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Before I begin, let me recognize the fact that many of us here and on similar forums are somewhat receptive to owning tools from different brands, being capable of recognizing that the "best" isn't always proprietary to a favored tool brand. Also, though this thread will naturally concern tools in general and power tools in particular, a representative example of how close-minded some people are can be had in the endless debates on which truck brand is best. Ford guys stick to Ford, GM to GM, Dodge to Dodge (or Ram to Ram I guess nowadays), etc. So, how many of you have met someone so blinded by loyalty to a certain brand that they refuse to acknowledge that sometimes that brand comes up short? Such consumers sometimes waste tons of money on products that receive poor reviews or that are inferior to offerings by competing brands (sometimes even at lower cost), yet become rabidly defensive when confronted with facts or differing opinions. In this thread I'll share my thoughts on a few of these types of individuals as well as their potential motivations for staying loyal to their preferred brand at all costs. First, a couple of valid (IMHO) reasons: 1) Wanting to restrict the number of cordless tool platforms: cordless tools take batteries which can be quite expensive and which usually require separate chargers between brands and/or voltages. Even if a tool company doesn't offer the absolute best tool for the job, necessity sometimes dictates that a slightly inferior tool is purchased for the sake of battery compatibility. For example, a company that runs M18 tools might not desire to buy DeWalt nailers, even though they seem to perform better than Milwaukee's current offerings, since doing so would incur additional costs to buy and maintain batteries for those. Another example might be considering whether or not to buy a FlexVolt circular saw when one already has 20v Max. Sure the FV battery can be used with existing 20v Max tools, but the reverse isn't true, making the jump into the new system pricey if only one tool is to be purchased. 2) Availability: the availability of tool brands is subject to a person's location. In some areas, one brand may be easy to obtain while another may be impossible to find locally. Add in factors such as authorized repair centers and other customer service aspects of ownerships and use, and the effect that a brand's availability has on loyalty is evident. While home improvement centers have made common tool brands readily available in most areas, they have also limited that same availability to an extent. Consider Home Depot's two proprietary brands, Ryobi and Ridgid. Both have a loyal customer base that swears by the tools, with the former appealing more toward novices with some definite professional use and the latter sometimes considered an underrated brand that competes with premium brands. Both are only available at Home Depot, however, limiting owners of said brands to shopping there in person or online. This has the opposite effect of limiting those brands' appeal to tool users who might otherwise be interested. As a Milwaukee owner, should I buy the fan that my local hardware store carries and have instant gratification? Or should I order a Ridgid version, wait for it to be shipped, and have to use the internet if I have any issues with it? I had the opportunity to expand into Metabo tools for cheap a couple of years ago, but passed on it as I knew that I'd be unable to find additional tools and accessories locally once the supply ran out. Now, on to some less logical reasons: 1) Country of origin (COO): let's face it, few tools, and fewer power tools are domestically manufactured anymore. Yet some people may point towards COO as a reason to only buy one brand while ignoring another. I have a large number of DeWalt tools and often point out that some are assembled in the US. I usually add the fact that some others are made in Mexico but most are of Chinese origin. Why? Because I'm misinforming people who are less familiar with tools if I imply that DeWalt produces all of their tools here in America. I've read comments around the internet from people slamming Milwaukee because of its parent company while praising DeWalt for supporting the local economy. Some people even confuse a brand's name with its COO; I'm sure some of you have met a person who though Milwaukee tools were made in Wisconsin. The same holds true for Bosch (German), Makita (Japan), and other brands whose names denote the country they were originally founded in. For better or worst, the majority of power tools are sourced from mainland Asia now, regardless of whether the name sounds American, German, Japanese, or Ethiopian. 2) Tenuous claims: most companies market their tools as being superior to other brands, often using data that is skewed to put them in the best light. Some people fall victim to this tactic, considering x brand to just be better than y brand because the packaging says so. Amusingly, these same people are quick to call foul when another brand claims to offer something "their" brand doesn't. Since I've mainly covered brands that most of us recognize as solid performers, I'll pick on the perennial whipping boy of tool retailers: Harbor Freight. Harbor Freight seems to rely a lot on having the best prices, often coupled with deep discounts making good deals absolute bargains. In turn, they gain a lot of loyal fans who stop there before even considering another retailer, since they just assume that no one can beat them. This tactic has doubtlessly led to decent sales on their newest cordless tools despite the fact that more tried offerings from the likes of DeWalt and Milwaukee can be had at little, if any, more cost. I can't name how many times I've heard someone lavishing praise on Harbor Freight while dismissing the very thought of paying a little more for a lot more quality. Deceptive ads comparing tools and accessories to name brands costing much more leads people to believe that they are getting more for their money. In some cases, yes. In many, no. 3) "'Cause I said so": this is akin to the truck brand argument touched upon in the opening paragraph. Some people just allow their experience and pigheadedness to make them oblivious to reality. I have owned DeWalt and have had no problems with their cordless tools. I also own Milwaukee (albeit much fewer tools) but have an issue with the trigger on an impact wrench. Should I sell my red tools and badmouth the brand as producing substandard garbage? Of course not. Should I place both my yellow and red tools on a pedestal and declare them vastly superior to all tools because they are mine? No, most major tool brands, even lesser tiered ones such as Porter Cable and Ryobi, offer exceptional value to customers, and no amount of he said, she said will change that. In other words, let our experiences enlighten us, but we should never refrain from trying out something different if we need to. 4) "It's the best, why buy less?": this can sometimes be justified by the want or need to restrict platforms, but if we find ourselves buying a $300 tool for a one-off project because it is red, when a green one can be had with battery and charger for half the price, we might be drinking too much Kool-Aid. This is the most subjective entry on this list as it really does depend on a number of variables, but it could be viewed as compromising versus not doing so. Brand loyalty sometimes finds us choosing a certain tool not because it is truly needed but because it is the best compromise (even if it is overkill) and it's offered in our favorite color. If I need to drill a few holes in masonry but lack a hammer drill, do I buy the M18 Fuel SDS-Plus, or consider the much less expensive Ryobi? If I'm going to use it more than once, maybe. If I'm not even certain I'll keep it afterward, why waste the money? Ultimately, we decide what is worth spending our hard earned money on. Brand loyalty can be advantageous to our bank accounts but it can also drain them. In a similar manner it can make us appear to be snobs, or worse fools, especially when two hardheaded people with different opinions start arguing over whose tools are better. I guess it's all part of the joy in having so many options available, though; maybe it's me who is the fool writing such a lengthy post about this.

I have the M18 Fuel combo kit which comes with 2 big 5.0 batteries. I want a small one for use with just the flashlight.