Mark80 Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) What brands do you swear by? I'm looking to start building a better tool collection and would prefer one go to brand for battery sharing purposes mostly. So what do you use? Looking for the best value, not cheapest. Willing to pay for quality but do not need professional level stuff. Mostly to be used around the house, maybe some simple remodeling, but nothing too crazy. Will be moving into a 100 year old house though so you never know what is going to come up. So far, the leader seems to be Milwaukee from my research. Edited September 3, 2019 by Mark80
mead107 Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 Have an assortment. Bosh, ryobi, Milwaukee, Mikita, Dewalt, others. Went with sale of the week. 3
Kevbeau Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) I have a mixed bag.... I buy Bosch when I can for cordless. Never had an issue. Had a Milwaukee 12v right angle impact driver quit on me, but sample size of one. Also have had good experience with Makita saws (sawzall & circular) and a compressor. Have a DeWalt mitre saw that’s paid for itself a hundred times over. For nail guns I generally get Hitachi. Edited September 3, 2019 by Kevbeau 2
DC Tom Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 17 minutes ago, dhg said: I like the Ryobi products. I have several Ryobi tools; they're definitely not high-end, but generally not all that bad, considering. Mostly, I use them to spare better tools (e.g. a Ryobi circular saw for cutting PT lumber, rather than use my Festool cabinet saw). I'd say they're fine for average home use, though. Except the contractor's table saw. That thing was downright dangerous. Spent an hour once trying to set up a cut without cutting my hand off, and ended up just throwing out the saw. 1
Gugny Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 I don't use tools very often. A lot of my tools are black and decker (electric; not battery-powered). I have a mitre saw that is the old Lowe's brand (Task Force) and that thing has been trusty (with limited use) for many, many years. I have a battery-operated drill made by deWalt. Love that thing. 1
Rocket94 Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 Milwaukee and Dewalt seem to lead the way. The contractors that I have spoken with swear by one or the other. They even make those heavy duty industrial radios...kind of cool. 1
Foxx Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 cordless - DeWalt or Milwaukee are the only ones worth your money. i am very tough on my tools and these stand up to the tasks. 2
Gray Beard Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) I used to buy Craftsman, and still have a Craftsman drill, router, saber saw, and circular saw. Unfortunately my Craftsman table saw motor died after about 25 years, and a replacement motor costs as much as a whole new saw. I have some DeWalt cordless drills, a DeWalt miter saw, and a DeWalt table saw. I have started to collect Ryobi stuff with their universal battery system. They are not heavy duty, but I shouldn’t need them to be. Edited September 4, 2019 by Gray Beard 1
US Egg Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) For steady use 20 volt Dewalt tools with an extra battery or two and charger. The battery and chargers aren't cheap separately. They do come with many Dewalt tools. Plus for me is I have 20 volt Dewalt blower and grass trimmer. I use them often. The trimmer's OK, but I have an acre with lots of trimming and 20+ trees. Need 2 charged batteries. Milwaukee seems popular with the steady power tool users. Edited September 3, 2019 by I am the egg man 1
GoBills808 Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Mark80 said: What brands do you swear by? I'm looking to start building a better tool collection and would prefer one go to brand for battery sharing purposes mostly. So what do you use? Looking for the best value, not cheapest. Willing to pay for quality but do not need professional level stuff. Mostly to be used around the house, maybe some simple remodeling, but nothing too crazy. Will be moving into a 100 year old house though so you never know what is going to come up. So far, the leader seems to be Milwaukee from my research. Extensively researched...good topic. I have my own kind of system, it's not set in stone or anything but generally my tiers are- Cheap crap I wouldn't use unless it was given to me or free: Ryobi Craftsman Skil Black&Decker Porter Cable Forney Baileigh Everlast Cheap crap that I occasionally use/buy and own: DeWalt Bosch Makita Milwaukee Hitachi Lincoln (made in USA stuff is good) JET (to be fair never used their big heavy stuff) Cheap crap I own and use that works pretty well w/surprisingly decent value: Rigid Hilti Miller (made in USA stuff good) Grizzly Esab Good tool brands HTP Metabo Trajan Hobart Hypertherm 1
Foxx Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 1 hour ago, GoBills808 said: ... Cheap crap I own and use that works pretty well w/surprisingly decent value: Rigid Hilti Miller (made in USA stuff good) Grizzly Esab ... i don't know i would definitely stay away from Rigid (HD is my fav store). years ago i bought their top of the line table saw (cast iron top) and that thing was a dog. i couldn't rip a 2x4 with it. i was in disbelief at how much it sucked. seems they are run by Emerson motors, which after some post frustration research, aren't very good. i sold it on Craigs List and bought a Bosch. that thing will rip a Poplar 2x4 with ease (not really with ease but it will rip Poplar). 1
BringBackFergy Posted September 3, 2019 Posted September 3, 2019 Easy answer: Grizzly for table saws, planers and jointers if you’re looking for large tools Makita or Dewalt for battery operated tools Doug Marrone for ultimate tool 1 1
apuszczalowski Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 I do work around the house and love building stuff, but I am not big on having to spend alot on tools. Because I am not a contractor where I need my tools daily to make a living and they get abused, I have no issue buying cheaper ones because I don't feel bad if/when they break or burn out. I have a bunch of black and decker tools which work good and don't cost a fortune to replace. 1
GoBills808 Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 31 minutes ago, Foxx said: i don't know i would definitely stay away from Rigid (HD is my fav store). years ago i bought their top of the line table saw (cast iron top) and that thing was a dog. i couldn't rip a 2x4 with it. i was in disbelief at how much it sucked. seems they are run by Emerson motors, which after some post frustration research, aren't very good. i sold it on Craigs List and bought a Bosch. that thing will rip a Poplar 2x4 with ease (not really with ease but it will rip Poplar). Of that particular category Rigid is my least favorite as far as usage goes but they're the HD brand and we don't have a Lowe's (don't think there's that much difference between Rigid and Kobalt tbh, both non-OEM store owned brands I believe)...if I had to just buy a tool off the shelf no research or questions asked, I'd get either a Hilti or Makita because Hilti makes Hilti and Makita makes Makita and that's it. People like to brand shop but a lot of this stuff is made in the same factory in China with the same components, just painted a different color and called 'Ryobi' or 'Milwaukee' for example...they're both TTI brands built in the same Dongguan plant side by side. 1
bdutton Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 I have a lot of Ryobi cordless tools and have been happy overall with them. I don't use them a lot but when I do they work. 1
Just Jack Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 1 hour ago, GoBills808 said: People like to brand shop but a lot of this stuff is made in the same factory in China with the same components, just painted a different color and called 'Ryobi' or 'Milwaukee' for example...they're both TTI brands built in the same Dongguan plant side by side. I was going to say something similar, but just click on the link below.... https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/our-businesses/tools-and-storage Personally, I've stuck with Ryobi just because I don't use my tools as much as a contractor would, and they have a wide variety of tools that all take the same battery. 1
ExiledInIllinois Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, GoBills808 said: Of that particular category Rigid is my least favorite as far as usage goes but they're the HD brand and we don't have a Lowe's (don't think there's that much difference between Rigid and Kobalt tbh, both non-OEM store owned brands I believe)...if I had to just buy a tool off the shelf no research or questions asked, I'd get either a Hilti or Makita because Hilti makes Hilti and Makita makes Makita and that's it. People like to brand shop but a lot of this stuff is made in the same factory in China with the same components, just painted a different color and called 'Ryobi' or 'Milwaukee' for example...they're both TTI brands built in the same Dongguan plant side by side. Rigid used to be VERY good. Professional contractor (like tool and dies, pipe benders, etc...), but went south when it went consumer mass market. Ryobi on other hand used to be lower quality. Amazing how brands turn around, do about faces. Much like car makers. The big corps have their hands in all over the place. Foreign and domestic. Edited September 4, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois 1
Nextmanup Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) Don't lock into a "brand" mindset. Different companies produce products of differing qualities for different applications and at different levels of cost/complexity. I have a bunch of Dewalt tools, but that's b/c the ones I purchased were among the best I could find for what I was looking for. I also have a Bosch jigsaw which is gorgeous. Like everything, as a general rule, you get what you pay for. You should find the tool that is the most expensive you can afford, then go 1 level higher, and buy that. Edited September 4, 2019 by Nextmanup 1
Nextmanup Posted September 4, 2019 Posted September 4, 2019 11 hours ago, GoBills808 said: Extensively researched...good topic. I have my own kind of system, it's not set in stone or anything but generally my tiers are- Cheap crap I wouldn't use unless it was given to me or free: Ryobi Craftsman Skil Black&Decker Porter Cable Forney Baileigh Everlast Cheap crap that I occasionally use/buy and own: DeWalt Bosch Makita Milwaukee Hitachi Lincoln (made in USA stuff is good) JET (to be fair never used their big heavy stuff) Cheap crap I own and use that works pretty well w/surprisingly decent value: Rigid Hilti Miller (made in USA stuff good) Grizzly Esab Good tool brands HTP Metabo Trajan Hobart Hypertherm You don't seem to be able to distinguish between entry level, consumer grade tools, high end consumer grade tools, and high end professional tools meant for people who use those tools all day every day to earn a living. Do you think the OP is looking to buy professional grade tools?
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