Perhaps I should have annotated a bit; Price is not really important. I dont need the Ferrari of the tool set world, but $600 versus $4000, is not really important. I will be keeping these for many years, so an investment is fine. I will be using the tools during the Spring and then during the summer academic break to do major renovations, so some of them will see several weeks of almost constant daily use. DeWalt claims their 20 volt version (actually 18) batteries can be recharged in 30 min. Still investigating.

We use DeWalt industrial grade stuff at work.
They're pricey but they do hold up to heavy usage.
If you go that route get 3 batteries, that will just about cover constant use.
While I'm not sure about the cheaper ones, the industrial grade batteries will charge up in 30 minutes.
You will also get longer battery life and more recharge cycles if you run the batteries almost to the point of complete discharge before putting them back on the charger and take them off the charger once they are recharged, leaving them on just produces heat and that'll reduce your batteries lifespan by a measurable amount.

I use mostly bosch, which seem to be good quality, easy to use and hold up well. I don't have many cordless tools, other than a drill, because my repair work is not full time, and keeping stuff charged up was a hastle. I have a good honda generator and lots of power cords so I don't have to keep swapping out. My wife kids me because I often have several drills, with different bits in the same area, just to avoid changing bits and drivers so often.

Ah...not true. If he is going to be using corded tools to make a living, do not cheap out on a light guage power cord, especially at that length. You going to get a voltage drop off that will slowly kill your tools, especially those that need high amp starts like circular saws. If it is just to run a battery charger, well that is a bit different.

I have all Milwaukee tools. It was either that or Makita at the time due to the variety of tools avaiable, pricing, and reviews I read on the products. Hey...Festool is great, but I cannot justify any of those at the moment.

My Milwuakee tools have good battery life, lots of different tools avaiable, quick charging batteries with remaining charge indicator lights on the batteries themeselves, and they have lots of power.

Regarding the extension lead -

If you're going to pull a few amps through it (grinder or welder) then make sure it's rated for that current and it's unrolled.

They get rather warm otherwise...


I'm with Coasty on the bit changing routine. Swapping between drills and drivers gets old quick.

Cheers!