No doubt the most common question - which brand?

[pancing]

On 2/16/2017 at 8:36 PM, 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. If you want high quality go with Metabo,Makita,Dewalt,Milwaukee,Hilti,festool,bosch,hitachi you catch what I'm saying here, They're all quality tools some just last longer than others, you need to set a budget for yourself and what you really need it for, are you going to be doing construction every day? Then yes get the very best, no? Than spend 50$ on corded versions, you can spend 500$ and get the median "Good for every day use" corded variety of tools or spend close to 3 or 4k for every thing you want listed below.

 

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. http://www.unitedtools.com.au/shop/cordless-tools/cordless-combo-kits.html?manufacturer=46

The milwaukee complete kit here is 2000$ + GST + Shipping. The cost doesn't stop there, you need drill bits, some bits can cost up to 100$ for good rotary bits

 

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

 

Some people here have spent close to 20k alone on their tools, some are professionals some just like collecting.

Accessories, storage, extras aren't included in that price, with a rotary hammer you need dust collection whether it be a hose and water with a n95 mask or a full breather and a hepa vac.

You just need to ask yourself how much cash do you have to fill a very deep hole.

[DrHarry]

So, it's the OP here.

 

I've gotten a quote from Bunnings (the local hardware giant) for a Bosch blue kit for $1283.  An extra $150 for the circular saw is $1413.  If get the spend up to $1499 (jigsaw for $200 say) I can then claim an extra 2 6ah batteries, which is a very good deal.

 

However...

 

Bosch Blue is brushless for the drills and impact driver, but the other stuff is not brushless.  Also the rotary hammer drill is pretty underpowered compared with the competition.  However, it has a very good reputation for good quality gear.

 

Or I can get the Makita for approx another $400 more, but everything is brushless, and the hammer drill is much better (or get the 36v hammer drill, which isn't brushless, but still much more capable).  That would include 2 extra batteries in that price. The Makita stuff also seems to have more power and torque.

 

 

So, Makita versus Bosch blue.  All brushless versus some brushless.

 

Any thoughts?

[Biggie]

The brushless stuff is probably worth the extra $400, but I really can't imagine a situation where bosch brushed tools wouldn't be more than capable for a home owner.  What are you using the rotary hammer? If you're just drilling a few 1/2" and under holes a year, a standard hammer drill would probably do the job just fine.  I would say anything a home owner is going to drill a 18v rotary from any of the big names will be more than adequate.

[DrHarry]

I want the rotary hammer drill for around the house and farm, but I also want to drill holes for placing anchors for rockclimbing and abseiling.  Holes will be 10 or 12 mm (so not too big) but granite and quartzite can be really hard and use a grunt to get through!

[JimboS1ice]

You won't be disappointed with Brushless makita, its great stuff, very lightweight and powerful, definitely go to the x2 hammer!

[Biggie]

Sounds like you're right you'll want a rotary hammer.  I don't have any experience drilling into rock or with either bosch or makita rotary.  I do have a m18 2712 and  have used a dewalt dch253 both are 1"(25mm) rotary hammers.  In concrete I usually get about 50 inches of drilling with a 5/8" (16mm) bit and a 5.0 battery, but it depends if the concrete is new or old or if you hit rebar.  With a 3/8" (9.5mm) bit that number probably doubles or triples as it just doesn't work the drill nearly as hard.  I would think the offerings from bosch and makita would give similar results.

[JimboS1ice]

6 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Sounds like you're right you'll want a rotary hammer.  I don't have any experience drilling into rock or with either bosch or makita rotary.  I do have a m18 2712 and  have used a dewalt dch253 both are 1"(25mm) rotary hammers.  In concrete I usually get about 50 inches of drilling with a 5/8" (16mm) bit and a 5.0 battery, but it depends if the concrete is new or old or if you hit rebar.  With a 3/8" (9.5mm) bit that number probably doubles or triples as it just doesn't work the drill nearly as hard.  I would think the offerings from bosch and makita would give similar results.

benefit of the Makita x2 is the added run time but you get extra amp draw from the double packs, you get a bit more power out of it, its a very efficient machine

[Bremon]

Personally I would pony up the cash for Makita; their lineup is huge. Bosch should have cool stuff coming out with their new Core line though. 

[rdst_1]

I have been in the same boat as you, for the past 2 months or so. I also just needed tools to do work at my home and farm. My work is however a bit extensive, but still not something that guaranteed buying the best or top-notch stuff out there as I wouldn't be using these tools every day, once the current workload is finished.

However, due to the scale of the current task at hand, I was able to justify buying top level stuff, despite just being a home user. I have however, decided to be a little smart about it. I have decided not to wander off when buying the tools and only buy what I am going to use for sure. I ordered Knipex Pliers worth $230 recently, but I chose them very carefully and hence with just 5 pliers, I will be able to tackle all the plumbing and electrical work at my house and farm.

So, if you have the money to splurge, then it's great. But even if you don't, you can slowly build your collection by buying top flight tools, but only those which you need at the moment and not buy big kits just so that you can get your hands on every single tool out there.

For example, I would have loved to buy a cordless circular saw and recip saw, but I decided to wait as they were not that important for me right now and instead ordered the best Hammer Drill and Impact Combo I could. Same is the way I am going with accessories. I could have bought big sets of Impact bits from Dewalt/ Makita/Hitachi etc. , but since I know I will only be using either Phillips or Hex head screws, I decided to buy them loose. That way I am able to buy Makita Golds, although I am currently looking at Wera Impactor as well.

[DrHarry]

Ok, we're at the pointy end!

 

My local shop is about $300 more expensive for the Makita gear. There is a local service agent for warranties which is good, and I really want to support them, but that's a big chunk of money.

 

They can do the Milwaukee for a much closer price.

 

So, assuming that the regular tools are all much of muchness (both brands will be brushless and both very good reputation), any ideas of the difference between a Milwaukee 26mm Rotary hammer and the Makita 36v 26mm rotary hammer?

 

I want the Makita,  but I know there's no actual basis for that, apart from emotion, so seeing what people think.

 

Otherwise I think I'll be buying the red tools, just because of price.

[KnarlyCarl]

From several accounts i trust to be accurate on Instagram, the Milwaukee SDS plus 2715 (1-1/8") has an edge over the Makita x2, that's one thing I read over and again, is that it's the most powerful cordless SDS in that class.

[JMG]

If you have any OCD issues with fit and finish, the loose/sloppy fit of the batteries on the Milwaukee will drive you nuts. I evidently have some of those issues.

[Bremon]

If you don't like the fit of Milwaukee batteries stay the hell away from Dewalt. Seriously. Milwaukee has great batteries. 4-bar indicator for battery life, rubber overmold, rugged housing, and a more fail-proof connection system. If you don't like red batteries Makita ones won't likely impress either. 

 

I agree with @KnarlyCarl, red is where it's at for SDS Plus. The 2712 and especially 2715 are very highly regarded. The SDS Max is apparently quite impressive as well (though I hear the yellow one outdoes it). 

[JMG]

I don't have an issue with the actual operation of my tools. It is the sloppy fit that gets to me. The first attempt at sliding a 9ah battery into the super hawg ended up with the battery jamming against the battery post on the tool and not sliding into place on the first try. This caused the OCD to kick in and I started comparing all of the different brands I currently own. The battery slop on my Milwaukee tools exceeds that of all of the others I personally own. The best fit on batteries goes to the Fein tools I have, followed by Makita, Metabo, Dewalt, and then Milwaukee, in that order.  I dumped the Bosch line years ago due to a high percentage of critical motor failures. Those are the primary platforms I own and is simply what I see about the batteries fitting onto the tools themselves and has absolutely nothing to do with any of the tools performance of their intended function.

 

I don't go in for a fanboy attitude about tool platforms. I use what works for me no matter the brand. The battery fit on the Milwaukee tools I have annoy the F#*$ out of me. Simple statement about a simple issue and it reflects on the OCD side of my personality. Nothing  more, nothing less.

[Bremon]

The M18 batteries I have fit like a glove compared to the rattle/loose fit you get with 20v Max. Just my experience with both. The Dewalt battery fit bothered me at first but seems fine in the long run. 

[Jronman]

Just get an SDS Extreme

[jkeating3]

10 hours ago, Bremon said:

The M18 batteries I have fit like a glove compared to the rattle/loose fit you get with 20v Max. Just my experience with both. The Dewalt battery fit bothered me at first but seems fine in the long run. 

It's funny you say that. I have the exact opposite problem.

[Jronman]

1 hour ago, jkeating3 said:

It's funny you say that. I have the exact opposite problem.

In which 20v tool did you try? The 20v multi tool has a rubber piece under the base of the tool. I suspect it could make the battery fit tighter. I find it harder to take the battery off the multi tool than say my drill or impact. I have noticed the battery is a bit loose but nothing to be concerned about. I haven't really noticed any battery looseness issues with Milwaukee but its not like I have use Milwaukee tools that often. Only a handful of times.

[Biggie]

I can only speak for milwaukee, dewalt, and bosch but they all seem to have some tolerance issues.  Most recently I bought a dcf887 that the battery seems super wobbly on.  I have multiple of tools where one is tight and the other is loose.  But as has been said this is really a none issue with how the tools perform and is more a perception of the tools build quality.

[jkeating3]

5 hours ago, Jronman said:

In which 20v tool did you try? The 20v multi tool has a rubber piece under the base of the tool. I suspect it could make the battery fit tighter. I find it harder to take the battery off the multi tool than say my drill or impact. I have noticed the battery is a bit loose but nothing to be concerned about. I haven't really noticed any battery looseness issues with Milwaukee but its not like I have use Milwaukee tools that often. Only a handful of times.

I own the omt, several drills and impacts, flexvolt recip saw. I have used the 20v and flexvolt circular saws, the 7.25" mitre saw, and the old brushed sds. All had batteries sit snug; even the recip which has a terrible reputation for vibrating.

[Bremon]

Yes from what I've seen the FlexVolt recip rattles the battery like a mofo. 

[JimboS1ice]

The M18 batteries I have fit like a glove compared to the rattle/loose fit you get with 20v Max. Just my experience with both. The Dewalt battery fit bothered me at first but seems fine in the long run. 

Agree, Milwaukee has a bit of play but nowhere near as bad as the 20v dewalt


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[bsayles13]

I also vote Makita. Pretty much any tool I have owned from them was durable and built well. Recently they had a deal going where if you bought 2 18v bare tools, you got 2 free 4.0ah 18v batteries. Not sure if it is still going on but not a bad deal if you planned on buying multiple tools right out the gate.

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[smitty9118]

for home use I would go with Ryobi all day long.the flexvolt from dewalt is great for places with no power,to heavy and expensive for home use.bosch is getting left behind in the lineup category.People saw mikita has the biggest lineup but if you really look at it,its tons of different drills.The big red is just to expensive.you can get six or seven Ryobi tools for the price of reds drill and driver.For home use I don't even thinks its close

[aabee]

I'm a big fan of the Kobalt 24v brushless lineup. They're powerful, affordable (cheapest batteries by FAR, and the drill/impact combo occasionally go on sale for $149), excellent warranty, and speaking of battery slop...they have none. Fit nice and snug.