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3 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

For my main few tools, I have DeWalt. For the one off tools I’ve needed in multiple remodeling projects I have Ryobi. I probably have 30+ of these tools. For the occasional use this set of tools get, it’s hard to justify spending 3x for DeWalt.

Yeah, I have milwaukee drills and drivers (both 18v and 12v) , and an 18v sawzall.   I needed a pole chainsaw.  I got the Ryobi for 120 bucks, including battery and charger.   it's perfect for the 4 times a year that I use it.  

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If I had to do it again, I would go with Milwaukee, but I'm not disappointed in DeWalt. I don't get to turn the tools anymore, but I point at things and yell at people. Most of what you see in commercial construction is Milwaukee and DeWalt.

Electricians/data/LV - Milwaukee

Framers/drywall - DeWalt

Mechanical - mix between the two

Plumbers - they got too much shit on their tools to tell

Homeowners - Ryobi and Ridgid, their money is better spent elsewhere.

 

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Years ago I bought some Ryobi kit that had a drill, impact, sawzall, multi tool, and circular saw.  For the most part has done well. If you’re going to use it a lot, I’d personally jump in dewalt, and I think I’d also jump to a 40v system if possible. 
 

Also, most have a 1-2 levels, even within Ryobi. The sawzall that I got in the combo kit did OK, but died out after a couple years with all the use. When I went to replace it, I learned that Ryobi had better version for not much more, and it is night and day more powerful/effective.  
 

I picked up a very unused Dewalt 21* nail gun at a pawn shop for about half price. Best purchase ever. Also go a corded saw and compressor. Whatever route you go, check some pawn shops to fill in gaps 

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Team Red all the way.

Milwaukee & Ryobi are owned by the same company, however Milwaukee has some applications (tools) that you won't find in Ryobi.

I think i have 10 of the m12 batteries & 8 of the m18's.

I won't switch, especially after going as deep into the system as I have.

*Milwaukee does not required you to register for the factory warranty.
Ridgid (which would be my 2nd choice) has a great battery & tool warranty however you have to register it.

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4 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

How about you summarize that for us when you’re done 

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IMO, Milwaukee has the widest array of tools & accessories.
We are headed to Winter camp for Scouts (Sol Meyer, Menard area) & I'm bringing 5 different Milwaukee lights; 2 in M12, 3 in M18.

I also have rhese 2 goodies coming along with me & should be able to keep my phone up to power with an overnight charge.

I am bringing the base charger & hopefully there is an available receptacle somewhere once we arrive.9dea8821f4a407d4e3da1e8f38038ff9.jpg

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I’m a Dewalt guy. I’d probably consider Milwaukee if I was starting today.

I have some Harbor Freight Bauer tools. You can get a $20 adapter on Amazon to use Dewalt batteries. These are seldom used tools that I didn’t want to shell out a bunch of money for.

BAUER 20V Cordless Automatic Feed Drain Cleaner - Tool Only - Item 64483 https://hftools.com/app64483

BAUER 20V Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. High-Torque Impact Wrench with Friction Ring - Tool Only - Item 58514 https://hftools.com/app58514

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On 12/26/2023 at 5:16 PM, Hagbard Celine said:

Dewalt

Makita

Ryobi

Black+Decker

Hitachi

 

what say the surl

A sorta meta-analysis of Internet Opinion ranks, from that list, these tiers:

A-Dewalt

AB-Makita

B-Hitachi, Ryobi

C-Black+Decker


Truthfully speaking, if you use it for a living, you care about warranty. If you use it for home/hobby, it dont make a shit. 
I bought into Bosch Pro (blue colored series) and I like it fine. My in-laws has Milwaukee Fuel stuff and it seems super nice. Id probably gotten that if I started from scratch.

 

 

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Team Ryobi here from mower to tools to glue gun (awesome ) and multi tool. Have probably 20-30 of their items. Get most from DirectToolOutlet on blemished sale for 40-75% off

There are about 300 One+ tools currently...pretty much anything. For home owner is great. Don't know about power/duration for more active use though

Edited by MonkeyDoughnut
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21 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

welp the literature on batteries is all over the map and reads like adverts - now i have to go read all of this:

You dont. Its not actionable. 
 

-The voltage and tool brand is the basis of your platform. (some may be interchangeable but nm)

-Stick to 12V or 18V platform. More voltage = more power. But also means bigger and heavier tools.

-“Ah” rating = power capacity. Larger = runs longer….but physically larger and heavier battery packs. 2Ah is smaller and is fine for hobby use. 4Ah is larger. If you go small, make sure you have multiple packs so you don’t run out in the middle of a task. 

-Batteries are healthiest when stored at middle charge.  So if youre gonna put the tools away for a while, dont leave them empty, and dont top them off either. Easy. 
 

Thats it. Pick your brand and voltage and size the batteries to what you need. I have 2x4Ah (18V) packs and theres nothing I do at home that will drain them both in 1 go.  I dont carry my tools across a job site so the weight and the size of tools dont matter to me. 
 

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Team Dewalt, Started with 18v NICAD tools 15+ years ago, then bought 20v lithium to 18 V adapters to use the old tools and started buy brushless 20v tools. Still use the original 18v tool set and have 10-12 20v tools. My favorite tools are a 12” chainsaw and air inflator. Both exceed my expectations almost every time them.

Have looked at the Milwaukee 12v ecosystem primarily for battery powered 3/8 ratchet. Dewalts version sucks

Starting new, I might go Milwaukee 18v instead of Dewalt. Ryobi is ok for most homeowner applications.

The Toolguyd blog has a great rundown on the various battery systems
https://toolguyd.com/best-cordless-power-tool-brand/

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welp i was going to dive in to the battery/voltage shit this morning but since 52-80 says skip that will proceed to applications:

janruary chores:

1 - unscrew and dismount 12 sets of heavy wood shutters - they have not been taken down for cleaning in 40 years

2 - annual winter landscape cleanup - tired of paying the yarderos a fortune for something i can do - but the 1/4" lantana says "fuck you" to any of the black & decker trimmers i've thrown at it over the years - need cutting power - will buy as many batteries as necessary to do the job in 3 hours - there is a metric fuckton of lantana in my beds - we planted it for the monarchs who visit in october

3 - drywall takedown - i know this means a "sawzall" - need one for stupid olds with easy config/settings so i guarantee i only go through the drywall and not find active electric wiring

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On 12/26/2023 at 11:54 PM, ROFL BOX said:


Milwaukee & Ryobi are owned by the same company, however Milwaukee has some applications (tools) that you won't find in Ryobi.
 

It is funny how many of them are made by the same group. I think everything sold at Home Depot is made by TTI. 

 

 

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One of my best purchases was a Dewalt drill/ impact drive combo set ~8 years ago that was on sale cheap at HD.  They've been solid, and hooked me into the ecosystem.  Since then have added a sawzall, hedge trimmer, chainsaw, and blower.  Don't use super-heavy, but, all work well, build quality is good, and batteries have held up.  Still have Toro/ Stihl yard equipment.

My dad has Makita, which seem to be a bit more ergonomic than the Dewalt.  Neighbor has Ryobi- lot off cool tools/ accessories.  Uncle has Milwaukee.  These days, I would guess most brands are pretty good.  Probably good to have similar stuff so that you can swap batteries, but, mixing in cheaper stuff that you don't use as much works.

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I assume all of the different brands have brushless options by now? Surprised to not see any distinctions made between Milwaukee and Milwaukee Fuel for example. Brushless should improve battery consumption and extended the life of the tool and battery. Not sure of the actual research on this though

Edited by KYHorn
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I'm team Milwaukee.  
But, If I were starting out, I'd consider Ridgid from H D.  They warranty the batteries.  Nobody else does that. 
Ryobi is fine for homeowners/casual users. 

My stuff is all Milwaukee. Rigid isn’t bad from what I’ve heard.

Pick a platform and stick with it. Home Depot has kits for sale all the time. See if you can find one that has what you need in it. When it’s time to expand, try to buy bare tools, unless you just want/need another batter and charger.
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Posted (edited)

Too many DeWalt tools to count, but I have to say---the 20" DeWalt mower and string trimmer really surprised me.   I don't mow the entire yard (have a JD rider for that) but for the culvert in my front yard, against the fence, etc the DeWalt mower is a real treat.   The string trimmer is outstanding.  All of the DeWalt yard tools I have (12" chainsaw, hedge trimmer, pole trimmer and so on) are great.

Even the 20V pressure washer is great.  It's not as strong as a gas model, but anything I'm cleaning, it's more than enough.

 

 

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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3 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

@Francisco 2.0 how is the battery duration on that 12" chainsaw?

Depends on what size battery you have.  If you put in a 3 amp battery, you might get 30-40 cuts.    But really, it depends on the wood, the diameter you are cutting, etc.  I've yet to find anything I couldn't cut, and if it was too large, I'd need something with a larger bar.

DeWalt sells batteries for the chainsaw ranging from 1-10 amps.  You can buy the tool with or without a battery.  I have a pair of the 10 amp batteries, and I've never ran one completely down with the chainsaw.  

It's not as powerful as a gas chainsaw, and I'd never even compare it that way.  But it sure is handy for lopping off limbs, etc.

DeWalt makes chainsaws in 8, 12, 14, 18 and 20 inch bar sizes.

 

Here's some youtube video review of the model I have:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Depends on what size battery you have.  If you put in a 3 amp battery, you might get 30-40 cuts.    But really, it depends on the wood, the diameter you are cutting, etc.  I've yet to find anything I couldn't cut, and if it was too large, I'd need something with a larger bar.

DeWalt sells batteries for the chainsaw ranging from 1-10 amps.  You can buy the tool with or without a battery.  I have a pair of the 10 amp batteries, and I've never ran one completely down with the chainsaw.  

It's not as powerful as a gas chainsaw, and I'd never even compare it that way.  But it sure is handy for lopping off limbs, etc.

DeWalt makes chainsaws in 8, 12, 14, 18 and 20 inch bar sizes.

 

Here's some youtube video review of the model I have:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have the 20v 12” Dewalt saw and use the 5 AH batteries.    I use it at the ranch when I need to make a few small cuts real quick and around the campfire.  I have even took it the last few years to the Christmas tree farm and cut down my tree with it.   Runtime with the 5 ah battery hasn’t been a problem but most of my cuts are 6” diameter or smaller.
 

AFFD915B-32C2-479F-9448-03BF6499ECDD.thumb.jpeg.b46972fc385a39ab504dc4e7d7305690.jpeg

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Milwaukee kit w/ large hex-head tripod light. Pawn shop @ tge W end of Highway 290 in Austin, ¼ mile before William Cannon.

Ignore the dumb spelling; it has the light, 2 drills, recip saw & a circular saw (I think it was a 7").

I have all of these pieces, otherwise I would buy it.

No info on what batteries, a charger or carry bag might be included. Everything looked immaculate.

Ca$h America Pawn... call to ask about the batteries & a charger. It is currently in the display case directly by the front door.

512.892.5444f8a4e657af096ff9ffdf20c5ad93163b.jpg

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4 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

If that’s just bare tools, I wouldn’t buy it. You can get all of that new in a kit with a couple of batteries and charger for $600 from Home Depot pretty regular.

yeah but the tool comes with a life time.  You dont get that from the Lowes.

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yeah but the tool comes with a life time.  You dont get that from the Lowes.
it also comes with a once.
Unless it's your livelihood, outside of a drill/driver and lawn care I don't really think many other tools need to be cordless.  The convenience is negligible if you are doing a weekend project a few times a year.

I’ll agree to an extent. I’m not dragging a generator to the deer lease to work on something because all my shit if corded. I bought a bunch of cordless stuff because I didn’t have power in my shop for a while.
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On 12/30/2023 at 12:39 PM, KYHorn said:

I assume all of the different brands have brushless options by now? Surprised to not see any distinctions made between Milwaukee and Milwaukee Fuel for example. Brushless should improve battery consumption and extended the life of the tool and battery. Not sure of the actual research on this though

When I night my ryobi lit the sawzall was not brushless. It died after 3 years. When I when to get a new one I discovered they had a brushless version and as I mentioned up thread, it is so much better 

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