Should I swap brands?

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Hi

 

Around January I bought my first power tools ever, ayy (I'm 19) to work on my soon to get car and stuff. I got a Drill driver combo with 2  4 ah batteries because it was cheaper than getting a actual impact wrench and also got a shop vac to and I've read reviews that the driver was powerful enough to remove normal bolts and nuts on the car.

 

Now, I'm thinking about future tools and I'm feeling like I should get Ryobi and sell these. I know Ryobi is not the same quality obviously but for home use and DIY I feel like I wasted some money on the Milwaukee stuff. I haven't even used them yet so it would be a good time to make this decision to sell or not.

 

Should I sell my stuff and switch?

[Bremon]

I wouldn't. A)you probably lose whatever savings you would have had in the first place through resale. b)Milwaukee has sales and battery promos all the time so it's not that extravagant to expand the collection gradually. 

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Just now, Bremon said:

I wouldn't. A)you probably lose whatever savings you would have had in the first place through resale. b)Milwaukee has sales and battery promos all the time so it's not that extravagant to expand the collection gradually. 

 

I got them at a pretty good deal. I'm sure selling I could get at least even.

 

I know what you mean with the sales, but here in Canada in comparison the sales suck. I lust over what I see on the home depot USA website...

[ChrisK]

3 minutes ago, TheMidnightNarwhal said:

 

I got them at a pretty good deal. I'm sure selling I could get at least even.

 

I know what you mean with the sales, but here in Canada in comparison the sales suck. I lust over what I see on the home depot USA website...

Welcome to the forum dude. Just out of curiosity, whata do you do for work?

[Bremon]

@TheMidnightNarwhal I'm Canadian lol, I have a pretty good idea where prices sit. 

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

6 minutes ago, ChrisK said:

Welcome to the forum dude. Just out of curiosity, whata do you do for work?

 

Thanks for the welcomeing!

 

I do IT support for Correctional Service Canada... nothing related to tools 

 

This is why I'm considering doing this switch, it's solely for DIY projects and car work.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Just now, Bremon said:

@TheMidnightNarwhal I'm Canadian lol, I have a pretty good idea where prices sit. 

 

Uh, I never really saw Milwaukee sales here, except for the combo kits.

 

I check the flyer every week and never spotted any Milwaukee Impact Wrenches on sale, and even then, they seem to only have the fuel in store stock and I don't need a brush less tool... it's just for DIY.

[Bremon]

Could always go corded for most things. Keep cordless for drills and impacts and corded for the rest. Ryobi is decent but most of my stuff is professional quality and used for diy purposes most of the time. 

 

Where are you looking? Home Depot? Canadian Home Depot sucks. What province are you in and how averse are you to online shopping? When I first got into M18 my circular saw and Sawzall were both free toss-ins with drill and impact kits, etc. They still have sales like that, or free battery deals if you're patient. 

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

1 minute ago, Bremon said:

Could always go corded for most things. Keep cordless for drills and impacts and corded for the rest. Ryobi is decent but most of my stuff is professional quality and used for diy purposes most of the time. 

 

Where are you looking? Home Depot?

 

Yeah I was thinking corded but my dad's garage doesn't really have outlets and it's a bit of a pain how it's setup.

 

Yes home depot ,seem to be the only place that had Milwaukee in person, but my Milwaukee tools I bought were online from Black Rock Tools.

 

It's just, I'm not saying Milwaukee is bad for DIY, it is definitely better since it is a pro tool, I just feel like my money is there for nothing. If I can get even back what I paid for (since it was kind of on sale) I think I might do it.

[ChrisK]

5 minutes ago, TheMidnightNarwhal said:

 

Thanks for the welcomeing!

 

I do IT support for Correctional Service Canada... nothing related to tools 

 

This is why I'm considering doing this switch, it's solely for DIY projects and car work.

Awesome bro. To be honest with you, if you are using those tools at home for DIY, I think Ryobi might make a lot more sense for you to go with. From outdoor equipment, saws, planers, pumps fans etc. Ryobi and Milwaukee certainly have it all but Ryobi is $ vs Milwaukee at $$$. If you can make back your cash Ryobi is a solid brand and you can't got wrong there!

[rrmccabe]

The best power tool decision I made was stop being brand loyal.  I kept doing it to keep common batteries. Once I gave up on just Dewalt and added Bosch and Milwaukee my tool collection became so much better.

 

I think being brand loyal for the sake of batteries drags you down !

[Bremon]

I wouldn't spend money on a brushed Milwaukee impact, that's for sure. If you don't want to spend on Fuel look at Ryobi. Plus it's something that actually goes on sale at HD lol. 

 

BC Fasteners and Mississauga Hardware, and if you're in the GTA, IHL, are all much better options than Black Rock for sales and service imo. Browse the flyers, you can find great deals. 

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

20 minutes ago, rrmccabe said:

The best power tool decision I made was stop being brand loyal.  I kept doing it to keep common batteries. Once I gave up on just Dewalt and added Bosch and Milwaukee my tool collection became so much better.

 

I think being brand loyal for the sake of batteries drags you down !

 

That's funny, because I thought in my head staying loyal to one brand (only need 1 or 2 battery) would be more cheaper in the end?

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

19 minutes ago, Bremon said:

I wouldn't spend money on a brushed Milwaukee impact, that's for sure. If you don't want to spend on Fuel look at Ryobi. Plus it's something that actually goes on sale at HD lol. 

 

BC Fasteners and Mississauga Hardware, and if you're in the GTA, IHL, are all much better options than Black Rock for sales and service imo. Browse the flyers, you can find great deals. 

 

Thanks but I'm from Ottawa/Gatineau . I'll look in their online store though.

[rrmccabe]

Well in my case it limited me to some better tools. Not one company has the best of everything.

 

I got in a rut. I had Dewalt 18volt stuff and the batteries were not cheap and did not last that long.  I kept buying kits to get more batteries and ended up with at least 4 drills.

 

Depends on your needs.

 

Just telling you that its liberating to give up sticking with one brand.  Keeps you out of the rut.  Keep in mind whatever you buy, the batteries are not going to last forever !

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

9 minutes ago, rrmccabe said:

Well in my case it limited me to some better tools. Not one company has the best of everything.

 

I got in a rut. I had Dewalt 18volt stuff and the batteries were not cheap and did not last that long.  I kept buying kits to get more batteries and ended up with at least 4 drills.

 

Depends on your needs.

 

Just telling you that its liberating to give up sticking with one brand.  Keeps you out of the rut.  Keep in mind whatever you buy, the batteries are not going to last forever !

 

Ah I see what you mean. Yeah, I was seeing some tools that some brands had and Milwaukee didn't.

 

That's why I'm interested in Ryobi, I read they have been using the same battery connector so you can keep using the same tools years and years without needing to change them to accommodate the new batteries?

[WeldfabNeil]

Not sure the numbers on cost savings for reselling but if it's a big savings I would go ryobi for DIY. 

 

I love my Millwaukee fuels but I can also justify the cost. They enable me to make money. I rely on them day in day out. If there not working neither am I. 

 

I don't like ryobi for myself, but think there well worth the money. My first sawzall was a ryobi an it was well worth it. Even my ryobi 18 volt ni cad was good for its Day in the garage. 

 

 

[Pouet]

7 minutes ago, TheMidnightNarwhal said:

 

Thanks but I'm from Ottawa/Gatineau . I'll look in their online store though.

I'm in Quebec and I often buy online from outils pierre berger and elite tools (they have english websites). Lot of times they are cheaper than Amazon. A good time to buy tools is around father's day and christmas. Lot of promos. Home depot are always the most expensive in my experience.

 

As for staying with Milwaukee or not, it's depend. Do you like DIY or is it just a chore? If you enjoy it, invest in tools you truly want and can afford and keep them for a long time. The way I see it, a DIY has limited time so you don't want to waste your time with tools you don't like. Not that ryobi is bad or anything but you should really try the tool first and think what you want out of it.

 

[Biggie]

I don't want to keep the story going if it isn't true, but I know in the past I've heard of ryobi batteries having some issues. I have no personal experience with them and I also know they've been making improvements in their battery technology.  I've actually considered ryobi as a cheap way to fill some holes in my line up but never done it because its another battery line and if they don't last there goes your savings. 

[Bremon]

All manufacturers seem to moving towards longer platform life and backwards compatibility so that doesn't concern me personally. Plus, all batteries die from all manufacturers because the cells all come from the same 3/4 OEMs. Buying more batteries is a fact of life with cordless. Should still get a long life out of each battery regardless though. 

[jkeating3]

1 hour ago, Bremon said:

I wouldn't spend money on a brushed Milwaukee impact, that's for sure. If you don't want to spend on Fuel look at Ryobi. Plus it's something that actually goes on sale at HD lol. 

 

BC Fasteners and Mississauga Hardware, and if you're in the GTA, IHL, are all much better options than Black Rock for sales and service imo. Browse the flyers, you can find great deals. 

Further to those two stores, I've never had a bad experience with Atlas Machinery. They are not lightning fast for shipping, but will treat you well enough.

 

I understand what you're saying about feeling like Milwaukee might be a waste for you. I don't make my money with tools either. I don't think Ryobi will match Milwaukee for power though, and I'd personally rather have power and not need it, than need it and not have it.

[jkeating3]

24 minutes ago, Biggie said:

I don't want to keep the story going if it isn't true, but I know in the past I've heard of ryobi batteries having some issues. I have no personal experience with them and I also know they've been making improvements in their battery technology.  I've actually considered ryobi as a cheap way to fill some holes in my line up but never done it because its another battery line and if they don't last there goes your savings. 

I know it's true. My dad had some Ryobi tools that had garbage batteries. He switched to DeWalt because of it. The story might be out of date though. I haven't seen anything bad about them since the switch to neon green.

[Bremon]

Agreed re: Atlas @jkeating3, they have an amazing selection, they just don't have amazing prices. Good people and good service though. 

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

23 minutes ago, jkeating3 said:

Further to those two stores, I've never had a bad experience with Atlas Machinery. They are not lightning fast for shipping, but will treat you well enough.

 

I understand what you're saying about feeling like Milwaukee might be a waste for you. I don't make my money with tools either. I don't think Ryobi will match Milwaukee for power though, and I'd personally rather have power and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

What is your definition of power in that reply. That's something I'm not quite getting being kind of new. Because reading specs they all seem in line. The differences I thought was overall build quality.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

53 minutes ago, Pouet said:

I'm in Quebec and I often buy online from outils pierre berger and elite tools (they have english websites). Lot of times they are cheaper than Amazon. A good time to buy tools is around father's day and christmas. Lot of promos. Home depot are always the most expensive in my experience.

 

As for staying with Milwaukee or not, it's depend. Do you like DIY or is it just a chore? If you enjoy it, invest in tools you truly want and can afford and keep them for a long time. The way I see it, a DIY has limited time so you don't want to waste your time with tools you don't like. Not that ryobi is bad or anything but you should really try the tool first and think what you want out of it.

 

 

I'm in Gatineau and I'm actually french. Salut!

 

I'll check out the stores but I'm more and more leaning towards Ryobi. Combo kit on sale right now at 130$ for a drill driver and I could add their impact wrench to that and be set.