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I’m looking at 18-20volt tools. There are so many and reviews are all over the map. Sounds like gun reviews. Will be building a simple porch soon and want to screw stuff together instead of nailing. Liking Dewalt and Makita models. What does everyone think and what models? I don’t need pro models for homeowner jobs.

I’ve been using (3rd set, lost one pair in a flood along with all my other power hand tools in 07) Makita for 3 decades, since the beginning of the impact driver age. No complaints whatsoever.

A close friend is a contractor and he uses the same tools daily. He swapped from dewalt to makita a few years ago, and claims he wouldn’t own dewalt again. FWIW

I can’t comment on the new brushless ones, but he says they’re the only way to fly

I went with Ryobi for the convenience of their 18V line. The blower, hedge trimmer, weed whacker are mainstays...and I've used their drill, impact drill, three saws, etc. regularly as well. I'm very open to adding in the lawnmower when the time is right.

I also have a couple of Milwaukee 12v tools - yes, the better companies are better but I just don't have the need for them. It's complete overkill for me as a homeowner.

I like the Milwaukee Fuel 18v stuff.


Should find some great deals for Black Friday/ cyber Monday.

Just watch out for kits with smaller batteries. For drills/ drivers i like 4/5 ah batteries.

i have a 10 year old makita that is still going strong. its the black and white one. in that same 10 year period i have thrown away several black and decker, ryobi, etc cheapos.

Lots of recent discussion here as well -

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12410568/1

My experience: Bought a Makita 9V drill ~20 years ago. Came with two batteries. Great little drill. Eventually one of the batteries died. Bought a replacement battery to have two. Cost more than 50% of what I paid for the entire kit. Eventually the second original battery died. BY that time, a replacement battery was more than a brand new Dewalt 18V kit. Bought the Dewalt 18V. While Dewalt branded 18V batteries are pricey, the generic batteries are still reasonable. Just purchased a 20V Dewalt drill for the smaller form factor. 20V drill feels like it has sufficient torque to do bodily harm if not careful. See no reason to go back to Makita.

Observation: Had a project at church a few weekends ago. At least 75% of the battery powered tools were Dewalt. Did not notice any Makita products...

Quite often, if your 2 batteries are going bad, it's sensible to toss the whole thing and buy a new one. 2 new batteries will cost almost as much as a new drill with 2 batteries and you still have an old drill.

I did do bodily harm with a big 18v Dewalt years ago. I was inside a living room cabinet drilling a ventilation hole for a big home theater amplifier with a 3" hole saw. Got it angled slightly, hole saw stopped abruptly and that huge battery swung around and clocked me on side of face. Felt like getting punched by Mike Tyson. When I came to I was laying on my back outside of the cabinet 😎. Nice little sleep

I like the German made Metabo hammer drill/driver. Have had it for 7-8 years with no issues.

metabo drill/driver

Milwaukee 18v

I have an 18V Makita and have been very pleased, much more so than with the older long-batteried 9 or 12V Makitas which were kind of the 'go-to' cordless drill a few decades ago. I wasn't keeping track of exactly how many 1/4" holes I drilled in 3/16" mild steel on a single charge this fall, but it was several dozen. In the four years I've had these tools, I have turned them loose with students a few times (and random kids tend to be a lot harder on stuff than even your own.) I bought my drill as part of a set of cordless tools which also included a 6 1/2" circular saw and a recipro-saw. I couldn't be more pleased. The single issue I've had on occasion has been getting the batteries re-charged when the temps are around 0º F, and the batteries also tend to be harder to 'wake up' when they're that cold. Generally I just let the tool run to warm the battery up some when it's cold, and they start to make more power as they heat up - or get warmer than the ambient temp anyway. I think that is probably a function of Lith-Ion batteries rather then the label however.

Milwaukee 18v fuel

I've had a 20 volt Dewalt drill and driver for about 4 years. Love them. Plenty of power and the batteries last. I have an 18V Ryobi set consisting of reciprocal saw, drill, light, and circular saw. Original batteries were crap, and I bought a new, slimmer battery as a replacement, just so I could use the reciprocal saw. Wouldn't recommend Ryobi, but will Dewalt. Must say that I hear good things about Makita and Milwaukee, and would look at them if ever buy again.

+ditto

I went with the RIDGED from Home Depot. If you regester your battery they have a life time warranty. . Ive had three replaced. Find that in another brand.

Dewalt

Tho I am getting more paranoid about Craftsmen, their 19.8v line of cordless tools have been real workhorses for me. Their batteries got a good deal better over the last couple of years, and are compatible with my older tools.

Another for milwaukee m-18.

I have a fuel as well as the brushed type of drill/driver.
If you get one of these types get the largest battery they have at that time.
I have some xlc,2.0 and 5.0,the 5.0 will work you out.

Ridgid is fine for home projects, but I burnt up two impact drivers and a drill on a concrete project on the farm last year, plus cooked at least four batteries. That's driving several thousand screws a day for a couple of weeks straight, not building a deck at the house.

The Milwaukee 18 v brushless haven'd conked out yet, but the impact driver shuts down if it gets around any kind of moisture. Matter of fact, the hammer drill in that set did 75 3/16 holes in concrete last week without a hiccup on a single charge. I was well pleased.