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.

I've got the 18v Makita. It seems to a little better quality then Dewalt but not as strong as the Milwaukee Fuel. If you can find the Milwaukee for similar price, I'd jump on it. Seems like they are all on sale around Christmas

I had one of those. A battery crapped out and they sent it in for repair at least 2 years ago since they no longer sold that battery. I'm still waiting to get it back.

Milwaukee fuel 18 volt

Makita. They have a great 18v system.

+1 on the Ryobi ONE+ line of 18V tools. Plenty good enough for what you are going to do. Heck, if you didn't have one until this project anyway you clearly are not using it. Plus with the Home Depot Black Friday sale you can get a drill, an impact driver, 2 chargers, and 2 batteries for $99

Have a 18V Milwaukee at home I’ve been using for 7 years. Still going strong, battery life excellent.

Use 24V Dewalts at work because they’re free. Battery life is half of what I’m used to and the drills themselves only last about 6 months.

This.

I have Ryobi 18v too. Works for my hobbyist purposes. Nice thing was when they went to the One+ system the Lithium batteries work in my older 18V which was a HUUUGE improvement in battery life. I made some bird houses the other day with the kids and my drill was ready to go and honestly i cant remember when the batteries were charged last, it's been a few months at least

Ryobi. I've had Makita, and they are fine until the batteries go bad. The replacement batteries are super expensive. I bought a couple of the Ryobi high capacity batteries with a fuel gauge for $49 for the pair. I have three drills, a drill-driver, a circular saw, a sawsall, a palm router, a halogen spotlight, an LED lantern, an incandescent work light, and an 8" chainsaw on a 8' pole that all use the same batteries. They all work great.

bosch has a replacement policy

I build/remodel for a living. We use the impact drivers daily for something. Lots of weeks they see some heavy duty workouts. I have Porter Cable set that has held up like a champ for several years and still going strong. Also have a Milwaukee set that's a couple years old, no complaints at all. Can't go wrong with Makita.
Ryobi is good stuff for the money. DeWalt batteries seem to crap out and not hold a charge. I prob won't ever by anything with the Rigid name on it again.

I bought the Bosch combo set 5 years ago. The impact quit this summer, but the drill is still strong. I replaced the impact with Milwaukee, mainly because of warranty. The Bosch was 1 yr. versus 5 yrs. on the Milwaukee. The Bosch is nothing to sneeze at. It did a lot of large jobs including several metal roofs and 300' piers. It paid for itself on the first one. The Milwaukee has more arse though.

They all come from the same factory in China. I don't see any point in paying a bunch of money for what used to be a great American brand like Milwaukee or Dewalt. Go to Harbor Freight, get what you need to build your porch, and pay closer to what the tool is actually worth. If it craps out before you get the porch built, they will give you another one under warranty. Chances are it won't. If it tears up down the road, pitch it and go get you another one. I have found that Harbor Freight stuff lasts a long time sitting in my garage waiting around for the occasional project. I have not had to throw anything away yet and some of it is pushing 10 years old. I see cordless tools as kind of disposable anyway because as Rock Chuck says, the batteries cost as much to replace as getting a new tool.

If you want "quality" all I know is the guys who I know that used to be big Milwaukee guys have gone to Metabo. But honestly, if I were going to "invest" in a tool like that it would be corded.

With Harbor Freight's Chicago Electric brand, their tools all use the same battery so you don't need a half dozen chargers and spare batteries lying around. Their batteries are NiCad 18v but they're also only $17 instead of 60 or $70 so you can afford to have a couple extras ready to go.

I have a Ridgid recip saw. They don't carry batteries for this particular one any more and the 1 I have is getting weak. Amazon carries some Chinese after market batteries for it but they're $70 each. I'll likely replace the saw from Harbor Frt when the time comes. I don't use it enough to justify $200 for a Milwaukee.

There are Youtube videos about rebuilding these batteries if you have the time and interest.

Here's one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAzLpS1b5L8

Impressed by the Milwaukee warranty. Had a 18v drill/hammer drill that broke the gearbox.
I was just going to pitch it because it had more than paid for itself at work. Driving by the
service center one day I stooped in and had them look at the drill. They said it was 5 years
old and they sent it in to the repair shop no questions asked.

About 6 weeks later it came back with a new motor, gearbox, and chuck. It is now a home
use tool as I found a really good deal on a Fuel impact / drill combo set for work.

Always been a fan of Milwaukee, but started using Porter Cable 20volt tools. Priced great and work great. Lowes carries them.

I believe that Milwaukee has a plant in MS.

Not all is made in china.

Most things, these days, are made in China. The spec they are built to, and the design, however, is often domestic, and it differs from brand to brand.

I have the 18v Ryobi set that came with the Drill, circular saw, recip saw, flashlight, charger, and extra battery. You can buy the whole damn thing for $120 at Home Depot right now. Not sure for homeowner use you can get a better deal.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-1...s-Super-Combo-Kit-4-Piece-P883/203466914

I bought a Porter Cable 12 volt in 2000. Nothing special, 3/8". Still have it and use it. Now I don't use it every day for work, just at home. I have rebuilt the batteries 3 times, but it keeps on going. I won't work on the batteries again, next time it all goes in the trash.

I had a Dewalt and then a Sears.Got tired of the batteries going bad.Went down to Harbor Freight and bought one for$19 on sale. Darn thing does everything the others did and I can throw it away when it goes bad and not feel bad

Makita and pick up some 5 amp hour batteries for it