Home Improvement Mags: Best Cordless tool system?

[twistedtesticles]

that's a good point, no matter what flavor of rotary saw you buy or from what manufacturer, it will never give you as many cuts as you'd like. Any time I use my trim saw I find myself swapping batteries half way through, which kind of sucks. Makes me wish I hadn't killed my Bosch worm drive saw by cutting concrete with a diamond blade (the dust gets into the motor) :-/

[Jethro]

I just had my tenants move out and I had to re-do the entire unit. Paint, carpet, and a lot of miscellaneous things. There was a slow leak under the kitchen sink which made all the subfloor under the tile in the kitchen area soggy. Tonight I took half the tile up and peeled back the plywood and the underlayment. I used my good Skil Mag 77 with a shitty blade to rip through the remnants of the mastic and thinset. I need a beater saw at home, in addition to my good saw and cordless saw. I am an electrician, so cordless tool are great for constant but light duty work. You need a real saw for stuff like I did tonight. I would go for a cordless 1/4" impact driver and drill, and buy a corded sawzall and skil saw.

[RootSkier]

If asked to just simplify to one brand, would there be any consensus?

No, none. Pros all have their preferences for certain brands of specific tools. For example, advres says he would only buy a Makita skill saw. However, even though I have worked in production shops where there was 3+ skill saws per person, I have never even SEEN a Makita skill saw, unless you count this:



In which case, then yes, everyone agrees Makita makes the best beam saw.

In other words, the preference for certain tools is both highly personal and highly regional (e.g. I hear they all use sidewinder skill saws on the east coast, but everyone out here seems to prefer worm drives).

[systemoverblow'd]

No, none. Pros all have their preferences for certain brands of specific tools. For example, advres says he would only buy a Makita skill saw. However, even though I have worked in production shops where there was 3+ skill saws per person, I have never even SEEN a Makita skill saw, unless you count this:

You've never seen a Makita circular saw? You're certainly one to listen to then. And I know you don't give much credence to Popular Mechanics but, again, my choice is their highest rated circular saw in this shoot-out. http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...n-test#slide-6

[XXX-er]

Broken or worn tools is just part of the cost of the job or for a tradesman doing business, if I had to do a big job I might buy more tools but I purposely stay away from that kind of thing and so far the 1st stuff I bought is still working

If you ever wander thru a pawn shop there are always used corded power tools for sale

[NmbrdDays]

I'll give you an electricians opinion. Roybi is the hyundai of power tools. Hilti makes prob the best overall. Bosch makes great hammer drills in any size. Milwaukee saws all the way along with hole hogs. Now a days Milwaukee makes a top notch 18v LI ion battery system. Makita also makes a nice 18v LI ion cordless and impact drill. Dealt had dropped in the ranks. Their batteries just flat out suck. Rumor is they also make an inferior line they sell to home depot with plastic parts. That's just job site rumors. Don't buy anything less than 18v. If you plan to drill with spade bits 1" or bigger, the battery life is prob 4 holes. Also an 18v will drive a 4" #10 SMS, your gonna have to give a lil extra lean on it.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for. If you cheap out don't expect it to last. Buy the best quality you can afford, and it will last.

[ex-powderbroker]

I have not been able to break a very cheap Ryobi set from Home depot after ~10 years, one home remodel, one full cabin rebuild plus regular day to day stuff. Dropped drill off roof of house once years (by mistake) never missed a beat. Just a pair of replacement batteries one time. I don't think it's worth spending extra on bigger name brands.

I've broken multiple Ryobi things including a cheap circa saw and a hammer drill, but the replacement cost is 1/5 what the good companies charge and most of it keeps on trucking. The full line of accessories and affordable lithium that works with everything are nice plusses, too.

[XXX-er]

everything breaks and when it does ... what about service ?

[Jethro]

everything breaks and when it does ... what about service ?

I view cordless tools as disposable. Even though corded tools are cheaper than the cordless ones, they are built much better. The problem is that cordless tools have to supply the tool, charger and battery for a reasonable price. Most makers do not even give you the option of easily replacing brushes in their cordless tools nowadays. The portability of the drills, drivers, and sawzalls are worth the price for cordless.. Cordless skilsaws, vacuums, and other high draw items are not really worth the money/effort.

[XXX-er]

Does anybody fix power tools anymore back in 90-95 I had black & decker as a customer so when I was in there fixing their pos cash register the contracters would be picking up and dropping off tools , mostly saws

[spook]

i've had a ryobi set for 9 years and beat the living shit out of it on numerous remodeling jobs. it's just now starting to falter.

[NmbrdDays]

I've dropped Hilti tools off 6ft ladders and they hold up. They aren't cheap though. The better tools will last longer. Batteries, chucks will break but you can always get new ones. Depends how you use it. The user can easily burn out the drill. Shit I've smoked plenty of drills with large hole saws. I know my old man fixed some Milwaukee drills a long time ago by Judy contacting the company.

[mnflyfish]

I have the Porter Cable set and its perfect for household/weekly use. My buddy who is a contractor has a Dewalt set, I asked him why and he said it was on sale at his supply house when he needed to buy tools and they've been fine. His opinion is replacing his cordless set every few years is the cost of doing business and as long as he buys name brand, mid to high level price point, they'll do the job. He used my Porter Cable stuff helping me on a project and thought they were great, capable of everything we asked.

Sent from my ADR6350 using TGR Forums

[RootSkier]

Does anybody fix power tools anymore back in 90-95 I had black & decker as a customer so when I was in there fixing their pos cash register the contracters would be picking up and dropping off tools , mostly saws

Yes. There is a tool repair shop in Missoula that will fix almost anything, and almost all parts are in stock. If a place like that exists here, I am sure it exists in almost every city.

[old goat]

I've had a Dewalt 18v cordless drill and trim saw for a while. The trim saw is really nice to have for occasional use away from my shop and for finer work because it's light and easy to see the line you're cutting. I'd never want just a cordless saw as my only saw, though. As an amateur I like the Makita--I've had it for 25 years with zero problems--framed my second story with it, framed my basement remodel, a couple of decks. It's a lot lighter than a worm drive for a skinny guy like me. I only have a corded sawzall, but the guy who made off with my catalytic converter on a Saturday afternoon with people walking used a cordless recip saw to good effect.
The OP mentioned an oscillating saw I think. Does anyone make one for woodworking besides Dremel? (We have a nice battery powered one in the OR I use for amputations. Much beefier than the Dremel)

[Sublime]

If I had to get a set made by one company it would be Dewalt. Not the best batteries but in the 18v they make just about every bare tool available for cheap. If I could mix and match which I do I own Makita, Dewalt, Hitachi, Bosch, and Milwakuee. I'd get the Makita Impact/drill combo which is $$$ and get corded sawzall and cir saw.

Depends if this is going to be used professional?

[Core Shot]

Makita drill and impact driver set. Almost my entire crew has made the switch. Super tough, and quick lithium recharge and power.

The impact driver blows my mind.

Previously had a full set from Bosch - occasionally it was nice to have a cordless circ saw or sawsall, but for those two tools, I find if you are trying to cut or demo all day long, you cant beet the power of corded (its like a power chord).

If you dont build much, the cordless versions of any brand are fine.

[Core Shot]

Fix tools yourself with www.ereplacementparts.com

[jfost]

... (We have a nice battery powered one in the OR I use for amputations. ...)

I'm in prosthetics in the Reno area... we should talk!

[NmbrdDays]

+1 on that makita combo kit. The grey/black one with the LI batteries. It's like 250$ at home depot. That thing is money. I see it on allot of big commercial jobs too. It's great bang for your buck. When I have the $$ to go get a new one, the makita is what I'm gonna buy

[El Chupacabra]

18V Porter Cable kit on ebay deal-of-the-day today, $69 shipped:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORTER-CABLE...ht_2872wt_1185

Drill, circular saw, sawzall, flashlight, 2 batteries, charger. NiCad though.

Porter Cable sells refurb stuff through their ebay store regularly. I bought a 18V PC cordless drill from them for ~$40 shipped, Li-Ion, 2 batteries, charger. For $69, even with NiCad, this is a pretty good deal for this package.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

+1 on that makita combo kit. The grey/black one with the LI batteries. It's like 250$ at home depot. That thing is money. I see it on allot of big commercial jobs too. It's great bang for your buck. When I have the $$ to go get a new one, the makita is what I'm gonna buy

I have this kit. A+. Battery life is incredible. Only possible problem would be if you have huge hands. I wear size 8 or 9 (medium or large) gloves and if my hands were any bigger, the handles on the drill and impact driver would be too small.

[CaddyDaddy77]

Hitatchi. Have the 18v li-ion drill and impact kit and have been pretty stoked with it, only gripe is a lack of a magenitized holder. The Mikita was my second choice, but Hitatchi has a lifetime warranty on the bare tool. Batteries can be replaced but a new body is a bit pricey. Torque ratings are pretty close and quality is compareable IMO.

[Jethro]

.
The OP mentioned an oscillating saw I think. Does anyone make one for woodworking besides Dremel? (We have a nice battery powered one in the OR I use for amputations. Much beefier than the Dremel)

Fein makes a high quality oscillating saw for around $400, and then they get you doubly for their blades. http://www.coastaltool.com/a/fein/mu...r-top-plus.htm They make a cordless model also, but without having used it, I'd still go corded. I bought a similar Rockwell knock-off of a Fein for about $125. It does not have as nice of a blade retaining device but it works well.

[hellojello74]

I wanted to bump this, as I am looking at going with a brand here soon (adding to christmas list) and want to stick with one type. I realize there is no one consesnsus but is there anything new to add in technology? I see dewalt 20v looks pretty cool, so does the makita 18v sets. Sway me one way or another.