Big_D

Beautiful saw Mike, Enjoy!!

When I first started out in the trades 35 years ago, there was only corded tools and most were Milwaukee, Hilti or Skil. So the beginings of my tool collection were those. I still have them and they still work as well today as they did then. Fast forward to the 90's and Dewalt ruled the cordless market although as others have said Makita made great cordless as well. I bought a 4 piece set of Dewalts in the mid 90's and added an impact years later. I used them professionally and personally and again I still have them and they work great but they weren't used as hard as the corded as they were mostly used for IT installs and light construction projects. In the last 2 years I've revamped my whole tool lineup and I'm back to Milwaukee with a bunch of M12's for work and a mixture of M12 & M18 for personal use. It started when I needed a cordless multi tool for a side job I was doing and I just fell in love with thing and since then have been adding steadily to the collection. That's right your question was about the best NiCd. I think early on Makita had the best NiCd tools but Dewalt came on strong later and had a better lineup than Makita. It's a toss up really, both were great!!

I have the corded Dremel at home with nearly every attachment they make and I like it a lot but I'm going to add an M12 rotary to my work tools. Being cordless goes a long way with me, plus as conductor said, it's got more power than any of the other cordless offerings.

I love all my tools, especially my M12 & M18 stuff but my new favorite has to be my new M12 Fuel 5/8" Rotary Hammer. It's unbelievable how much power they packed into such a compact package! As for beers, there are great beers everywhere! So much beer, so little time.

Thanks Chris! I grabbed mine last night just before they closed. I have a large contractors saw in the garage but my little portable died this past summer. I've had my eye on the 745 for a while and at $225 it was a no brainer.

I have several large sets of 70's and 90's Craftsman (SAE & Metric) along with orphan Craftsman SK & KD wrenches.

As others have said, it mostly depends on your needs. I have (4) M18 tools with (3) M18 3.0 and (4) M12 tools with (2) M12 4.0 & (1) M12 1.5. and that suits my needs perfectly. YMMV

I've had the Bosch barrel (body) grip for many years and it's really the only jigsaw I use anymore unless there is limited space for turning. It's much more comfortable to grip IMO and the control is way better even allowing scroll cuts that just aren't possible with a top handle.

Have you tried an SPF 15 sunscreen? :-)

Nice set! Thanks for the heads up conductor.

Nice to see U.S. Made stuff! I'm old enough that most of the stuff I or my father bought and handed down to me was made here. Sad it's not still that way.

I saw a previous comment saying you can't get the sawzall and circ saw into the jobsite box together. I don't know about the fuel but non fuel fits with no issue except you can't get the tray in and that works fine for me as I put the extra tray into another jobsite box I use for carpentry tools. I've got M18 6.5 circ, sawzall, hammer drill, impact, M12 multi tool, compact driver, flashlight plus 12/18 charger, 3 M18 & 3 M12 batteries & bits and blades for all of it. Not much room to spare after all that though

It's a beautiful saw that's for sure. My only issue with it is the blade on the right. I have the non fuel 6.5" and if I need more than that I break out the worm drive.

Thanks for the nice welcome guys, glad to be here! DR99, it's good to have hobbies,right!

Hey Fellas, Really liking the forum. I'm glad to see so many other tool lovers out there! A little about me, I spent my first working years (8) in the trades as a carpenter. First framing and later finish. I went back to school for computer science and have since spent the last 22 in IT. I still get my tool/construction fix on nights and weekends renovating my home and working with a few local pros on the side. I'm also a life long musician playing drums from the age of 8 and bass since my late 20's. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all and hopefully contributing something to the forum. Don