For 18v cordless power tools, which would you prefer? And why?
Milwaukee vs Dewalt
- Thread starter Jakegday
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Bosch
The Dewalt seems overpriced and after pounding on both, the Bosch does REALLY well. I have replaced all my Dewalts with Bosch -Drill, Driver Battery life is good as well and the new ones have a battery life indicator- its great to know how much you have left on a charge.
Milwaukee is ok, its apart of the same family as the RIGID tool line.
The Dewalt seems overpriced and after pounding on both, the Bosch does REALLY well. I have replaced all my Dewalts with Bosch -Drill, Driver Battery life is good as well and the new ones have a battery life indicator- its great to know how much you have left on a charge.
Milwaukee is ok, its apart of the same family as the RIGID tool line.
I've been a fan of Milwaukee for some time, but I'm not really sure about the M18 tools. I have the Sawzall, impact wrench and hammer drill. Before these, I had the V18 set. The V18's were stolen
, and I bought the M18's at a tool fair. The Milwaukee rep said that the M18 was a major improvement over the V18 in battery life and tool power. I am unconvinced. Fortunately, Milwaukee gives you a good warranty. I've had one battery replaced under warranty, and I just got the hammer drill back from warranty repairs as well. On low speed, the drill will turn a pretty good sized Selfeed bit, but I'm not sure the internals can handle it.
OTOH, some years ago, I had the DeWalt 18v. Nimh tools. The DeWalt cordless tools seem to me to develop a "looseness" after being used for a while. Not sure if it hurts anything or not. Two of my guys have DeWalts and they like them fine. One has the Nimh setup and the other has the Li.
I guess I'm saying that I don't think either is as good as it should be. I love Milwaukee corded tools and consider them bulletproof. That's why I got the Milwaukee cordless tools, but I'm just not quite as enthusiastic about them at this point.
Maybe you should look at Bosch, like needsducktape said.
OTOH, some years ago, I had the DeWalt 18v. Nimh tools. The DeWalt cordless tools seem to me to develop a "looseness" after being used for a while. Not sure if it hurts anything or not. Two of my guys have DeWalts and they like them fine. One has the Nimh setup and the other has the Li.
I guess I'm saying that I don't think either is as good as it should be. I love Milwaukee corded tools and consider them bulletproof. That's why I got the Milwaukee cordless tools, but I'm just not quite as enthusiastic about them at this point.
Maybe you should look at Bosch, like needsducktape said.
The only reason why I would recommend DeFault over Milwaukee (or Bosch or Makita...) is the relative universalness of it's availability.
Need a new battery pack? Virtually any hardware store is going to carry it.
You used to be able to use Black and Decker battery packs in DeFault tools. At some point, they changed the battery pack style in the B&D tools, presumeably so no one would confuse a consumer grade Black and Decker with the "professional grade" DeWalt. (I have a 9.6v B&D and a co-worker has a 9.6v DeFault. not only do the packs interchange, but there are numerous other interchangeable parts. The primary differences seem to be that the DeFault has a low and high speed drive selector switch on top and the color that the plastics are molded in)
But IMHO, Bosch and Makita are preferable to DeFault. Hitachi is roughly equal (although less available) and Ryobi is way back behind Black and Decker. (We had a Ryobi actually catch on fire here at the shop...well it shot a bunch of sparks and smoked like [heck] in a client's car.)
Need a new battery pack? Virtually any hardware store is going to carry it.
You used to be able to use Black and Decker battery packs in DeFault tools. At some point, they changed the battery pack style in the B&D tools, presumeably so no one would confuse a consumer grade Black and Decker with the "professional grade" DeWalt. (I have a 9.6v B&D and a co-worker has a 9.6v DeFault. not only do the packs interchange, but there are numerous other interchangeable parts. The primary differences seem to be that the DeFault has a low and high speed drive selector switch on top and the color that the plastics are molded in)
But IMHO, Bosch and Makita are preferable to DeFault. Hitachi is roughly equal (although less available) and Ryobi is way back behind Black and Decker. (We had a Ryobi actually catch on fire here at the shop...well it shot a bunch of sparks and smoked like [heck] in a client's car.)
Another vote for Bosch. Their stuff is true commercial-grade.
For occasional home use you will be fine with Ryobi or whatever.
For occasional home use you will be fine with Ryobi or whatever.
Dewalt has always held up well for me.
JHZR2
Staff member
I don't know about Bosch for big stuff - zero experience. Our little Bosch drivers are great.
If dewalt, I'd go for the nano iron phosphate batteries. I have them and they work well.
If dewalt, I'd go for the nano iron phosphate batteries. I have them and they work well.
Milwaukee M18 Lithium Ion. Hands down. Unbelievable power and great battery life if properly maintained.
I have the hammer drill, impact driver, light, sawzall, 4 1/2" angle grinder. Soon to be adding the 6 1/2" circular saw and the 2663-20 18-Volt M18 1/2-Inch High Torque Impact Wrench with Friction Ring
I have the hammer drill, impact driver, light, sawzall, 4 1/2" angle grinder. Soon to be adding the 6 1/2" circular saw and the 2663-20 18-Volt M18 1/2-Inch High Torque Impact Wrench with Friction Ring
+1 for dewalt
Just the other day, I saw the contractor run out the building with his battery pack smoking like it was on fire...he was saying the whole time....I just bought this battery this morning and tried to charge it...DeWalt.
My cheapest cordless drill didn't have that feature.
My cheapest cordless drill didn't have that feature.
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MAKITA!
Milwaukee. All my power tools are Milwaukee and I've never had a problem with any of them. Some of them are also made in the USA!
I'm not a huge fan of DeWalt. For power tools I prefer Makita and Hitachi. Bosch seems to be good, but I don't have as much experience with them. I do have a cheapie Skil recip saw made by Bosch that has held up really well.
DeWalt is still part of the Black & Decker family, and sometimes you get Black & Decker "quality" with that. One upside is that the Dewaltservicenet.com website makes it easy to order non-warrantied parts (if they aren't on back order, which is frequent), but if you want warranty work done you will probably have to go to a DeWalt Service Center.
Ryobi, Ridgid, and Milwaukee are all owned and manufactured by TTI. Ryobi and Ridgid are lower end, but Ridgid does have an excellent lifetime warranty if you register for it. If you register for it, they will replace your broken tools, chargers, and dead batteries all day. Make sure to have your LSA (lifetime service agreement) number written down somewhere, that is how they track everything. If a tool breaks and is no longer made, they will upgrade you to the new model. Usually the replacement tools come with new batteries, a new charger, and everything else you would get with the tool at the store, but sometimes you just get the tool with no accessories.
While Milwaukee is made by TTI, they seem to have a greater focus on quality and their manufacturing, parts distribution, and customer support are separate from Ryobi/Ridgid. However, unlike Ridgid you are much less likely to just get a new tool or battery under warranty.
DeWalt is still part of the Black & Decker family, and sometimes you get Black & Decker "quality" with that. One upside is that the Dewaltservicenet.com website makes it easy to order non-warrantied parts (if they aren't on back order, which is frequent), but if you want warranty work done you will probably have to go to a DeWalt Service Center.
Ryobi, Ridgid, and Milwaukee are all owned and manufactured by TTI. Ryobi and Ridgid are lower end, but Ridgid does have an excellent lifetime warranty if you register for it. If you register for it, they will replace your broken tools, chargers, and dead batteries all day. Make sure to have your LSA (lifetime service agreement) number written down somewhere, that is how they track everything. If a tool breaks and is no longer made, they will upgrade you to the new model. Usually the replacement tools come with new batteries, a new charger, and everything else you would get with the tool at the store, but sometimes you just get the tool with no accessories.
While Milwaukee is made by TTI, they seem to have a greater focus on quality and their manufacturing, parts distribution, and customer support are separate from Ryobi/Ridgid. However, unlike Ridgid you are much less likely to just get a new tool or battery under warranty.
Originally Posted By: Texan4Life
+1 for dewalt
+2
+1 for dewalt
+2
Not that its a deciding factor, but the only batteries at HomeDepot that are locked up are Dewalt.
oddly enough, a guy that is doing some work for me (very reasonably and stuff I no longer wish to tackle)really wants/needs a cordless recip. saw to hack off stuff at pick n pull, etc. asked if I could help find one, work some kind of trade off. Best source / price anyone? Dewalt or Bosch maybe? Harbor Freight have a $39 one (maybe get extended warranty), which isn't brand that he thinks he needs, but Dewalts seem $125, Bosch more. Sources and comments please (I'm in Indiana, not looking for hot stuff, just legit good price) thanks.
Originally Posted By: Jakegday
For 18v cordless power tools, which would you prefer? And why?
I'll have to side with my former employer.... DeWalt... especially when I worked at the old Easton, MD plant, making the 18V cordless power tools (and setting up the lines for 24V back then also).
though I will not want an early version of the 18V 6.5" Trim Saw. Total POS. I hope, over 10 years later, they fixed the gear case, which the idiot design engineer screwed up.
For 18v cordless power tools, which would you prefer? And why?
I'll have to side with my former employer.... DeWalt... especially when I worked at the old Easton, MD plant, making the 18V cordless power tools (and setting up the lines for 24V back then also).
though I will not want an early version of the 18V 6.5" Trim Saw. Total POS. I hope, over 10 years later, they fixed the gear case, which the idiot design engineer screwed up.
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