Jae Cross

hey guys.. for WEEKS i've been contemplating which Brand tool set to buy as my FIRST set. Not looking to get anything crazy expensive. Did alooot of research and im stuck between the 12v line Makita and Milwaukee, the 18v Porter Cable or the 24v Kobalt. I also looked at Ryobi but im on the fence about them they seem a little more fragile. Im more in the home improvement/ DIY market. For the most part i will be doing smaller projects such as dressers.. a tv stand.. small storage boxes.. The biggest project for me most likely will be a large shed and possibly a deck with a patio type set. any inquires will be much appreciated!

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

I've been slowly replacing my battery-powered tools with Rigid.
They offer lifetime battery replacement which #1 in my book.
Unless you're a carpenter or really hard on your tools, chances are the only thing that will go will be the battery.

Highly recommend their brand.
Currently have their multi-tool, flashlight, and both a cordless drill and impact driver.
All of the other cordless tools are gimmicky to me (circular saw, reciprocating saw)

Jae Cross

I like Ridgid alot but they are a bit pricey as well lately. i feel like for their gen 4 and 5 tool prices lately i could just buy a 12 volt Dewalt or Milwaukee the same price

thoiboi

DeWalt

atomlinks

DeWalt all the way. I've never had any issue with any DeWalt tool that I've owned. From compressors to chopsaws / drills etc. They are still all going strong. And I abuse them. Now if you are looking for an inexpensive beginner set, I'd go with the $99 Black and Decker 4 piece set from Lowes. It's showing 44% off now. https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKE...Kit/1000129569

Parent Company for DeWalt? Black and Decker...

Jae Cross

willing to spend $200 on a good set but i never considered the lower end black and decker.. forgot about them. Looks good though.

doopstr

I only buy tools that plugin because I don't use them enough to want to worry about battery. If I used them every day I would go for battery. With that said I have never had an issue with any brand. I even like the stuff from Harbor Freight because they are cheap and get the job done.

Just keep in mind for home owner this stuff will last forever so if you like nice tools buy nice tools. I don't care too much about hand tools but lawn/garden equipment is a different story.

NBP04TL4ME

With a couple of exceptions, all of my power tools are DeWalt. I have both AC and DC tools and have been happy with all of them. I have a circular saw and a variable speed reversible drill that are both 23+ years old and still going strong.

fsttyms1

All my tools are Dewalt including my 40v weed wacker all of which get used and abused and keep running.

Stay away from 12v, its not worth it as the 18-20v arent that much more expensive.

As what NSXNEXT said, Rigid is also a good bet. The best part with them is the lifetime battery replacement which in itself is worth it as replacement batteries are usually 3/4 the price of a new drill.

01acls

Go with 18v or higher. Can't go wrong with a tool that has a life time battery replacement warranty.

SamDoe1

If you're doing smaller projects then something like Ryobi or the Milwaukee M12 line will be just fine. There's no need to go drop a huge sum of money on something you'll never use. I've been using my Milwaukee M12 impact HARD (see home improvement thread) for the past 7 years and it shows no signs of stopping. For a drill, I have a Craftsman Li-Ion something or the other. It works fine and drills through anything I've tried to go through.

If/when my Milwaukee impact dies, I'll get a DeWalt or M18 Milwaukee since I'm at the point where I could use the extra performance. Based on what you noted in your first post, you don't need that. Buy the cheaper stuff and see where it leads you before you spend a ton on stuff you don't need.

Rigid stuff is fine (I have their trim router) but the battery warranty isn't as good as you guys think it is. Read some reviews about it, the policy is hardly a "no questions asked" one. In terms of performance, they are probably on par with the lower end Milwaukee and DeWalt stuff.

brian2

I like the DeWalt 20V for the wide range of tools you can add inexpensively once you have a couple battery packs... the only caveat being, these fuckers like to change the voltage about every 7yrs so they can sell more tools.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

harbor freight brand :o

Jae Cross

wow thats great.

Jae Cross

i know the DeWalt line is an excellent platform for tools but how good are their batteries? How often would i have to repurchase them?

Jae Cross

exactly my point on Ridgid they are solid but i'd rather just go with a Milwaukee/Dewalt. and i've also read up on the lifetime battery replacement and have seen the same complaint far too many times. i like Ridgid but if i get Ridgid it wont be to rely on their battery replacement .. and for that reason i'd be better off with something else thats just as as solid if not better.

Jae Cross

exactly lol. my main issue with them. which makes me look to the Milwaukee tools. Their batteries are interchangeable for the most part.

thoiboi

Look into the new DeWalt Flexvolt stuff.. 20v should be here to stay for a while.


Milwaukee has their M12 and M18 line and are not interchangeable.. Dewalts 18V stuff looks now be deprecated so i wouldn't go down that path

brian2

I have all Dewalt 18v stuff.
They do sell an adapter at least if I want to switch to lipo

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

I've replaced 3 batteries since owning my tools. Registered tools when I purchased them, took the defective battery into service center, walked out with brand new battery.

In terms of performance, the OP is not a contractor. Most higher ends brands are just overkill for this user.

SamDoe1

Awesome, glad that worked out for you. I've just read a lot of horror stories and a few of the other guys I've talked to have had issues too.

I agree that the higher end brands are overkill which is why I suggested going with Ryobi or Milwaukee M12. Getting DeWalt 20V FlexVolt brushless tools is simply overkill for putting together Ikea stuff.

fsttyms1

Was going to mention this. Look into the Flexvolt stuff. All are interchangeable.

As for how well do their batteries last, to this day all my batteries have outlasted the tools they powered (heavily beat on and have only lost 1 drill to failure and it took many 20' falls to the ground while building a house with a friend) I love the 20v power and how long they last while using them.

fsttyms1

Define overkill. Buying a tool built to last isnt overkill. Plus once you buy one (id buy a kit with drill and impact driver that comes with 2 batteries) then you can buy the tools without batteries which are much less expensive and just use the existing batteries, works well especially if you arent a contractor or needing to use 4 or 5 tools at a time.

SamDoe1

You can still buy a tool built to last that is inexpensive. As I mentioned before, the Milwaukee M12 line is exactly this and you can do the aforementioned buying bare tools once you have a couple batteries.

All I'm getting at is if you have to ask if you need a top of the line power tool set, you don't need it and should buy the lower end one instead.

CCColtsicehockey

I am a big fan of Makita stuff. That being said I received a combo pack from my dad as a Christmas gift of their entry line 18v stuff and it works great as well for around the house.

thoiboi

I mentioned Flexvolt for the discussion of interchangeable batteries. There's nothing wrong with future proofing though

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

slickdeals.net

NBP04TL4ME

I got an email from HD today for 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Breushless Drill/Driver and Impact Combo Kit (2-Tool) w/ (2) Batteries 1.5Ah and Charger. $149 and includes the contractor bag.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Dewalt

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Beat me to it. Just got a text about it from HD. Seems like a good deal.

SamDoe1

This is an awesome deal. OP should buy this, great entry level consumer grade set.

brian2

same price on Amazon.

The best "deal" I usually see is the 20v drill with 2 batteries for like $90 around Christmas. It usually sells for around $100.

You have to get the big sets to realize any big $ off, but you end up with tools that you have no use for in the beginning anyway.

thoiboi

Drill AND impact?

brian2

1/2" Drill

thoiboi

I ask because the HD deal is for a drill AND an impact driver with 2 batteries.

brian2

yeah... it's the same price on Amazon

I was just adding my own little experience in there... the prices don't fluctuate that much. $100 vs $90. You're not saving big money with these supposed deals except for the larger kits... but there you're basically just getting free flashlights or radios that you have no use for.

thoiboi

https://camelcamelcamel.com/DEWALT-D...uct/B01KZNDYT0

This hasn't gone down to 100 or 90 around Christmas time according to camel. That's why i was making sure if the deal you were talking about during the holidays was for both a Drill AND an impact for 100 or just a drill and two batteries.

I'd also argue that an impact driver for an additional $50 is a pretty good deal.

brian2

yeah... I think you missed the point I was making. The point of my original post was to show that none of these deals are really that great.

The drill is regularly $100 and the Christmas deal is for $90.

The drill and impact is not a bad deal, despite being the same price on Amazon (you're saving $10 or $20 over buying them individually).... but it's still only $10 or $20.

CCColtsicehockey

If you look at most of the combo sets that go on sale for $100 and $150 and then compare them to each other they look identical regardless of brand. The battery design and button location are the same other than a slight difference in the outside plastic. I would venture a guess the combo items are all made from the same factory and just have different place and colors.

fsttyms1

I usually look for the combo deals around then for the batteries alone. Having another set of power tool is a nice added bonus.