New Power Tools Time, which brand?

[armalites]

I think key is to buy a brand that you like the look/feel of. Every person will give you a different reason why they bought what they bought.

Milwaukee Fuel is often mentioned but for clarity it just means brushless it's not some special technology.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Dewalt for me.

Used there nicad xrp range and there still going 15 years later.
Ended up going for the new dewalt again, initially due to gasless nail guns but had no issues with any of there gear.
Impact driver and drill. Planer, skil saw jigsaw and 1st and second fix nail guns. Nearly forgot the multitool. That's been abused above and beyond the call of duty and never misses a beat.

Still wanting sds 1/4 router grinder and extractor.

 

[sako243]

Milwaukee Fuel is often mentioned but for clarity it just means brushless it's not some special technology.

That's not accurate anymore. It used to be the case but all their stuff is going brushless. Fuel means its using the top of the line PowerState motor that they've designed.

 

[J1nx]

All brands have pluses and minuses.

If your just after impact and drill then the Milwaukee fuel will be a great choice, they replace snap on guns in garages all over now.

If you are going to get a broader range of tools then Makita probably fit the bill better (biggest 18v range afaik). The drills aren’t that hard, the Makita website will let you compare but tbh the only combi style one worth buying is the DHP481z. For the 1/2” impact it would be the DTW1002z.

DeWalt make much better boxes unless you stump for Milwaukee pack out. DeWalt make a better Jigsaw and radio than Makita but generally Makita stuff slightly edges the DeWalt gear. Probably the second best range of tools and well supported.

Bosch Pro are miles behind now. The hammer drills are superb but check out comparisons on YouTube, they aren’t what they used to be unfortunately, impact drivers take twice as long to drive and fail to match others.

 

[bigegg]

milwaukee m18 fuel for me.

i tend to buy them 2nd hand, body only, from the states, for 1/4-1/3 the price of uk.

 

[Ashley Burton]

Milwaukee Fuel for me!

Got both M12 & M18 options & can't complain about any of them.

Even going to get a grinder & a circular saw at some point to add to my collection

 

[bigegg]

Milwaukee Fuel for me!

Got both M12 & M18 options & can't complain about any of them.

Even going to get a grinder & a circular saw at some point to add to my collection

definitely want a circular saw - there's a metal cutting version in the US, not sure if available here.

I'm not allowed any more angle grinders. - *apparently*, nine of them is "too many".

 

[daleyd]

I’ve gone for Bosch professional - they don’t seem to do a proper heavy duty impact wrench that can compare with Milwaukee/dewalt offerings, so if that’s important then probably best look elsewhere, however everything else I’ve got of theirs is top notch (2x drills, jigsaw, circular saw and grinder). I’m not a professional user so I couldn’t justify the outlay for Milwaukee gear, Bosch seemed a good price/performance compromise. 3 year warranty when you register too.

 

[cianh91]

Have Milwaukee in work makita at home and brothers is dewalt. As far as better or worse I don’t think there’s a real noticeable difference between them . I prefer makita for grinder for the switch I don’t like the trigger type .
As for battery’s 5ah on all them so all too similar to say ones better . The only thing iv found with people saying ones better than the other is have they matched the drills . I know my drills not as good as the brothers it’s smaller and less powerful but it’s thd smaller model makita rated at less power .
Main advice I always give is look at the range available where your gonna buy if they all suit for the range of gear you need then look at where your gonna buy if it’s online makes very little difference . If it’s from a shop look at what’s your local supplier got no point having to travel further if your local trusted place has what you need .
As said already by others kits are a great way to get more battery’s and good deals but that depends on needs diy use 2 battery’s usually enough or if like me there the go to for your job thd more the better

 

[addjunkie]

I went milwaukee, but they are pricey, make sure what ever you buy is brushless. I was a bit off the makitta stuff, but since trying a few other bits of their newer brush less kit, its decent.

 

[chris pruteanu]

Years ago it was dewalt, their xrp range was the best kit at the time. i then went with metabo/elektra beckum gear and they were the beez knees, a bit underpowered on paper but every bit as good as the old Nimh offerings from makita or dewalt. I then got a few AEG/Atlas Copco drills/hammer drills and they were in another league so started getting them, I also had plenty Hiltis but they were too expensive when they went missing from sites !
About 2005 Atlas Copco was bought by TTI who also got the milwaukee brand, had few old milwaukee heavy duty tools (mainly hammer drills) and they were the best ive tried so far. By year 2006 Milwaukee released their 28v LiIon range of tools- i still have them however batteries were trully rubbish and many failed with just a few charging cycles ! The 1st generation Milwaukee 28v range of tools is still the best they've done ( i upgraded to their new range of M28 batteries and they keep pounding!) however they invested heavily into the 18v range of tools as where all the competition range is !
In the last few years Milwaukee have made some of the best batteries bar Hilti however they are pushing capacity to insane levels...5Ah when most competition had 3Ah, 9Ah when most competition is 5Ah and even 12 Ah nowadays ! Hand on heart, i have 9Ah batteries that lasts 2-3 weeks between charging and i use a 18v 3/4'' impact wrench on a daily basis for the last 3.5-4 years... The gun looks sorry for itself (no rubber coating left on it anymore) however its just as good as the day i bought it but i keep breaking snap on 3/4" to 1/2" adapters !
I have all sorts of tools: dewalt's, makita's, mikwaukee's, bosch, hitachi's, etc...i tend to choose the best in their field and stick to it for corded version however for battery powered tools is milwaukee for me ! Their boxes are stackable so i can use a trolley to move them about however they are not getting far out the garage nowadays !

 

[Craig-SM]

Decided to go with Milwaukee getting the torque gun, drill, mutli-tool, angle grinder and 2x 5AH batteries. Shopped around a bit but found eBay to be cheapest using a 10% off offer. Unfortunately they won't be here before Easter so plenty of time with the family and dog

 

[steviec_lj]

Keep looking at the grinder, unfortunately at the moment that’s all I can do, I’ve just spent the best part of £600 on steel for various projects, and £400 on tools.

I don’t fancy another £5000 on a divorce this month

 

[dcocks]

I use Dewalt 18v everyday not saying they are the best, just that is the route I went down. Expensive to change brands when you have a load of batteries

 

[chris pruteanu]

I use Dewalt 18v everyday not saying they are the best, just that is the route I went down. Expensive to change brands when you have a load of batteries

Youre right, its expensive to change brands if youre already geared for one make...i buy the best corded tool from whats on offer and i am no brand snob ! I have plenty dewalts, makitas, milwaukee or hitachi ! So far these didnt dissapoint !

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Youre right, its expensive to change brands if youre already geared for one make...i buy the best corded tool from whats on offer and i am no brand snob ! I have plenty dewalts, makitas, milwaukee or hitachi ! So far these didnt dissapoint !

Indeed. Plenty of variety in my 110v tools.
Just wish we had an industry standard for battery tools.

 

[MattF]

I don’t fancy another £5000 on a divorce this month

Not that I'm biased, but that would seem money well spent.

 

[indy4x]

I'm no brand snob, used mostly Ryobi 18v for years. All DIY but used Ryobi to renovate the house, this was a total rip and replace of everything. Then it was a 2 storey extension and loft conversion followed by a garage so they saw lots of a a action.

The Ryobi 1.2AH batteries are a waste of time, 2.4AH and above are the way to go.

They do a fast charger as well, one of my Ryobi tools came with a slow charger and would take 3hrs to do a 2.4AH battery but the fast charger is well worth the money.

Am now running Bosch 18V blue stuff as I didn't get on with the Ryobi grinder. Have changed most of my gear over but still have the Ryobi 18V drill, multitool and recip saw

The Ryobi 18V recip saw is awesome, have done some serious work with mine and it still keeps going. It's the old blue bodied one, have been looking at the Bosch equivalent but can't justify it as the Ryobi just keeps going

 

[Sean]

DeWalt were the best, now its Milwaulkee...because the guy that ran DeWalt was a marketing genius/evil despot who got punted. He now runs Milwaulkee so they are the "must have" brand with aggresive marketing.

Personally i like Makita (who are owned by makita) as the grips are smaller which leads to less fatigue for me.

Just try a few before deciding on which battery platform so you can just add bare tools, they are all compitent.

 

[Ruffian]

Metabo if I could choose again but
At the moment stuck with dewalt.