Home Improvement Mags: Best Cordless tool system?

[shirk]

count me a happy fool spending not much for cheap tools that work. Cordless drills are great, the rest of the stuff, not so much. Batteries die, jobs need more than one thing so you wait for batteries to charge. But whatever. Makita's been ok for a few things.

I would have said the same thing...until I used this little sucker. With two batteries I always leave on on the charger. As long as you don't forget both of them dead it's no big deal.

I also have a sliding compound mitre saw, so if it's a whole lot of cuts then obviously that gets the job.

Like I said this little saw has really surprised me.

[RootSkier]

Everyone talking shit about cordless tools sucking: STFU, JONG.

I like Makita stuff a lot. However, I tend to agree with the person who recommended DeWalt, just for the sake of availability. If you get a small set + one extra battery (3 batteries total) and the set comes with a quick charger, you will be able to use two batteries at a time with one charging.

You can buy bare tools (i.e. no batteries) CHEAP, which is awesome. Check ebay if you don't believe me.

[josef]

You can buy bare tools (i.e. no batteries) CHEAP, which is awesome. Check ebay if you don't believe me.

This is because there has been fairly little advance in battery powered tools since their advent with the exception of battery technology. With the exception of brushless motors, dc motors are the same as they were in the 1800's. Other than feature placement most of these tools are identical anyways.

The only reason I see to go with a corded tool is power. Some tools just wont be powerful enough to last for any meaningful amount of time if they are cordless.

[Hugh Conway]

Everyone talking shit about cordless tools sucking: STFU, JONG.

ok mr 4*8 shits of endgrain hardwood.

what can I say for small jobs that some of these are good for I like handtools, big ones go corded.

[systemoverblow'd]

Here's the thing. Every company has something they do great. I would never buy a reciprocating saw (corded) that wasn't a Milwaukee. I would never buy a cordless drill unless it was Mikita or DeWalt. I'd never buy a circular saw (corded) that wasn't a Mikita. Wouldn't buy a right angle drill that wasn't a Milwaukee. Owning one brand of anything is stupid of you plan to use it a lot. Get the best

[Ted Striker]

about 10 years ago I was tired of having to deal with dead batteries half way thru a job, So I took one of my old Makita 9.6 drills, connected 2 long wires to it and made it a 12 volt drill. No more dead batteries.

And where do you get the 12 volts from? Car battery?

[XXX-er]

^^^ with products that use batteries do they all use the same batteries and if not wouldn't you need more batteries & chargers than if you stuck with one brand?

[Ted Striker]

^^^ yeah, that's the scam - the batteries don't mix and match between brands.

[RootSkier]

I would never buy a reciprocating saw (corded) that wasn't a Milwaukee.

That's because you have no idea what you are talking about. Let me know if you want my opinion on video editing hardware, I am sure I can give an answer just as useful as yours is here.

[RootSkier]

ok mr 4*8 shits of endgrain hardwood.

Don't know what you are talking about with the endgrain, but you can get 4x8 plywood with just about any hardwood veneer you want.

[systemoverblow'd]

That's because you have no idea what you are talking about. Let me know if you want my opinion on video editing hardware, I am sure I can give an answer just as useful as yours is here.

Gee, even popular mechanics agrees with me!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/4258778

ohh and lookie here!

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/b...ing-saw-31496/

[Hugh Conway]

That's because you have no idea what you are talking about. Let me know if you want my opinion on video editing hardware, I am sure I can give an answer just as useful as yours is here.

Isn't your metier now pencil pushing wannabe Rontele? You were the one rambling on about routers and endgrain hardwood....

[twistedtesticles]

re: choose the best tool for the job (i.e. multiple brands)

that's great in theory, but then you get hosed when you go to swap a battery. for practical purposes it makes more sense to go with a system that is very good for your primary tasks (say, dewalt if you use mostly a hammerdrill and an impact driver, or maybe Milwaukee if you beat the shit out of tools, or Makita if you have all sorts of weird shit that needs to be cordless) and just get a couple extra batteries for that.

I would have bought a dewalt hedge trimmer and blower but they don't make them, and I already had a drill, saber saw, and trim saw from dewalt so I didn't want to buck up for Makita. If I was starting out a set of tools now, knowing what I know, it would be a tough call between Makita (does everything, but the batteries cost too much), Dewalt (does an OK job at most everything, but no blower or nailgun that I'm aware of), or Ryobi (shitty, but cheap!).

I would not use a cordless grinder if you paid me to take it, and I'm not sure that any cordless rotary hammer short of a Bosch or Hilti is worth what they will cost. And there are some jobs (drill press, tile saw, cement saw, jackhammer) where a good cordless tool doesn't (can't!) exist. But for things like leaf blowers (great for cleaning out the garage), hammer drills, impact wrenches, and saber saws, I would not want to use the corded equivalent (though I own a corded drill and can borrow a corded recip saw or pneumatic impact wrench whenever I want). It's just too much of a pain in the ass to move around with them, especially if you are roughing in new construction where you will need a long extension cord and/or a generator for corded.

jmho

[XXX-er]

Cordless angle grinders ^^^ are great for removing bike locks so they actualy work pretty well and pay off ...if you are a bike thief

^^^ yeah, that's the scam - the batteries don't mix and match between brands.

I'm slow today so the logic took about 5 seconds to register

[Hugh Conway]

re: choose the best tool for the job (i.e. multiple brands)

that's great in theory, but then you get hosed when you go to swap a battery. for practical purposes it makes more sense to go with a system that is very good for your primary tasks (say, dewalt if you use mostly a hammerdrill and an impact driver, or maybe Milwaukee if you beat the shit out of tools, or Makita if you have all sorts of weird shit that needs to be cordless) and just get a couple extra batteries for that.

I would have bought a dewalt hedge trimmer and blower but they don't make them, and I already had a drill, saber saw, and trim saw from dewalt so I didn't want to buck up for Makita. If I was starting out a set of tools now, knowing what I know, it would be a tough call between Makita (does everything, but the batteries cost too much), Dewalt (does an OK job at most everything, but no blower or nailgun that I'm aware of), or Ryobi (shitty, but cheap!).

I would not use a cordless grinder if you paid me to take it, and I'm not sure that any cordless rotary hammer short of a Bosch or Hilti is worth what they will cost. And there are some jobs (drill press, tile saw, cement saw, jackhammer) where a good cordless tool doesn't (can't!) exist. But for things like leaf blowers (great for cleaning out the garage), hammer drills, impact wrenches, and saber saws, I would not want to use the corded equivalent (though I own a corded drill and can borrow a corded recip saw or pneumatic impact wrench whenever I want). It's just too much of a pain in the ass to move around with them, especially if you are roughing in new construction where you will need a long extension cord and/or a generator for corded.

jmho

I've yet to encounter an electric impact wrench that's useful.... pneumatic is where it's at for that.

[AdironRider]

Corded tools for around the house don't wear out so how does a power toll company sell more product ...different colors and battery power

The BD drill & skil saw I bought 30-40 yrs ago are still kicking so unless I wanted to be a conspicuous consumer I would have a hard time spending $ to replace them to do the odd job, I can't see needing battery power before I check out and the one battery powered drill I do own is only because somebody died

Im with you 100%. Although I will say I have a Makita cordless and while I dont really care for it my wife has become quite a bit more handy with it. I got it as a gift and Im cool with it.

Everything with batteries is either dying or already dead. It pisses me off royally. I use my grandfathers corded drill to this day and it purrs and never runs out of juice.

[RootSkier]

Gee, even popular mechanics agrees with me!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/4258778

ohh and lookie here!

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/b...ing-saw-31496/

Popular Mechanics reviewed 4 saws, two of which are piece-of-shit consumer versions. I don't care about the morons in the second link.

I wasn't arguing specifically that Milwaukee doesn't make the best sawzall, whatever. I don't give a fuck. My point is that there is NO WAY you have enough experience to be able to determine the very best brand of each specific tool. That is retarded.

[Hugh Conway]

My point is that there is NO WAY you have enough experience to be able to determine the very best brand of each specific tool. That is retarded.

That negates every review ever uttered on TGR. Congrats douche police

[RootSkier]

That negates every review ever uttered on TGR. Congrats douche police

Touche, dick.

[systemoverblow'd]

Popular Mechanics reviewed 4 saws, two of which are piece-of-shit consumer versions. I don't care about the morons in the second link.

I wasn't arguing specifically that Milwaukee doesn't make the best sawzall, whatever. I don't give a fuck. My point is that there is NO WAY you have enough experience to be able to determine the very best brand of each specific tool. That is retarded.

I've been in 4 different construction industries (HVAC, voice/data wiring, framing and home remodeling contractors). In the back of 95% of the people I worked with or had direct access to vans they had exactly what I mentioned. No, I gave up manual labor a long time ago, but the fact remains, most people in construction oriented fields will use those. That doesn't make me a pro at anything, but I know tools and my friends use them on a daily basis. Someone asks to get a sawzall I go and look for the red steel box in the back of the truck. Someone asks for a hammer drill, I do the same. Someone asks for a cordless drill I will look for the blue makita or the black and yellow dewalt. I bet the majority of "pro" construction people will say that is a fairly safe thing to look for.

[zombinate]

re: choose the best tool for the job (i.e. multiple brands)

that's great in theory, but then you get hosed when you go to swap a battery. for practical purposes it makes more sense to go with a system that is very good for your primary tasks (say, dewalt if you use mostly a hammerdrill and an impact driver, or maybe Milwaukee if you beat the shit out of tools, or Makita if you have all sorts of weird shit that needs to be cordless) and just get a couple extra batteries for that.

I would have bought a dewalt hedge trimmer and blower but they don't make them, and I already had a drill, saber saw, and trim saw from dewalt so I didn't want to buck up for Makita. If I was starting out a set of tools now, knowing what I know, it would be a tough call between Makita (does everything, but the batteries cost too much), Dewalt (does an OK job at most everything, but no blower or nailgun that I'm aware of), or Ryobi (shitty, but cheap!).

I would not use a cordless grinder if you paid me to take it, and I'm not sure that any cordless rotary hammer short of a Bosch or Hilti is worth what they will cost. And there are some jobs (drill press, tile saw, cement saw, jackhammer) where a good cordless tool doesn't (can't!) exist. But for things like leaf blowers (great for cleaning out the garage), hammer drills, impact wrenches, and saber saws, I would not want to use the corded equivalent (though I own a corded drill and can borrow a corded recip saw or pneumatic impact wrench whenever I want). It's just too much of a pain in the ass to move around with them, especially if you are roughing in new construction where you will need a long extension cord and/or a generator for corded.

jmho

Thank you, this was more what I was looking for.

Curious, Ryobi seems to be pretty shat upon, but mostly they seem to work for folks. I haven't had any personal experience, and wonder if they really are bad, or just unpopular. Is Ryobi the Hyundai of power tools?

[Hugh Conway]

Thank you, this was more what I was looking for.

Curious, Ryobi seems to be pretty shat upon, but mostly they seem to work for folks. I haven't had any personal experience, and wonder if they really are bad, or just unpopular. Is Ryobi the Hyundai of power tools?

ryobi works for people who don't give a shit about quality and don't use them much... really like everything else home depot sells.

[zombinate]

I've been in 4 different construction industries (HVAC, voice/data wiring, framing and home remodeling contractors). In the back of 95% of the people I worked with or had direct access to vans they had exactly what I mentioned. No, I gave up manual labor a long time ago, but the fact remains, most people in construction oriented fields will use those. That doesn't make me a pro at anything, but I know tools and my friends use them on a daily basis. Someone asks to get a sawzall I go and look for the red steel box in the back of the truck. Someone asks for a hammer drill, I do the same. Someone asks for a cordless drill I will look for the blue makita or the black and yellow dewalt. I bet the majority of "pro" construction people will say that is a fairly safe thing to look for.

Having not had some "Pro" experience, I have a follow up. If asked to just simplify to one brand, would there be any consensus? Or put another way, if you got a Pro-deal on just one brand, which brand would you hope it would be? Would your contractor friends agree?

[twistedtesticles]

Is Ryobi the Hyundai of power tools?

I was going to say that's a really good analogy, except that my wife rented a Hyundai recently and it was a pretty nice vehicle. Maybe Ryobi is more like the Kia (or Lada) of cordless tools.

They do make a chainsaw which is pretty cool, but then so does Makita, and the latter might actually cut something wider than 3 inches. If money were no object I would buy all Makita stuff and a bunch of their spare Li-ion batteries, but since money is an object, I have mostly DeWalt tools. Anyplace you find a general contractor you will probably find some old but serviceable XRP batteries, and in a pinch you can also rebuild them. Good luck doing that with Li-ion batteries.

[Jethro]

count me a happy fool spending not much for cheap tools that work. Cordless drills are great, the rest of the stuff, not so much. Batteries die, jobs need more than one thing so you wait for batteries to charge.

Second this. I have had at least four combo sets in the last 15 years or so. I have a tool itch that needs scratching and buy new ones and give my old sets to friends My current set is a Milwaukee 18v with the first generation of lithium batteries. The Drills, drivers and sawzall are great. The rotary saw sucks batteries dry to quickly. I have corded versions of all these tools, but I really like the portability of cordless tools. If you need to do a lot of cutting, corded tools are the way to go, but cordless ones are fine for the occasional cut. I am really impressed with my apprentice's new 20v Dewalt set. Dewalt also offers a lot of different tools for one battery type. I don't think any of the makers products outshine any others.