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Best power tools?

6K views 48 replies 30 participants last post by  cd66312 
#1 ·
So I need to get some power tools and I was wondering what brand you guys had the best of luck with? I am looking at the dewalt makita and milwaukee. I believe that i am going to get a large combo so I don't have a hodgepodge of brands and chargers. I know they are all decent I was just wondering which ones held up better in a marine enviroment.
 
#31 ·
I dropped an old Dewalt drill from the top of a 14' ladder onto concrete, and it survived, except the gears were a bit noisier afterward. Dewalt repaired it overnight for about $30.

I wouldn't want to put a Ryobi to that kind of a test! With the thin plastic body they have, it would likely have exploded!
 
#36 ·
It is sad that we live in such a disposable society! If there is something wrong with it, just throw it in the garbage and buy a new one! When will it end??

When i was in Africa I found that they fix or repurpose everything! Have you ever seen an umbrella repair shop? I have! (well actually it was more like a cart!)

Seriously, I know it is easy to buy junk and buy often, and I am sure the manufacturers love that, but it just goes against my grain! I buy quality, and take care of it so it will last!
 
#34 ·
The cheap tools are getting some bashing here. I'll comment that it's a hell of a lot better to have a cheap version of the right tool than a high-end version of the wrong one - or none at all.

Ryobi, Black and Decker and the like (which wouldn't include harbor freight in my mind - that's another whole level below) definitely have their place.

Also, I wouldn't necessarily put cordless tools, with ever changing battery technology and the constant threat of being dropped from ladders or into the ocean in the same category of long term investments like I would plug-in shop tools and hand tools.
 
#35 ·
Shop teacher here, if that adds any credibility. In my experience Porter Cable, Milwaukee, and Bosch hold up to 5 hours a day every day abuse by teenagers. Tried Grizzly stuff one year ($10 drills? Why not!) most didn't make it to Christmas break. At home I have a DeWalt corded when I need a drill quick, or for a Christmas present production run. And a $18 Harbor Fright cordless when I'm working in the boat and don't want to deal with cords, but have 45 minutes to wait for the perpetually dead battery to charge. For drilling 3 holes in a 70's MacGregor it does just fine. It's even slid off the deck onto the garage floor and doesn't show it. I bought it knowing full well I was getting garbage, but I am surprised its lasted this long.

Call your local tool rental place. See what brand they send out to be abused.
 
#37 · (Edited)
I own tools at all price levels like my FIEN 250Q which I consider a BARGIN ;)

I also consider my roybi tools just as good for the jobs they do*

Just what would you do on Saturday when your faithful 10 year old USA MADE milwaukee sawzall takes a dump and the speed control is 75 dollars vs 130 for a new tool ?

I do believe the units 2005 and newer are only a bit USA

Even my favorite porter cable 3 HP router has had to come apart and it would NOT have been worh paying the labor charge If I could not DIY it
 
#38 ·
Buy a big-ass inverter, eliminate the batteries, and go with the El-Cheapo stuff. I have an old Black and Decker drill, probably nearly 40 years old by now, it still runs fine, even after 7 years on the boat. I also have a B&D orbital sander, a real old B&D jig saw, all of which have been on the boat for at least 6 years, and they all run just fine. I keep them clean, spray them with some WD-40 a couple times a year, then wrap them in an old T-shirt and place them in an open, plastic box. They've never let me down and I use every tool on a regular basis. I even take them home once in a while to fix things around the house. Why anyone would want a battery powered tool onboard a boat is beyond me. Let's be realistic - you need to charge those batteries and in order to do so you need an inverter. Just get a bigger inverter and forget about those expensive, battery-powered tools. You don't need them.

Good luck with whatever you decide upon,

Gary :cool:
 
#40 ·
I'm with ya there Gary.

For the record, I have no problem with good tools. I have so many tools, no exhageration, it is incredible. My pops was a custom cabinet maker (owned his own shop) and I have long been a believer of doing my own work and we have a large line of very good tools. Also, there is no one good maker of everything. Each manufacturer has there positives.

THat being said, you can buy a 110 drill or 110 jig saw(IMHO, the two best tools to have aboard not including a shopvac) for almost nothing. Drops in the water, so what? Curse and buy another one for almost nothing. Drop your $300 Dewalt XRT in the water and it will ruin your week... PLUS you gotta go buy another one. THen you have the weight and hassle of all the batteries and charging stations and when do you plug it in and, oh, by the way, you gotta have a inverter to plug them in to charge them to make your battery operated work!

My experience is just get a inverter and buy the 110 stuff. Plus, the torque on the 110 is typically if not always higher. Less space. Less weight. Less hassle. Less cost. More powerful. I would NOT, and did not reccomend this for remodeling or construction where battery operated are worth their weight in gold. But for a boat (exception gong up the mast), I don't see it worth it. Just so you know, I got a long enough cord to reach the top of my mast... but if it came to it, I'd go around begging to borrow a cordless.

Brian
 
#39 ·
Both of my sons are residential housing contractors and they both have a wide variety of tools that they like (like Mainesail). They both buy an average of two to three power tools each month and they change which brands based on reviews and what they see other contractors using on the job. They both like the Bosch contractor table saw, although only one has one (so do I), for cordless they really like the Makita 18V (that's what I carry on the boat). For corded hand held saws they like the Milwaukee titanium model, although the younger son just bought 5 Bosch so we'll see how they do. Like others have said, for cordless take a look at the whole line before deciding on one company, the batteries and chargers are an investment and you don't want to be changing them all out very often. I LOVE my lithium Makita tools (drill, driver) on the boat, small and light and the LED lights are great in all the convenient spots I need to crawl into:)) I also love my Dewalt 18v vacuum for clean ups (permanent boat tool).
 
#41 ·
Wow! It seems like a whole lot of people carry power tools around on their boats! My power tools come down to the boat when I am working on it, and go back into the garage when I am done!

I suppose if I was going to keep a drill on my boat it wouldn't be my best one, but I can't for the life of me think of why I would need a drill on board when I am sailing! Besides I don't have the space for all that stuff!
 
#47 ·
How much money are you willing to accidentally drop overboard?

The marine environment will take its own toll certainly too. I have DeWalts and have had good luck, I would hate to lose one, but it would be cheaper than losing a really high end one.
Not just overboard. Buying high end tools for hobby type purposes is simply a waste of money in most cases. The main thing you pay the high price for is durability - the ability to use it all day, every day. Few of us do that. I have worn out a DeWalt orbital sander but I sanded the bottom of a 43 footer for a month with it along with a lot of other use before it started to get noisy.

I paid $75 for it - I could have bought a Festool for several $hundred and I'm sure it would still be working fine but instead I bought a Makita for $49 on sale and it's still working fine.

There's no question that expensive tools are nicer and if you have a big budget, go for it but for the rest of us, moderate priced tools are more than adequate, as long as they are good enough to be accurate.

The best power tool I ever bought was a bottom of the line Rockwell 1/4" router. I bought it from a discount store 35 years ago, have built or restored 3 boats and a lot of other stuff with it and it's still going strong.
 
#46 ·
Hey Sailortrash
did we help you make up your mind :D

This is a story that goes back decades. Companies where here in the USA and Brand Loyalty meant US Jobs. But then jobs started going over seas an businesses started capitalizing on brand name recognition. They could build a cheaper product and sell it at the higher end price.
Toyota started getting imported to the US market and a cheap car gains a foothold and reputation to follow.
Honda and Nissan follows.
Now Hyundai.
All once considered cheap imported throwaway cars, but when people bought them they found that instead of getting 100 k out of a car they could get 300k. The American companies were forced to improve their lines or get pushed out of the market.

My FIL bought a 45 hp John Deere tractor a few years ago. He bought into the whole "nothing runs like a deere" line and paid good money for an "American Brand". The first year or two he used the dealer for everything and it was costing him. I told him the parts could be purchased cheaper so now we buy everything he needs online from Yanmar. I suspect in another 10 years that whole tractor will be blue. The parts are about 1/3 the cost of the ones that come painted green and yellow. Yanmar is a good tractor, but he paid a lot extra for the Green paint. John Deere doesn't actually make much except profits anymore.

How about Craftsman? Another well recognizable name with a long history in the USA. They are made by Techtronic Industries. The company who also make Milwaukee tools, Hoover Vacuums, Homelite power equipment, and Ryobi.

The old adage "you get what you pay for" isn't always true... sometimes you just get robbed.
 
#49 ·
Can't believe no one has mentioned Kobalt. My garage is the home of both Bosch and Kobalt lithium ion sets. Apart from using the Bosch impact driver (don't know how I ever lived without one), the Kobalt set is every bit as good, and has a lifetime warranty. No need to ship broken bits, just bring to Lowes and they replace.
 
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