Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best 18v tool/battery?

Pretty much everything I have is DeWalt. I've not been disappointed.

Have lots of batteries and tools, so I just keep adding more when I need something.


Got a Milwaukee Fuel impact driver as a prize a couple years ago. I may need to open the package and see how it works... LOL.

Batteries Plus can rebuild tool batteries with new lithium or nicad celks.... Or you can buy the knock off chinese ones....

I have Dewalt, Makita and Ryobi.

Makita is the most refined feeling and I would say is the highest overall quality.

Dewalt is a workhorse. Good basic get the job done tools.

Ryobi is convenient because they're cheap and offer a wide variety of unique tools. But the quality isn't always there.

I'd also look at Kobalt. Far above Ridgid which is a dying platform.

Hey pard, they're $199 with battery at Home Depot right now pard.

Gotta catch the sales pard.

Ryobi are for Fireballz AKA The Unemployed pard.

I have mostly Ryobi. When 18v nicad was replaced by the much better lion, all I had to do was buy a pack of batteries and a new charger. My first Ryobi drill I bought 23 years ago is still in use. It had a bubble level on the top and back to aid in vert and horizontal holes.

I also have a Milwaukee 1/2 drill, 1/4" impact, and two m12 pistol screw drivers.

We used Milwaukee at work, the tools held up in a factory environment but every Milwaukee drill I've used has a chuck that goes to schidt in short order.

I haven't used makita cordless but I do know makita makes good stuff.

My brother who is an electrician tried to use Ryobi but they didn't hold up so he tried B&D, then Milwaukee, and finally he is at Hilti.

That's great pard.

So which grinder do you recommend pard?

From the very non-scientific studies I have done it seems like Makita and Milwaukee tools average out about the same in prices. Toss the yellow ones in there too.

Out of your two ‘R’ choices, pick whichever color you like best.

Cheater. They don't make an 18v.



I like some of the Bauer stuff, like their right angle drills.

Hilti also has problems with their chucks, but only after being thrown at a dumbazz millwright. They usually are fine.

I don't use grinders enough to comment. A corded Metabo was popular in our sheet metal shop.

Sure enough they are... Heck of a tool at that coin.

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As for Ryobi... same thing (HD had a flash sale on 4Ah and 6Ah batteries @ something like two for $20... bought every battery they had... only tools owned at the time were string trimmers my mom and Laura owned)

Ryobi is very hit and miss on quality. But their grinders which used to run $30 hold up very well (I own about 10 of them)... I use grinders for everything... from steel, to mechanicing, to plumbing, to carpentry.

Makita ran some amazing deals on the 2x 18v chainsaws and leaf blowers with 4 bonus batteries.

Makita batteries are fantastic. I have two of their chainsaws, two of the leaf blowers, two tire inflators and load of their drills/impacts... SOLID STUFF.

I started with Dewalt years ago. Only tools I still own are a 1/2” impact and a 18v drill that sees very little use but works. As the tools died off I replaced them with Milwaukee and never regretted it. As mentioned previously, the chuck on the hammer drills are a weak point and I have had two fail. The other tools sawzall, skill saw, grinder, impact, metal snips, etc. have been flawless.

That said, I needed a new hammer drill/driver to use trapping to run an auger and bought a couple of the Hercules 20v from HF. Not sure how long they will go but reviews are positive and has a 5 yr warranty. It will be abused the winter and if it holds up great, if not I will return it.

I started with Milwaukee and they are way over priced for what you get. I tried a short run with Ryobi but they are light duty tools that just don't hold up. I have been using Ridgid for the last 3 years or so with no issues.

Grabbed a couple of these yesterday...

They LOOK OEM non-max... but the vendor "GivingItAway"... who the fugg knows...



FleaBay Chink bats suck donkey balls...

Ridgid is solid stuff... the batteries are the weak link.

I don't think there's that much difference in any of the mid to lower priced tools. It's all about the shape of the batteries and color.

Milwaukee.

HD will run specials all November, Buy 'X' get free 5AH batt, combo packs X% off, etc...Free bare tool with purchase of X. Easy to stock up and save some ching.

ACME tool will do the same. Farm & Fleet and Fleet Farm to lesser extent.

This was some years ago, before the Chinese started mass producing knock offs. It was a special size that Home Depot put in those kits. It didn't fit anything else they sold. At the time, I didn't know that the batteries could be rebuilt. The tools have long since been tossed.

I’m almost embarrassed at the amount of cordless tools I’ve collected over the years. I got a bunch. Also do a lot of projects and fix things. Lots of home remodel work and decks. Serious for a weekend guy. Now I’m retired and I all but sleep with a cordless drill lol.

Over the years I’ve had quite a few. Early generation DeWalt which didn’t hold up good for me, ditched that stuff quick. Newer stuff is good.

Had a set of the old blue Ryobi which held up really good under some hard use, batteries went bad and threw them away. Since them I’ve had quite a few different kinds.

Hitachi now Metabo is good stuff. Expensive but good stuff. I have a couple of 12 volt drills and 18 volt drill, impact and a saw.

Got a pile of 20 volt Porter Cable. Can’t complain held up good and can buy cheap knock off batteries, Amazon, eBay etc. some of this Porter cable stuff is getting close to 20 years old.

At the lake place there is a Lowe’s not far off, ended up with a pile of 24 volt Kobalt. Seems to be good stuff. 24 volt impact is a beast. 24 volt Kobalt saw spins a 7 1/4 blade like it’s got good sense. When ya got two houses ya end up with two of everything lol.

Now to Ryobi. It all got started a couple of years back, bought a 18 volt cordless tree trimmer on sale. Then a drill on sale for p like 39 bucks and it’s just grown. Every time I catch a sale I buy something else Ryobi. I have a pretty good pile of Ryobi, even 7 1/4 circular saw, cuts pretty dang good. I even have a cordless hot glue gun which works pretty dang good. I buy the cheap knock off batteries off Amazon.

If I was working for a living, I’d use Ridged or Milwaukee. But weekend guys, even serious weekend stuff, Ryobi is hard to beat. I ran the hell out of a Ryobi drill yesterday and it did just fine. Ryobi makes some really good flashlight attachments for cheap to. It’s hard to beat Ryobi.