Tool Time

[EWG]

Non-bike tool post. I need to replace a 15+ year old drill/driver, so looking at some tool combo sets on holiday sales. Use is standard basic homeowner shit. I have pretty much narrowed it down to these two:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ON...00K2/317987591
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-A...86D2/322138552

Advantages to the Ryobi kit are cost, a 4 Ah battery, and the circular saw. The Dewalt kit is an extra hundred bucks and doesn't get you the big battery or the circular saw. But, I do not have much actual need for a circular saw, the 2Ah batteries are probably plenty give the lower draw of brushless, and the drivers are *way* smaller.

Open to other suggestions as well.

I would stay away from Ryobi unless you are really not going to use it much. Much more of a homeowner level product than a pro product, and you'll have and use it forever.
While there are a ton of brands out there, the three big ones are Dewalt, Milwaukee and Makita. There are advocates of all three. I prefer Makita, and think Dewalt is a step below the other two, but ask 5 people and you'll get 5 opinions.

With cordless tools you mostly pay for batteries. Again, unless you are barely gonna use them, get at least a 3.0 battery and an 18v/20v system. The problem with that dewalt system you linked is that the batteries are only 2.0.

I'd rather start with just the drills: (brushless makitas on sale for $189. with 3 volt batteries):
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-1...3SYB/316360442

(There are always good black friday sales.) If you go this way then you have decent sized batteries at 3.0 and you can just add the actual tools you want as you need them. This may be all you ever need, but maybe you'll want more. And you can reuse the batteries in the new tools, and the tools you buy after this are fairly cheap if you get the package without batteries (which you won't need cause you'll already have two). Check amazon - they sometimes have great prices. Just make sure the batteries are 3.0 minimum.

Then, of course, you need to pick one of Makita, Dewalt and Milwaukee and be a dick about it.

[Dantheman]

Perhaps ask yourself if you really have frequent use for the recip saw and multi tool?

The recip saw will definitely get used. The oscillating tool is more of a "nice to have," but I think I'll find uses for it.

With cordless tools you mostly pay for batteries. Again, unless you are barely gonna use them, get at least a 3.0 battery and an 18v/20v system. The problem with that dewalt system you linked is that the batteries are only 2.0.

I'd rather start with just the drills: (brushless makitas on sale for $189. with 3 volt batteries):
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-1...3SYB/316360442

That kit is two 1.5 Ah batteries.

I hear you on the Ryobi concerns, but like I said, use case is basic homeowner shit. That said, brushless seems worth it just for the size and weight.

[muted reborn]

That kit is two 1.5 Ah batteries.

I bought that kit for work (an older version so maybe it's different) and one trigger broke off and the small batteries don't have a gauge to see how charged they are. Some one here recommended it and said the weight savings was nice - I don't really think the full size drills weigh a lot tho and they have more power.

That said I have a ton of other Makita equipment at home and love all of it except the lawnmower which is just OK

[anotherVTskibum]

The 2Ah batteries probably pair well with the Atomic drill and driver. I use DeWalt, but as has been said, I don't think you would go wrong with Milwaukee or Makita. I'd suggest toolguyd.com as a good resource for finding stuff that's actually on sale, plus reviews.

I'm a fan of sticking with stuff that's capable of handling work usage even if I'm not using it often, largely because I expect it to last a very long time with homeowner usage levels and because occasionally the power of a big boy drill is really handy (eg drilling through race skis with beefy metal layers).

If you have friends or coworkers who might loan tools, I'd consider that in choosing a system, but otherwise *shrugs*

[nickwm21]

Ryobi is completely fine. Homeowners way overbuy this stuff in general.

Ryobi does have a brushless line. Maybe that’s the call.

Benefit of a homeowner geared brand is if you need to add a new tool for a small project - you’re not spending professional-brand bucks…


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[EWG]

I bought that kit for work (an older version so maybe it's different) and one trigger broke off and the small batteries don't have a gauge to see how charged they are. Some one here recommended it and said the weight savings was nice - I don't really think the full size drills weigh a lot tho and they have more power.

That said I have a ton of other Makita equipment at home and love all of it except the lawnmower which is just OK

The older white version was Makita's homeowner line, not brushless, and it wasn't as robust. That said they should have warrantied it if the trigger broke.

The recip saw will definitely get used. The oscillating tool is more of a "nice to have," but I think I'll find uses for it.



That kit is two 1.5 Ah batteries.

I hear you on the Ryobi concerns, but like I said, use case is basic homeowner shit. That said, brushless seems worth it just for the size and weight.

Oops - wrong kit.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-1...281S/306888066

Ryobi is completely fine. Homeowners way overbuy this stuff in general.

Ryobi does have a brushless line. Maybe that’s the call.

Benefit of a homeowner geared brand is if you need to add a new tool for a small project - you’re not spending professional-brand bucks…


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I feel this. It's a good comment. So you have to decide how much you are using it. While I'm not using my tools professionally I use them hard. Because of this, buying for 10-15 years out matters to me - just like the bike tools we talk through here. Hell I took down a 16" juniper with a sawzall a month ago cause I didn't have a chainsaw. So if it's for hanging picture frames and cutting a board here and there, Ryobi's probably the right call. If it's for building fences, laying decks, cutting studs, home improvement over many years, I'd go one of the big three. And I'm not suggesting Feztool or anything. The black Friday deals, when they come out, will probably get you good value for a few hundred dollars no matter what brand you buy.

[Touring_Sedan]

Non-bike tool post. I need to replace a 15+ year old drill/driver, so looking at some tool combo sets on holiday sales. Use is standard basic homeowner shit. I have pretty much narrowed it down to these two:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ON...00K2/317987591
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-A...86D2/322138552

Advantages to the Ryobi kit are cost, a 4 Ah battery, and the circular saw. The Dewalt kit is an extra hundred bucks and doesn't get you the big battery or the circular saw. But, I do not have much actual need for a circular saw, the 2Ah batteries are probably plenty give the lower draw of brushless, and the drivers are *way* smaller.

Open to other suggestions as well.

I prolly have at least 30 18V Ryobi tools and a half dozen of the 40V variety. Unless you're framing three houses a week, they're fine. I have yet to see one of my drill/drivers fail from use, just neglect.

The kit you're looking at is fine, but it's nothing special. THD will have something similar on discount any time of the year. I'd hold out for a kit with a 1/2 hammer drill, but the rest is fine. The little circular saw is pretty handy and I've used the multi tool more than a few times. The flashlight sits on the corner of the bench by the door so I can grab it quickly. The 1.5Ah battery is shit. It'll last half a year before it's dumpster fodder. The 4Ah batteries seem to hang on for at least three years. You can usually pick up two batteries and a tool for $99 during a sale.

You're welcome to come down the street and fingerbang them before you buy them.

[singlesline]

The best part about ryobi is that you can find huge discounts at Home Depot and Direct Tool Outlet sells a ton of blemished or refurbished tools for dirt cheap.

Are the other brands nicer? Sure…but the ryobi stuff isn’t harbor freight level junk.

[singlesline]

That said, I really like my Bosch 12V brushless drill and impact. I rarely actually feel like I need more than they can offer around the house.

The fancy 18v Milwaukee drill (with hammer function) and impact driver kit I have is WAY more powerful and super nicely built…but it is really overkill and a luxury for someone like me who doesn’t make a living with tools. Honestly they are almost too powerful…easy to overdo it.

[jm2e]

I’m not saying there aren’t better options out there; but here’s what I’ve used recently from the Ryobi pile:
Tire inflator. Constant use.
Fan goes in car with dog while at bike park.
Lantern lives next to battery chargers and is just waiting for the next power outage.
Dust buster gets used constantly.
Impact driver for taking off rotors.
Sawzall for trail work.
Hedge trimmer for trimming hedges and for spring trail work.
The 6” circular saw is 100x more convenient to pull out and make a quick cut with than my “nice” full sized corded one.
18v leaf blower sucks for leaf blowing but gets used regularly for cleaning out the garage, patio, deck.
I have more batteries than I need and am thinking about selling some on FB marketplace.

I learned that if you need a tool OR batteries, but not both, you can do the get a free tool sale and return the part you don’t need. I wanted to try the HP batteries, so I picked the most expensive free tool option and returned the tool the next day.

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[nickwm21]

Yup…..

I buy a couple thousand dollars worth of Dewalt and Milwaukee every year for the crews at work. It’s very rare that a tool fails from use; and this use is caked in mud, concrete and drywall dust, used all day, every day, in the rain. They are mostly pretty simple devices. They typically fail after a few years physical abuse (being thrown in the gang box over and over, every day) or just “disappear”.

By the time you “burn out” your Ryobi (if ever)- battery tech will be few generations ahead and you will be buying a different platform anyway…

That said - Nice tools are nice and my Makita’s make me happy every time I go zipzip.

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[climberevan]

I don't have much to add except that the newer brushless models are invariably way better than the brushed ones that preceded them. This is especially true for the 12v tools. My 12V brushless Milwaukee impact driver is so strong that I rarely pull out the 18V one unless I'm driving TimberLoks.

An oscillating multi-tool is a must-have. The only people who disagree with that have not yet owned one. The 12V Milwaukee brushless one is badass enough that I gave my Fein to my plumber when I got it.

My advice: don't fall into the rabbit hole of making everything cordless. People on the Makita reddit were singing the praises recently of a cordless drywall sander. It still has to have a hose going to the dust collector, which is also cordless. They must change the batteries on that setup every 10 minutes or less, since both of those are really high-draw tools. The funniest part is that you're still dragging a hose around, so what advantage are you gaining with cordless? But they will still argue in favor of it. Same with battery powered compressors. Dumb.

[Yukonrider]

I don't have much to add except that the newer brushless models are invariably way better than the brushed ones that preceded them. This is especially true for the 12v tools. My 12V brushless Milwaukee impact driver is so strong that I rarely pull out the 18V one unless I'm driving TimberLoks.

An oscillating multi-tool is a must-have. The only people who disagree with that have not yet owned one. The 12V Milwaukee brushless one is badass enough that I gave my Fein to my plumber when I got it.

My advice: don't fall into the rabbit hole of making everything cordless. People on the Makita reddit were singing the praises recently of a cordless drywall sander. It still has to have a hose going to the dust collector, which is also cordless. They must change the batteries on that setup every 10 minutes or less, since both of those are really high-draw tools. The funniest part is that you're still dragging a hose around, so what advantage are you gaining with cordless? But they will still argue in favor of it. Same with battery powered compressors. Dumb.

My MKE 12v OMT is constantly frustrating me. Its a nice tool, but anything more than recreational use and the 18v just blows it out of the water. Same with my 12v fuel drill, can't even mix peanut butter without it blinking at me. I really wanted to like their 12v stuff but I just can't make myself happy with it unless small form factor is critical.
I started using a 2ah battery on my MKE 18v stuff and it really lightened the tool up, maintains power, and will last a day per charge plus the balance is much better. Good enough for one dude doing light construction.

[John_B]

My MKE 12v OMT is constantly frustrating me. Its a nice tool, but anything more than recreational use and the 18v just blows it out of the water. Same with my 12v fuel drill, can't even mix peanut butter without it blinking at me. I really wanted to like their 12v stuff but I just can't make myself happy with it unless small form factor is critical.

What's your go to peanut butter mixing technique? I hate doing that by hand.

[2FUNKY]

What's your go to peanut butter mixing technique? I hate doing that by hand.

#metoo!


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[Yukonrider]

Cordless drill on slow with a mixer beater in the chuck. Honestly tried it as a joke and it worked so well it's my new go to.

[carlh]

Fucking genius! I need to find a beater and try this.

Cordless drill on slow with a mixer beater in the chuck. Honestly tried it as a joke and it worked so well it's my new go to.

[jm2e]

Every time you use that thing you waste like 15% of the peanut butter cleaning the beater?


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[Yukonrider]

Every time you use that thing you waste like 15% of the peanut butter cleaning the beater?

Less than that, if you keep the drill spinning and slowlyyyy pull it out most will come off in the jar.

I do the initial mix with this, then refrigerate to avoid separation again, follow up mixes with a knife

[singlesline]

Every time you use that thing you waste like 15% of the peanut butter cleaning the beater?


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Lick it off like you would for cookie dough?

[jm2e]

#imout


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[Boissal]

Lick it off like you would for cookie dough?

And throw a handful of chocolate chips in the gullet along with the PB. Not waste, best snack.

[Falcon3]

I searched but our search is hot garbage.

Recommendations on a bearing press kit for full suspensions? Maybe some hubs also but mostly suspension service. I've already got a headset press and will never buy another press-fit BB bike.

I've done the "threaded rod and socket set" stuff before and am not really a fan, I feel like I've been lucky not to destroy multiple bearings or my carbon frame with ill-fitting stuff and would like to invest a little.

What I've been looking at:
$40 amazon chinese thingy
$240 Park Tool kit
$270 Wheels MFG kit

Considering even the most expensive kit is what you'd pay to have a full suspension tune at a decent bike shop, I'm fine spending that kind of money if that's the best way to go.

[Lantern]

The Enduro BRT 060 is fantastic for the money. That’s what I use in the shop near daily.


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[jamal]

For 1-2 bikes at home the bearingprotools stuff is pretty good and inexpensive. I have the cups and extractors for the two sizes of bearings my bike uses plus a little press and the tools for those bearings plus dub and bb30 bearings.

https://www.bearingprotools.com/

At the shop whe have wheels mfg stuff and it seems good enough. This thing is really handy as is the bb socket that threads on to the rod so you can tighten those really thin flange bb shells.

Sometimes for small bearings in odd places you still have to improvise a bit. Like that wheels press is too big to put some of the bearings in my frame back together or fit between ends of the chainstays.