I will be making some additions to my home come spring and need to buy some decent cordless power tools. I have owned primarily DeWalt corded tools in the past and they seem to do just fine. So, I am considering:

http://dewalt.com/tools/cordless-combo-packs-20v-max-combo-packs-dck590l2.aspx

Plus some other pieces, like a miter saw, sander, etc.

Any professional carpenters/contractors out there with real experience with the latest cordless tools, have an opinion? If you say another brand like Skil, Milwaukee, Makita, etc, could you please note why.

Thanks - Jay

I'm not a pro contractor or handyman but the most used tool in that kit will be the drill and sawzall. Cordless circular saws are really only good for light cuts and projects, the flashlight might be nice (but who doesn't already have a flashlight (added bonus) and the impact wrench will have limited applications IMO.

You can't go wrong with a good drill and sawzall and dewalt is a great brand from my experience (homeowner work mostly). I think you're looking at a good kit but you might ask yourself what you you'll really use the impact drill and circular saw for. In those two areas I'd go with a corded version.

For the record I do all my own projects at home with the exception of HVAC and major electrical projects. I've pretty much done it all in some way or other.

Don't think you can go too far wrong with DeWalt.

Best to stick with one brand if you're looking to interchange batteries.

Makita next best, I think.


Last time I used a DeWalt battery angle grinder I wasn't over impressed compared to corded, but if the alternative is a hacksaw...

Cheers!


If mains power is available I'd definitely go for a sliding compound saw too. I have an entry-level makita and it does it's job. I reckon you chaps have more timber in your property than we do here.

It depends in large part on two factors, and you need to be honest with yourself:

How many times or hours a year will you be using that tool?

How much does it cost, relative to sales and a competitor's product?

For instance, some professional tools cost WAY beyond the “entry level” price, and while there is a clear difference in quality, if you only use the tool for 3 hours in a year...maybe saving money on the tool is a better deal.

For instance, there is a new class of reciprocating cutters, that basically you bolt a cutter blade to it (or sanding pad), and it just vibrates a 64th of an inch back and forth. The prime German tool is very high quality, the Mercedes or Walther of the vibrating tool world. Then there is the more regular brand levels, like Dremel or Rigid, who sell for around $150-ish range. But, because I would only use it for between 1-8 hours a year, I bought a cheap Korean knockoff for $35 on sale, which has more recently been on sale for $19. And the original German tool? It goes for $500-900 depending on what accessory kit you choose. A speciality carpenter said the German one is what he uses, and is worth the money to him, but he said normal contractors won't need that level of quality.

Sometimes the price is similar, but an outstanding warranty will make it hard to pass up: Rigid brand tools, sold at Home Depot (exclusively? I think it might be their own brand, not sure) are not outstanding professional tools. However, they DO work, if a bit clunky. But, and this is the key, they have a “replace it” warranty policy, so if you get a lemon, you no longer have a lemon! These are also slightly cheaper than the other main brand names too. Oddly though, I actually don't have any Rigid tools myself, but I have used them for five straight years, and they last about as long as any major brand.

Then there are the tools that contractors have noted to have a “well above average” life: Makita air compressors and circular saws, or Skil drills (that also have outstanding ergonomics for 50+ hours a week year round work).

A few brands seem to have lowering quality compared to their past, one that I'm thinking of is DeWalt batteries.

Observations I made while working:
-Rigid: poor ergonomics, heavier, cheaper, last a good amount of time

-DeWalt: good ergonomics, good trigger, getting lighter, price can vary but is generally ok. Batteries are not lasting nearly as well as Rigid.

-Ryobi: cheaper than dirt, bought a circular saw, it worked. But the rough and tumble use quickly bent the frame so we replaced it. But if you treat it nicely gingerly for only a few jobs a year, it would have been a good value. But not for contracting, just a waste of time/money (or even a heavy home/hobby user would probably want better).

-Makita: bought a circ saw to replace the Ryobi, been happy with it ever since. Better ergo, WAY stronger frame, better trigger, far more powerful motor. When we looked for a replacement compressor, that good experience w circ, along with outstanding anecdotes from posts on the net, led me to choose one of their larger compressors, which we also were very impressed with over a year of use.

-Skil: never bought one, have very little experience with it. But using one for a few hours, the ergo and trigger were outstanding, the power was good, the daily users said the batteries were outstanding in capacity and longevity of useful life. But...you'll pay for that quality, and the home user would be wasting his money on this level. A little like buying a Ferrari for offroading to the hunting cabin.

-Battery powered DeWalt Circular Saw: this is in a special category by itself, because this isn't so much about the brand, as about the product type. And that is simply that a battery powered circular saw is WAY underpowered IMO, it's totally outclassed by any corded circular saw's cutting capability. Why? I think it just requires way more juice to cut well. But for certain applications we needed it. And what we did was charge up all the batteries, set up the cut, then just before the cut, spin it, and let it do short cuts. Change the battery once it starts dying, and it'll start dying quick. A home user who almost never does such cuts could probably get away with the limitations I'm talking about, but if you are a homeowner who's going to build a deck or a shed, buy a corded one (even a cheap one like the Ryobi!) as that's what you'll be using for 95% of the job!


If you can get the DeWalt at a better price, like a substantial sale, yea, go for it. A regular home user is very unlikely to notice the batteries become useless. But the home user would also be reasonably well served by a Rigid, for a significant savings too.

Built custom multi-million dollar homes in Colorado for 13 years and have used just about every make of tool out there. My advice is to not go cheap. You get what you pay for with power tools. Having said that, I prefer Milwaukee cordless tools (even though I own nothing but DeWalt because the first cordless drill I ever bought was a DeWalt and didn't want to change battery types) over all the rest. It's really an intangible thing - nothing I can really point a finger at and say "brand x is better than brand y because of this, this and this. I would recommend either Milwaukee or DeWalt - can't go wrong with either. As far as a sliding miter saw, I bought a DeWalt about 14 years ago and abused the hell out of it - all kinds of weather, all sorts of jobs. Never missed a beat and I'm still using it today trimming out my new house.

DeWalt is good. Also become a big fan of Rigid's cordless tools. Their lifetime warranty also covers batteries which is nice.

As far as the impact driver, I'd disagree. Have a compact cordless Rigid, it's now the only cordless I use. It operates as a normal driver, until it hits resistance, then kicks to impact mode.

Before getting it couldn't imagine why I would need one. After trying one and then getting one, I can't imagine being without it. The small depth is nice getting into tight spots, and the impact feature has succeeded where other tools failed driving, removing existing screws, using hole saws, etc. It's saved a lot of drilling out stripped screws, and a lot of profane air pollution. If I could marry mine, I would.

Why play with Walmart toys?

http://www.metabo.us/

http://www.festoolusa.com/default.aspx

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/

Pricey, but worth it.

Cheers!

Rick...

I'd stick with corded tools for sawzalls, circular saws, impact drills and such. My old boss had a Ryobi battery powered drill that was great. I think it was a 14 volt or some such and had a little magnet tray on top of where the batter mounts. If you're by yourself hanging a door or doing something in a hard to reach place it was real handy sticking a few extra screws on that tray to take with you.

My boss also had an old Makita tile saw which I believe he's had for years and it still works.

We use Dewalt as well and they are quality tools. My dad just bought a Rigid table saw but I have yet to use it. If you need a tool a specific task and don't think you'll need it again but for the one time, try renting it or buying an el cheapo tool at a place like Harbor Freights or Northern tool. We bought a small wet tile saw from Harbor Freights and its good for what it does.

I've used DeWalt, Ryobi, Black and Decker, Makita, and some from Sears (I forget the branding now) in cordless tools for many years around the home and a bit on construction jobsites (which isn't my day job, so don't read this as a professional opinion).

My most vivid memory is of one thing: Needing to change the dead battery. And the need for a battery change seems to be directly connected with how much of a strain you are under while working. Critical if you are doing a steady day of work with these tools is having an extra battery or two. Also pay attention to the type of charger you will get. I've seen a DeWalt charger that took 2 hours to charge, and if using the second battery on a heavy cycle, the first might not be fully charged when you need it. Also have used a good Makita with a 15 minute charger, and this is darned better.

Still, I prefer the wire. A real wired "drill" can do jobs like drilling out for Romex installation very fast, and with zero power falloff, stud after stud, all day long. In my experience, the only real drawback to a wired drill is they are truly powerful... watch your wrists on the torque, as they can sprain them before you know it if your bit binds.

One helpful thing to look for, is an inexpensive 100 foot long power cord. It's long enough for just about any job really. Even if you are cordless, because that way you can put the charger close to where you are working, and you can see the lights (is it charged yet?!?). You don't need a big thick $130 power cord for this, a normal light duty cord will do the trick.

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!