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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.
 
#2 ·
I don't know about a marine environment specifically, but I prefer Bosch tools at work. A lot of guys like the Milwaukee stuff, don't see much Makita, but it appears to be a quality product, and DeWalt is OK, but in my opinion, their quality has declined over the years. One plus for DeWalt, is that we have a local repair center for them that stocks all the parts for them.
 
#4 ·
I have a set of Dewalt that's pretty bullet proof, but I would say their quality has dropped some since they were bought out. Not nearly like the drop Porter Cable took when bought out.

I've used a bunch of ridged tools too, and one nice thing is their lifetime warranty. Their batteries are the worst though. Buy same type of battery operated tools, but then pick out the best tool for the job for corded stuff.
 
#5 ·
Ditto what ****** said about sticking with one brand to save on batteries and chargers. Not saying they're any better or worse, but I only have a HomeDepot nearby, so I went with Rigid for the most part. Overall I've been very happy. After many drops and abuse, they all work well and are over 5 years old. I haven't had any issues with the batteries, but that is likely personal use dependent. I've repaired barn doors driving heavy screws into oak planks and wondered if the battery would ever die. I did leave a battery out in the snow for several weeks (yeah, my fault) but when it wouldn't charge, HD replaced it, no questions, no receipt. I would say that for casual/hobby use, Rigid will perform just fine. If I were a daily use professional, I'd go for the more expensive brands. Even at that, i doubt the warranty (esp on batteries) would ever be as good as Rigid/Homedepot.
 
#8 ·
My current 18 V Ryobi cordless drill is 6 years old and still on the original batteries. It is just starting to get near needing to be replaced (brushes wearing out) I don't make a living with my Ryobi tools, but I use them much more than the average person would.

My brother does make a living with his tools and also chooses Ryobi for all his cordless stuff. He used to be a Dewalt fan, but got tired of spending 150.00 per battery and having them last only a year or so.
 
#11 ·
I love my Ryobi stuff and it has held up well to daily use despite the low initial cost. It has outlasted my DeWalt and Makita cordless drills by about 3 years.

Last year I needed a smaller form factor in cordless tools for working in tight spaces on boats because my other tools are just too damn bulky. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Milwaukee M-12 stuff.

The Milwaukee M-12 series is ultra compact, has the most extensive line up of any small cordless tool set out there, including pipe cutters, PEX expanders, scopes, etc. etc. etc.. The little 12V lithium ion batteries last longer than my 18V Ryobi's do but the Ryobi batteries are about 7 years old so not really a fair comparison. Still even the compact Li batteries last a loooong time.

The M-12 line also offers extended run batteries too. For working in tight spaces on boats I've yet to find any tools that beat the M-12, and I use them daily. The tools that get the most use are the two speed drill with hammer option, the right angle drill, impact driver and the cordless multi-tool. They have sooo many M-12 tools in this line up it is tough to keep track.

Daily I carry the 3/8" drill, multi-tool, impact driver, right angle drill, rotary tool (think cordless Dremel), charger & 6 batteries. They take up the bag & weight space of my Ryobi 18V drill, two batteries, charger and right angle drill but I carry a lot more run time and get a 15 minute charger to boot...

When buying tools for working on boats do not discount the value of the ultra compact 12V Li Ion products. I settled on Milwaukee due to the width and breadth of the line but if you are only buying a couple of tools then Bosch would be my second choice.

Milwaukee M-12
 
#12 · (Edited)
The Milwaukee M-12 series is ultra compact, has the most extensive line up of any small cordless tool set out there, including pipe cutters, PEX expanders, scopes, etc. etc. etc.. The little 12V lithium ion batteries last longer than my 18V Ryobi's do but the Ryobi batteries are about 7 years old so not really a fair comparison. Still even the compact Li batteries last a loooong time.

The M-12 line also offers extended run batteries too. For working in tight spaces on boats I've yet to find any tools that beat the M-12, and I use them daily. The tools that get the most use are the two speed drill with hammer option, the right angle drill, impact driver and the cordless multi-tool. They have sooo many M-12 tools in this line up it is tough to keep track.

Daily I carry the 3/8" drill, multi-tool, impact driver, right angle drill, rotary tool (think cordless Dremel), charger & 6 batteries. They take up the bag & weight space of my Ryobi 18V drill, two batteries, charger and right angle drill but I carry a lot more run time and get a 15 minute charger to boot...

When buying tools for working on boats do not discount the value of the ultra compact 12V Li Ion products. I settled on Milwaukee due to the width and breadth of the line but if you are only buying a couple of tools then Bosch would be my second choice.

Milwaukee M-12
I came in here to say the same thing. Everyone has different opinions/experiences with quality but you can't argue with the selection in the Milwaukee M12 line and it's very important to have compatibility between your cordless tools.

I started with the M12 right angle drill because I knew I needed the most compact drill for working in my Contessa. The rotary tool (dremel) and multi-tool soon followed and both have been fantastic for the boat with tight spaces and where running extension cords can be a huge pain. I even recently added the M12 inspection camera for some home electrical work but plan on using it to fasten a missing bolt in an impossible location on the boat.

Dewalt is great, Ryobi is a great value but none of them have these tools (and many others) in their lineup.
 
#15 ·
I will throw in an oddball. I have a Craftsman set that was made by Porter Cable. It was a big set that came with 2 drills (3/8" variable speed and 90degree), circular saw, jig saw, reciprocating saw, staple/brad nailer, florescent lantern, I think 4 batteries and a charger in 19.2 volt and it has held up for about 10 years. While I don't use them for work, I did a complete remodel of a kitchen, bathroom, and most of the rest of the house, as well as maintenance work on a 20 unit apartment complex for extra cash. I did not expect it to last nearly as long as it has. All the batteries still hold a good charge and for a home owner it is perfect. Well that stapler/nailer is useless, but the rest are good. They are heavy and bulky though.

In the past I had a Bosch 14 volt drill. While I liked it the batteries died in a year and a half. It did not seem any better built than the Craftsman as I would have expected being a fan of Bosch corded tools in the past.

I just don't see getting a Milwaukee/Makita/Bosch/Metabo unless you are making money off of them. I would put my boat bucks elsewhere.

Currently Hatachi seems to make very reasonably well made corded tools. I have a grinder from them that is an animal, my Craftsman "professional" one is crap.
 
#18 ·
When I bought my house we had several project to tackle. I a few few power tools for the boat, but I needed more than a Fein Multimaster and a cordless drill. I found a great website for certified pre-owned tools. Take a look at cpooutlets.com.

I have no affiliation with them, other than a very satisfied customer. You can find a whole range of power tools at great prices. So whatever you decide I suggest pricing out your pick here.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Dewalt right now.
They do the job, and the price is right. I'd have gone Makita except for the issue they all suffer from. The lights are always in the wrong place:confused:
I have no idea why they insist on doing this, every manufacturer does. Usually worse than no light, since they light up everything but the bit.
Dewalt's impact has 3 leds in a ring around it, so I get nice light, in an actually usable format.

If Makita would quit putting the lights in useless places(trigger guard) I'd probably buy one, but in small dark spaces those lights are nothing but aggravation with the exception of my dewalt impact.
I'd prefer Makita, despite the extra cost to switch yet again, and the loss of some of the functions I appreciate from dewalt since it would let me standardize even further(including my dremel tool, right now I have the Dremel brand Dremel which is fantastic compared to my usual jobmate/mastercraft ones.

The other advantage of the Dewalt line right now is that they use a single standardized charger for 12v charging, thereby eliminating the need for one for 12v and another for 18v.
Grip is much better, balance as well and the battery shape are better(they pack smaller, and don't roll away, so less likely to go overboard)
They still have belt loops too, which I use to secure a lanyard too, Makita rep couldn't figure out a solution for that.

If my rotary tool was the same, the 2nd charger wouldn't be an issue since I'd still have eliminated one, but I'd really prefer if Dewalt brought out some more tools in the lineup(Vacumn cleaner and rotary tool especially a heavier duty one like the Foredom).

As a final bonus, they have repair depots everywhere. If my Dewalt tools fail, I can drop them at the repair depot that day in town.
That alone is worth a lot if you need the tools for work like I do, if I break it, the depot is less than 10 minutes from the boatyard and the price is hard to beat if you're just working on your own boat. Unless you're really anal about standardizing everything(like I want to) and spending a bunch of coin to do that, or have needs for tools outside the standardized lineup, the other upsides of Dewalt are hard to beat, Makita and Milwaukee are great, but for useability, service and function if you just need the basics(drill, impact, right angle drill, LED lights etc)I'll take Dewalt any day.
 
#20 ·
One small but important comment: if buying multiple cordless tools, buy a brand that you can interchange the batteries among all of the tools. Spare batteries and a backup charger are also important so you can keep going and charging. I believe they have LI-on 1 hour chargers out now.

Tod
 
#21 ·
One small but important comment: if buying multiple cordless tools, buy a brand that you can interchange the batteries among all of the tools. Spare batteries and a backup charger are also important so you can keep going and charging. I believe they have LI-on 1 hour chargers out now.

Tod
Milwaukee lithium batteries, and everyone else's I assume, charge in more like 15-30 minutes for both 18V and 12V batteries. This means that even in the most extreme use case you can run continuously with only two batteries.
 
#22 ·
Best cordless is drill is Dewalt (XLR or whatever???). It is also the most expensive. They did well on that. I am a fan of all things Milwaukee... but you pay for it.

In my opinion, if anyone wants it, save the money on the cordless stuff. It doesn't work great as a cruiser/LA and if you are just looking for something when you are part time and at slip, you can use 110v stuff at a tenth of the price and many times the torque. Half the crap ends up in the water anyways. Get yourself a good inverter and some extension cords. Only exception might be when going up the mast.

I have cordless stuff and have pretty much pulled it all off on the boat. Problem is that is needs to stay charged, or like any battery, it begins to lose it. Chraging requires constant power and I have better things to drain power on. A good inverter and a power tool doesn't cost anything to maintain and is a lot cheaper.

My opinions.

Brian
 
#23 ·
Brian,

That was true of the older cordless stuff that was not LiIon. The newer LiIon batteries hold a charge for months and months. Last winter, around December, I lost an M-12 LiIon battery that had rolled under the seat of my car and I found it in early August. It has been in sub freezing temps and sat at well over 120F in my black interior car for many days. After I found it I slapped it in my tools and continued to use it for quite a while. I also have no clue as to its SOC before I "lost" it but it held its charge just fine for well over 6 months in sub freezing to blistering temps...

Today I don't see much difference in price between Makita, DeWalt, Bosch and Milwaukee. Ryobi, the Lowes "Porter Cable" and Hitachi are a decent step down in price.

Festool and Fein make some incredible tools but are very costly. My Fein Multi-Master is head and shoulders above my Harbor Freight, Dremel and Milwaukee multi-tools but also about twice to three times the price.

Most contractors I see are using DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee or Makita. Most use a mix. Surprisingly I see a lot of contractors with Ryobi as well as many boat yards and boat builders, such as Morris Yachts, using it along side more expensive brands such as Fein or Festool....

I don't have a favorite "brand" when it comes to tools. I tend to pick and choose the tool I like for what ever reason, for the job.

Sawzall - Milwuakee & a Porter Cable with a snapped shaft that needs repair
Skill Saws - Makita & DeWalt
Jig Saws - Bosch & DeWalt
Biscuit Joiner - Porter Cable
Routers - Plunge = Bosch, Stationary table mounted = Port Cable
Cordless Tools - Milwaukee, Ryobi and a dead DeWalt that needs repair
Multi-tools - Fein, Harbor Freight, Milwaukee & Dremel
Corded Drills - Milwaukee, Hitachi, Black& Decker
Angle Grinder - DeWalt & Makita
Rotary Buffer - Makita
Small Compressor - Makita
Miter Saw - DeWalt & Delta
 
#25 ·
Ryobi is Home Depot's private brand for consumer grade products out of China. If something simple goes wrong or needs repair, there is no way to do it, you need to buy a whole new tool or tool set. Consumer grade, better than Harbor Freight, but expect that "service" means throw it all out and buy a whole new one.

DeWalt is Black & Decker's commercial/pro line now, and a cut above their consumer products. Last time I looked, much cheaper than Bosch and the top-end names, and still plenty good enough for heavy personal use. Some of those high-end prices just seem ridiculous, even if you're going to use the tools all day every day. (A consumer-grade drill, i.e. Ryobi, is supposedly used for only three hours of actual runtime by the average owner, big difference from commercial products.)

And sometimes cheap is good, when it burns out, you buy a new one. Assuming you are near someplace that sells tools.
 
#26 ·
Hello.
Do you know where B and D makes Dewalt tools? In China and Mexico. Likely in the same factories Ryobi comes out of.

So I can buy a Ryobi set for a fraction of the cost of a dewalt set... Use it long and hard and break it... buy a new set and be back to work as fast as I can go to HD and back... and be 100s of dollars ahead on what the Dewalt set cost...

Or I can spend the money on the dewalt set. Break it just as well... Take it to a repair shop, wait a week for parts to come in... pay for the repairs and be weeks behind and money in the hole...

For me it isn't much of a choice... If it where American Factories we were talking about it would be different, but it isn't.
 
#27 ·
Currently Milwaukee seems to be leading the way in terms of having a large selection of quality tools that work with their battery system, which is why my newest purchase was Milwaukee. Their tools have very good "feel" and balance. They just feel like they could take a beating. I also own a Makita Li-ion drill that has been very good to me and has been heavily used.

In my opinion Ryobi is consumer level, suitable for occasional use in a household, not for professional use. They just feel like disposable junk compared to the higher end brands. When it comes to power tools you do indeed get what you pay for!
 
#28 ·
Iron-
"Do you know where B and D makes Dewalt tools? In China and Mexico. Likely in the same factories Ryobi comes out of."
So what? B&D at least last time I checked sold parts directly, and made repairs in depots. Ryobi did not. I needed a fifty cent switch to replace one that failed from a manufacturing flaw (bad plastic casting) in a Ryobi drill. Nope, non-standard part, can't be replaced by any switch from any catalog source, unique dimensions. Now, most of those switches ARE readily replaced by standard parts, not Ryobi.
Eventually Ryobi made an accomodation on a new drill, but with a B&D? It would have been faster and cheaper and less hassle to me to just order a switch, pay two bucks, and fix it.
And someone who wasn't willing to put up with the abuse, would have simply had to throw it out and buy a whole new one. I call that customer abuse and simply an intolerable way to do business. How would you like to buy a new car, and then be told a year later you can't replace the headlights, you need to buy a whole new car? What nonsense that is.
Oh, did you need to buy more diesel for you boat? Sorry, there's no fuel filler cap, that costs too much. Go buy a new boat.
You think I'm joking? Just keep endorsing the Ryobi philosophy, it has spread like wildfire because folks put up wih it.
 
#30 ·
ROFLMAO.

The PopMech test, and consequent rating, consisted of "Can the drill drill a couple of dozen holes and then se a couple of dozen screws before the battery runs out?"

Yeah, based on that criteria the Ryobi may be the best deal. Some of us are discussing other considerations. Buy cheap, pay dearly. That's what you want that's what you'll easily get.
 
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