Converting to cordless - need advice

[Saddlestretcher]

Hello all:

 

I am in the process to converting to cordless.  I bought a project house, will be doing flooring, new bathrooms, etc.  I'll be putting in 1200 ft of LVP, and some tiling.  Nothing structural, no walls to move.  I have a Dewalt sliding miter saw which is corded and I am very happy with.  All my other tools are well used, and I am tired of dragging cords around.  

 

My dilemma is trying to decide which battery pack to go with.  It appears that brands are not cross compatible with batteries.  Leaning toward the Dewalt Atomic line, but would rather get some advice regarding batteries before I make the leap.  I've read on the site where some people seem not as happy with their brand, but the $$$ of changing to another brand doesn't make it worth it.  

 

Tools I'll be needing immediately are drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, jigsaw, oscillating tool.  I've never had an impact driver, but if you buy a combo pack (which seems the most efficient way to go) a drill and impact driver always seem to be 1 and 1a. 

 

Any and all input is appreciated.  

[ToolBane]

First thing I would suggest is sorting out all the tools you are likely to “need” as you go, and weed out the brands that either don’t perform well with them or just lack them outright. The “fringe” or most unique tools...if there are any...are the ones you want to pay closest attention to in my opinion. Pretty much everyone makes a decent enough drill and impact driver these days because that’s the first thing people buy, companies make sure theirs are not complete lemons compared to the rest of the market, so those aren’t what really differentiates the brands.

 

They are also tools that companies will use to get people into their platform with on good promotions etc. Just about all of them are going to regularly offer $100 deals with a drill or impact, a battery, and charger. These kits are great ways to get into a platform, but they are NOT good indicators of what your long term investment is going to cost. So check the prices of the ranges of tools you’re considering for each brand to narrow down how pricey a platform you are willing to pay for. The costs of circular saws, routers, and especially bigger tools like miter saws and vacuum cleaners will be better indicators of what you may be looking at.

 

A lot of attention gets lavished on the “Big 3” of Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee, and they are very good companies any of which will more than likely satisfy all your needs. But they’re pretty premium priced as they are oriented for professional daily use, and for most people doing home stuff (DIY as we like to say) you don’t probably need to spend that much. There are a lot of intermediate brands like Ridgid (Home Depot exclusive), Kobalt (Lowe’s exclusive), Hitachi/Hikoki, etc that for most people are also more than capable, and even complete “budget” brands like Ryobi and Craftsman are still likely to be able to handle most of what you want to accomplish.

 

I happen to run Makita (spendy professional) and Ryobi (budget DIY, Home Depot exclusive). For my purposes which leans more toward carpentry as opposed to “rough” work like framing, Makita is a little more geared for precision relative to Dewalt and Milwaukee, and they have had some tools that there’s little to no competition for from anyone else. Then I have Ryobi as a backup platform, as they have a huge variety of products that almost no one else has.

 

Ridgid is a unique brand as they offer a lifetime service agreement. You have to jump through hoops to ensure that you get it, and their lineup of tools is one of the narrowest on the market, but if you mostly just need “the basics” and having a long-term warranty strikes as appealing to you, they are a near-professional caliber company worth looking into. At the same time, both Kobalt and Hikoki/Hitachi/MetaboHPT are similarly capable tool ranges in the same price category that deserve serious consideration.

[Saddlestretcher]

I was reading the streamlining battery platforms prior to posting this.  I am glad I am not the only one who wishes they would all get on the same train.  It's like chargers for Apple and all other brands.  

[fm2176]

ToolBane offers some very good advice that's not tarnished with brand bias.  You'll find a lot of people who will tell you that [insert brand here] is the greatest out there, but the truth is that all of the established brands-and even some of the less-mentioned ones like Harbor Freight's Bauer and Hercules-will likely perform better and last longer than what 90% of homeowners need or even expect.

 

I wish I could steal his claim of "running" certain brands, but I'll admit that I'm more of a tool owner who occasionally does a project or decides to torture a tool as opposed to regular usage.  I currently have DeWalt 8v, 12v, 20v, and FlexVolt; Milwaukee M12 and M18; Ryobi 18v (and a single Tek4 scope); Ridgid 18v; and a single Hitachi 12v rotary tool.  Previously, I've owned Porter Cable 18v; Hitachi 18v; Kobalt 20v; Black and Decker (14.4v, IIRC); and I used the old Black and Decker/DeWalt UniVolt tools professionally back in the '90s.  

 

Since you're in Kentucky, I'm going to assume that you have both Lowe's and Home Depot stores within a reasonable distance.  I'm a big fan of instant gratification, so the bulk of my tool purchases have been from these two stores.  Only one brand is sold at both (DeWalt), and in my opinion, the Lowe's exclusive brands are a bit less established than the Home Depot exclusive brands, which brings me to my suggestions:

 

Ryobi - offers both inexpensive and borderline pricey options in an extremely large line with a lot of things that other "budget" brands don't offer, such as larger capacity (6Ah and 9Ah) batteries and hybrid tools.  If I only wanted one brand and was on a budget, I'd go with this.

 

 

Ridgid - much smaller line than Ryobi but with a lot of innovative tools that more than cover the basics.  The Lifetime Service Agreement registration is not as much of a pain as the internet claims...I've registered my tools with only a couple of them requiring me to upload the receipt.  The fact that batteries included in kits are covered under the LSA makes Ridgid a prime candidate for someone who wants to buy once, take care of their tools, and have a backup in case of an eventual failure.

 

DeWalt - you mentioned the Atomic line, the advantage to it is that it is part of the overall 20v Max system.  Basically, you can use any 20v Max battery with any 20v Max tool (and can also use 60v Max FlexVolt batteries in the 20v tools).  Further, some radios and most chargers can be used with the 12v/20v/60v Max family of batteries.  So, your concern about battery compatibility is offset by the fact that DeWalt

 

Between the two most visibly popular brands on these forums and elsewhere (Milwaukee and DeWalt), I'd go with DeWalt due to both their greater big box availability and their popularity with those who end up pawning them (I've gotten a number of deals at pawn shops where Milwaukee just seems to be nonexistent).  Also, as previously alluded to, 20v Max is the basis for DeWalt's battery format: both the 12v and 60v batteries are similar in shape and design (though those are separate systems with limited compatibility with some accessories).

 

At the end of the day, it's your choice as to brand.  Makita, Bosch, Kobalt, Craftsman, MetaboHPT, and other brands I haven't mentioned much all offer quality tools with their own advantages and disadvantages.  Any of those brands will offer the basics of what you need.  Oh, and once you get an impact driver, you'll wonder how you drove screws without one; they make short work of even the longest decking screws and can even be used in a limited capacity to drive other fasters (lag bolts, etc.).

[Saddlestretcher]

Thanks to everyone - I appreciate the thoughtful posts and advice.  That is a good point about picking up tools at a pawn shop.  I had never thought of that. 

[Jronman]

I would recommend not cutting corners on performance and at the same time not going overkill either. You can always use the higher performing tool on most of the less demanding tasks but you can't always use the lower performing tool on the more demanding tasks. Example: I would recommend getting something like the 20v max brushless 6in circular saw over something like the 7in flexvolt circular saws or the atomic circular saw. You will find the Atomic underperforms and the Flexvolt stuff is overkill. If you find you need a bit more performance then go ahead and get a Flexvolt saw. Since you mentioned DeWALT, something like this DCKSS699M2 or DCKTS600M2 kit might be a good option.