Let’s talk about the 5 best cordless power tool systems on the market today, which are – in my opinion – Dewalt 20V Max, Milwaukee M12 and M18, Metabo HPT MultiVolt, and Ryobi 18V.
There are many more cordless power tool systems available today, and there can be reasons to go with one of those platforms instead.
In this post, I’m going to briefly discuss why I feel these are the top 5 cordless power tool system choices for most people. These are my opinions, and I encourage you to share yours in the comments section.
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That’s not to say that other cordless systems are worthless – although some of them really are best avoided these days.
The brands are not ranked; they’re discussed below in alphabetical order.
Dewalt 20V Max
Dewalt offers competitive and sometimes leading core tools, unique solutions, and modern Li-ion battery technologies.
Even when not the industry’s best, you can trust their tools to be capable, durable, and reliable.
Dewalt’s 20V Max cordless power tool system has been steadily expanding, with more tools tailored to the needs of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other pro users every year.
The 20V Max system tends to be a safe bet.
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Metabo HPT MultiVolt
Metabo HPT’s MultiVolt 18V and 36V cordless power tool system is not as broad, but they often have top performers and unique solutions that either best the competition or fill in the gaps in other systems.
Metabo HPT’s cordless system is woefully underrated in my opinion.
Aside from the confusing name – no, Metabo HPT’s tools and batteries are not compatible with Metabo’s – the brand suffers from poor visibility.
For example, Lowe’s has a Metabo HPT 18V brushless drill kit for $79 right now, with 2x 2Ah batteries, and I’d say this is a better buy than the other pro brands’ $99 holiday specials that are in stores right now.
Milwaukee M12
Milwaukee M12 has a wide selection of core tools, such as drills, drivers, and saws, and also specialty tools and problem-solvers. Milwaukee’s goal has been to offer fatigue-reducing hand tool replacements, and they’ve kept at it.
This is the only 12V-class cordless power tool system that is consistently expanded.
Milwaukee M18
Milwaukee has been developing M18 as a trade-focused cordless power tool system, and you won’t find any dialed-down “special buys” here.
Their tools – especially the M18 Fuel line of brushless cordless solutions – are pricey, but widely well-regarded.
The M18 system has seen constant expansion over the years, often with industry-first solutions.
There’s a limit as to how much power can be squeezed out of an 18V battery pack, although Milwaukee has broken through the power ceiling numerous times in the past, and again with their latest FORGE batteries pouch and tabless cells.
Milwaukee has become the go-to pick for many pro users. It can get very expensive to “go red,” but frequent bundles and promotions can help with that.
Ryobi 18V
Ryobi has reinvented themselves in recent years, at least in my opinion.
They went from being a home and DIY brand with cheap core tools and a lot of handy infrequent use solutions, to a DIY brand with all that plus higher-performing tools and solutions with fewer compromises.
Ryobi has some competition, but it always seems like those other DIY brands are perpetually playing catchup and losing.
Many tool users will buy into other DIY and home cordless power tool systems. Ryobi competitors seem to have customers and users, but Ryobi seems to have fans.
Other DIY brands have great tools and solutions, and some product types that Ryobi doesn’t offer. But as a whole, from a system-wide perspective, Ryobi is far ahead with their product range.
Ryobi has climbed from mainly being an entry-priced tool brand to also offering mid-price tools, and they’re quite capable and compelling. I’d need strong convincing to choose a different DIY brand.
Discussion
Here’s how this came about.
Which cordless rotary hammer would I buy today for professional needs? Dewalt 20V Max or Milwaukee M18 Fuel. DIY? Ryobi.
Cordless router? Metabo HPT or maybe Dewalt or Milwaukee. Ryobi for DIY.
No matter how many questions I asked, the same brands kept popping up as the top choices.
Circular saw, band saw, sanders, impact wrenches, drivers, vacuums…
It kept coming down to Dewalt 20V Max, Metabo HPT, Milwaukee M12 and M18, or Ryobi.
There are times when other brands come up. For example, I bought Bosch’s 12V Max cordless rotary tool (I had to import it from Europe), and think it could be the next-best option behind Milwaukee’s M12 brushless model. There’s also Dremel at the DIY level.
When averaging things out, the same names kept coming up. Dewalt and Milwaukee as the 2 best professional cordless power tool brands, and Ryobi as the best DIY option.
Metabo HPT isn’t close to being on-par when it comes to breadth, but they do perform quite well and usually with zero compromises with respect to quality or features.
Today, if not Dewalt or Milwaukee, Metabo HPT is the brand I’d most likely go with.
Reader’s Picks
If you had to narrow down your choices today, which brand would go with? Is that the same as your favorite?
Also, which brand would you recommend others go with? If your answer changed, why?
Let us know in the comments! I’ve also set up a poll via the Google Forms link below.
Mark. M
It’s silly to argue that the top 3 spots are anything other than Dewalt, Milwaukee M12 and Milwaukee M18. And then the order those are ranked 1/2/3 is just a barstool conversation.
No experience with Metabo HPT so can’t say, but if I was looking to get into another platform I’d for sure consider them and Makita as well.
Ryobi…Maybe it’s a function of not running recent/modern Ryobi tools but the ones I used previously (in a pinch at a friend’s house, etc) seemed homeowner-grade at BEST. Not something I’d want to own or use on a regular basis as a heavy DIY’er/side job hustler/former trade guy.
For me, Ridgid has been awesome at filling in gaps around Dewalt and Big Red. I can’t think of a Ridgid tool that’s disappointed me TBH, and if you keep an eye out for HD deals you can pick up tools and batteries at very competitive prices. Some will say the LSA factors into the value, to me it’s cumbersome to register and everything has been bulletproof (and not horribly expensive) so I don’t bother with it. Ridgid standouts: jobsite fans, tire inflator, work lights, compact bandsaw, hot glue gun.
Tim+E.
I use Ryobi how you use Ridgid, to fill gaps in red and yellow (and teal and blue if we’re honest). Or sometimes duplicate. I like Milwaukee’s lights for their color and robustness moreso than Ryobi’s, but darn if you can’t get some cheap and interesting lights from Ryobi, the gooseneck light and magnifying version are awesome, the clamp style light got used (though might swap to M18 now that it is out). They also haven’t let me down with things like fans, the large 18V and 40V fans are as good as Milwaukee’s in my opinion, and get used frequently. Otherwise, things like the glue guns, sanders before the other brands came out with them, vacuums, earth augers, there’s a lot of tools that either don’t exist elsewhere or are sufficient in Ryobi to save the cost of upgrading, they’ve been great to have.
That said, I agree that some of the Ryobi core tools just aren’t in the same class as Milwaukee or DeWalt. I haven’t used the newest One+ HP drills, but had a couple Ryobi brushless drills about 4 years ago that I got purposely to abuse because they were $100 rather than $250. They worked for what I needed them to do, which says a good bit, but they weren’t as nice to use and definitely felt a bit cheaper than the other options.
bob
The LSA has sold me on Ridgid. I just “exchanged” two batteries for new ones. Free shipping both directions, that’s hard to beat in my opinion. I’m a DIYer who like to have better quality tools, but they dont have to be top notch for my simple needs.
Ray
I’m the same way! I have Ridgid 18v and Milwaukee M12. Best of both worlds! Well except Outdoor power equipment. I have Ryobi 40v, but wish I had coughed up the $ and went with EGO. Now I’m too invested in Ryobi
George
Same for me, I been a rigid man for many years now. I’m a commercial plumber.
George
Hilti is the best 123 hilti, DeWalt, Milwaukee . I know people who have had Milwaukee systems go out on him two times. He went to rigid. The LSA , price and quality
Scott F
I get the error below on survey link:
You need permission
This form can only be viewed by users in the owner’s organization.
Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake. Learn More
I’ll put my answer right here in the daylight also – M12 is what I would go with AND is my favorite. There are some things that only exist in M18, but if I had to deal with those as corded tools I would. M12 has such a wide scope and excellent ergonomics, 90% of the tools I reach for are M12.
No experience with the others, but from the sentiment of the readers here and general details within posts, I agree with the top 5. Ryobi is a close second for sake of value with a really solid lineup of options.
Stuart
Thanks! Sorry, fixed the visibility setting.
Mateo
Looking back i wish I’d gone with Metabo hpt a couple of years when I switched my personal tools from dewalt to Makita xgt. I’ll likely have to dip into them anyway for nailers.
I provide dewalt for my work crews. Drills and impacts have thoroughly mediocre durability, batteries great durability, but holy cow the nailers are a crime against humanity. I got one of their framing nailers and it’s a jam factory. I’ll likely have to branch out to another system for those as well.
Jared
I’m surprised Metabo HPT made the top 5. I’m not saying Stuart is wrong, just that it’s a surprise. The lineup is bigger than I thought, but it’s still a much smaller platform than Dewalt 20v or Milwaukee 18v.
If you need a nailer though…
Mateo
Metabo hpt is handicapped by bad naming and even worse relations with lowes. Their ergonomics are very good and the promos they offer are fantastic. They’re missing a lot of hyper specific niche tools but also have some things that no one else does like a cordless rebar bender.
Reno Paddy
I do like a lot of Metabo-HPT and have their 36V big recip saw, belt sander and 36V AC adapter. They’re great but they’re handicapped by more than naming and Lowes.
1. Tool warranties are not the same for every tool and vary too much from item to item.
2. They’re limited to 2 sizes of 36 V batteries (2.5/5Ah and 4/8Ah).
3. They omit features that the competition had for years (new track saw, brad nailer without dry fire lockout) or implement them badly (brad nailer with a useless LED)
I’m mostly a DeWalt 12/20V guy with some Bosch 18v and Metabo HPT 36v. I would happily add more Metabo HPT if they optimized their tools and line up.
Phoenix North
Strange. I love my Dewalt cordless framing gun. It’s slower than competitors, but so much more reliable than Paslode—my other carpenter sold his and bought a dewalt after using mine—and one of my apprentices is neglecting her M18 framer in favour of it as well. I’ve had to by more because it’s the one everyone reaches for.
But you get the odd lemon in every brand, so maybe not everyone has had the luck I have.
Mike S
I love the M12 tools. My only Issue is that it does not support heavy nail guns. I tried an M12 palm nailer but it shook some of my dental fillings loose.
Saulac
I will keep my hope up for M12 framing nailers. I think compact “big” nailers are an unexplored territory. Not all users need to fire hundreds of nails each jobs. Compact nailers that can hold a single clip and can fire a few clips per charge could be appealing to many users.
Reno Paddy
Have you tried the M12 brad nailer? I have a couple of M12 batteries and that nailer intrigues me. I have the 12v stapler and I must say, it’s need a wonderful tool to use.
Tucker
Hard to argue Dewalt and Milwaukee being 1/2/3 overall. I went M18 since they had more OPE so I can trade batteries back and forth if needed. Dewalt and Milwaukee definitely don’t make the best of everything, but as a go-to its really only them if you want a wide selection.
For Ryobi they are good overall, I have some tools which are great, some only meh. I generally have only HP versions of their core tools (drills, saws, etc) where I wanted a 2nd of something without M18 pricing, but have a bunch of fans, vacuums, etc. as well. I have used my 6″ brushless pruning saw a LOT and its never given me any trouble.
I have liked most Makita LXT tools I have, and they have generally been robust and long lasting. But the split of LXT/XGT and cost got me looking elsewhere.
Perry
I agree about makita. It’s frustrating to me because I love the ergonomics and trigger controls, but they definitely seem to be on a downhill slide here in north America.
I’m limited on tool stores where I live (lowes, a small ace hardware, and a small tractor supply) so I’ve ended up deciding to go with metabo HPT since I don’t like the feel or control of dewalt and milwaukee is limited where I’m at.
Nate Wolf
Unfortunately it is expensive to own too many different brands. I started buying Dewalt and other than my sanders and track saws that are Festool I have been relatively happy. I also like the cross compatibility of 20V and 60V and the Festool tracks are compatible with the Dewalt 60V track saw.
Ken
If I were starting fresh today, I would probably just go with M18 and M12 tools.
A related question is: which readers here are invested in 5+ different cordless platforms 🙂
Currently, in descending order of number of tools, I have: Bosch 18V, Bosch 12V, Ryobi 18V, Kobalt 18V, Milwaukee M12.
Jared
I’m all over the place, without rhyme or reason. Dewalt 20v is the major color in my collection, but I’ve also got Dewalt 12v, Bosch 18v and 12v, Ryobi 18v, Einhell 18v, Milwaukee 12v, Porter Cable 20v and Ridgid 18v.
What caused your diversity?
In my case I often just got deals on kits in new platforms and having a mix just didn’t bother me. I’m trying not to add any MORE platforms though.
Do you use battery adapters? I have proper batteries for all my tools, but I also have adapters for most of them just in case I run low on juice.
Jared
P.s. does Flexvolt count as an extra category?
Tucker
I was all-in Makita LXT + M12 for a long time. But Makita’s split of LXT and XGT caused me to look elsewhere for 18V tools.
I have a few Dewalt 20V where the deals made kits cheaper than a platform I already owned for something I needed then.
So now I have M18/M12 as my “main” platforms. Ryobi for nice to haves or those things only a Ryobi makes. Makita is shrinking and Dewalt is by far last.
Tim+E.
Depending on what we’re counting as platforms…
1-3 tools: Bosch 12V, Bosch 18V, DeWalt 20V, DeWalt Flexvolt, Milwaukee M4
3-10 tools: Makita CXT, Ryobi 40V, Milwaukee USB, Hoover OnePwr
10+ tools: Ryobi 18V, Ryobi USB, Makita LXT, M12, M18
I don’t know if I could limit myself even to just 3 lines if I were starting over again, there’s just too many tools that are solid favorites from a variety of brands. I could definitely consolidate towards mostly 2-3 lines, mainly because more brands have picked up some of the tools that were considered “specialty” a few years ago. Compressors or OPE are good examples. DeWalt had the Flexvolt compressor that was the first really usable cordless compressor in my opinion, and I get my money worth out of that thing. The M18 is slightly nicer because it’s quieter, so that was enough for me to get that one in addition, and if I were starting over I wouldn’t have both a yellow and a red (and a green) compressor.
OPE was a similar situation, when I started buying in, Milwaukee wasn’t really a player in the OPE game yet, DeWalt had their 40V line and were starting to make some flexvolt options. Ryobi and Ego were probably the bigger homeowner oriented brands with fairly extensive lineups, maybe Kobalt in there too. I went with Makita LXT (XGT didn’t exist at the time), because they actually seemed like they were focused on delivering a comprehensive system of tools, and spanned “homeowner” to “pro” performance levels through various models. I can’t bring myself to upgrade to XGT, though I have been watching a blower and chainsaw that are on clearance locally to see when they drop down the next notch in price and maybe will get them to try out, but this is another if I were re-buying today, I’d just go M18.
Josephus
I stopped myself from doing this so I wouldn’t go crazy juggling batteries. I do have Bosch 12 & 18v and Ryobi 18v which are good enough for my needs. Haven’t been adding much and will probably replace with Milwaukee or Dewalt slowly over the next few years. The batteries have held up nicely so far so no reason to start yet. Haven’t had to stop work for lack of capacity.
Reno Paddy
Hello Ken,
1. Numerous DeWalt 20V,
2. DeWalt 12V (x7)
3. Bosch 18V tools/accessories (x6)
4. Skil 20V line (x3)
5. Metabo HPT & Flex 24V (x2 each).
I’m not a contractor, just a handyman so I gravitate towards tools and platforms that offer me the best $$/return. Skil has been the biggest surprise.
MM
Technically I’m on 5 platforms, but the vast majority of my tools are Dewalt 20V Max and Milwaukee M12; I also have a few Flexvolt (stud/joist drill, 9″ cut-off saw, a couple grinders, power washer)
I have one tool each from Metabo and Makita LXT; these I run on Dewalt packs with adapters. The Metabo is a compact recip saw, I bought it because neither Dewalt nor Milwaukee’s options accept jigsaw blades. The Makita is a bandfile, which I bought back before Dewalt and Milwaukee’s models hit the market. Given Flexvolt’s overlap with 20V max and my use of adapters I think might be safer to say I’m on 2 1/2 platforms.
If all my tools disappeared and I had to buy them all over again I’d probably end up with the same arrangement I have now, with only one significant change: I’d buy a Dewalt bandfile in place of the Makita.
I’m interested in a few tools from Flex but with promos being so few and far between I’ve been sitting on the fence for a long time.
fm2176
I’ve mostly stopped buying power tools these days, but for a while, that was my only hobby: use the little time off I had (as a Drill Sergeant, I was lucky to have one day off a week) to drive as far as the outskirts of Atlanta to comb Home Depot and Lowes for deals.
I started out with DeWalt 12v Max, after getting a bunch of batteries at the PX (military retailer) for as little as $6 each back in 2014. Those were still going strong last I used them, despite some being as old as 2009. I added a few clearance 12v Max tools, then in early 2016, while in Columbia, SC for Drill Sergeant School, I grabbed a post-holiday Special Buy that was marked down, adding 20v Max and my first ToughSystem case. I also scored a 20v Max string trimmer and blower when Lowe’s was getting rid of them to make room for 40v Max, then I found a grinder for $25 and a wet/dry vacuum for $50. To say that my truck was beyond loaded by the time I graduated is an understatement.
I passed up a bunch of deals for Milwaukee and other brands, as I didn’t want to get into too many systems. One day, in Phenix City, AL, I found an M18 deal I couldn’t pass up: the $280 D-handle rotary hammer for $75 and a 5.0 battery starter kit for $50. After that, the M18 deals just started rolling in, culminating in the One-Key combo for $112.50. They had a cart full of those and I had the money, but I refrained from buying them out, instead getting one for me and one for my brother. By that evening, I was watching YouTube channels using them as giveaways trying to grow their audience and seeing resellers piecing them out for trying to triple their money.
Next up was Ridgid, as I had to sleep in my truck while doing overnights in the field and didn’t want to run the AC all night. DeWalt was slow in releasing their fan, and I don’t think Milwaukee had theirs out yet, but Ridgid had a promo going on where buying two bare tools got you a free starter kit. I bought two fans, then later added a bunch more, including their cordless air compressor when I found it on clearance for $50.
I know, I know, too many details and too long to read… Anyway, besides the aforementioned platforms, I have the following:
Bosch 18v (I had a 12v radio and drill but gave those to my daughter)
MetaboHPT with the MultiVolt AC adapter for some tools
FlexVolt
EGO
And, of course, Ryobi, which in retrospect would probably have been the only brand I truly ever needed to spend money on.
Rob
Dewalt
12v Extreme
20v
40v
Milwaukee
12v
18v
Craftsman
20v
I have a feeling I’ll have a new OPE program in the spring. My OG 40v is getting tired.
Joellikestools
I mostly have M12. I got Kobalt 24v for tools that needed more power. The performance and price suited my needs. I got a Makita for a stick vacuum. I got Ryobi for the glue gun. Then I got Ryobi 40v for OPE. No more lines for me, unless I switch jobs . . .
eddiesky
If I want a professional Hammerdrill, it would be Hilti.
If I want a semi-professional Hammerdrill (like wall anchors or small fasterners), I would go Milwaukee (I have corded but if I needed cordless, M18 Fuel Rotary).
I have Dewalt in 20v, 18v and 12v. Plus the gyroscopic driver (8v). I have Panasonic driver in 18V that kicks still … from 2008! And I have Makita. Hitachi.
I’m brand agnostic…but now lean more toward Red (Milwaukee) because M12 ratchets, M18 impact. For wood working, I am Dewalt and Makita. But, if Festool were in my budget…yup.
So if today, I would go Milwaukee. (still mad at Dewalt overpriced, clumsy storage system… guess they will get it right with Storage System 5.0?)
Mopar4wd
I have Dewalt and Metabo 36V hammer drills and we have Bosch and a miluwakee hammer drill at work (along with more dewalts) the Metabo 36V is the best Ive used.
Josh Williams
I have been using metabo hpt since they were hitachi and I’ve also had some of the European “hikoki” tools from them as well. They are incredible. They have been absolutely abused on site daily for years and have never failed me. I use milwaukee m18 and dewalt at work as well, and with the exception of dewalts amazing oscillator, I choose the metabo hpt every time. Ergonomics are fantastic and performance is on par with any competitor. Availability and exposure are definitely a weak point. There’s hundreds of tools but maybe only 10 are sold in stores.
Reno Paddy
I love Metabo HPT (36V) but just wish they’d cleanup some of their glaring omissions with a number of their tools. Their big recip saw is the best I’ve used and the belt sander rocks. Brad nailer needs fixes and their new last-to-marketstrack saw falls short. The 36V triple hammer impact looks amazing but the size and weight of those batteries… 😉
Andrew
I understand Ryobi is a better DIY brand but hard to argue they are better than Makita. I’m assuming frustrated with Makita over the last couple years as anybody (still waiting for that framing nailer that was supposed to be out in August) but they have better tools and more tools than Ryobi.
Farkleberry
Check out the tools and stuff YouTube review of the Makita framing nailer. You’ll relate to his frustration on the wait.
Long story short, it’s a great nailer so far, but big and heavy.
Will probably be here 2025, maybe not worth the wait or the weight, though.
Tim+E.
The problem is they’ve entirely missed the gig in the US lately, even as a big Makita fan. I grew up on Makita, got Makita as my first tools when I was out on my own, and still love all the Makita stuff I do have. But where they used to be priced at a slight premium (which I felt at the time was acceptable for the quality I had come to expect), now they’re fairly significantly more expensive than anybody else, moreso if you factor in sales. They haven’t kept up with new releases, and it’s harder and harder even to find the basic tools anywhere anymore. I’m admittedly a bit of a tool junkie, if there’s anything where I can use power to do a job to avoid doing it by hand, I’m all over it, so Makita lagging behind on bringing their level of quality to new solutions to the US has really turned me off from buying any more Makita, or trying XGT more thoroughly. It’s sad, because if they were keeping up with bringing products to the US, I’d probably still have LXT as my main tools and maybe XGT by now. Still would have filled holes with the other lines, but it’s almost to the point where there’s so many holes with Makita that I’d have more tools from another brand filling the holes than Makita tools. Sales recently obviously have pushed that further, again bludgeoning Makita’s value proposition versus other lines, even disregarding the poor availability of Makita in some cases.
Goodie
I think LXT is still a good line to be in, based on the depth of product. But it is very sad to see how Makita’s pricing and tool introductions are affecting them. I place Makita’s build quality, reliability, and ergonomics as top-tier. Their battery reliability is also exceptional.
I wish Makita North America would price it appropriately, because I think they are, in many ways, a fabulous brand to be in based on their depth of product and quality.
Farkleberry
“Best” is obviously subjective – best for who? Best for what?
I’m reading you have 3.5 categories – 12V only, DIY and pro + pro best value.
12V – Hard to argue there, though I really don’t see the advantage of 12V for most tool types. Certainly automotive with small ratchets and die grinders, cutoffs, etc. Also cabinet installers, rotary tool users, etc., would love to hear more life changing uses/users.
If you need to put on one of the big batteries, why not go compact 18v? I get that weight is a big deal, and I haven’t really used them much, though.
Best DIY – this is a curveball. This is like saying best 8th best or best far from the best. I can’t keep up with all the confusingly named/numbered offerings from the top brands, let alone Ryobi, Kobalt, Craftsman, Skil, etc.
I started out with a big, clunky Ryobi drill that took some double digit falls to concrete and worked great for what it was. Now their line is huge and quality keeps improving. There’s still a chasm between them and the top brands.
The Black Friday deals were pretty impressive for Kobalt, Craftman, Ryobi – get a whole bunch of tools for $250.
If it were me, I’d recommend getting the base brushless tools in red, yellow or green and start with hand tools to do specialty stuff if you’re DIY. I get that for things like glue guns that won’t be used all day, Ryobi is fine. I know lots of pros save some money on infrequently used specialty tools from Ryobi. Do like they do and stick to the value models from the top brands for main tools.
Multiple battery platforms are not a problem, even Milwaukee says so.
If this is really the top 5 “best” typical battery powered handheld tool list, Makita is on it. If we’re separating battery lines, then XGT is on it. You mention Milwaukee gets pricey, that’s very true (outside of promos), especially for the latest fuel/forge that can compete with XGT. Unfortunately XGT promos are a joke or non existent.
For example, you mentioned hand held router. In full size – not sure about the new Dewalt, but I’d wager it’s inferior in features, ergos and build quality. Metabo HPT is lower on power and Milwaukee is far behind. Trim router is much closer, but I think XGT is best, with no <10 min light use runtime compact battery option.
Everything has a trade off, and I've harped on no compact XGT batteries forever.
If this is best value, and we must include 1 x 12 Volt and 1 cheap brand, I think your list holds up well, though Metabolic HPT might end up on top of 3 if you don't need Milwaukee's specialty tools.
If this is 5 best performing cordless brands for typical handheld tools-
XGT is tied with Milwaukee, with Dewalt right behind and Metabo HPT 4th but often the lightest and best value, when on promotion especially.
Fifth is probably Flex or Bosch, depending on how you feel about power and 6/12 cell batteries.
Jared
12v is an interesting category. There’s an OBVIOUS leader, but I think there are reasons to consider some others.
E.g. Skil 12v is cheap. I wouldn’t buy that if it was my only battery platform, but if you just want a few cheap 12v tools? Could be tempting.
Dewalt has nice 12v tools. I don’t think it’s a broad enough line to tempt me, but what they have seems high-performing. Maybe if you need just a particular tool and it’s one Dewalt sells?
I have the 12v Bosch right-angle die grinder, 3″ cut-off tool and a detail sander. I like them and paid less that I would have if they were Milwaukee M12 tools. I’m not convinced they’re superior to M12 though.
Tim+E.
Now that M12 has the planer, I’m hoping for a little trim router to match the Bosch. It was super handy when I had one to add some roundover and decorative edges on already-installed small wood shelving. The little planer also was useful on some additional shelving for getting a better fit to the curvy walls in our house, could eat out a bit from the middle of a long shelf to get it to sit back tighter and be able to caulk it in to looking tight with the wall. Much easier to do that with a planer than trying to do it with some sort of saw.
Bosch’s 12V flexiclick is still my favorite driver, over the installation driver or just about anything else (I may take Makita’s CXT driver as being more ergonomic and lighter, but at an obvious tradeoff in functionality). The 12V right angle drill is also pretty great, even if not super powerful by modern standards, the adjustable angle mechanism was surprisingly useful.
Makita CXT is my favorite 12V line, if they would have continued expanding, even just tail-riding whatever Milwaukee did, I think they’d still pose some pretty serious competition to M12. Good quality and good feeling tools, it’s really a disappointment and aside from growing stagnant, I haven’t even seen any of the core CXT tools either in any stores anymore.
Farkleberry
Thanks for these examples. Anything where light weight could add finesse and power is secondary is a use case I guess.
Curious how much a trim router could be shrunk and how the stick pack would affect balance?
I’m remembering HVAC and electrical with nut drivers, etc. on screwdriver, impact, surge, etc.
Also pruner seems ideal.
Any other lifesavers or just pleasures to use?
MM
Bosch has a 12v mini router that uses stick type packs, it’s quite an interesting design.
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Brushless-Palm-Router-GKF12V-25N/dp/B07B8YLWCC
Farkleberry
That’s pretty slick. A larger sub base for trim routers can help with stability, but not really on narrow pieces. Less mass and lower down would always win.
James
M12 PVC cutters. M12 propex expander. M12 circ saw: we only cut sheet good on site and it’s fast and light and takes up very little space in the van.
Goodie
I like this comment.
Milwaukee is the leader in 12v, based on depth of line. I strongly considered moving into that line a few years ago. But (and this is a personal grouse) their installation driver’s silly membrane directional controls on top of the tool made it a non-starter for me.
The Bosch 12v Flexiclick got me into the Bosch 12v line, and it’s been a good one for me. Their OMT is great, as is the router.
Skil could have been interesting to me, but I was already in Bosch, and they don’t have an installation driver. Skil offers a lot of tools that offer 12v/20v compatibility – very smart move.
In some ways, I like DeWalt’s 12v strategy the best. They don’t seem to be building a full 12v line to compete with Milwaukee, but the batteries work with their 20v/12v chargers. The tools they are making in 12v (installation driver, ratchets, OMT, small circ saw, small recip, and others) don’t duplicate the DeWalt 20v line – they enhance it.
Farkleberry
Some of the Black Friday deals this year were astounding:
Metabo HPT:
$85 – brushless drill/driver combo kit (not triple hammer) -(Acme)
$110 – 2nd best big recip saw on market saw – kit (Lowes)
$110 – arguably best lightweight 7 1/4 circ saws on market, either rear or top handle – kit (Lowes)
That’s 4 tools, 4 batteries, 3 chargers (2 rapid) for $305.
Dewalt:
$200 and $280? – Lowes had buy a couple buy a kit, get 2 free tools – mostly XR, for much of the month.
Home Depot one briefly one upped Lowes 6 tool brushless/XR with box for $600 by adding free XR recip saw
Milwaukee:
I’m sure I’m leaving out some great ones, but some decent and some great:
-Lots of good M12 promos, especially brushed stuff (often ok for 12v power use).
-$99 brushless drill and driver combos like others, gives you 4 batts/2 chargers
-$280? Fuel drill driver combo with free tool
-Forge battery deals (their high normal price makes you forget how much you’re paying as an early adopter)
-$200 – what looks like probably best all around circ saw with necessary forge batt.
Ryobi, Kobalt, Ridgid, Craftsman, Skil – big kits for $250, etc.
This stuff has gotten so cheap it’s amazing, and much of it seems to be pretty good.
Flex, Bosch I know had some good deals but I hardly noticed.
Makita LXT had a $100 LXT OD green dust blower (Metabo HPT’s was ~$85)
Makita XGT had some promotions… technically speaking
Jared
Dewalt and Milwaukee are so close it’s hard to call. Personally, I think Dewalt has the edge right now, but I can accept that someone else would feel otherwise (and it could be different a year from now).
I was surprised you picked Metabo HPT as one of the top five Stuart – the brand certainly doesn’t have top-five cachet. But then I started thinking who I would substitute…
Bosch, Kobalt, Ridgid, Makita, Craftsman, Skil, Hilti… Porter Cable (Ha!)? I don’t know if I would chose any of them first.
Makita LXT has so many tools it’s a plausible choice, but the batteries hold it back. It also tends to be expensive and its future is a bit fuzzy. XGT is insanely-priced and just not well-enough developed.
Bosch, for all their foibles, seems like the 6th choice to me. They actually are developing new things, just slowly.
James
I’m working on a big install at the moment. My employee was noticing how the tools are 99% M18. There’s a sprinkling of Makita and Dewalt, and then we bring Bosch and M12 to the mix. We got to chatting about all this…..I’m a big fan of Milwaukee tools and have good experience with Dewalt and Makita. Haven’t touched anything else really other than the odd one-off task, but I’m surprised Bosch doesn’t get more of a shake. I love my Bosch tools: SDS, bandsaw, jigsaw, regular hammer drill, 3/8 impact. There’s a few more but those get worked the hardest.
PW
I think Bosch’s problem is the lack of promotions in the US.
That’s how you get people into your platform – you heavily discount (probably sell at a loss) some kind of drill or driver or drill/driver/saw set a couple times a year. Then if people like what they see they buy more.
Or you can be like Milwaulkee and have a promotion seemingly every week (I’m not on the platform, but feel inundated by endless sales lol)
Milwaulkee, DeWalt, Ryobi, Kobalt, Craftsman, heck even also rans like Skil have yearly or biyearly sales events that suck in new customers.
I barely ever see that from Bosch.. Maybe part of it is the lack of a good national retail partner? My perception is that their tools are fine, but they lack the marketing ability to hook new customers.
JR Ramos
I think what you say is true – for the general retail and DIY user market. It is not true for the professional and industrial market, for the most part. Probably true for tradesmen that have to purchase their own tools, too.
Bosch constantly runs pretty great promos (albeit just at Lowe’s) with a “free kit” setup and whatnot. They don’t seem to advertise it but they’re consistently there at least twice a year. But in the professional world where some manager or purchasing agent is buying for the business or crews, they generally just buy what they need when they need it…if their distribution channels run a sale they’ll grab it, otherwise it’s just a cost of doing business and that gets padded into their rates.
Other than woodworking I’m not sure Bosch has ever been terribly focused on DIY users. They’ve been a quandry in the US, for sure, and a bit slow to expand and upgrade, but they’re doing it (more so in the last couple years…very late to the party). I’m not sure I want them advertising – not the way they used to anyway with the garish trademark names and stuff – that was silly and may have worked against them, imo.
On the other hand if you’re looking for Bosch bare tools, Amazon is a great source – quite often has some stellar pricing and it’s all legit (with Amazon as the seller). They never have the battery/kit promo pricing, though…that seems reserved for Lowe’s first and also some other online tool house suppliers.
Milwaukee’s approach to marketing and kitting and deals has just worn me out at this point. I’m mostly Milwaukee but much less of a fan of the company itself now.
PW
I think what you say is true. But in the US, if you want to be a dominant volume player, you have to appeal to DIYers and small tradesmen who buy their own tools.
If you want to go the other route and be niche, you need to have a business model that eschews mass market pricing. Like Hilti for example.
I believe you that Bosch has sales, I just don’t see them.
The last time I recall seeing a Bosch deal was, in all places, Costco. Maybe not a bad way to get the brand out there more?
I think Bosch is fine and all, but their current marketing approach doesn’t seem to be cutting it IMO.
JR Ramos
That was kind of my point – that Bosch has never been interested in that, not in the 40 years I’ve been around them as a power tool branch, and I guess it’s 45 years or better since they made inroads into the US market? They’re pretty dominant around the world and of course elsewhere in the world they have an entire DIY line of less expensive power tools and accessories to complement the regular trade/industrial/professional line. Don’t forget that decidedly German way of thinking that still permeates the company – something that I think makes them less apt to adopt some of the US approaches to marketing and sales and notably contractual agreements with big box stores. I mean they’d love to have as large a slice of the US pie as they can but there’s a little disconnect somewhere and the rest of the globe is their bread and butter, always has been. Just like Makita although at one time Makita was somewhat dominant here (somewhat).
I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that they don’t care (about marketing as the rest do, or about the US market) but they just aren’t playing our “games”…..and in my opinion those games that have sprouted and evolved over the last 20-ish years are frankly stupid and not good for the market, or the consumers, and often not for the retailers (on the back end). They’re doing just fine staying out of that fray and plugging along solidly with sales, R&D, parts availability, and service. If we lived in another country we’d see more of that marketing and communication direct to users…can hunt it down on the web although picking a channel/outlet/country for the best info isn’t straightforward.
I think it’s fine for them to be where they are, much as some demanding DIY-type users seem to be upset with that (not pointing that finger at you or anyone in particular…it seems a common complaint with internet tool users/forums). For better or worse, at this point Milwaukee has set the bar/expectations really high in terms of marketing and that’s on like every possible level, too. Nobody else seems to emulate that. Heck, I wouldn’t mind hearing more from DeWalt but they seem happier with obscure performance metrics and not much marketing per se (they love influencers as a primary route, it seems).
What I do find interesting as a not-yet-old person but one who has seen several decades of the tool industry a bit deeper than most, is how the latest couple of generations seem to know very little about these companies and their histories or why they are major brands. With Bosch, everyone has probably heard of all the car parts (oxygen sensors and wiper blades if nothing else) and maybe kitchen appliances, but as Bosch lagged behind in the cordless revolution and red and yellow exploded into incredibly larger companies, and then the introduction of all these “off brand” brands (to include Flex, Porter Cable (sad to say, but…), Craftsman, Ridgid, then HF and allll the rest), it’s like a lot of people don’t even know who Bosch power tools is and the generally high quality they have always presented. Maybe their focus on woodworking, cabinetry, industry, and concrete put them too far out of the DIY limelight with bread and butter sales like drills and all the typical “basic” tools people use the most. I dunno. But there’s no shortage of selection these days and customers seem mostly happy with whatever they buy ,and Bosch isn’t hurting for losing those mass market DIY type customers…so. Guess it’s all good. I don’t think they’ll be going away anytime soon and doubt they’ll join the games but it’d be interesting if they did decide to try that again or put more commitment into it. I’m glad I gave them a try because listening to a lot of people on forums if I didn’t know better I would probably think they were a sub-tier tool brand and not worthy of my interest or my time/money. If I had to start over I don’t know that I would choose Bosch as the first (probably would still choose Milwaukee as I did) but now I know that I *could* choose Bosch and be plenty happy (and for less money, generally, especially on the batteries, which are excellent and much lower priced). But I think as younger generations grow up with such heavy marketing and a “weird” box store retail environment like what is the norm now, it’s just natural that they form opinions based on what is presented to them, and if they don’t have the curiosity to explore further or the hands-on exposure (or hands-on actual tool usage) then…well how are they supposed to know, right. So it’s a failure of marketing in that sense but also maybe a failure and/or indicator of vast changes in the trades and the jobs available to people, too (huge changes over the last 15 years but going another decade or more farther back, too, as industries here faltered and outsourcing manufacturing and such really ramped up).
James
Yeah that’s fair, and in my experience their tools are a step up from « fine ». They’ve been outstanding for the most part, although not entirely. They’ve cheap impacts and drills are duds like the rest of the brands.
JR Ramos
I buy carefully but all of the Bosch 18V tools I’ve bought have been excellent and a couple are tops in class, imho (the sanders especially although we’ll see what the new Milwaukees are like soon). I’m glad there are several quality testers on YouTube these days…makes it easier to not make a bad choice. There are several Bosch tools that I shied away from and still wouldn’t get since I have other platform options, but most have been great…and I think some of those I otherwise wouldn’t purchase would still do fine, just not as fine as some competition. They need to catch up on some upgrades to older models but all the newer releases seem to be really on point. I mostly do my own repairs and service, and some tools I use enough to actually need parts on occasion, so I appreciate that Bosch still has a pretty full network of parts availability and the tools are generally repairable, unlike the majority of things from Milwaukee now (their saving grace, which hopefully is not changing for the worse recently, is their longer warranty and free replacement options…but repair is better). Also, finding replacement parts for Bosch is easier – like sanding pads – Milwaukee makes that difficult most of the time and/or throws in “proprietary” crap like 9mm threading, etc.
Jared
I also like the Bosch tools I own – and there’s a fair number of them in both 12v and 18v. Too often though, I find Bosch to more expensive, not the top-performer or slow to launch new tools.
When you’re not loyal to a brand, promotions on tools in other colors are tempting – more so if they’re also more powerful or not available yet in blue.
Chris
I think the only things keeping Ryobi afloat is their expansive lineup and cheaper prices. And maybe the face that all their batteries are compatible with older tools.
Ryobis performance has never impressed me as someone who likes using tools. But for a homeowner, I could see the appeal.
Dewalt and Milwaukee definitely the top dogs on the market. Really you could swing either way between m18 and 20v Max platforms. But I would say definitely go with Milwaukee m12 if you’re looking for 12v tools.
No comment on Metabo HPT though. Their triple hammer impact seems to be loved by everyone who has one. And the nailers are good. But for the prices I’d just go with Milwaukee or dewalt.
Mopar4wd
The insane amount of tools on offer by Ryobi is why lots of people have them as a 2nd system. If you have a tool you rarely use Ryobi price and variety make them often the best option. Need a drain snake a few times a year? Ryobi . What some fans on the job site spend 125 for Dewalt or 30 bucks for Ryobi. They also work well. No reason to be top in class if your half the price and 95% as good.
Marc
I think Ryobi, hands down, is the best value for a homeowner/DIY person. More bang for the buck off their battery systems. I have 25+ different hand tools and garden tools from Ryobi. Some of my Ryobi tools are 20+ years old and going strong. Only ever had one battery crap out on me. The variety of different tools is just incredible compared to any other company, including Dewalt and Milwaukee. The quality is less than those two but I have had very few tools that I became disappointed with; and those were 10-15 years ago. Now, Ryobi battery powered tools are all quite good. More than enough for a homeowner/DIY guy. I have the odd Makita and Bosch tools, too. But those are corded. Good quality and still working.
Can’t speak to the professional brand stuff. I assume Milwaukee or Dewalt would be best if I were a professional. But as a homeowner, I can’t see spending two to three times as much on each tool compared to a Ryobi.
Larry
Ditto for everything you say. While I use the 12v Bosch Flexiclik and drill and driver over the Ryobi on a daily basis, everything else is Ryobi as a DIY and a amateur furniture builder. Given my budget for tools, I would have never bought a number of tools if I was on yellow or red. Ryobi’s tools are often a deal on Direct Tools Factory Outlet and I’ve never had a problem with their “Reconditioned”or clearance.
I’ve got old blue Ryobis that I’ve picked up at garage sales. I gave a set to my daughter for her DIY projects with fresh batteries. The only Ryobi tool I’ve ever been disappointed with is a garage sale blue chain saw that is useless. It runs so slow I think I can count the individual teeth as they go by when it’s running. A whole $10 down the drain.
I get that Ryobi might not be the quality for a professional but for anyone else I highly recommend them.
Jason M
By US marketshare – Milwaukee is #1 followed by Dewalt for the pro brands and those 2 take up roughly 2/3 of any tools sold. All other brand compete for the remaining 1/3rd.
On the DIY side it’s Ryobi for sure. Hart did a billion dollars at Walmart which is insane. If I had to start over doubt I’d do Milwaukee again, hard to beat Ryobi bang for the buck but Hart is much more comfortable. I do like HPT and Craftsman but they’re just harder to find and not as large lineups.
John
I switched over from Dewalt to Milwaukee M12 and M18 and gave all my Dewalt tools to my daughters. The motivating factor was. simply the M18 nailers and stapler, which I believe are a step up from Dewalt in design (smaller/lighter).
My only regret is not going full-on M18. The M12 batteries are extremely difficult — borderline impossible at times — to remove from the tools. On several occasions I’ve used all my might and struggled for over a minute to extract a battery. At best, it’s just “difficult”. I’ve been hoping they’d loosen up with use, but haven’t.
The difference is the M18s have two opposing buttons to depress, then the battery slides out. With the M12s you need to SQUEEZE the opposing sides, but there aren’t buttons pet se. Just a pressure sensitive collar.
Terrible, terrible, terrible design. Hate it. I only buy M18 now.
James
Agreed my thumbs hate M12. Thankfully battery life tends to be good, but if I ever screw it up and install a dead battery the disappointment is excruciating.
Scott K
I used to think that when the time came to replace my Bosch impact driver and drill I’d go with DeWALT, but now I’m not so sure. The Ryobi tools I own have all worked well for my needs, though my 18v string trimmer is weaker than expected. I use my impact more than most of my other tools which is why I’d want to replace it with something more durable and reliable, but the new HP Ryobi tools feel completely different than they used to which makes me think this will be a tougher call.
I would say a purchasing decision should be partially based on where you prefer to shop because Amazon isn’t an authorized Milwaukee dealer and Lowe’s doesn’t sell Ryobi – this may impact some decisions. I think I’d likely urge people to look at DeWALT and Ryobi because of their wider range of options and availability.
OldDominionDIYer
When I got serious about buying into a cordless tool brand I researched Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee, this was 15 years ago. I ultimately settled on Milwaukee and it has been a great decision. I’m heavily invested in both M12 & M18 and love the products. I do have a few Flex tools and there are quite good as well, but the brand seems to be stagnant. I really dislike how Dewalt decided to use a completely different system to measure power so there wasn’t an easy comparison. Also redefining the labeling of batteries by their peak voltage rather than nominal seemed quite deceiving and it turned me off to the brand.
Josephus
I have experience using Milwaukee 12 & 18v, Dewalt 20v, Makita LXT, Bosch 12 & 18v and Ryobi 18v. I voted for Milwaukee 18v for pro and Ryobi for DIY based on what I know now versus how I shopped years ago.
Most of the above experience is from using the tools at work, on the job. At home I use Bosch 12 & 18v because at the time I was buying Milwaukee did not have the breadth of tools they offer now. I do also have Ryobi 18v for the oddball DIY tools that Bosch did not carry at the time.
They have been fine for my uses, up to and including installing roadside boxes into concrete pads for work. The work-issue stuff was not cutting it and it was an hour drive back to the shop, my house (Bosch Bulldog) was closer. They comped me a very nice masonry SDS-plus bit shall we say.
If I had to buy it all over again I would probably go with Milwaukee 18v as my primary choice. Bosch has been horrible at bringing their tools to the US and the stuff they do bring over has stock problems at the local stores.
Bren
I’ve got a little bit of everything; I like M12 stuff but I’m not a fan of the fat grips for the impacts. Really like Dewalt’s 12 volt; they just don’t make enough stuff in it. For the stuff I don’t use all the time, it’s hard to beat Craftsman for the money. The first time my Metabo drill fell off the bench it was cooked, and the impact driver is a 2 handed bit change operation, which I hate.
MM
As others have said 20V Max, M12 & M18 are easily the top 3.
I think Ryobi easily deserves their spot in the list too. Yes, they’re more homeowner/DIY oriented and they have some turds but their product line is huge and most offer excellent value for money. They also have a lot of craft and home-oriented tools that nobody else does.
The 5th spot is very hard to fill. Metabo HPT is one option as already discussed. Makita LXT is also worth mentioning. Yes, it’s lagging behind in the battery department and one has to wonder what is going on with their marketing but it has a massive product line with a lot of innovative tools that nobody else has and a well-deserved reputation for durability and quality.
Matt
I voted, but I really think the pro work you do affects which tools are best.
Homeowner Ryobi is good and getting even better.
But just about everyone should buy M12. They are just fantastic to use for an awful lot of regular work, with nice specialty tools too. I own a lot of yellow but got an M12 kit last year and those quickly became my most reached for tools (unexpectedly – I really only wanted the ratchet originally). Would love to see them expand the line even further including into DIY areas (and prices).
Then buy whichever other system makes sense to fill out any high power tool needs.
PW
It’s hard not to argue that Milwaukee (12v/18v) and DeWalt (20v/60v) are not the top pro lineups in the US, with everyone else being slowly left in the dust. Ryobi is a no-brainer for DIYers wanting breadth in their lineup.
I’m surprised to see Metabo in the place I would expect Makita to be. I’m not saying that’s wrong – I have no experience with Metabo. I have a soft spot for Makita tools, albeit no experience with their 18v lineup. That said, they seem to be slowly sliding into irrelevance, with the poorly conceived dual 18v/40v lineup, noncompetitive pricing and sales, aging battery options, and limited selection in the US (vs in their home market).
That said, I think for DIY use, I’m a little more down on Ryobi than most. I don’t like the ergonomics imposed by their legacy battery form factor, being tied to 1 retailer (Home Depot), or the hideous color scheme.
I think for a DIYer who doesn’t want to be tied to a house brand, it pays to look at SBD Craftsman. To me it seems like the pricing is better, you have a real tool company behind them (they’re not a fly-by-night ODM), and there’s lots of online and in-store options for purchase and support.
The lineup for Craftsman is pretty complete at this point, and some of their tool designs (lights, vacuums, etc) seem better thought out than their more expensive counterparts elsewhere in the SBD lineup.
They also have OPE tools on the same platform, which is useful to most DIYers.
I don’t think they’re the “best” by all metrics, but price, availability, tool choices and perceived stability in the marketplace are all strengths.
Rx9
I’m team red, and I’d recommend them to a tradesman or serious home-gamer any day of the week. Bang for the buck, Ryobi’s the #1 choice. I got my brother-in-law started in that system last year, with the crazy black Friday deals HD had last year.
Dewalt is a great choice, now that they got their act together on specialty tools (especially automotive). I also like Makita’s massive product depth. I’m also glad the Hitachi product line got a second wind after becoming Metabo HPT.
That said, even though I have bought into the Milwaukee systems ( both m12 and m18) , I do hope their competitors keep making advances. Why? Because it keeps big red from falling asleep at the wheel. Much in the same way that the magnificent things Porsche has done with the 911 pushed GM to finally make a mid-engine Corvette, Dewalt’s flexvolt and powerstack lit a fire under TTi/Milwaukee’s rear.
Evan
My tool purchasing has been heavily influenced by Toolguyd’s posts and sale announcements, so it is no shock that I own a mix of Milwaukee M18 (drill, impact, 1/2″ mid torque wrench), M12 (drill, impact, screwdriver, 2nd gen 3/8″ stubby), Dewalt (OMT), and Metabo HPT (circular saw, recip saw, brad nailer). I love all of these tools and honestly do not regret a single purchase, and I do not regret being on multiple battery platforms.
One question that remains for me is whether I really need the M18 tools at all. I purchased them before the M12 tools, but it is likely that my M12 drill and impact will get MUCH more use now than my M18 because I just love the size, weight, and balance of them when attaching them to my belt with the standard clip. I also think that my new 3/8″ stubby will get a lot more use than my 1/2″ mid torque, which could make my M18 tools sit in a corner until or unless I need something with more power.
I love my Dewalt OMT and all of my Metabo HPT tools have performed admirably in all of the tasks I have asked of them.
glenn
From personal usage, I would have to say that the M12 and M18 would be the best choices for today.
And easily Ryobi for DIY or for those tools you don’t use as much.
I currently have Ryobi and Makita CXT after swapping from M12 years ago. Despite the CXT tools feeling much nicer to use, the stagnation of the line has left me regretting that swap.
Unfortunately way too costly for me to swap back now as M12 tools are now quite expensive in Australia, Plus the CXT line is just not desirable on the used market, so hard to sell.
ColeTrain
I have thoughts about this after looking to buy into a new platform over a year ago. I think your take on HPT is dead on, I’m not sure why I never see anyone use their tools. I’ve been a rigid guy since they’re gen 1 which I still have an impact and drill and working condition to this day. When I got back into using tools daily 2 years ago I bought some newer rigid stuff but I’ve since been looking for a reason to move on and I’m not even sure why. Maybe the uncertainty? They just seem to discontinue great stuff, redesign perfectly working tools, honey just seemed content with mediocrity. I needed a circular saw and a new impact early last year and kept getting drawn into the HPT stuff. I think the Saw’s incredible the impacts are good The Price is Right, love the nail guns so I was waiting for Christmas deals. Then I ended up buying a bunch of blemish rigid stuff from direct factory and here I am back at rigid. Some tools are great and some are mediocre but I still have an interest in HPT for whatever reason, maybe just the fact it’s not dewalt or milwaukee? My needs now are slightly different and I like carrying lighter weight more compact 12 volt stuff. Many times I have almost bought into the M12 because I do agree that is the most diverse lineup but I was waiting for holiday deals. I ended up doing impulse clearance buys for the skill power core 12 and five batteries and three tools later that’s where I’m at but I still drool over the M12 stuff. As for every buddy else I think it’s best to first find what suits your needs and then buy into whoever has the best battery technology and the most options available for you. However I think anyone looking to buy into a new system this time of year it is without a doubt a no-brainer that DeWalt is the best option given how much you can get for how little during the holiday sales.
Erik
For me, the biggest selling point of Metabo HPT is that they have an AC adapter that lets you plug all their 36V tools into the wall.
https://www.metabo-hpt.com/accessories/batteries-chargers/product/et36a-36v-multivolt-ac-adapter
JR Ramos
I think this article needs to drop the word “best” and be broken out into a series – do the brands and the users a little better, so to speak. All the blah-blah-blahs about why “best” is a troublesome concept, but there are things that many consider to be very important that don’t seem to be included in your quick assessment here. Defect/failure rates, long term durability (not important to casual users but quite important to professional users), and then after sales service and parts availability. That last one – parts availability – is what sets solid professional brands apart from the rest, often. Of course these days with outsourcing and penny pinching combined with higher profit margins on tools made less expensively, many choose the route of no parts, minimal repairs, and more likely total replacement (cheaper than repairs…).
It would be neat to see a series of articles where just one brand is covered in each, but addresses these other important aspects (not just catalog breadth, popularity, and general performance in use….but parts and failures and quality/cost of batteries (and chargers)…etc). In that single-brand article, different user types could be covered (casual, frequent DIY, professional/tradesmen).
I also think you need to find a way to rekindle your relationship with Bosch….the tools themselves if not the marketing or design/engineering administrative backend. Absolutely think that they deserve to be in a “best” list. Better and less expensive batteries (great sales for them but generally at fairer reasonable pricing to begin with compared to red/yellow/teal). Generally excellent performance but also more attention to user ergonomics and durability/parts availability. I am 98% red and have a lot of tools in both M12 and M18, but when I opened the door to one Bosch tool I ended up buying several others, and some of those are clearly better than their red counterparts (and yellow counterparts, where I am experienced or familiar with those). I wouldn’t let marketing contacts and such get in the way of what the products have to offer (same with Makita but I understand that relationship has been pretty sour for you).
Every brand has plusses and minuses, top brass tools and dud tools or whatever. At this point unless someone really wants some of the unique hobby stuff, I would be inclined to recommend a HF tool line or even some of the Hart/Walmart tools over Ryobi…small caveats but for someone interested in low price decent performing, Those two recently are topping what Ryobi has to offer (comparable tool types).
But “best” needs a lot more context and more thorough addressment in an article…or else it’s fluff (in a more comprehensive sense anyway).
Agreed about Metabo HPT not getting as much recognition as it deserves. I don’t know that they have many tools that are top performers but they all seem to be solid performers that can get work done without aggravation. That’s quite true of many low and lower-priced tools these days, though…really quite impressive how the quality and performance have risen over the years as tech and designs trickled down. Makes “best” a lot harder to talk about or compare.
Have to admit that DeWalt has really gotten on top of their game in the last 2-3 years and many of their tools are excellent. I’ve always had a hard time supporting them as a company because of their marketing and…tactics…so I leaned toward Milwaukee as I started to modernize my power tools. I don’t like the direction Milwaukee has chosen in recent years (some design, but more on the support/durability/service end of things). If I were shooting for pro level and starting over, I would probably consider DeWalt more strongly, and absolutely would put Bosch in that category despite their comparatively smaller catalog although it’s grown a lot and will continue to do so. Although Makita’s tools are excellent for the most part, for what I use the most and am likely to need in the future, teal just isn’t the right one for me. I considered buying into Metabo as a one- or two-off but didn’t want to add to the complexity of packs and chargers I already deal with. With a few standout exceptions regarding performance *needs*, I would consider most of these top popular brands as equivalents in an effective sense (getting work done). Circular saws and grinders and impact wrenches have a wider spread of performance and many still fall behind a bit (compared to the holy grail of emulating A/C powered tools), so if those carry more weight in someone’s “best” in choosing a platform, then pay attention to that and make their best your best.
Hoping Milwaukee comes out with an improved M12 3″ cutoff tool, or even better, a compact M18 model that competes with DeWalt’s current 20V Max model…or else I’ll buy my first yellow tool soon.
Goodie
Love the list. I would probably have combined M12 and M18 in one entry to this list. Reason is that there are chargers that can work with both voltages. I also would have added DeWalt 20v/12v for the same reason; if you want an installation driver from DeWalt, you need to be on the 12v platform.
If combining opened a 5th spot on the list, though, I am at a bit of a loss as to what to put there. My heart says Makita, but the LXT/XGT schism makes that one difficult. Maybe Craftsman d20 as another homeowner/DIY brand…
Stuart
Then it would have been top 4 with M12 and M18 combined. I feel they’re differentiated enough to stand apart.
If adding spots, I’d place Bosch ahead of Makita, but they’re both too far behind the brands here.
Nate
I agree, M12 really stands on its own. I’m 90% Ryobi 18v for most things like saws and drills (inverters and fans galore too!), but can’t resist the form factor and power of M12 3/8 stubby impact or fuel ratchet.
Hans
It’s legitimate, but painful that Makita isn’t on this list. LXT was an awesome platform. Better build quality than Milwaukee or Dewalt. And for a long time, if you held out for black friday and other seasonal deals, it was also the best value. I know Stuart has complained consistently about the inconvenience of a double battery system, but I’ve never felt that way. If you’re into the system double batteries tools just mean you have better capacity for your other tools when they’re not in use. I don’t recall ever being inconvenienced by waiting for a battery to charge since I bought my double battery circle saw (which came with two free 5AH batteries).
That saw is unrivaled by another brand. If it had two tabless super batteries connected to it makita would have had a miserable time convincing anyone that another system was necessary. So they’ve made sure that doesn’t happen.
Upgrading to XGT should have been something a longtime brand loyalist was excited about. But, zero compatibility stung. Then the price hikes stung. A two pack of 5ah batteries is $100 more than they were two years ago. Then the lame deals stung. But, their refusal to upgrade the LXT battery tech is the ultimate betrayal—to their own product and their faithful customers.
I have found that the battery adapters sold on Amazon work flawlessly converting LXT batteries to Dewalt tools.
AP
I can’t pick a favorite. I’m in M12 (maybe my favorite), M18, DeWalt 20V, Ryobi 18V (love ’em), EGO 56V, Makita corded, Bosch corded, Greenworks corded and a few more. I’d love to try the Bosch 12V and Ryobi 40V.
Old Suburban Dad
Stuart, you listed the 5 best platforms and misspelled Makita all 5 times.
I’m sorta serious and sorta not.
For the full spectrum of tools across multiple industries/specializations and OPE, I think LXT deserves to be in that top 5.
However….Makita is practically begging US consumers to look elsewhere, based on their marketing these days. And that makes me a teally color of sad. I want to want to stick with Makita. If for no other reason, than that my friends will make me eat many years of crowing, if I end up switching.
All that said, If one were starting from scratch, right now…. IN THE USA … I think it’s hard to argue with chosing Milwaukee.
If you’re a pro, go M18. If you’re a home user, even a prosumuer, I’d wager M12 will be more than adequate, 95+% of the time. I have a couple dozen LXT tools and about a dozen M12’s , and I reach for the M12’s for most stuff around the house.
Also, for grins….
I read recently someone said :
DeWalt is the Nickelback of power tools
Perhaps not fair, but funny.
Does that make Milwaukee, the Metallica of tools?
….not sure….
but Makita, to me, is Rush – 100%
Also Rush > Zeppelin.
(Now , let me get some popcorn before y’all come for this comment)
Bill
Makita lost me over the past few years too. They were my cordless choice for 20+ years with a few rare use Ryobi thrown in. Makita just isn’t giving me any reason to keep buying their tools. I still love the ones I have, but have bought several of other brands and not a new Makita. I had even planned on going Makita when replacing my OPE this summer, but wound up with EGO instead.
The m12 detail sander broke my seal on platforms. A tool that I love. I’ve since bought several more m12 tools and it’s now my most bought platform. I tend to reach for my m12 tools most often.
Then I decided to go cordless on my trim router. Dewalt was my choice.
That thing destroys my corded Makita trim router. I use it for things that I used to only use my full sized corded Bosch for. I’ve since bought a few more Dewalt tools (including a second trim router). They’re ok, but don’t exude the same feeling as the trim router or even my old Makita tools. My Atomic drill is my least favorite of all my drills.
Next up, I decided I wanted to go cordless on circular saw and replace my trusty 30 year-old corded. I kept waiting on a sale for the Makitas. Finally gave up when there was a killer deal on the rear handle Flex with a battery. I picked up a couple other Flex when there were sales on Amazon or Lowes (I wanted a second stacked battery and might as well get a tool included). They are a bit hefty, but I also like them more than my Dewalt tools (the trim router excluded). If I ever see the Flex trim router for sale for $99 on Amazon again, I’ll probably grab it to compare to the Dewalt that it copied the depth adjustment from. I couldn’t justify a third cordless trim router when it was on sale, but my curiosity regrets that choice.
Long story short, Makita had me for over 20 years. In the past three years, I’ve not spent a single cent on Makita, but have instead spent a few thousand on four of their competitors.
Stuart
You: “you didn’t include Makita!”
Also You: “I’d go with Milwaukee today, and I usually reach for Milwaukee M12 over Makita 18V.”
I’ve been hearing that a lot. Which is your favorite brand? “Makita.” What are you buying? “Dewalt or Milwaukee.”
PW
I think it’s that Americans are price obsessed. Makita has priced themselves out of the market.
I don’t mean that in a “they’re too greedy” way, just “they misjudged the market”.
Tom
I went M18 years ago, and still happy. Have let a few M12 sneak in and have a mess of OPE platforms. The compact size of the M12s are nice, but I need the power/capacity of an 18/20v platform enough I could see a12v as my primary.
If I was starting over today, I’d probably try Metabo – always been impressed with value of corded and air tools of theirs I have and seems the cordless platform is mature enough now.
We’re lucky to live in a time when it’s so easy to get really capable tools for reasonable money. No bad choices here.
Jamie Lee Davis
I over equipped myself as a female homeowner with M12 ( extensively) and agree with the rankings. Fuel where possible. Gen 2 drivers. No regrets!
Jronman
To keep consistent with the other entries Milwaukee M12 and M18 should be one entry and not two in my opinion. The Metabo HPT entry includes two platforms. Also this would mean DeWALT and Ryobi could include their other platforms. Also MX Fuel could be aded to the Milwaukee entry.
Stuart
Technically Metabo HPT MultiVolt could be considered one platform since the 36V batteries can be used with MultiVolt 18V or 36V tools.
Jronman
Might be true with 18v tools but the 36v tools can’t be used with 18v batteries. I don’t view them any more the same or not the same as Flexvolt is to 20v Max and Powershift (with adapter).
James
I currently have (in order of number of tools) Milwaukee M18, Makita LXT, Milwaukee M12, Metabo, Ryobi, Dewalt 20v, Festool, Metabo HPT, Makita XGT, Bosch 18v, Dewalt 12v, Bauer, Makita CXT, and Bosch 12v. Obviously, I have no qualms with multiple platforms!
Of all my platforms, I think Makita LXT is my favorite to use and the best all around. I’ve never really felt limited by the batteries or performance, the tools are very durable, and comfortable to use. Plus, the platform is undeniably extensive and I love the flexibilityof 18vX2. I have a lot of overlap between Makita LXT and Milwaukee M18 (many of which I inherited when my FIL passed). More often than not the Makita option would probably be my first choice, but I couldn’t always tell you why. Milwaukee has a ton of good solutions, good performance, and reasonable ergonomics, but I’ve had 16 Milwaukee tool and battery failures compared to only 2 for Makita. Granted, Milwaukee has always fixed my issues, but it is still a pain.
Stuart
If you have to start over *today* and can only choose *one*, which would it be?
James
For what I do, I don’t think any one platform could cover all my needs. However, if I HAD to choose only one it would definitely be either Makita LXT or Milwaukee M18. In an ideal world I’d much rather have only LXT, but realistically I’d probably grudgingly end-up with M18, if for no other reason than the convenience of HDs large selection. I am certain that only having M18 would be more expensive for me than only having LXT because I would feel the need to have backups of several essential tools.
Jerry
I have no experience with the Metabo brand, but I would agree with your assessment of the brands I am familiar with. I used to work construction, and back then everything was DeWalt or Milwaukee, as they were the top performers, and were quite durable. Now that I went from daily use to DIY use, I personally run Ryobi stuff. The main reasons would be value as well as the sheer number of tools available in their lineup.
As to value, I don’t use tools hard enough to wear them out in a couple years anymore, so I don’t really see the value in getting the best or most durable at any cost. My reasoning is this: About 5 years ago I bought a Ryobi 1/2 impact wrench for doing maintenance on equipment. It put out about 350 Ft Lbs of torque, and was I think about $100 with batteries. A Dewalt or Milwaukee was about 3X the price and put out if I remember right about 500 or 600 Ft Lbs at the time. Fast forward to early this year, and I bought a Ryobi 1/2 impact for under $150 for the bare tool (using batteries I already had) and it puts out 750 Ft. Lbs. By going with the Ryobi, I can upgrade tools more often, and it seems the new Ryobi seem to be about on par with 2-3 year old DeWalts (which is what we ran the most of), wheras the tightwad in me would be very hesitant to spend another $250 or so for the bare tool to upgrade the DeWalt when my old one was still working perfectly.
Ryobi also has a real good warranty, most tools are warranted for 5 years, and I have never had an issue with something not being covered by the warranty, although turnaround is often a bit slow as they fix your old tool instead of just swapping it for a new one. However, I can get a replacement warranty added on, and still spend about 1/3 less than one of the premium brands. 4-5 years ago, I reserved myself to owning ‘lessor’ tools due to budget restraints, but their latest generation of brushless tools really seems to be closing the gap. Project farms has listed a couple Ryobi tools as top rated overall, and has listed a number as best buys or best for the money. If you haven’t tried out some of the newer high performance tools from Ryobi, you might be surprised. No, they are not a DeWalt or Milwaukee, but they also are no longer half the tool for half the price.
One last thing I like about Ryobi, is that they get the little details right. For example, my angle grinder comes with the tool to change the grinder wheel tucked right on the tool itself, tucked in the handle. The vast majority of the tools I own that require a wrench or tool to adjust or change blades comes with the tool holder built in, so you always know where it is. The old Dewalt grinder I used to have was over double the price, and I always had to go hunting for the wrench.
Clay
I have:
Dewalt 20v (probably the most tools — have reacently put some underperformers on Craigslist: recip saws and grinders. That said, I really want their hydraulic impact!)
Dewalt 12v (such great ergonomics plus light weight)
Milwaukee M18 (started with OPE, wormed its way in other places)
Ryobi (mostly Airstrike, which I love, and a few inflators; I had much more that I “upgraded” away from them, but these were mostly blue tools that really were a far cry from the other brands. I think they have really closed that gap.)
A single M12 tool (Rotary Tool, just upgraded to the brushless version; don’t find the handles comfortable on most M12 tools)
As of Thanksgiving, I am in Metabo HPT with some of Lowe’s incredible deals. So very impressed. Looking at their 36v grinders now.
I keep looking at the Bosch Flexiclick but I don’t want another platform. Guess it did not stop me with the HPT.
Had a friend with a smallish construction company say he preferred Makita because they were easier to repair. I can’t speak to that. I am always surprised to see the Home Depot rental section full of Makita tools.
When talking to folks about tools, if they are trying to decide between Milwaukee and DeWalt, I usually saw that — generally — I find Dewalt has better comfort and ergonomics but Milwaukee more power. Again, very general.
Stu, do you know if Metabo HPT could have kept the Hitachi name or was relinquishing it a condition of the sale? I think it confuses things and they would have been better to leave it alone.
fred
I took the time to look over my Christmas power tool gift-giving for the last 3 years. This year Meatbo-HPT tools filled out my Santa’s sack – based on some great sale prices at Acme – but adding in 2022 and 2023 here’s my purchase list by brand:
MILWAUKEE 15 $6,206 33%
MAKITA 14 $4,588 24%
METABO HPT 7 $1,877 10%
MAFELL 2 $1,870 10%
FESTOOL 1 $1,830 10%
METABO 3 $1,161 6%
BOSCH 2 $695 4%
RYOBI 5 $611 3%
Percentages are based on spending – so pricey Festool and Mafell items skew their % up. The 15 Milwaukee items that I bought were both M12 (7 items – costing $1302) and M18 (8 items – costing $4904)
PW
You’re the only guy in this discussion putting Makita money where your mouth is lol. Thank you for (single-handedly?) keeping competition in this category alive. 😛
fred
From what I can glean about Makita sales in the US – my little contribution doesn’t move the needle. Even if I were back buying for the crews in what was our mid-sized remodeling and regional plumbing businesses – I would not be able to make a dent. Their pricing and promotional strategies just don’t seem able to compete with their competition – and Milwaukee especially seems to be surging ahead. This year Metabo-HPT sort of stunned me with their promotions and some newish-well-reviewed tools. So much so that I wonder what KKR’s plans are for the brand that once was rumored as being up for sale. Meanwhile – my personal collection of Makita corded and LXT tools still soldier on but beyond a recent purchase of a XGT Lawnmower – I’m unlikely to buy more Makita (or anything else for that matter) for my home use.
scott taylor
Ridgid all the way. Home Depot’s clearance pricing on new offering makes it impossible to switch. I think I have all of the new release, just about six months late for about 25% to 50% of retail. No one buys the new ridgid tools when they come out from the couple home depots I shop at. The bandsaw was clearance priced at $100, and it has been great to cut angle iron and rebar. Color me impressed, even with the stock blade. The new battery replacement works out great, few clicks on web site and new battery gets shipped out to you. Only had 3 fail in 25+ years. I have ryobi for the odd tool, inflator, fan glue gun etc. I use the 40v ryobi for OPE and it has been great. Best deal ever was the rear tine 40 tiller for 499 from Home Depot with 4, yes that is 4, 6AH 40V. After I modified it by purchasing 2 more sets of tines and doubled the tilling width, it is a beast. it will break ground that my neighbors troy-bilt will not even touch. More power than I have ever needed.
Kompahko
I started with Ridgid and it served me well, they had some of the first finish carpentry tools (compressor, belt sander, orbital sander, trim router). But when I started to want more power, durability and access to high demand tools, I turned to Metabo HPT. Except for the table saw and 7-1/4 miter saw, I went M18 for that.
I have replaced most of my Ridgid with Metabo HPT, its inexpensive to have a lot of big batteries however, some tools can overheat or overheat the batteries really fast.
Right now, I’m at a point where I value precision, ergonomics and durability while enjoying sufficient power. which is why i’m slowly transitioning everything to XGT.
M18 high demand tools overheat batteries, Metabo Hpt is limited by how much power they can draw from their batteries (m18 Forge and future metabo hpt tabless batteries can correct that). Ridgid took too long to release their high power batteries and they don’t really have high demand tools anyway. For me XGT is where it’s at for pro use. But you need to be able to afford to wait for them to release stuff which is a position I’m in.
If I was starting over tomorrow, I would get as much XGT as I can and fill the holes with dewalt or milwaukee.
As for DYI, I’ve had bad luck with Ryobi tools dying randomly. Their lineup is so vast and awesome. I can understand their fans. It’s just that once you’re ready to invest in their high performance line of tools, might as well go for another platform.
LE
Hard to argue Milwaukee and Dewalt aren’t #1 and #2, whether you personally use them or not. I think Makita, Bosch, and Metabo HPT are a solid #2, 3 & 4. Order probably depending on region and main focus of use.
Jonathan W.N.
Hi Stuart,
To answer the question, if I had to start over today and choose only 1 brand, I’d still go with Makita’s LXT lineup. The ergonomics alone outweigh anything listed for top 5… Caveat being small hands, weakened pectorals, and a bad back.
That said, I’ve used extensively M12 with fat handles, top heavy drill & impact, but invested in their polisher and heated hoodie recently. Hoodie under other jackets works in 12° F weather great!
M18 I thought I loved 19 years ago working for a carpentry company. I was younger and stronger then though and understand the love for them. There batteries make them clunky and the grips require too much effort for a smaller person.
Later on with 2-4 employees tried DeWalt, but mostly had to keep replacing drills & impacts. Rigid held up better but felt heavier to use.
I tried a blue Ryobi drill that burned insulation and died on 1st job so never bothered again.
Reading on ToolGuyd about the Metabo HPT Cordless router got me into that system and after tring out Milwaukee & DeWalt beltsanders, bought a Metabo HPT Cordless Belt Sander too. Ergonomically even I can use it one handed with their big 18/36V? battery. 32 linear ft. x 4 inches sanded took the battery to half. No idea if that’s good but fits my needs. Their 360° worklight illuminates a dark room quite brightly, getting another to eliminate shadows.
I can definitely see why Metabo HPT made the list. If I had to switch from Makita for my main brand, I would definitely invest in them.
Tyler
+1 for another Makita owner who gets sad every holiday Milwaukee runs a good sale.
I’ve been happy with the tools from Makita, but I went all in, and now it’s hard to justify a continued investment. It’s to the point where I may be putting a little extra abuse on my tools hoping they will burn out and I can have a real justification for replacing them, but they keep going!
Mr B
I use Makita 18/12V, Metabo Germany 18/12V, Metabo HPT, Bosch 18/12v, Dewalt 18/12V, Milwaukee 18/12v, Dremel 18v (uses Bosch battery), and a few Ryobi. Oh, and some Flex that I got crazy blowout deals at Lowes.
Makita is one of my favorite because they are still an independent tool company and I like the quality of the tools. I’m disappointed that they never came out with a new battery technology for the 18 V line..
I’m moving away from my Milwaukee 18v tools because of quality issues. I have had two drills with chucks that lock up and cannot be released. I’ve had multiple batteries go bad. I have an impact driver that will not work any longer because the battery fit is too sloppy.
I’m moving away from my Milwaukee 12 tools because I prefer slide in batteries like the Dewalt or Makita 12 V versus the pod type batteries. I had a hand injury and I find it very difficult to remove the batteries. But sometimes using the one handed recip saw The battery will fly out on its own from vibration.
I got into Metabo Germany because I wanted to have some made in Germany Tools. They had some great deals like the German made rotary hammer with case and dust extractor for $100. Most of their tools are not made in Germany any longer though. I like the pulse feature that the Metabo drill has that makes it easy for starting drill holes. Metabo Germany drills have a unique feature allowing you to release the battery with on hand on the drills.
I broke my hand once using a drill, so I appreciate the Bosch drill anti-kickback feature.
All of my Flex tools had at least one leaking battery in the set. Flex has replaced them without any hassle though.
if I were starting over again, I would probably go with DeWalt for both 18 V and 12 V tools. And maybe a few Metabo Germany, tools for metal working. My biggest wish is for upgraded Makita battery technology.
For someone starting out new, I would also recommend Dewalt.
Al
couldnt agree more. thats why i own 4/5 ;-). Ryobi i bought for hobby stuff. would never use it for anything heavy duty. but you can get tools and batteries for so cheap so i jumped in. Milwaukee is fantastic as is dewalt. I find that Milwaukee has more frequent sales and hacks vs dewalt so i gravitated toward milwaukee more. i generally like dewalt more for woodworking stuff (hobbyist at best)
Jake
My tool collection is largely second hand purchases (Craigslist facebook etc). The cordless brands I have are, Ryobi 18v, Bosch 12v, metabo hpt 18v, and Makita 18v. If you can wrap your head around not having matching batteries having a little bit of each is actually better. More tools to choose from, equals better tools. I could never go back to one brand or system. Almost all the major tool manufacturers have something to offer.
928'er
Don’t know about “best,” but, I see no one mentioned the Craftsman Nextec 12V line (made by Chervon).
Had a few of these tools which I liked very much. Then someone on Garage Journal turned me on to the fact that Orchard Hardware Supply was clearing them out at ~75% off! Pretty much bought everything that my local OHS had in stock. Staff didn’t even know they were on sale and were genuinely shocked when the prices came up at a 75% discount. Unfortunately the Nextec line has been discontinued – but I’ve got enough Nextec tools (and batteries) to last me the rest of my life.
Also have a ton of Ryobi stuff in One+ 18v and Tek4 4V. I know Ryobi’s considered homeowner/DIY stuff, but it’s served me well for over 10 years without ANY failures.
Third platform is Bosch. 12V FlexiClick, orbital sander, drill, work lights, and bit & impact drivers in 1/4 & 3/8.” In 18V, I’ve got a portable shop vac, “Freak” impact with the combination 1/2″ anvil which also accepts 1/4″ bits. One mistake may have been my “Profactor” 1/2 drive impact. Great tool, but with an 8 Amp battery attached it weighs 8 pounds, 10 ounces, so you need to have Popeye’s forearms to use it!
Stuart
Craftsman Nextec has not been relevant for more than 10 years. Sears abandoning the line was an injustice.
928'er
Same goes for Orchard Supply.
Started as a co-op of orchard owners in the San Jose area in the ’30’s, it was acquired by Sears in 1996. Sears saddled OSH with a lot of debt which drove them into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013. Lowes acquired the OSH assets out the bankruptcy and, eventually, closed the remaining stores.
Rob
I would rate Milwaukee M18 and M12 as my preferred power tools, but use Ryobi for my work tools. When space is a premium, it is difficult to carry multiple platforms in the work vehicle. Due to this, I have actually purchased some of the later model Ryobi stuff that I already own the M18 equivalent just for the convenience of not carrying extra batteries and chargers. The M18 tools are mostly superior to the Ryobi, but the gap has closed considerably, especially given they come from the same company as does Rigid or AEG as it is known in Australia. The later Ryobi tools very closely mirror the M18 features and you can see the mold similarities in a lot of their tools. Ryobi’s warranty is probably the best around, and usually new for old in the 6 year period. That said I have had very few failures with the One+ and still have my original 2.4ah batteries and drill from when the Li-ion platform was first released by Ryobi. The question Stuart asked about what would you buy if you started from scratch today, I would go with Milwaukee, but would still buy a lot of the Ryobi stuff that I use infrequently, but is worth owning at Ryobi’s prices.
Nick S
I’m looking to invest in some new drills as a heavy DIYer. I’ve had horrible experiences with Ryobi. I’m getting sucked into the Milwaukee/Dewalt rabbit hole. I have a corded Metabo corded circular saw which I absolutely love so I’m starting to look at their line of cordless. Seems like the few people who use Metabo HPT rave about them. I’m just skeptical cause they’re clearly not well known. But then again, Milwaukee/Dewalt have a stranglehold on the marketplace and I keep getting drawn to them.
Stuart
All 3 brands should serve you well.