What Brand of Cordless Power Do You Use?

[John]

Milwaukee 28 volt!

 

[rotohead]

Fein 14. 4volt hammer drill. Excellent quality and battery life is better than Porter Cable or DeWalt from my experience.

 

[RACE427]

I'll second Milwaukee 28 Volt

I have to agree with John, the Milwaukee 28 Volt power tools are by far the evry best. Batteries last a long time and the cordless tools do not quit !!

 

[Byershome]

Panasonic makes a really good 1/2 inch hammer drill and this new Milwauki I just puchaed seems to be good drill... let's see if it holds up for 6 years under heavy use like the panasonic has.

 

[JL penner]

Milwaulkee

 

[BGlidewell]

I voted DeWalt but:



Small, Cordless screw drivers: Home use

My first venture into cordless was probably Black&Decker cordless screw drivers with internal batteries followed later by their 3 volt models with replaceable batteries. The B&D screw driver I like best has a rocker switch for forward and reverse which I find is the most "intuitive" of any configuration and the power lasts well before a new charged battery is needed. Alas, these are harder to find now.



Cordless Drills/Drivers

I have 3 DeWalt 18V drill/Drivers, 24V Hammer Drills and Circular saws as well as 18V impact 1/4 and 1/2. I have found DeWalt to be very reliable even in several 12'+ drop tests Even if I do break them, their repair facilities are quite accessable in my area and the costs for repair are reasonable. The batteries in these units are quite expensive and I have experienced about a 10% failure rate with them ranginging from no charge to shortened charge life. My biggest gripe with them is I wish these batteries could be repaired instead of replaced.



I never see anything cordless but DeWalt used by contractors around here...



Impact

Milwakee 18V 1/2" beast. I like the way it accepts sockets much better than the DeWalt. I've heard the Hitachi has a nice brake system and I would give them a look if I wanted another.

 

[daveshoe]

Features more important than brand name

In a cordless drill,I like the heavy[200dollar] 14. 4 Makita. It hangs on a metal hammer loop,is about the most weight and size that I will tolerate,has a metal ratcheting chuck that will not loosen up and has 3 speeds variable. to top it off,it has a speed lock switch that lets you instantly switch between a locked spindle and your clutch setting. has the new hydride batteries as well. If there is another drill that has all this,please let me know.

I am still waiting for my free impact driver to arrive six weeks after I bought this thing.

 

[sg5054]

Bosch 14v 1/2'

Dewalt 7. 2v screwdriver - This is the nuts for running screws and stuff.

Makita 9. 6v 3/8' right angle

 

[Concrete Solutions]

Hey, you commies, where's the Milwaukee button?#@$%!



I #ad
my Milwaukee tools.

I agree I took the plunge this year and went for the v28 system

got 2 drills sawzall circular saw and the impact to boot.



WOW !!! what great tools !!!!!!

 

[Cumminpwr11]

I have dewalt. I would buy snap-on but I can not justify the money differance.



Chris

 

[BGlidewell]

Paslode:

I framed an entire 16x24 shop on one charge of battery and gas cylinder

 

[GHarman]

Howdy all, I retired 18 months ago. My last 6. 5 years of working involved the decommissioning of a nuclear weapons plant in Colorado. We used tools in quantities that would make anyone green with envy. We abused them, wore them out and got them contaminated and had to dispose of them, in time frames measured in hours and minutes. Brand names like Dewalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Hilti, Bosch, among many more that I no longer remember. One thing I found in all of this is that every tool had its strong points and its weak points. If you abused it, breakage occured. For the purpose of this thread, my favorite cordless sawzall is the Milwaukee: Cordless drill-Dewalt; Cordless impact-Dewalt: Cordless hammer drill-whatever is available. Unfortunately we can only afford to buy one at a time for personal use. And, sometimes we get a lemon. That experience stays with us and colors our choices. I found a very good deal on a 24V Craftsman Cordless drill. That is what I bought for home use. Whatever works/ personal Budget! GregH

 

[MA2LA]

As a contractor whodoes a wide rage of stuff but specializes in Stainless steel I still with DeWalt. its pretty good for a decen price and there are somany diffrent tools. If i was home owner i would go with Ryobi since they are cheep and alot of options.

 

[P Pacatang]

Makita 9. 6 v still going strong purchased it in 1990 Iam on my 2nd battery.

 

[donnier]

From what Iv read on this thread, Im probably the only oddball that is using a Ridgid Cordless.

Wife got it for me last year for my birthday.

 

[TJarecke]

I also have ridgid. I like them. Although I wish I could get an 1/2 impact. I use them for personal use not commercial.

 

[rbattelle]

I was at Home Depot today drooling all over this one. Why oh why won't my Craftsman die? :{



Ryan

 

[HoleshotHolset]

About a month ago I bought a 1/2" 18V Makita Ni-MH unit - it has performed beyond what I could ever ask for in a cordless drill/driver. Super unit for the money. I had a gift card for Sears to burn up and this was the only unit they had in stock that was Ni-MH. Li-ion is the way to go, but it's too pricey for a guy like me that doesn't rely on stuff like this everyday.



Matt

 

[monkeyman]

I use Rigid 18 volt but love my Milwaukee 28 the best, why? all "normal" tools slowly go dead till they need recharging. The Milwaukee goes full speed until battery needs charging. Battery also has push button LED to let you know what is left. Saw is as powerful as electric.

Rick

 

[TSpecht]

I've got a Ridgid (18v) sawzall, hammer drill, circular saw, and impact driver. Seem to be fairly well put together and run for a reasonable time on a charge. I got the package thing with the dual battery quick charger included. I figure for home owner type use these should last me darn near forever if the batteries hold up...