Best Mid-Cost 18-20v Tool Family
 

I'm trying to convert all my tools to cordless, and I want to get some opinions on mid-cost tool families in the 18-20v range. I'm not a professional or a contractor, these are exclusively for home projects, so I really don't need some $900 Snap-On impact. What I am looking for:

• Durable
• Powerful
• Good customer support/warranty
• Good variety of tools that all use the same batteries and chargers
• A brand that's not going to disappear in a couple years

What are your experiences with the tools you've purchased? Thanks.

Milwaukee
I have used many brands both at home and work and while defiantly not the cheapest they are worth every penny.
I buy many of mine as used demo models at Tyler Tool.

Makita. We use strictly Makita at work. That really is going to be your best option. They have the words largest 18v line up. They will be the most powerful and they will not die. But they are somewhat costly.
Milwaukee is probably second best. I have the Milwaukee 12v lineup at home. (their 12v drill is the only 12v tool with a 1/2" chuck, all others are 3/8") They are not bad tools, i see a lot of contractors using them. 12v and 18v.

Other brands don't have such a wide product line up. So it's hard to recommend. That should be driving your decision. Think about what tools you may or may not want in the future and what brands will offer them? Makita has an AWESOME lineup of outdoor power equipment that's 18v.
Edit* Just see for yourself... https://www.makitatools.com/products...less#f:18v;36v

People are going to suggest Dewalt. Please stay away. All those tools are absolute junk.

I've been surprisingly happy with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. I have a drill and an impact driver, both primarily for working around the house. I was skeptical at first but I have not had any problems with them, they held up great building a deck. They supposedly have a really good warranty but I have not had to use it, so cannot comment there. Fine for around the house for sure. Otherwise I like Milwaukee, but typically cost a bit more.

Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee are your best options. I personally use Makita, my best tools are the brushless drill and 1/2" impact. I have they're 3/8" impact but it's the 1/4" adapter, and eventually the $7 adapter piece breaks. Not a big deal but annoying. The 3/8" is going to be your work horse for the miata, doing most engine and suspension pieces, where as the 1/2" is going to be irreplaceable for wheels, hubs, axles, and crank bolts.

My suggestion for any of these brands is to buy an impact/drill/x2 battery/charger combo, which they all seem to have, and then a tool-only 1/2" impact.

Edit: I got this kit: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-1...-207054643-_-N
and this 1/2" impact:
The impact was only $200 when I bought it, so definitely shop around.

I should say that my "$900 Snap-On" 3/8" impact I use at work was only ~$600 with two batteries and a charger, and is 1/2 the size and weight of the above products, with double the power. You get what you pay for.

Mikita and Milwaukee have been the best for me recently. Mikita has the most comprehensive set and is the only one that is not owned by a larger conglomerate. The Ridgid tools are fairly good which is surprising since they are owned by Home Depot and their lower cost option.

This has not been my experience.

I have a total of five DeWalt cordless drills (one at home, four at work), plus a cordless impact driver.

While we're not using 'em to push 4" hole saws through rebar-filled concrete, the ones at work do get used pretty much every single day.


Why, here's one now:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...368841293d.png

(I swear I didn't stage that photo. Just swiveled around in my chair and there it was.)

The one above was a gift from mom. She bought it after I finally killed my trusty old Milwaukee while installing some patio lights down at their place in FL about eight years ago. It was my first DeWalt tool, and I've purchased several more since.

So, I guess the moral of the story is this- DeWalt: Kid tested, Mother approved.

I got a Dewalt 1/2 impact and a drill, with two batteries and a charger. Subsequently bought a 125mm angle grinder, looking at a pair of shears, and maybe a small chainsaw.

The grinder does chew battery though, but if you have the spare charging ...

Milwaukee is what i use.
they have a cordless wet/dry vaccuum that i use for anything and everything and a leaf blower thats excellent for "sweeping" out my garage.
i use my 1/4" impact, hammer drill amd sawzall for a living; they have yet to let me down and even if they did, milwaukees warranty department is lightning fast.

+1 to Milwaukee.

I recently started with their 12v lineup. I was very surprised by the amount of power their 12v hex impact driver delivers. I recently finished a Torsen diff swap and the hex impact handled it all surprisingly well.

I would recommend Dewalt, but ONLY if you get the brushless models.

Nobody else uses the Kobalt stuff from Lowes? Just me? I have set of their 24v tools at home and at work. I have used the lights, drills, drivers, and saws daily and abusively for 3-4 years now without issue.

I cross-shopped the Kobalt 40v yard tools against the Ryobi stuff from Home Depot, and I found the plastic casings on the Kobalt stuff to be universally lighter, thinner and flimsier. Kind of turned me off the whole brand, although admittedly I've never handled their power tools.

I've only used a Kobalt drill once. As soon as I snapped in the battery, my cat immediately went rigid, spoke a sentence of perfect Akkadian, and was then levitated into the air and hurled sideways through the picture window. Also, the grip was slightly uncomfortable.

What ever you do just get brushless. Makita dewalt Milwaukee are all solid. But pick a platform and stick with it that way batteries areal interchange.

Attachment 227728

And whatever you get, try and get a nice father's day deal. They should have the drill / impact driver / charger / two battery combos for CHEAP.

I've switched to Milwaukee at home. Both M12 and M18 stuff. I've been pretty impressed with everything so far, but in the past I had always just used whatever was cheapest and so I don't have much to go on haha. I won't always buy exclusively Milwaukee accessories if another brand makes something that will work for cheaper, but for the tools and batteries themselves I've been pretty happy with everything. The price isn't terrible if you can find stuff on sale, which happens a few times a year.

The fire department I work for switched a few years ago from DeWalt to Milwaukee exclusively. Mostly the M28 line for the heavier duty stuff, but also some M18. Supposedly the M28 line is no longer supported (as in there won't be any new tools produced) so I don't know what our replacement plan will be when the time comes. But the tools all get pretty well abused and have stood up well so far.

In Australia, Ryobi were among the first reliable 18V tools available with a decent charge life that didn't cost a fortune and all my cordless tools are Ryobi since I don't want to deal with multiple batteries and chargers from different manufacturers.

Prior to these I loved Makita corded tools and would have stayed with them in 18V cordless form but they arrived much later than the Ryobi cordless tools :(

I haven't had any issues with my Ryobi cordless tools as a DIYer and they get a lot of use but would buy Makita.if I didn't have any cordless tools (stick with one manufacturer, you want at least 2 batteries so multiple manufacturers will require multiple charges and LOTS of batteries).

I had some old DeWalt 14V stuff. The replacement replacement batteries gave up so I gave them to a friend (who bought replacement batteries and is using them still) and started to buy the M12 and M18 Milwaukee stuff. Have had to use the warantee once, it was fairly painless. I have mostly M12 tools (hammer drill, drill with 1/2" chuck, 3/8 impact, and the vibrating multitool thing). They are all solid and work well. The 1/2" 12v drill will rip itself out of yiur hand before stalling.

Kinda funny my department did the exact opposite. We are now all dewalt 20v maxx

i used dewalt for years. 14.4v. heck, i built my hangar with them. but then came the 18v tools. i never bought in since the 14.4s did everything i asked of them. but when the batteries started to die (nicad), dewalt angered me. turns out you could buy two 18v batteries for about what one 14.4v would cost. around this time, a friend who had used ryobi tools for years (blue ones) told me he'd never had one fail. he loaned me his 18v 18ga cordless brad gun. ave did a boltr of that tool and gave it high marks. i bought a drill/impact/charger set to dip my toes in the water. bought a second 1/4" impact and a 1/2" impact (which rarely comes out, the 1/4 inch is surprisingly sufficient). then i bought my own 18ga brad nailer and also the 18v narrow crown staple gun. then i bought the "supercharger" where you can have six batteries charged hanging on the wall. the latest is the 18v pole chain saw. that thing is a bear. i've been in the ryobi camp for about 6 years and we use them pretty hard. never failed. plus, you can buy two lithium/ion 4amp/hour batteries for $79 at christmas. helped to fill up my superchargers (i now have one at home and one at the hangar). i think it hurts the ryobi's credibility that they're only available at the home depot (in the usa). ryobi is owned by tti, which also owns milwaukee and others.

Interesting info on the industry:

I had a Dewalt cordless 18volt for 10 years that was an absolute monster. Also had a few corded and some handtools. I'm a fan. When it came time last year to jump into the li-ion game, it was a no-brainer.

A buddy across the street had the mirror experience with Milwaukee, so he owns them. Another buddy buys only Rigid for the lifetime battery warranty. Another buddy buys Makita because he likes the color. Another buddy swears by Harbor Freight gutter tools and buys them 5 at-a-time with 40% off coupons and throws them away when they break.

You can watch dozens of "comparison" videos on YT and come to the conclusion that all the major name-brand tool companies are are all pretty much the same for the money. Dewalt, Makita, Bosticth, Cobalt, Rigid, Milwakee, Porter Cable, Hitachi, Ryobie, B&D, Hilti, etc, etc... all going to have pro's and con's that make them all pretty much "the same". Spend a little less, get a little less... spend a little more... BUT STILL ALL THE SAME! A drill is a drill.

"My drill was $100 and can do 200 deck screws on a single charge"
"My drill was $150 and can do 300 deck screws on a single charge"
"My drill was $20 at Harbor Freight and caught fire still in the box with no battery plugged in on the drive home from the store."

You also need to be wary of the "package boxes, 8-tool combo"... need to check every model number of every tool in the kit and find out if that tool is the model in the lineup you want. For Dewalt, a tool kit will say "brushless" or "XR" on the box, and you'll find out only one tool in the kit is actually the XR, the others are the base model tool in that style. There are some YT videos that try and break down these kits, but the manufacturers swap up the kits periodically to keep you guessing, and to "trick" you into buying base tools with the premium logo on the box.

Where you can "save" some money is buying a "tool only" and scoring a deal on large batteries. Most "kits" come with 1.5amp or 2.0amp (if lucky) batteries good for just long enough to run out 10 screws before the end of your job. Buy a "tool only" and buy a pair of larger 5amp batteries on sale. There is something to be said for the small batteries for a very short job, or a job where you have to hold the tool over your head for an hour. In general, the knockoff brands from Amazon for your brand are utter shit and should be avoided.

So basically... pick a color you like and live happily ever after. As others have said, the easy button is Dewalt, Milwakee, Rigid, or Makita. If you're on tighter budget, Ryobi is a solid choice for the homeowner. I also would not scoff at Craigslist for buying used tools.

I've gone completely over to Makita 18v tools, and have a bunch of them. Every one has been awesome and indestructible. They have the biggest tool ecosystem of anyone... I have a chainsaw, blower, vaccuum, etc. and even those tools are fantastic.

Or you can watch AvE do teardown and analysis on power tools for the last 6 years...

;)

I use Ridgid because warranty and stuff. Plenty of tools in the family, and so far haven't had to use the warranty. I've been beating on my base drill/driver since probably 2013 at this point.

You can (at least I did) do deals on packages. I swapped out the little impact driver for a proper 1/2 drive impact, and got the same saving on the deal. My package came with not-the-smallest batteries, another plus. The batteries might not be monsters, but I am happy - noting that the angle grinder draws heaps.

Given the 1/2in drive impact cost a fair bit more than the dinky little thing it replaced in the package, I could have pushed for a better deal, but I'll remember that for next time.

That remembering also reminded me that one of the batteries quickly died, wouldn't charge fully. Store just handed me a new battery when I mentioned it, didn't even ask for the old one.

Yup, watched his stuff for a long time... his schtick gets old after awhile, like the RegularCars Review guy... but he hits the mark in almost every video and points out things about quality that you'd never think of. You just need to be able to stand his speaking style which flirts the edges of understandable english. I give him zero points for trying to be a funny Canadian.

When I made the choice to replace my Dewalts with more Dewalts, I watched a bunch of videos, browsed the Reddit subs, talked to buddies, etc... If one YT channel did a head-to-head of drills or saws or drivers and announced a winner... another channel would place that winner dead last in the same challenge. Perhaps as a contractor who relies on their tools for livelihood and does their best to destroy them on a daily basis after devouring the entire internets worth of data could come up with a "winner"... and even then, Jarvis or Friday would argue yet another thing to consider including the fact that your wife absolutely detests yellow or that blue clashes with the garage fridge. As a home handyman or carpenter or general fixit, I found it impossible to narrow down why one brand would be better than another within the pricerange of the popular brands, and came to the conclusion that if I stuck with a name brand and OG batteries, I'd likely get a solid 10-15yrs out of everything before some new technology came along and I replaced everything wholesale.

Stay away from the multi-tool "kits" (unless you know and understand the model of every tool in the kit and are cool with one good tool for the marketing and 5 bottom-feeder tools) and try to buy the medium or top tier model of the lineup "tool only". Brushless is worth the money every time.

Check SLICKDEALS for the occasional crazy deal on a tool you want but don't need.

I'll finish with my take on batteries. Lots of single-tool "kits" that come with one tool, one charger, and 1 or 2 batteries come with (at the most) a 2ah battery. A lot of them will come with a 1.5ah. That's good for about 5 minutes of drilling into soft pine or a few dozen long deck screws. Those small batteries will also hit their thermal limits very quick if used in something larger. Don't even think about putting a 2ah battery in a sawzall and then walking out into the yard expecting to take down a section of old fence over the course of an hour. You'll be back in the garage in 10 minutes from the battery overheat. Larger batteries handle heat management better with tools that draw more power, and batteries kept at optimal temperatures deliver that power longer. You really should be using the biggest batteries you can handle stuck on the end of your tool. A 6-pk of 5ah batteries is probably a good stable for the average home handyman. For "normal tools", you can have 3 tools powered up and 3 batts on chargers and not run out of juice until the next one is charged. If you're drilling concrete or using a sawzall to cut down a live oak, then 9ah batteries are the only way to go.

Batteries are not cheap. Name brand 5-6ah batts are in the $70-$80 range individually. The other good thing about buying one of the top name-brands is that you'll be able to find batteries everywhere. Go ahead and buy Bostich/Porter Cable/Hilti (yes, good tools, but...) and then try to find a 2-pk of 6ah batteries in stock at Home Depot when you really need them... whereas if you stick with the Dewalt/Makita/Milwaukee (big 3?) and/or Rigid/Cobalt (house brands)... will always be able to find the bulk of the product lineup in stock all the time.

No Amazon chinese batteries... plenty to YT videos out there will back up that they are total crap, have shoddy safety features, do not deliver rated power, use unbranded sketch batteries, and do not stand any test of time.

I believe we switched because the new battery-powered extrication tools (Genesis) we have on the Rescue and Truck companies work using Milwaukee batteries. We made the switch to Genesis from Hurst around the same time as DeWalt to Milwaukee.

However, as with everything else in the fire service, I'm sure we'll go full circle back to DeWalt in 5-10 years or so haha. I personally don't care what color/brand the tools we use are as long as they work when I need them to!

I pretty much only buy Milwaukee fuel M12 and M18 stuff. They're awesome. My latest purchase was the M18 Fuel high torque 1/2" impact and it zipped my Honda K24 crank pulley bolt off like it wasn't even tight. Insane amount of power in these brushless units nowadays.

Apropos of nothing, I needed to do some grinding on an exhaust manifold and sprung for the Makita 18v die grinder and a set of carbide bits. I’m already wondering how I’ve lived without this thing for so long. Awesome power, it cuts through steel like it’s balsa wood. Surprisingly quiet too.

https://www.lowes.com/search?searchT...t+power+detect

Dewalt "Power Detect" models... apparently they know when a big battery is connected and it's like the power of Greyskull up in there. Anyways... these 5 tools come with an 8.0Ah battery, and "free gift with purchase" bonus extra 8.0Ah battery. Those 8.0ah batteries are impossible to find in stores and are $150ea. So basically if you buy these two batteries, they throw in a tool of your choice, a charger, and hand you $30 back.

I just grabbed the angle grinder and am now officially finished buying Dewalt 20v batteries... tool only shizzle from now on.

About 6 years ago on a Friday night this tool fell into our pit. Our pit was filled with about 8 feet of all of our process liquids very harmful chemicals. The pit took all weekend to drain and on Monday morning I went down and pulled out the tool, I figured it was dead. Pulled the trigger and it worked fine.

This driver has been getting abuse 7 days a week 24 hours a day ever since. In fact the third shift guy likes this one more than the brushless. I fear it's life may be coming to the end as it's brushes are almost worn completely down. I actually don't even know how old it is, I've been here 7 years and it predates me.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a8c150c94c.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3fc3ffa5b2.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...acb0e9cbe6.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...060cc5142d.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9cfb1d3ba4.jpg


I'd like to see a DeWalt do that.

And I'm not at all brand loyal. I have all sorts of tool brands in my box.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...530875834e.jpg

#STILLWITHHER