No doubt the most common question - which brand?

[DrHarry]

Gday guys,

 

I'm sure this question gets asked a heap, but which brand should I buy?

 

I'm currently looking to buy a high quality 18v kit, preferably brushless or mostly brushless.  It's just for home use, but I want something that will be good for the next 10 years at least.  My father in law has metabo cordless drills that are 8 years old and still have crazy amounts of torque, to give you an idea.

 

I'm looking to buy a drill, impact driver, circular saw, angle grinder.  Since it seems silly not to, I'll also get a reciprocating saw.  And I really want a good quality rotary hammer drill.

 

You all know the usual suspects.  In Australia the prices are all somewhat similar (within $500 or so), although some of the kits come with stuff that I don't really need.

 

I'm drawn towards Makita, because they have the dual 18v system for a rotary impact drill, which definitely looks like a good thing (if I'm drilling into granite and quartzite and other very hard things).  I also like the fact I wouldn't need to buy separate 36volt batteries.

 

However, a number of the other brands, especially Milwaukee, offer 18v drills that theoretically offer better performance than the Makita, even though they're only 18v.

 

I really like the bosch blue stuff, but their cordless impact drill seems pretty gutless, only being rated to 18mm into concrete, while the other brands are 24mm and up.

 

So I've been narrowing things down, looking at bonuses and redemptions and all those kinds of things.

 

Since I know they're all good, instead of telling me what to buy, can anyone tell me what NOT to buy?  

 

All the stuff I'm looking at is current top of the line gear.  My current preference is probably Makita, Bosch Blue (if I could find a decent rotary hammer drill), Milwaukee, Metabo, Dewalt. The Hitachi stuff also looks pretty decent as well.

 

Any general thoughts on this problem?  I know there's always those stories of tools you've had for many years and all that stuff, but any thoughts on the stuff coming out right now?

 

Thanks for reading!

 

cheers

 

Daniel

[CATERPILLAR]

25 minutes ago, DrHarry said:

Gday guys,

 

I'm sure this question gets asked a heap, but which brand should I buy?

 

I'm currently looking to buy a high quality 18v kit, preferably brushless or mostly brushless.  It's just for home use, but I want something that will be good for the next 10 years at least.  My father in law has metabo cordless drills that are 8 years old and still have crazy amounts of torque, to give you an idea.

 

I'm looking to buy a drill, impact driver, circular saw, angle grinder.  Since it seems silly not to, I'll also get a reciprocating saw.  And I really want a good quality rotary hammer drill.

 

You all know the usual suspects.  In Australia the prices are all somewhat similar (within $500 or so), although some of the kits come with stuff that I don't really need.

 

I'm drawn towards Makita, because they have the dual 18v system for a rotary impact drill, which definitely looks like a good thing (if I'm drilling into granite and quartzite and other very hard things).  I also like the fact I wouldn't need to buy separate 36volt batteries.

 

However, a number of the other brands, especially Milwaukee, offer 18v drills that theoretically offer better performance than the Makita, even though they're only 18v.

 

I really like the bosch blue stuff, but their cordless impact drill seems pretty gutless, only being rated to 18mm into concrete, while the other brands are 24mm and up.

 

So I've been narrowing things down, looking at bonuses and redemptions and all those kinds of things.

 

Since I know they're all good, instead of telling me what to buy, can anyone tell me what NOT to buy?  

 

All the stuff I'm looking at is current top of the line gear.  My current preference is probably Makita, Bosch Blue (if I could find a decent rotary hammer drill), Milwaukee, Metabo, Dewalt. The Hitachi stuff also looks pretty decent as well.

 

Any general thoughts on this problem?  I know there's always those stories of tools you've had for many years and all that stuff, but any thoughts on the stuff coming out right now?

 

Thanks for reading!

 

cheers

 

Daniel

I would highly recommend makita they last forever good power and overall built to last . I have about 50+ makita tools and they all work and its a brand you can trust  ,if need warranty work they honor what they say. Also love there new 4 1/2 makita brush less grinder and it's a beast . also makita has a good range of brushless impacts and drills. Also there two new rip saws that are brushless , there new worm drive killer there 7 1/4 circ saw bruahless 2x batteries .if ya got any questions just pm me ?

[joemontague]

Honestly  any of the  major  brands  are good  they all have  their  good  and bad tools I can't  pick  one I don't pick a color just what tool I want  no matter  the brand but if you want  just one I'd have to say makita  too

[JimboS1ice]

Que another Tia forum debate, I would go into my opinion but we already have quite a few threads where we jag each other around for the best brand eh hem red, but realistically any color will suite your needs, I'd say makita or Milwaukee are both great lines with really great tools, dewalts up there but your basically buying into two platforms if you want any flex volt stuff


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[DrHarry]

Definitely a big topic!

 

I'm going to skip the Bosch blue stuff, the hammer drill just isn't good enough.  Strongly thinking Makita, followed by Milwaukee at the moment.  I might be able to buy Dewalt in a shop instead of online, which I'd prefer.  A lot less hassle for warranty especially!

 

[BMack37]

All the big brands are reliable so you really need to go based on what the brand has available. In my opinion, Milwaukee's lineup just isn't matched and it keeps growing. Plus with the dual chargers, it makes it easy to jump into the 12v lineup.

 

I think Milwaukee and Dewalt are the smartest buys, at least in the states, because of the availability (which leads to sale pricing and resellers). I also really like Makita and Bosch. I HATE the transmission switch on the Dewalt 3-speed brushless drills and I don't like the LED placement. 

[JimboS1ice]

Definitely a big topic!
 
I'm going to skip the Bosch blue stuff, the hammer drill just isn't good enough.  Strongly thinking Makita, followed by Milwaukee at the moment.  I might be able to buy Dewalt in a shop instead of online, which I'd prefer.  A lot less hassle for warranty especially!
 

Whoa gotta disagree bud, the new Bosch brute hammer drill is an awesome drill, it's not a he man like other brands of hammer drills but it'll get you through the day and maybe save your wrist with the active response, rest of the line leaves something to be desired but I've always enjoyed their drills


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[Theultimatehic]

Dewalt milwaukee bosch makita.  You can't go wrong.  I'd also add ryobi. Ryobi is well worth the money. My first set was ryobi and i purchased it in March of 2007. They still are used daily by guys in my shop. They definately take a beating and there sds drill is better then you'd think. I'd go with dewalt if i had the money and if i didn't have the money ryobi is always an option. 

[JMG]

If you get bit by the cordless tool bug, you will probably end up with multiple battery platforms in the long run. My primary power tool platform is Makita. I have had excellent results with the brand over the long term and it could be a good place to start. My secondary battery platforms have been Dewalt and Milwaukee, and recently some Metabo grinders have found their way into my kit.

 

It will ultimately come down to ease of availability and drain on the wallet, in my opinion. Just try to keep an open mind and not become a fanboy for one specific brand so as to not miss out on the best tool for the job. They all have tools with strong points, and the competition between brands does nothing but good for us as consumers. As an aside, I personally have had more problems with Bosch power tools than all of the other major brands combined, and yet I purchase their jigsaw blades and sds drill bits almost to exclusion of other brands. Time will tell what works for you. Good luck with your journey down the rabbit hole of tools...

[Bremon]

Makita has a huge pile of great stuff. Tends to be pricy around me for their best stuff and batteries. Milwaukee makes up 2/3 of my stuff, long warranty and lots of trade specific tools. Dewalt makes up the other 1/3 of my gear, great tools and much more woodworker/general oriented than red. 

 

@JimboS1ice FlexVolt is an additional platform but like @BMack37 mentioned, the M12/M18 dual voltage charger was my gateway drug into M12 so I won't pretend Milwaukee is much better in that regard lol. 

[jkeating3]

Based on your list of needs, Dewalt's Flexvolt system is probably your best bet in my opinion. All of the tools you mentioned come in a 60v version except for the impact and hammer drill, but you can get those two tools in a kit that comes with a Flexvolt battery. With the exception of the recip saw, which seems to have received mixed but mostly unfavourable reviews, the Flexvolt tools are all well thought of. If it helps, I own the recip saw, and mine doesn't vibrate nearly as much as some of the complaints I have seen online.

 

Beware Milwaukee's new larger tools (mitre saw, sds max rotary hammer etc). They are designed to be used with the 9 Ah battery and you will some see performance loss with smaller batteries (source: TIA's NPS videos). It's as much two systems as DeWalt's, just with better marketing.

[Biggie]

I personally have never used Makita, and others can chime in but I thought that I've read that the current cordless rotary hammer drills aren't real impressive.  I would assume for a home owner its still a fine drill and would still work better than a standard hammer drill.  Just thought it might be a point of discussion based on you're initial post.

[rrmccabe]

Dont be afraid to mix and match.  Being brand loyal and not wanting two types of batteries locked me into a compromise situation for years. To the point I was buying kits to get two batteries to keep the others running.

 

I guess it depends on where you use them but in a shop environment if you can setup a charging station with all your chargers and buy whatever brand you like  for that particular tool, you will be better off. Not one of the brands mentioned in this thread have the best of everything.

I have a mix of Bosch, Milwaukee and DeWalt and could not be happier. But I hung on to the one brand thing for too long. My opinion is... Don't do it

[aabee]

I don't know about Hitachi's cordless rotary hammers but they're a perennially underrated brand. They have the best impact on the market in the Triple Hammer and it wouldn't surprise me to see more high-end tools follow suit in the near future.

[JimboS1ice]

Makita has a huge pile of great stuff. Tends to be pricy around me for their best stuff and batteries. Milwaukee makes up 2/3 of my stuff, long warranty and lots of trade specific tools. Dewalt makes up the other 1/3 of my gear, great tools and much more woodworker/general oriented than red. 
 
[mention=51951]JimboS1ice[/mention] FlexVolt is an additional platform but like [mention=51872]BMack37[/mention] mentioned, the M12/M18 dual voltage charger was my gateway drug into M12 so I won't pretend Milwaukee is much better in that regard lol. 

Yea they are, only plus is they have that combo kit for the drill and impact you get the FV pack, jr that was my reason for exiting the dewalt line, not sure if you were on the forum by I purged all my yellow tools when FV was announced,

M12 was my gateway to m18 lol it just happens whether you want to or not


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[Bremon]

I hear ya @JimboS1ice, I'm somehow in M12, M18, 20v Max and FlexVolt. I intended to be M18 only at first. Now I see the 18v Bosch Core batteries and think "199 CAD for a battery... my pimpcube pb360c could use one", yet I know that would lead to a bulldog and a brute etc haha. 

[DerekTheToolGuy]

Im a hilti man myself i have expensive taste i glues because I'm no pro but I absolutely love my hilti hammer drill and impact driver it is made top notch and just feels and looks better than the other brands and the 20 year warranty can't be beat at all. I also have the 18v Makita set as well and it just feels cheap compared to my hilti set and my step father has the Bosch set and my hiltis are better still so I have to say go hilti which truly are the best you can get they are the pinnacle of power tools and usually for pros or large construction companies but worth every last penny.

[ChrisK]

I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. And like @rrmccabe said, don't be limited. I had more lineups in the past and tried to just go with two manufacturers but each brings something that the others might not offer. I have cordless 12v Bosch and 18v Makita along with 20v Dewalt (and a couple of 60v too) and 18v Festools. 

 

Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Hitachi, Hilti, Festool.....all are high end quality tools. Each brings a special plate to the table. Ridgid (AEG), Ryobi also have great lineups and arguably Ryobi has one of the largest platforms out there.

 

Sometimes it's a PITA because of this but diversity is a pretty good thing when you find you need something that one brand doesn't have.

[Foneguy]

2 hours ago, ChrisK said:

I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. And like @rrmccabe said, don't be limited. I had more lineups in the past and tried to just go with two manufacturers but each brings something that the others might not offer. I have cordless 12v Bosch and 18v Makita along with 20v Dewalt (and a couple of 60v too) and 18v Festools. 

 

Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Hitachi, Hilti, Festool.....all are high end quality tools. Each brings a special plate to the table. Ridgid (AEG), Ryobi also have great lineups and arguably Ryobi has one of the largest platforms out there.

 

Sometimes it's a PITA because of this but diversity is a pretty good thing when you find you need something that one brand doesn't have.

I agree with @ChrisK the major brands are all quality, and competing for your business. You really can't go wrong. Choose a platform from a couple of brands that offer you the better options for your specific needs. If you need help,

No worries, all of the answers are right here in "the crew room"

[rbacon705]

I also agree with @ChrisK what ever brand u choose to go with u know you are going to get good quality.

It would be just worth looking at this thought: https://www.bunnings.com.au/aeg-limited-edition-18v-brushless-4-piece-combo-kit_p6230278 

[HiltiWpg]

My 2 cents.

Casual use, Ridgid/AEG seems to be where it's at.

Flip a coin for commercial. They are all similar, but go with whoever has the best options for your trade/job.

I have owned them all except Dewalt. None were terrible. I had issues with Milwaukee but nothing past design/noise and personal preferences. I went back to full Makita because the design and feel was what I liked. Unless you buy them all, you can't say which is going to be right for you. Just don't keep looking over the fence at what you didn't buy. You will drive you itself crazy!

Industrial, there really is only one, Hilti. (Bosch does have some nice industrial stuff too, but I would rather buy stuff from a company that doesn't spend more time on coffee makers and dishwashers!)

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[BMack37]

Just a friendly reminder that he's in Australia, not everything will be the same brand-wise or lineups.

[DrHarry]

Great answers, thanks guys!

 

I guess I was really looking for reasons NOT to buy, so probably haven't helped in that regard much   I understand what people are saying about not getting locked into one brand, so I'll just have to see how that goes.

 

Hilti and Ridgid are not options for me unfortunately.  Just not available.

 

I did look at the Ryobi stuff, but was put off my the perceived quality, not sure about a 10+ year lifespan with it.  Any thoughts on that?  Price wise, it's far far cheaper.

 

My local trade shop is going to try and compete with the online prices, and they have dewalt, milwaukee, Hitachi and Makita, so I'm going to see what they have to offer.  Milwaukee has better warranty and some bonuses at the moment, but apart from that the pricing all seems to be about the same, so I think I'll just go for the best value proposition.

 

That being said, that AEG kit looks really good.  Plus a 6 year warranty on tools is pretty good!  Just a pity there's nothing else brushless in their line up.  

 

Decisions decisions!

[Bremon]

My opinion is you'll likely be happy to have that 5 year warranty on Milwaukee. I'm happy with my pile of Milwaukee stuff but you can get the Fuel hammer drill pretty damn hot without much effort at all. A deal is a deal though; when I bought my first Fuel drill and impact kits I got a Fuel circ saw and Sawzall tossed in. Hard to argue with free tools. 

[ChrisK]

34 minutes ago, DrHarry said:

Great answers, thanks guys!

 

I guess I was really looking for reasons NOT to buy, so probably haven't helped in that regard much   I understand what people are saying about not getting locked into one brand, so I'll just have to see how that goes.

 

Hilti and Ridgid are not options for me unfortunately.  Just not available.

 

I did look at the Ryobi stuff, but was put off my the perceived quality, not sure about a 10+ year lifespan with it.  Any thoughts on that?  Price wise, it's far far cheaper.

 

My local trade shop is going to try and compete with the online prices, and they have dewalt, milwaukee, Hitachi and Makita, so I'm going to see what they have to offer.  Milwaukee has better warranty and some bonuses at the moment, but apart from that the pricing all seems to be about the same, so I think I'll just go for the best value proposition.

 

That being said, that AEG kit looks really good.  Plus a 6 year warranty on tools is pretty good!  Just a pity there's nothing else brushless in their line up.  

 

Decisions decisions!

My Dad retired from the shipyard 15 years ago and moved to Florida. He had a bunch of Ryobi tools in his home woodshop back then. He now does part time handy man work with those same tools, having switched SOME of his nicads over to LI batteries and those tools are still going strong. A buddy of mine, build homes professionally and he used Ryobi for all of his cordless tools. He figured they were cheap and wouldn't get stolen. Those things treated him just fine. I guess what I'm saying is this....you can go an outfit your DIY shop at home like I did I with Festool this and Dewalt that and really spend some serious coin but if cash is tight, why spend the money? Sure a lot of us stay home weekend warrior guys have some high end tools that sport some pretty fancy features but if your looking for some tools to do some DIY work and want them to last a long time, why go with somebody like Milwaukee or Dewalt who go through battery style changes every once in a while when fifteen years ago my Dad just upgraded his batteries? Those new batteries still powere his 15+ year old tools! Now, if you WANT to spend the cash....boy, let me tell you about Festool