Cordless tools – Best brand?

I find myself needing a new set of powertools for the house (having lost access to the ones I used to have) and am wondering what ecosystem to go for. My AEG cordless drill/screwdriver is 14.4v, very old and is making that strange smell that old motors do when they are dying.

A new mitre/chopsaw will be corded, so that’s not a thing, but I might need a jigsaw, might need a portable circular saw.

The options locally (Sweden) are the usuals (Ryobi, Makita, Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, etc) plus a couple of extra brands that are retailer-specific. Makita here have a really good rep but, like Festool, ar at the tippy-top of the pricing, Milwaukee just below with Bosch (blue).

So, recommendations? Is Makita/Milwaukee worth the uptick in price?

Everyone will have their favourites, and dislikes.

Most of our tools are dewalt, they’re decent, and last a good while being abused daily for work. We stick with the brand, as it makes sense given we’ve got loads of the batteries.

My electrician swears by makita, and my plumber only uses milwaukee.

Having tried all 3 brands, I’d happily use any of them in the future, if i had the batteries.

I’ve had a few stanley fatmax tools, and they’re not at the level of dewalt in my opinion. Jigsaw, circulaw saw and sds drill, all wore out pretty quickly with regular use. I’d say they felt diy+.

I’d shop around for deals, and settle on a range from there.

Makita for me as originally they had the widest range and were decent value. Once you’re locked into the battery type it makes no sense changing.

Makita. Best range of tools and the quality is good.

Having said that, power tools are like opinions…

Large previous thread with loads of info, I’m currently following Dean Doherty Greaser & he seems to like Makita but not modern Milwaukee.

 Once you’re locked into the battery type it makes no sense changing.

1 battery with multiple adapters

Are the batteries being standardized by the EU? If it is the case that they are I’d hold back buying anything until the new models are released.

I have DeWalt stuff. Only 3 tools and 2 4ah batteries which are now 12 years old and adequate for my occasional use.

Now you’ve done it!

The different brands have slightly different focuses – I use Milwaukee as they have a better range for mechanical work (impact wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, lighting etc).

Think about what you want to do, what you might do in the future and look at the ranges offered.

Festool are the best , but you pay a premium for them.
Then Milwaukee , red power 18v . Compact, lightweight , powerful.
Then Makita , very good tools. But more expensive batteries than Milwaukee .
Then Bosch probably but smaller range and up there in the pricing.
DeWalt ok , but buy the better models.
Don’t overlook Ryobi for home DIY use. Huge range of tools at a sensible price .
Einhell making in roads to the UK market but I’ve no direct experience with them yet

It’s like wheel sizes. It doesn’t really matter but you’re obliged to just pick one you like and then be a dick about it forever.

Obviously 26”wheels and DeWalt

Pick a battery and be a dick about it. I favour Makita. Wide range of tool and at the longer lasting end of things. I’m not buying erbauer again.

I was recommended Milwaukee by our GE technical field advisor the other day because I need a decent impact driver for work. His reasoning was that I could rob a battery or two from then next time we have one of their tool containers on site.

Not sure that’s an entirely useful suggestion for the OP.

Battery adaptors allow you to mix and match if you want….

I would like to use Makita as they have the clever concept of being able to use two 18V batteries in their 36V tools.   Most of my stuff is 18V Bosch green and it’s just fine for what I use it for.  Got some 36V Bosch green for bigger stuff (strimmer/chainsaw).  The 18V bare tools can be very cheap and fine for most use.   Got a few Bosch blue corded stuff where I really care about the tool but wouldn’t want to spend that on everything

I have Bosch but on price and range wish I had started with Makita. 18v LXT is the goto range.

Mine are all a mix.  Things I rarely use can be budget and corded.  Things I use a lot are Festool or Makita mostly, but when I bought the tracksaw nobody else did them.  My 10v drill driver is Festool, a bit of a luxury but feels so nice and has some useful uniques, like a right angle adapter.

The thing I use most though is my impact driver.  A cheap Erbauer. I keep abusing it in the hope it will conk out so I can justify an expensive one but it just won’t die.  Works fine though.

I’m a furniture maker, wardrobes and stuff.

Guy I used to buy my to tools from used to also have a repair service.

He said repair they were all much of s muchness, but Dewalt were not so repair friendly and the housing would often have to be relaxed as it wasn’t always designed to be taken apart. Saying that, I quite like the metal chuck on Dewalt.

Had Makita tools for years. Most of the workshops I used to work in were full of either Festool or Makita.

Used a Makita track saw a while back. Pretty good bit of kit.

I wrote down a list of every possible tool I might ever want in the future which included a heavy duty impact gun, 36v lawnmower and 18v strimmer above the usual DIY stuff. That made the obvious choice for me to be Makita.

Then literally weeks later work started spoiling us with some amazeballs Milwaukee stuff (dirty water stick pump, mechanics led strip lamps and 18v flood lamps on tripods.  The Milwaukee stuff is cool as the charger is a 12v vehicle one.

I have a whole load of powertools, from Festool to LiDL/Parkside branded stuff. I have a selection of DeWalt battery tools simply because it was a DeWalt that was the best value on sale when I was looking for a drill some years ago. So I now have DeWalt, Bosch (green and blue), Makita, Festool, Lidl/Parkside, Black and Decker, Ryobi and probably a few others. Personally, I don’t see any difference in quality between DeWalt and Makita, blue Bosch perhaps just a little bit better, and Festool a step above all of them. But they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and each brand will do something a little bit better than another; my Bosch router is better than anything Makita or DeWalt do, and was a good bit less expensive than a Festool. And my Festool track saw is significantly better than anything else I’ve used. A Dewalt drill/driver is much cheaper than a Festool one, yet does exactly the same job. My Makita chop saw is great, really solid and accurate, although the laser guide thing was misaligned from new and stopped working quite quickly anyway.

Makita here have a really good rep but, like Festool, ar at the tippy-top of the pricing, Milwaukee just below with Bosch (blue).

So, recommendations? Is Makita/Milwaukee worth the uptick in price?

Makita, no. It’s on the same level overall as DeWalt or blue Bosch. Definitely not worth paying Milwaukee prices for. And nowhere near Festool for most things.

As a home DIY’er where things are only rarely needed, I use Lidl Parkside!  4 decent enough tools for the price of one.

DeWalt are. great. Other posher brands will be ‘better’ if you’re looking to use things daily.

Everyone seems to have nailed it, I went with Bosch and kinda regret it sometimes as it seems to be more construction oriented but with adaptors you can power anything (of the same voltage, Milwaukee is 20V and seemingly that’s a real 20V).

Good tools are good, Parkside/Ferrex are good for beaters.

Bosch do deals as well so it’s often worth checking them, dunno if the same applies in Sweden but the UK site has redemption offers where you get a free tool, battery or whatever. They also do refurbs in the warehouse section.

I think if you’re not really looking to build some mass fleet of tools then the number of weird and wonderful tools available in a range, beyond the drill driver and the jigsaw you actually want, maybe doesnt really matter much. Being able to buy replacement batteries in future does, so theres sense in favouring ‘brand names’ that have invested in that wide range and intend to support them, over retailer own brand.

For the tools you’re asking about theres not really much to choose between the main brands – they’ll all do a range of drivers and probably two or three jigsaws at different price points and they’re in direct competition on these models so they’re all good value.

Makita do indeed have the widest range and, perhaps as a home users that range might stretch into other household applications beyond ‘DIY’ in terms of things you might get beneficial use from – as their, mowers, strimmers etc are very good, they make a good, affordable dust-buster like hoover they make a cracking little car tyre inflator and so on. Amongst that huge range from powered wheel barrows to a microwave, theres maybe more things for home use that you’d actually use than the other brands currently supply

I have no experience with their battery powered stuff but I have lots of Erbauer power tools (B&Q/Screwfix own brand) and like them.

Great for home DIY level work.

Not as good as Makita etc but an obvious step up from eg Bosch green, solidly made and do the job well (so far!)

Festool are the best

Completely subjective.
Hope that helps

Seeing that nobody else has mentioned them and they are actually the best (as in quality/durability/strength of the tool as opposed to can you get a heated 18v bodywarmer in the range)……..Metabo. The tapping function on the drill is genius and their impact drivers carry some wallop.

Festool = overpriced and too fussy.

Makita = good but not as good as Metabo.

DeWalt = fisher price of the power tool world.

Blue Bosch = okay but the drill chucks are crap.

Festool are the best

Completely subjective.
Hope that helps

They really are for certain things though; their track saws for example (didn’t they invent the track saw?). No wobble, totally solid, 100% accurate and the blades are top, top quality. And their Kapex chop saws are second to none; again with no wobble or play, reliable and accurate. Their Domino jointer tool is the go to choice for anyone doing kitchens. I do think their drill/drivers, jigsaws and a few other bits are overpriced though, and no better in actual use than cheaper brands. And I don’t really know why their tracks are so much more expensive than other decent brands. Makita ones are just as good yet half the price near enough.

Do the Wishlist thing and then compare the ranges. Don’t forget household/hobby stuff in that list.

We happened to choose Makita because there was an offer on batteries at the time my old drill died, but we’ve now got vacuum, cool box, lights, mower, strimmer, so we can work the batteries quite hard.

Most of my stuff is 18V Bosch green and it’s just fine for what I use it for.

Same here.  But I was less concerned about “the best” – I’m only a hobbyist – and more about availability of batteries / chargers / compatible tools years down the line.  I once wound up throwing out a whole suite of VersaPac tools because the NiCad batteries all died and replacements were at “gouge” levels of pricing because, well, the old batteries all died.  I’ve avoided the Lidl ones for the same reason, there’s nothing to say they might disappear as a brand tomorrow.

Bosh uses the “all18v” system which is something approaching a standard between multiple manufacturers.  My thinking is that even if Bosch abandon it, hopefully it should carry on with a different badge.

Festool = overpriced and too fussy.

Fair comment for certain things. I’d happily spend the money on say the track saws though.

Makita = good but not as good as Metabo.

Same level as DeWalt etc in my experience. Nothing special, gets the job done and pretty reliable.

DeWalt = fisher price of the power tool world.

Bit of a daft comment. The bright yellow colour helps to find them easily especially in dark dingy places. Well designed, tough and reliable.

Blue Bosch = okay but the drill chucks are crap.

On a level with DeWalt and Makita, but some bits are a little better quality. Their sanders seem to be better damped than DW/Mak, less fatiguing for long periods. Their L-Boxx system is better quality than the T-Stak DeWalt and others use. Almost on a par with the Tanos Systainer design. As I said; their router is excellent.

I have no experience with their battery powered stuff but I have lots of Erbauer power tools (B&Q/Screwfix own brand) and like them.

Great for home DIY level work.

Not as good as Makita etc but an obvious step up from eg Bosch green, solidly made and do the job well (so far!)

Not in my experience. Erbauer is a Big Shed brand which you’ll find under many other names. It’s ok for lighter work but the Bosch green range is better designed I think. Quality batteries. And surprisingly durable. I see lots of green Bosch around, andI’ve got a really old 14v smaller drill I use for quick light jobs, that I’ve had for nearly 20 years.Never seen Erbauer/BnQ specials last anything near that.

midlifecrashes

I have Bosch but on price and range wish I had started with Makita. 18v LXT is the goto range.

+1

I’ve got bosch blue at home and a mix of bosch and milwaukee at work.

The bosch stuff is great but expensive outside of the drills (and as above, one of the chucks is playing up) and now that I’ve drills, driver, jigsaw and circular saw there’s not much else worth buying when I have unexpected pocket money.

That’s why I ideally wanted makita, loads of toys and by all accounts there’s plenty of cheap knockoffs that work on their batteries. Bosch just had a better deal on drills at the time.

Bosch customer service has been good though, I left a drill out in the rain overnight and they didn’t quibble, just exchanged it for a new one

Fully invested in Makita, trade use. Spare parts easily available IME. New motors, etc, which I have purchased

Can’t fault it, I’m sure non Makita stuff is good too.

We use Makita impacts for heavy mechanical stuff at work and they’ve been very durable (but also VERY noisy).

Sort of wish I had Makita, but settled on Einhell as a half way house for home use. Lots of 2x18V stuff for the garden and the brushless tools seem good. Spares also available.

One thing to watch with Lidl / Aldi stuff is it only has limited availability. So you might have the batteries and charger, but you are stuffed if you need a tool and have no idea when it will next be in the shop.

Yes the makita hedge trimmer is useful taking the same 18v battery and their 2x18v chainsaw is really handy when you cba to get a petrol saw out of the shed. I’ve a few lights that are always useful and their 18v air pump has turned out to be really useful on cars, bike tyres, blowing stuff etc. Items that would be expensive seem to be better value if you’re only buying the bare tool and no box.

Dear gods, I had no idea this would a) open such a can o’ worms and b) this had been discussed (at length) before. I’ll have to look at more than the first page of search results in future. Damn you Google!

Hilti all the way. Stupidly expensive but nothing is more durable (in my own, limited experience!)  Even if you do manage to break them they have a 2 year “no questions asked. You break it we repair/replace it” warranty ( this is single use and was very useful when someone on site ran over a Hilti demolition hammer with a dumper!). This is on top of the lifetime manufacturers defect warranty. But SUPER expensive!

Dear gods, I had no idea this would a) open such a can o’ worms

Are you new here?

their Kapex chop saws are second to none;

Again, subjective. I hate their mitre saw. The handle is in a stupid orientation, just to be different imho. Feels very unnatural to me to twist the wrist like you have to.

I do have Festool though. I have the Domino and the 1/2″ router with the pistol grip which is fantastic

Pick a battery and be a dick about it

This

PArkside for the Win 🙂

Somehow, i knew how this thread would go…. exactly like it does on site!

There’s never much love for DeWalt in these threads, Makita, Milwaukee etc. always getting more likes but I like them. I’m not a tradesman, so I’m not subjecting mine to loads of abuse, but they just work well and seem to last. I don’t doubt that all the others are good too, better even if you are a pro or semi pro user.

For me, DeWalt seem in a value sweet spot. A good compromise between features, longevity and price. Much nicer than the cheaper Bosch and Screwfix own brand stuff I’ve used in the past, but maybe not as premium as Makita etc. They seem ideal for heavyish DIY use. Because there are so many models, you can often get a great deal on last year’s version, especially if you buy it ‘bare’ without a battery. For home use, once you’ve got 2 or 3 batteries of decent capacity (4 or 5AH) you don’t really need to keep buying them with every new tool. I usually try to stretch to the models with brushless motors

Horses for courses though, I think as long as you stick with any of the the well known brands on this thread you’ll be fine.

, I think as long as you stick with any of the the well known brands on this thread you’ll be fine.

Absolutely.

In terms of battery size mentioned earlier, I’ve got heaps of 4 and 5s , and they are essential on site using a grinder or suchlike

But my favourite is the 1.5 which usually sits on the driver, so light and easily handled. On a brushless tool it lasts for ever. For plain, DIY and irregular use, it’s a great size.