need advice--cordless tools

[Roger M]

I made my living with dewalt cordless stuff for about a dozen years. I burned up 4 drills/hamerdrills using them everyday and went through many batteries.

I used Dewalt mostly because the people I worked around used the same. I will most likely buy Hilti or Bosch when I upgrade.

[Verboten]

I personally own a 19.2 Craftsman and it works fine for me and my around the house stuff. I have worked professionally and used the over-rated Black & Decker DeWalts..... GOOD tool, but over-rated. I have used Makitas..... GOOD tool but over-priced even at box stores. I have used Rigids..... GREAT tool, GREAT warranty & lots of Home Depots around the country. I have used Ryobis.... yep had a boss that wanted to go cheap and believe it or not.... probably the best tool dollar for dollar, BUT not for constant abuse.

The drill I always wanted to use was the old 24V Bosch, I heard of a local guy actually broke his wrist with one and he was a contractor!!! I guess thay are beasts, but now they have a 36V!!!

So until my Craftsman dies I can only dream.

[megaladon6]

has anyone tried the porter-cables? i know they're owned by dewalt/B&D and used to be good. i'm leaning towards them as the circular saw is large enough and the kit is only $250 which is much easier for me to afford than the $500 of the other kits. plus i don't know that i need the massive power they have. 'though i may get the dewalt or the milwaukee, they seem to get more consistent reviews.
thanks

[bl1tzw1ng]

I have used Porter and always had good experiences. I did notice that they seemed to wear out a little quicker than my DeWalt stuff. I generally only use and buy DeWalt now because I use them daily for construction, have dropped the drills from 40 ft onto cement, dirt, bricks, etc and even dropped the cordless saw from about 20 ft, and I just can't kill the things. Lotsa duct tape keepin things together but they can take anything I throw at em. Just make sure you get a 1/2 inch drill, much more versatile. Corded tools are Milwaukee and have been going strong for decades. I'd suggest minimum of 18v.

If you aren't using them daily, I think you'd be fine spending a little less money on Porter maybe Craftsman or whatever else may be cheaper.

[dipren443]

has anyone tried the porter-cables? i know they're owned by dewalt/B&D and used to be good. i'm leaning towards them as the circular saw is large enough and the kit is only $250 which is much easier for me to afford than the $500 of the other kits. plus i don't know that i need the massive power they have. 'though i may get the dewalt or the milwaukee, they seem to get more consistent reviews.
thanks

The new porter cable stuff feels like tinker toys. I had a porter cable 12v drill from back when their stuff was good and it never failed me. The batteries eventually gave up the ghost... I went to a Makita 18V and I really like it.

Not sure if the question about hammer drills was answered... If you ever intend on drilling concrete/masonry, the hammer drill will come in handy big time.

[shortrack]

Not sure if the question about hammer drills was answered... If you ever intend on drilling concrete/masonry, the hammer drill will come in handy big time.

the hammer drills are heavy mofo's though......

[dipren443]

the hammer drills are heavy mofo's though......

For sure. But the one time you go to drill a few holes in masonry, you will be very glad you have one.

[megaladon6]

i really don't expect to drill rock or concrete, i lean towards the hammer drill just for the extra power and expected durability. but it looks like the regular drills are good enough for me.

[shmoov69]

So, for professional it would be (from my experience)
cordless: DeWalt. Drills and the hammerdrills haven't failed me.
Corded: DeWalt, milwaulkee and the black & decker professional series has given me good luck. Remember LOTS and LOTS of #15 screws from 1.5"-22" long into wood, steel and predrilled concrete. Hammerdrills are the Mikita hands down. Before them were the (discontinued now) old Black & Decker professional series. I have drilled way over 100,000 1/4" holes without any problems from them. But they were too good, so they quit making them!

Home use, any of the above, but I have had great luck with the Craftsman 19.2v stuff for a ton cheaper.

[megaladon6]

has anyone ever dealt with CPTools? they have some really good prices.

[nvr2fst]

We field test tools on a monthly basis. We receive several prototypes from the manufactures prior to them being sold to the consumer. Our input has helped design tools for milwaukee, makita and panasonic, freud and bosch. Keep in mind all of our employees have preferences but there held to using the tools we get from the reps. As an example we approx use about 20 cordless drills and circular saws daily. Trust me they get abused! Advantage is it dont cost us a cent.


For cordless drills my money goes to the Panasonic and Makita products.
Most rigid tool inner mechanics are made by milwaukee. So keep in mind when weighing the two out, the rigid is milwaukee with a different housing and color. Panasonic by far has the best run time, battery life, durability and sizing than any other. (15.6v- 3.5amp) will out do the 18 volts day in and day out plus it fully charges in 15 min.
Best hammerdrills on the market electric are bosch, Dewalt has not changed there mechanics in over 5yrs, they upgraded there sizing and batteries but have not redone its inner components to adapt to the new batteries.
Milwaukee IMO still makes the best circular saws- magnesium plates, tilt lock adjustable heights, low gear armature for non binding cutting and priced reasonable.

[joemac]

I have used nearly all of them. Rigid, Dewalt, Makita, Porter Cable, Craftsman, Hitachi and others.

I currently own a non lithium ion Milwaukee kit. It is a contractor grade tool. To me Dewalt is harry homeowner stuff. I would also consider Makita too. I used to own Porter Cable and it was really good stuff until they redesigned it and added the lithium ion battery, now it's junk.

[megaladon6]

yeah, i think i'm going with the milwaukee L-ion kit. they have decent reviews, and are cheaper than the others. i'm going to wait one more week though, to see if i can save a little money.

[joemac]

yeah, i think i'm going with the milwaukee L-ion kit. they have decent reviews, and are cheaper than the others. i'm going to wait one more week though, to see if i can save a little money.

A good choice that you won't be disappointed with.

[megaladon6]

just in case here's the specific kit i'm looking at, it's not the strongest they make, but i think it'll be more than enough for a DIY'er http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

[joemac]

That's a good choice. As long as you keep them dry they will last a long time. Water kills batteries.

[shortrack]

just in case here's the specific kit i'm looking at, it's not the strongest they make, but i think it'll be more than enough for a DIY'er http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

nothing wrong with that kit......good price

[shmoov69]

Dave, you said that the Bosch hammers are the best. Are you talking corded or cordless? The SDS units (corded) I bought for work wer junk and lasted about 1/2-1/3 the time of the mikita ones and waaay less than the OLD B&D pro series.
Did I just get a junk batch or what?
Thanks

[67CamNKC]

My family bought me the Power Storm Black & Decker stuff. It's actually worked out well for as hard as I use it. Its a lighter duty set.

I also have a Dewalt drill. The first one was awesome, but it burned up after 5 years. The new Dewalt I tried to replace it with is very chinsy and not near as well built as the old one was.

I am probably most impressed with my Hitachi cordless impact driver. Super stout and has good battery life.

[megaladon6]

now this is a little weird. when i go to contractors stores they say they can't buy the kit for the home depot price. but the online stores have it for the same as HD. how? is there any way to find out if there's a difference?