Cordless Power Tools, what do you have?

[ace22]

i bought my first battery powered cordless power tool maybe 20 to 25 years ago, a 7.2 volt craftsman drill that i still have and it still works.

i never bought my next cordless tools until the week after black friday 2018, i bought a makita 3 tool 18 volt subcompact kit that included a drill, recip saw, impact driver, with 2 batteries and a charger and i love their combination of innovation and power in a small package. this past june i bought another makita impact driver kit, a full size one because it was on sale and i couldn't pass on the price, a 5th gen ridgid impact driver kit, on clearance and once again i couldn't pass on the price. darn i now have 3 different impact drivers with batteries and chargers for each one.
i finished off my june buying frenzy by buying a makita subcompact impact wrench, they're different from an impact driver for those that don't know. it wasn't on sale but i did get a 10% veteran's discount which helped soften the price and i liked the idea of a smaller lighter impact wrench that accepted sockets without an adapter like the drivers need. i also bought 2 more makita batteries at the same time.

i'm not a pro contractor or mechanic, and i don't need the biggest or most powerful, i'm just a guy that does some of his own light home and automotive work at times and as i get older i just wanted to make those jobs easier and quicker to do.

in the future i'm looking at getting a multi tool and maybe a jigsaw and angle grinder and they will probably be makita or ridgid although i will also consider milwaukee including the 12 volt models and dewalt.

i'm not looking for recommendations i'm just curious what cordless tools do you guys have and why?

 

[RobertJ.]

After going through several different brands, I finally bought a Milwaukee cordless drill. I hadn't owned it very long when I realized it would be the last one I ever bought!

 

[tlawler]

I’ve upgraded this past Christmas with a 20volt Dewalt set to replace my nearly 20 year old 18volt Dewalt stuff. Dewalt has served me well. Out of the original 6 piece set, the only thing I replaced was my hammer drill. The older 18volt set is now doing home and garage duty and the new set is in my work truck. I’ve also got a 12volt Makita 4 piece set that is great for small jobs and tight spots. The 12volt impact fits nicely in my tool bag.

 

[Kanewpadle]

My tools are used in an industrial environment. I buy nothing but Dewalt for cordless tools.

 

[2152hq]

I had a cordless drill many years ago, and that was a bust.
I relented and bought a cordless pole saw some years later and confirmed that I did not learn my lesson the first time.

No battery op tools for me. It plugs in, or I don't want it.

 

[arjay]

Started off with a Makita 9.6 v a long time ago.Currently have an older Dewalt drill and impact driver.The rest of my power tools are corded or use compressed air.Ive been retired for about five years and never touch em lol

 

[doublesharp]

I'm all over the board. Makita drill and impact 20v. Bosch 12v small drill, impact and sawzall kit, DeWalt 1/2" impact wrench 20v. I like and use them all.

Started with Makita 9.6v nicad many years ago.

 

[Drm50]

I use battery tools daily. I started out with Makita 9v, then went to Makita 9/12volt. A mix of 18v tools Poter Cable, Sears and then Stadardized on Dewalt. I've never had a tool go bad. The batteries were always the problem. I'm running Dewalt 20v Lithium now. When my Dewalt 18v batteries died the only tool I hadn't replaced was the Right Angle drill. I decided to get the 110v corded because I don't need cordless for applications where I use it. Battery tools are great but 110v are better.
I have two 20v Dewalt drill/ drivers and I use them everyday. If you drain batteries down before charge you will get longer life out of them. Guys that use their battery tools every day also get longer battery life. I have a charging rack I built that when I come in at night I hook partially used batteries to 12v tail light bulbs. Sucks them down quick and then I put them on charge. They all have memory reguardless of claims. Loews has Two pack of 20v Dewalts for $119.95. Several times a year they have the drill driver, charger, 2 batteries and soft case for $99. It's a no brainer to buy the set instead of batteries.

 

[Squarebutt]

I much prefer corded tools for most things. Where there's no power I run a little Yamaha generator. I have a couple of cordless drills made by Ridgid, the Home Depot brand. Their stuff is reliable and has a lifetime warranty, even on batteries. No current plans to add to the collection, but they have sales on a regular basis.
If they made them so that you could swap batteries among brands, I might buy more.

 

[df06]

Dewalt has worked great for me, as a casual around the house use.

 

[Step N. Mud]

Was a long time customer of Makita tools, till Makita gouged with their high prices and mediocre battery power tools. Started using all the other brand names, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, to name a few. Last couple years, we have gone with the Rigid battery powered lineup with their lifetime warranty and most recently a Rigid 18V SDS hammer drill that we use daily on jobs for hammer drilling 1/2" holes in concrete to anchor park equipment. Still carry a generator and corded SDS drill if needed.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I use battery tools daily. I started out with Makita 9v, then went to Makita 9/12volt. A mix of 18v tools Poter Cable, Sears and then Stadardized on Dewalt. I've never had a tool go bad. The batteries were always the problem. I'm running Dewalt 20v Lithium now. When my Dewalt 18v batteries died the only tool I hadn't replaced was the Right Angle drill. I decided to get the 110v corded because I don't need cordless for applications where I use it. Battery tools are great but 110v are better.
I have two 20v Dewalt drill/ drivers and I use them everyday. If you drain batteries down before charge you will get longer life out of them. Guys that use their battery tools every day also get longer battery life. I have a charging rack I built that when I come in at night I hook partially used batteries to 12v tail light bulbs. Sucks them down quick and then I put them on charge. They all have memory reguardless of claims. Loews has Two pack of 20v Dewalts for $119.95. Several times a year they have the drill driver, charger, 2 batteries and soft case for $99. It's a no brainer to buy the set instead of batteries.

If look at Amazon, you can buy two 3.0AH batteries for $98.00.

 

[kamloops67]

Makita 18V use them hard daily
They are almost disposable tools , decent quality but lightly built and not easily repaired
Cheap enough that they are easier to replace

 

[marvin02]

I Use Bosch 18 V tools. I have everything from a drill/driver to a vacuum. Got started with Bosch when I won a set in a raffle. Now I own 9 of them. I am still using batteries that are 5 years old and work fine.

 

[g-dad]

Being that I have a part time negative income job at Lowes I've picked up DeWalt and Kobalt. I like both brands and no duplicates between the brands. I have more Kobalt and the 24v batteries are less than half the cost of Dewalt. Never owned cordless until last year. I kind of like them!

 

[Onomea]

I only have two power tools, both drills. A corded Ryobi in Japan I’ve had for 30 years or so, and I picked up cordless Dewalt in a thrift store here in Oregon a coupla years ago.

I do very little carpentry, so hand tools suffice for most around the house projects.

Oh yeah. I have a Dremel, too. Corded. Picked it up for a project in Hawaii maybe five or six years ago, but haven’t used it since.

 

[doublesharp]

I was on ebay yesterday looking for a Dewalt lithium hedge trimmer and saw batteries way cheap. Turns out they are China clones. Amazon also sells them and the reviews are positive and the price is less than half the original.

 

[Jessie]

I’m pretty much Dewalt now. They’ve all been dependable and efficient.
I’m sure there are others as good, or better, but they’ve served me well.

 

[Sistema1927]

I have been using 18 volt Ryobi tools for about 20 years now. Light duty around the home, for sure, but none of them have failed me. The new batteries are smaller and hold a charge longer than the old NiCads that these tools came with. Most of my tools are blue, but others are the newer green color.

If I made a living using battery powered tools they would probably be DeWalt or Milwaukee, but the Ryobi work fine for my needs.

 

[Drm50]

I've got 30 some Dewalt tools, battery & corded. The only tools I have that aren't Dewalt are Fienmaster sonic type saw, German made $400, a couple Rotozips, Dremils and a small 110v industrial die grinder. I think the only battery tool I get as much use out of as drill is the Sawz-All. It is handy for small jobs that take more time to string an extension cord than the job. I got honorable mention in local paper when I cut a guy out of a flipped over truck with it. Lucky for him I had 4 batteries and a pack of new metal blades.