve been working on an update, looking at why each brand is “the best,” and am nearly done. Unfortunately, there’s no wrong answer – all of the top brands have their ups and downs depending on what you’re looking for.