ryanjbutler1 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I am currently debating on picking a battery platform. I have the bostitch drill and driver i really like but they just dont have anything else that runs off that platform. I am really thinking the Milwaukee line or the ridgid gen 5x. i really just need the basic recip saw, drill, impact, jigsaw and a nice circular saw. You guys on here are the best and know you stuff. i do a lot of woodworking projects and home DIY. Thanks for the help and advise guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Tibbetts Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 if you can't tell I'm a huge DeWalt fan and honestly have zero complaints I just graduated high school and have been using mine as hobbiest wood worker and advancing into construction I also have an m12 drill driver that is slowly becoming my go to because it's so compact and lightweight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kornomaniac Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 The most extensive line with even some woodworking specialty tools is makita's 18v lxt line. Although all Brands have their specialty tools ( dewalt has battery framing nailer, Milwaukee had battery hole hawg )But makita's battery range is most extensieve by far.The 18v lxt range also gives you access to garden tools using thesame batteries. I personally hate having to get out a cord for trimming the hedges. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin22 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I personally like Makita the best and they have a huge 18v line. craftsman aren't bad but problably not as good as Makita, dewalt, ridged... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ridgid, etc., you can't really go wrong with any of these. Honestly the only battery platform I feel is truly limited would be the Ridgid line, I really wish they would expand it some more. I am not a woodworker, but a lot of the guys I know that are swear by Makita. I suggest you go to Home Depot and put your hands on them all, see what feels best in your hands. And eventually you might end up like me with tools from different battery platforms, it just happens. No company makes the best everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Like Chris said u can't go wrong either way man I have the Dewalt and Milwaukee line " Best of both Worlds for me" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I own M12 and M18 from Milwaukee, but from what you're describing would probably go with Makita. They are neck and neck with drills, impact driver and circular saw. I believe red has the better recip but teal has the better jigsaw, and a more extensive line overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewie17 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 no bias from me on this one, being a fan of team red I will have to agree with everyone on the Makita, however I do like and own ridgids JobMax which is a multi-purpose oscillating tool. so regardless of the brand you pick check it out, they come in 12v, 18v or corded. that one has helped me on numerous jobs and I use it has a jigsaw when needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorb888 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Makita only has a 1 year warranty on their batteries. Dewalt has a 2 year warranty on their 1.5ah & 2ah batteries and a 3 year warranty on the 3, 4, and 5ah packs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Milwaukee's batteries match the Dewalt warranty, and the tools have a 5 year warranty. I didn't realize Makita battery warranty was that brief though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I'd like to,respond again as I just offered up my opinion so I'll just cut and paste it here....truthfully I'm just too lazy to post it again My quote from the other post Choosing the Right Power Tool / Tool Brand:"What about Makita? I've got all of the main brands now with the exception of Ridgid. I would argue for Ridgid' warranty. It's the best one out there with a lifetime service agreement.....IF YOU REGISTER THE TOOLS! I would in the same sentence agree that the Ridgid line is great but extremely limited.I have the following CORDLESS tools by brand....Bosch - IDH182 Brushless Impact Driver / Wrench and the MXH180BL Brushless multi tool as well as the FL12 LED Lamp and Vacuum in 12v. and the PB360 Power Box.Dewalt - DCD985 20v Hammer Drill, DCN692 Brushless Framing Nailer, DCS391 Circular Saw.Makita - DJV181 Brushless Jig Saw, XCU02 18v X2 Chainsaw.Milwaukee - M12 Fuel 2453 Impact Driver, M12 Fuel 2520 Hackzall and M12 2460 Rotary Tool.Ryobi - ZRP854 Brad Nailer.Black and Decker (Gasp! Eeeeegad Man!) 20v AutoSense DrillFestool - CXS Compact Drill Driver Set, T18 Drill Driver Set.I'm pretty sure I might be missing some stuff but those are my CORDLESS tools. Each one....including that B&D (absolutely awesome tool for driving pocket screws without over driving) has a useful spot in my shop and has MORE than proven itself. I would say though, in my opinion, as a woodworker and DIY type, Makita has the largest, most diverse line of cordless tools for a single brand. I'm not saying the best, just the most rounded offering. As you can see by my eclectic family, each one brings a strength to the table. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontotoolman Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Milwaukee and makita all the way i cant comment on ridgid but personally dewalt and ridgiď have no place in my tool box Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyB Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I like my Makita, but would also highly consider Milwaukee if I was planning on expanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I'm a Milwaukee fan boy I will admit, but you can't go wrong with any of the tool brands. I would prick the brand that covers the tools you might want to expand into eventually. Ridigid is nice with the LSA, but they do have limited expansion tools. Ridgid had been expanding more lately though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99_XC600 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I'll chime in. Initially I started on the Bosch 12V compact line which I absolutely love. I have the Impact, Drill and the Pocket Driver. It's great to have the 3 tools to setup for different tasks and not worry about changing bits. When I wanted something with more power, I decided to go with the 20V Porter Cable 20V Max series. The impact is an absolute beast for what it is. I've recently picked up the Oscillating tool, 1/2" Drill and the flashlight and I couldn't be happier. For the price point and the performance, I'm happy with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeldfabNeil Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Either millwakee, makita would be a good choice. I run millwakee an am very pleased. Most of my needs are metalworking an diy. Either brand I would consider a oscillating multi tool if you do woodowrking or diy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalu Rash Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I was in a similar boat not too long ago. I had some DeWalt 20V drills but decided to go with Milwaukee as a battery platform. I mostly work in a shop, doing woodworking type projects, but often I'll get called to help with a renovation/addition and for this reason is why I went with Milwaukee. If your only doing woodworking projects or stuff out of the garage, you could do well with all the big names like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Rigid, Makita, Bosch. If your trying to watch your budget, I would go with Ryobi. They have a ton of tools on their battery platform including a cordless miter saw. Sure they may not be the best tools in the world but they get the job done. Next in line would be Rigid in my opinion. And a step up from that would be DeWalt. My suggested battery platform for a home diyer, woodworker, person working out of a garage/shop:1.) Ryobi - Very budget friendly and easy to get / Not the greatest of tools but still very good! Perfect for any woodworker or diyer because you are probably relying more on corded tools anyway like your jointer, planer, table saw, band saw, router table, drill press.2.) Rigid3.) DeWalt4.) Bosch5.) Makita6.) Milwaukee - My favorite of the cordless platforms (I'll edit this later on with my opinions on the other brands) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Harris Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I put my money into the Milwaukee platform. 12v and 18v. I haven't been disappointed.I do see a few things like the DeWalt blowers and trimmers that are tempting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kornomaniac Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Im a Makita fanboy personally. The scope of makita's 18 volt lineup is soooo big. You can pretty much find anything you need there Also the fastest charger in the industry. No use in waiting for batteries to charge when you could be using them instead ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontotoolman Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Im a Makita fanboy personally. The scope of makita's 18 volt lineup is soooo big. You can pretty much find anything you need there Also the fastest charger in the industry. No use in waiting for batteries to charge when you could be using them instead !Makita evant tomorrow il be sure to let you know how it isSent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Harris Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Makita evant tomorrow il be sure to let you know how it isSent from my SGH-I337M using TapatalkI see a new thread coming. Checkout what I picked up at the Makita event. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontotoolman Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I see a new thread coming. Checkout what I picked up at the Makita event.Ya buddy forsure its gonna be fun get to test out some tools and pick up a few tools Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjbutler1 Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Thanks guys for all the help and input. TIA crew is the BEST!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuutr Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I started (when I finally got serious about quality cordless tools) with a makita 18v compact set. One battery died just out of warranty but I was really impressed with the set. They do have a wide offering but the battery replacement was close to $100 so I looked around. I saw the rigid comoact 18v set with the LSA and jumped on it. Really like the set. After a year with the compact set the x5 set came out bought that. Could not be more pleased. At the same time I started trying 12v sets. I haven't had a bad experience with Bosch (impact driver and drill/driver), ridgid (impact driver), hitachi (impact driver and drill) and Milwaukee (non-Fuel drill and impact driver). Milwaukee has a very extensive 12v lineup. So I gifted the Bosch and Hitachi. Ridgid stays in the truck. And the Milwaukee set has grown to include hackzall, ratchet, flashlight, multi tool, and rotary tool. So I guess I'm a team red 12 volt guy and team orange 18 volt guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bothuhead19 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I honestly think you can't go wrong with either one of those battery platforms. Milwaukee's got a huge line and the best saws around but you pay the premium to get it. All the reviews I've seen on the Ridgid X5's really show that they can compete with top brands and I think would be enough for any homeowner or DIY'er. If money isn't an issue though I would venture into the vast lineup of Milwaukee or even their FUEL lineup but if your on a budget, you can pretty much grab the Ridgid X5 set for about $400 not including a jigsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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