Battery Powered Tool Brands

[Loaderman22]

I've had a 18v Makita drill & impact driver set for well over 20 years, still works amazing, drives 6" timber lock screws just as fast as my buddies brand new 20v DeWalt (we raced). I also have their pole saw, hedge trimmer, weedwacker combi kit and it came with the free electric chainsaw. I wouldn't use it for logging or firewood processing, but it's light and guaranteed it starts, so it's great for trail clearing or the occasional downed limb. I use Stihl for the heavy work.
For automotive work, it's hard to beat Milwaukee, they have the best high torque impact guns for lug nuts or stuck bolts, plus their 12v line of ratchets has no equal. Fit in tight spots, good torque and you can use them as a hand ratchet to break free or snug up.
For woodworking I have all Ridgid tools. Since I don't use them all the time, they are perfect quality for me, and you can't beat a lifetime warranty, which also now covers the batteries. Tools available at Home Depot, so very convenient to buy more tools. I have maybe 15 different tools in the line and really no complaints except the drill driver combo kit is too slow for me, I guess I'm just spoiled by my 20 year old Makita mentioned above!!

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I'll add my 2 cents worth even though I only own a couple Black and Decker battery tools--which have served me fine. I have a buddy who owns almost every DeWalt tool there is...and loves them. My son owns a bunch of Kobalt, and swears by them. My brother's tool room looks like a Ryobi advertisement. You have to balance out price, quality, use patterns...a whole bunch of stuff and make the decision accordingly.

I will make a comment on DeWalt chainsaws: unless they have fixed the issue, there is a problem with the bolt holding the clutch. A couple of my friends have their saws go down on them due to that bolt coming out and disappearing. It's a left-hand thread, so you can't just get it at the hardware store.

 

[chim]

All current battery tools have come a VERY long way since my first experience around 1970-ish. There may have been others before it, but the first cordless drill I used was a Black & Decker. IIRC it was a 6V single speed no frills. In the late 70's we got our first batch of B&D Kodiak drills and thought we really had it made! The torque and run time were head and shoulder above the old 6V models, but still pitiful by today's standards. They were supposed to be for drilling holes, but we recognized that they'd be handy for running screws. For driving screws we would either use Yankee screwdriver bits or cut-off screwdriver tips. It's hard to imagine that nearly 50 years ago it took us a while to discover phillips head screws

 

[tulenutn2o]

For hardcore mechanical work….milwaukee for me. Carpentry jobs, I have majority dewalt. My Milwaukee stuff runs circles around my dewalt stuff.

 

[Balazar]

All of the brands are roughly equal, even Harbor freight Hercules stuff is great. If you didn't know, there are really only a few major umbrella companies that all of the tool brands exist under. They all have their tools manufactured by the same OEMs in China.

All of the 19, 20, 21, and 22v lithium batteries have the same cell configuration and nominal voltage. You can get adapters to put any brand of battery on any brand of tool in that 20v lithium range.

Committing yourself to one brand is foolish. Pick one brand of batteries and get adapter for your tools. I use the Harbor Freight Hercules batteries on 5 different brands of cordless tools. I used to rebuild batteries with new cells when they went bad, but he Hercules ones are so cheap when they are on sale that I don't bother with that anymore.

 

[TxSam]

Ridgid here with some Milwaukee stuff. My big recommendation is that whatever brand you get is to make sure to get the tools with 'brushless' motors. I think this is key to more power and battery life per charge. I know Ridgid offers both brushed and brushless, but I'll only buy 'brushless' - not sure if the other brands are exclusively brushless or if they offer both types as well. I'm very happy with the longevity and warranty of my Ridgid tools. The downside is they don't offer as many tool variations. If you're sticking with the primary tools and not as many specialty tools, then I'd say Ridgid is top tier with those others mentioned here. If you're looking for a greater variety of available tools, I'd lean toward Milwaukee.

 

[ultrarunner]

All current battery tools have come a VERY long way since my first experience around 1970-ish. There may have been others before it, but the first cordless drill I used was a Black & Decker. IIRC it was a 6V single speed no frills. In the late 70's we got our first batch of B&D Kodiak drills and thought we really had it made! The torque and run time were head and shoulder above the old 6V models, but still pitiful by today's standards. They were supposed to be for drilling holes, but we recognized that they'd be handy for running screws. For driving screws we would either use Yankee screwdriver bits or cut-off screwdriver tips. It's hard to imagine that nearly 50 years ago it took us a while to discover phillips head screws

I still have my 7.2 volt makita drill and flashlight set.

I did drywall in two remodels with it plus years more…

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Milwaukee isn't going to replace those batteries for free when they go bad either

Does Rigid replace their batteries for life? If so I don't see how they won't eventually get everyone's business.

 

[homey53]

I'm needing to add some battery powered portable tools to my collection that I can take out in the field. My long term experience with Dewalt 18v Ni-MH batteries has been ok but not great since I don't use them daily and the cost is high to swap them out. The newer lithium batteries seem to be better so I'm planning to pick a manufacturer and buy a few needed tools that will run off the same battery packs.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Milwaukee M18 series XC5.0 series because it looks to be priced and geared to the occasional homeowner but open to user experiences with other options to power a 7-1/4" circular saw, 4-1/2" grinder and sawzall to start with

I'm needing to add some battery powered portable tools to my collection that I can take out in the field. My long term experience with Dewalt 18v Ni-MH batteries has been ok but not great since I don't use them daily and the cost is high to swap them out. The newer lithium batteries seem to be better so I'm planning to pick a manufacturer and buy a few needed tools that will run off the same battery packs.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Milwaukee M18 series XC5.0 series because it looks to be priced and geared to the occasional homeowner but open to user experiences with other options to power a 7-1/4" circular saw, 4-1/2" grinder and sawzall to start with.

Speaking of tools and batteries, does anyone here have experience with the generic version of the DeWalt 20 volt batteries available on Amazon? Does a lot less money equate to a lot less service?

 

[Shady oak]

This is like asking what girl is better looking...

Prepare for every answer imaginable and not one single consensus. These things are all pretty much the same these days.

I have DeWalt 12v and 20v. My wife works at a Home Depot style store. I asked her which are returned more frequently, DeWalt or Milwaukee. She said Milwaukee by a considerable margin. She couldn’t say why they were more so than DeWalt but they were. I am fine with my DeWalts, and agree, once you get set up with a grand stick with it. Nothing is worse than loose batteries all over the shop!

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Before buying into any of the tool lines, look into the depth and breadth of the tools they offer. And, whether they offer bare tools outside of kits. You may not need an SDS drill or power planer this week, but might six months from now. the ability to buy it when you need it is really handy. I run DeWalt because of their "FlexVolt" batteries which work in both the 20V and 60V tools. Most everything I run is the 20V version, but the chain saw, and larger impact drivers are better in the 60V version. And, the DeWalt bare tool selection is as good as any other manufacturer.

Also, check out the home page for the "Torque Test Channel" on YouTube. They do a new test weekly of the various brands of impact drivers, and a few other tools, and post their results in spread sheet format, adding new tools to the spread sheet as they get their hands on them for testing. And, "Project Farm" on YouTube does a weekly test of something, and publishes his results.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

All of the brands are roughly equal, even Harbor freight Hercules stuff is great. If you didn't know, there are really only a few major umbrella companies that all of the tool brands exist under. They all have their tools manufactured by the same OEMs in China.

All of the 19, 20, 21, and 22v lithium batteries have the same cell configuration and nominal voltage. You can get adapters to put any brand of battery on any brand of tool in that 20v lithium range.

Committing yourself to one brand is foolish. Pick one brand of batteries and get adapter for your tools. I use the Harbor Freight Hercules batteries on 5 different brands of cordless tools. I used to rebuild batteries with new cells when they went bad, but he Hercules ones are so cheap when they are on sale that I don't bother with that anymore.

The problem with buying adapters and using batteries on various brands of tools, is that the LiOn batteries require management. Some brand have it in the tools. Some in the battery, and some have a combination. So, you can destroy batteries by using them on a different brand of tool. And, you can destroy tools by using them with a different brand of battery.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Speaking of tools and batteries, does anyone here have experience with the generic version of the DeWalt 20 volt batteries available on Amazon? Does a lot less money equate to a lot less service?

I'd be cautious of using them. DeWalt has the battery management in the tool. So, you could potentially let the smoke out of the off brand batteries. i think "Project Farm" and "Torque Test Channel" have both done tests of the off brand batteries on their YouTube channels.

 

[Gl Dansk]

I'm needing to add some battery powered portable tools to my collection that I can take out in the field. My long term experience with Dewalt 18v Ni-MH batteries has been ok but not great since I don't use them daily and the cost is high to swap them out. The newer lithium batteries seem to be better so I'm planning to pick a manufacturer and buy a few needed tools that will run off the same battery packs.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Milwaukee M18 series XC5.0 series because it looks to be priced and geared to the occasional homeowner but open to user experiences with other options to power a 7-1/4" circular saw, 4-1/2" grinder and sawzall to start with.

Lots of responses here, so you probably don’t need another one - but here you go:

I have been on the lifetime warranty Ridgid train for many years. Also loved having a “system” that just fit together. Finally succeeded in burning out an impact driver and a drill on the same project (likely too hard work).

Decided to try the Harbor Freight Hercules and have been super happy with them! And they come with 5 yr warranty.

Tried the DeWalt as well, but have had several failures there - so don’t really recommend those. Particularly batteries seem to struggle.

 

[paulsharvey]

Does Rigid replace their batteries for life? If so I don't see how they won't eventually get everyone's business.

The original batteries as part of a kit are life time replacement. Other batteries have a slightly more limited warranty, like 3 years?

Edit: the lastest warranty info is life time, provided to register the tool, serial number, ect. In the past batteries bought outside of a kit where not lifetime

 

[ultrarunner]

I have DeWalt 12v and 20v. My wife works at a Home Depot style store. I asked her which are returned more frequently, DeWalt or Milwaukee. She said Milwaukee by a considerable margin. She couldn’t say why they were more so than DeWalt but they were. I am fine with my DeWalts, and agree, once you get set up with a grand stick with it. Nothing is worse than loose batteries all over the shop!

The Home Depot here said same… maybe buying for a weekend project and returning on Monday?

 

[paulsharvey]

I'd be cautious of using them. DeWalt has the battery management in the tool. So, you could potentially let the smoke out of the off brand batteries. i think "Project Farm" and "Torque Test Channel" have both done tests of the off brand batteries on their YouTube channels.

What i gather, they are a bit below the claimed AH, so, often a 6 AH, lasts like a 4AH. But at around $10/AH, I wouldn't be against that.