Cordless Power Tools - What is good/best?

[Ole Joe Clark]

All my drills and such are corded. My old 1/2" drill quit about 20 years ago. It wouldn't run on "forward" but would reverse, so I switched the wires and it works fine if I don't need reverse.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[smoothshooter]

I have had good luck with Black and Decker battery drill, weed eater, hedge trimmer, and sander. All take the same battery, too.

 

[dmar]

Nowadays, I’d say that Milwaukee is tough to beat. Built tough, good performance/batteries, and tons of tool and accessory options. A little pricey, but if you’re really going to use the tools, I say buy once, cry once.

DeWalt is supposed to be good, as well, I’ve just gone down the Milwaukee path, and am happy I did. I never cared much for Black & Decker tools, and stayed away when they came out with the DeWalt brand.

While I’m sure Riobi is a decent tool, Milwaukee and DeWalt are on a different tier than Riobi in terms of durability/quality.

 

[M1A]

I always liked Dewalt when I was an electrician. Now retired, with outlets all over, I have no use for cordless. Milwaukee corded are always ready to go.

 

[Fishslayer]

I like my Ryobi 18+ tools.

Contractor quality? no, but they are fairly cheap, the lithium ion batteries last, charge quickly and come in assorted sizes.

My drill and sawzall have seen the most hard use and have held up really well.

 

[fhsjrm]

My Ryobi 18v tools didn't stand up to even occasional use. The Milwaukee M18 tools I have now have been a different story. They've been durable and they have more oomph than I expected from cordless tools. They also make every tool imaginable. I have a drill, impact driver, circular saw, string trimmer, and I'm getting the leaf blower and chainsaw next.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Alton]

Ryobi and Milwaukee are from the same company. Ryobi is like the residential grade with Milwaukee being the commercial grade. Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty on batteries. In the past a cordless drill was not as powerful as a corded. Today it is the same drill and or bandsaw just a different voltage. Are batteries expensive yes but on a jobsite its much cheaper than having to roll out, and roll up cords every day not to mention the replacement of those #12 gauge 100' cords when someone slices one. I still have some Dewalt tools, I just got tired of the voltage changes on batteries. My 28 volt tools where awesome till my Dewalt rep said he couldn't replace my 28 volt batteries because Dewalt was no longer making them.

 

[CH4]

I bought a lightweight Ryobi cordless drill. I loved it -- it was well-made and absolutely perfect for my needs. HOWEVER, the 6v battery died and no one, least of all Ryobi, makes a replacement. Now I own a perfectly good cordless drill that is absolutely useless. Since Ryobi won't stand behind its products, I am through with them. I am also through with any cordless tools. While it may be more inconvenient to drag around a power cord, a decent corded tool will last forever.

Leupold would've sent you a current model.

 

[65Whelen]

I've had the same Makita 18v drill for the last 18 years, not a contractor but have used it a lot. Also, added torque driver, circular saw and leaf blower. Works for me, highly recommend it.

 

[len917]

Makita or Bosch for me. I have Makita tools that are corded for almost 30 years. Bosch cordless drills, drivers, hammer drills, recharge very quickly.
I have family members that swear by Ryobi.
Hold each of them in your hand first and see which one feels right.

 

[Czechvar]

I buy only Makita cordless tools, and Makita/Bosch/Milwaukee for corded tools. I find the Makita 18V Batteries have a long lifespan.

 

[JohnRippert]

DeWalt and Ryobi are the two I have experience with. Both have been excellent.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I have mostly Dewalt 20 v.. The same company makes Black & Decker, Porter-Cable, and Craftsman branded power tools. All are good with supposed quality running from Dewalt (the best) to Porter-Cable to Craftsman and Black & Decker supposedly the lowest grade.

I bought a Craftsman branded 20 v. brad nailer for trim work. It works better than I expected it to - no jams, adjustable depth, easy to use, and long battery life. The battery also charges quickly - less than an hour. So I'm thinking I might go for the lower priced Craftsman over the Dewalt for any future needs. Being the same voltage and made by the same manufacturer I was hoping the batteries would be interchangeable. Alas, they are not. Close, but no cigar.

 

[husker51]

I got in to Milwaukee tools a few years ago. I absolutely recommend them. Some people like Dewalt. They are evidently as popular. Not knocking them at all but I love my Milwaukee cordless tools. I think the lithium batteries are great. Beats those old craftsman nicads! When people say “You get what you pay for”, Milwaukee is what they are talking about!

 

[delcrossv]

+1 for Makita. I haven't had a dud yet from them.

 

[Fishslayer]

My 28 volt tools where awesome till my Dewalt rep said he couldn't replace my 28 volt batteries because Dewalt was no longer making them.

I had a Milwaukee 12V NiMh 1/2" cordless that I rode hard for years till both batteries gave it up. Milwaukee had long since moved on so the move to Ryobi was made.

Then Amazon came along. I was able to replace the batteries from another manufacturer and donated the drill.

I would bet you could replace those batteries from Amazon.

 

[Kinman]

I used to be a fan of Porter Cable, my first rechargeable battery drill was a Porter Cable, lasted quite a few years and drops from the roof, the last one requiring me to duct tape the handle due to a crack, used it another year or two.
I'm currently trying to wear out a couple of Makita XLT battery tools: Drill, small impact driver, grinder, so far no glitches with any tool, battery life remains constant using two on most projects. I have considered donating them to the rifle club and getting a new all inclusive tool set from Makita...probably let most of my corded tools go at that time, rarely use the anymore. I always keep a battery on the charger and when I need to use a tool, take the one on standby for immediate use, take the one off the charger to now become the standby and put the freshly used battery on the charger. I've had these units at least ten years.

 

[vt_shooter]

A warning to Makita users - don't let the batteries sit unused and not recharge them for months, because if they self discharge enough (they all eventually do), the battery is ruined and the charger won't charge it. I have a routine where I top off all batteries around the 1st of each month. It's painful to throw away $100 or $100+ batteries. This might apply to all the brands.

 

[ace22]

i have experience with all of the brands mentioned above except for porter cable and without a doubt makita is my favorite.
quality construction, innovative designs, ergonomic grips/handles, reliable.
i have many different makita tools, a few dewalts, and a couple hitachi, all brushless and sold off the other brands.

 

[jeffrefrig]

The Dewalt was a good tool but the batteries were garbage and expensive. Seemed to be all the contractors I ever worked for would buy, though, so I have an 18volt cordless hammer-drill of my own. Except now I can't procure my batteries from work. My recip saw is 120V Dewalt and works great.