Battery Operated Power Tools?

[Langwilliams]

Use strictly dewalt at working they hold up well. Trust me high school kids are hard on tools.

For myself I'm still using 19.2 craftsman set I've had for over a decade. Once it dies I'll probably invest in the new craftsman eco system.

My neighbor has DeWalt stuff he works on his race car with. When I was moving in I borrowed his 20 volt impact driver because I hadn't moved the garage stuff yet an I could tell it was nicer than my stuff. My stuff does the job (usually). I have an old Roybi grinder I was trying to cut a quarter inch thick steel plate with an it was struggling and slow. I borrowed his dewalt corded grinder an it was more powerful an turned at higher rpms. This was the first time the old Roybi let me down but that was I will probably never work with something that thick again. I made an adaptor plate to mount to my old John Deere frame an drilled it so a new Honda motor would mount to it.

To the OP: another tool I got way more than my money's worth out of is my Roybi power miter box. I bought it to put hard wood flooring down in my condo an it did the job. It also built my niece's deck, my daughter's window trim in several rooms, a few odd jobs an now it's being used to cat pieces for a new swing set/adventure set he's building for my grand kids.

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[got3fords]

I have multiple Milwaukee M18 tools and love them, string trimmer with hedge trimmer attachement, drill/driver, sawzall, circular saw etc. Heck I even have the lawn mower and absolutely love it! It is so convenient when even a small job pops up, just grab the tool and battery and get to it. Once you get a couple of batteries and charger, you can buy bare tools cheap all day long on Ebay. I think my next purchase will be the chainsaw.

 

[subquark]

This is good advice for me, I think. I own only a corded Black & Decker drill and a corded leaf blower and hedge trimmer, also B&D. I'd like to ditch the cord for the yard stuff for sure (recommendations from the gang are VERY welcome here), and I see the wisdom of keeping cords for the power tools.

Thanks much, guys!

I use Ego for yard stuff because I started with their mower a few years back (now have their blower, hedge trimmer, string trimmer, 18-inch chainsaw, and their work light which I use more than I thought I would).

But ... when it came time to look at a snow thrower, I went with Toro. Bummer on batteries not being standard ... =(

I'd also consider Ryobi for yard stuff - a neighbor has that and it's really good (plus they have quite a few things like a pressure washer).

 

[ppfd]

Milwaukee M 12 here as well. I live in an apt. GF has a condo. So I don’t need 18 volt tools.
Battery warranty is a big thing for me, as I don’t use these things daily. Milwaukee is 3 years. I couldn’t find another brand with battery warranty that long.

That said, if you want 18 Volts look at rigid (Home Depot) lifetime battery and tool replacement if you register them.

 

[Jhbryaniv]

I started with all rigid tools - corded and cordless.

Until I bought the Dewalt 1/2" impact driver... That baby is powerful. Now I have a Dewalt drill and small impact as well as their leaf blower. I have a bosch corded router after my rigid cordless wouldn't do what I needed it to. I have a rigid compound sliding miter saw. Sticking to a single battery ecosystem is great, I have probably a dozen rigid batteries and, 4 Dewalt batteries.

I have been disappointed in the cordless circular saws - the rigid one I have uses a slightly smaller blade (maybe 6 1/2") than is standard so the blades are limited and require seperate blades from my Dewalt corded....

I think, realistically choose something that is a well known brand, get a drill and driver cordless and the rest (at least to start) can be corded. If you find Ohh I need this special widget tool cordless, buy it later.

Last tip, invest in a good high quality extension cord if you are using power tools at any distance from the outlet. Don't get the cheapest 25 dollar 100ft cord. It will get hot, possible overheat and can cause a fire. Invest in a quality cord, take care of it (wrap it up neatly and don't trample it) and it will last a long time.

 

[Big Blue]

Last tip, invest in a good high quality extension cord if you are using power tools at any distance from the outlet. Don't get the cheapest 25 dollar 100ft cord. It will get hot, possible overheat and can cause a fire. Invest in a quality cord, take care of it (wrap it up neatly and don't trample it) and it will last a long time.

Great tip, the biggest problem with cheap long cords is they are probably made with a smaller wire guage. The voltage drop over a long cord will reduce the power available to the tool and cause it to overheat as well as the cord. Not good for either of the.

 

[DubVeeRanger]

My neighbor has DeWalt stuff he works on his race car with. When I was moving in I borrowed his 20 volt impact driver because I hadn't moved the garage stuff yet an I could tell it was nicer than my stuff. My stuff does the job (usually). I have an old Roybi grinder I was trying to cut a quarter inch thick steel plate with an it was struggling and slow. I borrowed his dewalt corded grinder an it was more powerful an turned at higher rpms. This was the first time the old Roybi let me down but that was I will probably never work with something that thick again. I made an adaptor plate to mount to my old John Deere frame an drilled it so a new Honda motor would mount to it.

To the OP: another tool I got way more than my money's worth out of is my Roybi power miter box. I bought it to put hard wood flooring down in my condo an it did the job. It also built my niece's deck, my daughter's window trim in several rooms, a few odd jobs an now it's being used to cat pieces for a new swing set/adventure set he's building for my grand kids.

Oh dewalt is nice stuff but it's premium and can be a bit expensive for the occasional user. I've sheared off bolts with a dewalt xr impact driver. I could never do that with my older craftsman. I'm just too cheap too upgrade for my homeowner use

 

[Langwilliams]

Oh dewalt is nice stuff but it's premium and can be a bit expensive for the occasional user. I've sheared off bolts with a dewalt xr impact driver. I could never do that with my older craftsman. I'm just too cheap too upgrade for my homeowner use

Luckily I don't have to upgrade...if one of my HF tools isn't up to the job I just borrow one from the neightbor

 

[ppfd]

Just picked up the Milwaukee M12 "hatchet" 6" chainsaw.

Be perfect for processing wood for our little fire pit.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

I use Skil battery powered tools have some of the PWRCORE 12 and 20 lineup, great for casual use and comes with a 5 year warranty if you register warranty on the website. The tools are reasonably priced and they have lots of bundles available.

https://www.skil.com/?gad_source=1&...Ecib3RqABnlrnm7DIUUaAqwKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Fordup]

I have both Dewalt and Milwaukee now. Both OPE and hand tools. started with dewalt but about 3 years ago their quality and ergonomics started going downhill and customer support was worthless so at that point started switching to M12 & M18 tools. Milwaukee is definitely worth spending a little extra I found. I really am liking the packout stuff and have started 3d printing inserts for the tools to keep things together. I also tried Makita 18 volt but their batteries were total junk and would quit charging right after the warranty ran out. Here are some of the Milwaukee tools in my woodshop. Have all the OPE, grease guns, impact guns, buffers, out in the auto shop. They are making awesome sofull socket sets now.

 

[Fordup]

Something happened here are some more pics. I definitely like the Milwaukee tools best and have been dumping all the Makita and dewalt. Along with lining all the drawers with kaizen foam.

 

[JohnsonEJ23]

 

[Fordup]

Like drugs, they are just the starter packs to get you hooked . You don't get good stuff until the kids move out

 

[moorejl57]

My oldest son works construction and he went all Dewalt, but finally admitted to me he likes Milwaukee better. He got Dewalt because he wears his tools out and they cost less. I have the M12 fuel drill and impact and love it. I have an old Dewalt plunge router and a bench table saw that I really like. I agree with the sentiment that your drill and driver should be cordless and most everything else corded.

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