Cordless tools – Best brand?

@dyna-ti what do you think Bosch is missing? Genuine question.

So far I have an 18V router and nothing else.

As I said they’re very much construction tools rather than woodworking like Festool. They seem to be adding stuff all the time but very much on the industrial, first and second fit end of things. That seems to be true of everyone using the Ampshare system.

@dyna-ti what do you think Bosch is missing? Genuine question.

Thats an easy one … Chainsaw

I bought into Makita a while back and see no reason to change… they get carted around in dewalt boxes however, and now don’t go missing… make of that what you will ;)

…also have some worx stuff off the back of the hydro shot for light home/garden use, and battery adapters so I can use whatever is charged/not in the charger.

I bought a cheap Makita 18v drill driver with battery and charger a few years ago. It’s great. I’ve added a genuine spare battery after trying a cheap knockoff which was rubbish. I’ve also got cheap Katsu knockoff impact driver, sander and multi tool. I don’t use them often enough to justify the real things, if they break I’ll get real Makita.

I’ve also got a real Makita reciprocating saw – it’s a beast, I dismantled a 10ft x 10 ft shed on my own in a day, the debris filled a skip.

Worx also runs off Erbauer IIRC

There is some decent Makita compatible stuff out there for very little money. Definitely not Makita quality but one of the big issues with cheap tools is cheap batteries so if you use your decent Makita ones then they are ok.

Bosch . Non latching led lights. Slightly annoying and you only notice when you grab another brand which has the function and your working in a low light area

I’ve got a small hand held Makita blower, it is possibly my favourite cordless tool. Ideal for blowing away sawdust etc, clearing down. But also for drying off, and best of all turbo charging your bonfire into inferno hell that nothing will withstand. Awesome.

It has a reverse function so you can clean out difficult corners in a hoover style

There are various copies to suit DeWalt etc, highly recommended. A potential stocking filler perhaps, you’ll not be disappointed

Mr. Doherty’s tool round up (should be around 31mins in), explanation  why he as a repairman rates tools & that customer demand, has encouraged the shop to stock brands

Power Tools are like razor blades and electric toothbrushes (bear with me!).

Gilette sell you the razor blade handle and a couple of blades quite cheaply to get you hooked, then you have to buy the really expensive blades.

Braun sell you the toothbrush handle and a single brush head quite cheaply to get you hooked, then you have to buy the really expensive brush heads (BTW, both are P&G brands, so they know the model pretty well!)

Power Tool manufacturers sell you a really attractive dill and impact driver (the tools that most people want first) with batteries and charger quite cheaply, then once you are hooked you tend to then stick with the brand.

That’s certainly what happened to me with Milwaukee. I have 4 batteries and lots of tool bodies which are much cheaper than whole tools with batteries. I am very happy with my choice, but to be honest the decent brands are all much of a muchness (although the loyalty that Festool garners from professional carpenters can’t be by accident). Milwaukee just so happened to have the best deal on a drill and impact driver when I first started my journey to power tool collecting, and I have stayed loyal to their battery system ever since.

My ‘big tools’ are Bosch blue.. drill, impact wrench and torque wrench (useful for auto stuff).. I’ve also got a lovely Fein multi tool, which is a direct user of Bosch batteries. I’ve also got the Bosch cordless workshop vacuum, which is GREAT!

I’ve also got a bunch of Worx stuff as I like the pressure washer. Got a small blower (for clearing dust/drying), mini saw thing, jigsaw, and a few other bits…

Only corded things are my track saw (I’d love the Bosch, but spendy) and a huge SDS – needed corded as I was using it for hours at a time as a jackhammer!

DrP

Bosch . Non latching led lights.

Sorry what now?

Like others I like the sheer range of makita. But also they have the best knockoffs. My “for makita” strimmer was £30, I’d never buy a cordless strimmer normally but genuine batteries +cheap tools is a great combo and adds loads to the ecosysten

All my Bosch (12v and 18v) have LEDs that stay on for a short time after a trigger squeeze…if that’s what you mean?

My 18c ec Bosch impact [IDH182] that also has an led on button (sadly has developed an intermittent trigger fault after 10 years of pretty hard use) also has 3 adjustable torque settings which is brilliant and happily jumps between cabinet assembly and driving 12″ GRK’s. The Milwaukee that I’ve been using in it’s place is pretty rudimentary in comparison.

The Milwaukee was free and will do for now.

Went past a biiiiig version of our B&Q on Sunday and spent money. I am now in House DeWalt. Price for a drill driver and a drill/screwdriver, two 5.0Ah batteries and a charger was the same as Bosch Blue and about 1000kr more than Ryobi, but the tools looked/felt better and the batteries were bigger than those offered by Ryobi.

Overall, I feel happy with my choice.

Overall, I feel happy with my choice

That’s what counts. Happy drilling!

I am now in House DeWalt.

You’ve gone up in my estimation. Don’t speak to those Milwaukee and Makita splitters, wrong uns the lot of ’em!

One of us, one of us, one of us…..!!

Scum. Subhuman scum.

One of us, one of us, one of us…..!!

One of them, one of them, one of them……!!!

One of them said that one of us was one of them.

That’s what them want you to think.

Just given the tools their first outing. Damn it is nice to have new tools that work properly! Second side of the car port is not railed up and the panels for it are waiting to be cut to length and mounted up. I stopped for the evening because a) tired and b) mosquitos.

Makita blue is a Mozzy deterrent.

Maynotbetrue

I liked a Milwaukee 4″ grinder as it had a dead mans switch

Yes they are a joy to use, especially in confided spaces.

My old corded Erbauer rarely gets a look-in anymore, the ferocious little bugger it is!

genuine batteries +cheap tools is a great combo and adds loads to the ecosysten

I like the sound of this @Northwind Are all Makita batteries the same or does this apply to a particular range? OH works in a shop that sells Makita and can get a pretty decent staff discount so it looks like I will be going Makita.

Are all Makita batteries the same or does this apply to a particular range?

It applies to the 18v LXT range. They have a couple of other ranges eg CXT, which is a DIY range and 36v for bigger tools. LXT is the universal pro range that has a huge range of tools and works for cheap knock off tools as well

Thanks @nickjb I’ll stick with genuine for tools I’ll use a lot but stuff for occasional use will be fine as cheapies. Any particular cheap knock off brands to look for?

Any particular cheap knock off brands to look for?

Katsu seems ok, the routers are supposed to be nice but I’ve not tried one. I’ve had a couple of drillpro saws that have been good for little money.

Thanks again!

Katsu seems ok, the routers are supposed to be nice

I’ve got a corded and a cordless Katsu palm router. Use them every day. There’s a definite difference in feel/quality of course but they work very well.

you need consider the range, if youre getting into a “system”.

I went dewalt, as a toss up between makita and dewalt.

Makita do a lot more “niche” tools that i would like, but im on a different system now

Want a mower for instance, dewalt do one, and its mega bucks.

Makita do 3 or 4 at different price points.

they have a 18V pump im quite keen on to put on my waterbutt to get spraying pressure away from the house.

dewalt do no such thing.

Ryobi do LOADS of tools, but the tools or more DIY level and the bayonet battery is horrible.

and off the back of this, also bear in mind the incoming standardisation of battery. I think its going to become an EU law.

Bosch are in the “battery consortium”, or whatever its called:

POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE

you need consider the range, if youre getting into a “system”.

This is a key point, and the different colours have different focuses.

I’m firmly in the red team, as I’ve more of a home mechanics/engineering bias towards the tools I need and the others do anything as good as this:

I bet the op never thought this thread would run to over 100 replies. But they never do.

I’m actually more surprised that this did not descend more into “Spliter”/”Brother”name calling after my sorting into House DeWalt!

I do wonder (like I normally do after buying expensive things) if I made the right choice, but I used them both last night and on Monday and they really are a league above the old AEG drill and feel on par to the Milwaukee equivalents that used to be at home. Building work on the carport with them is way easier than without them, so I am actually happier now than I was when choosing.

On the Ryobi thing… The battery was one thing that put me off them. It might make the tools slightly shorter overall than DeWalt, but I am fine with that.

My friends in the US though… Dear gods! The tribalism even at the DIY level is crazy.

nickjb
Free Member

Katsu seems ok, the routers are supposed to be nice but I’ve not tried one. I’ve had a couple of drillpro saws that have been good for little money.

Likewise I have a couple of Katsus and some no-names. katsu actually seem to have some products you can’t get elsewhere, or not easily, which is pretty interesting in a knockoff brand.

I stick with genuine for the hardworking tools, but sometimes more tools is just better, I’ve ended up with 4 cheapo angle grinders and that’s way more useful than one high quality one frinstance just cos I can leave discs in them.

I’d take Ridgid in the US/AEG in Europe over Ryobi all day long and in some cases over Makita and DeWalt. Some of their top tier range has outperformed Milwaukee equivalents in recent years!

Milwaukee

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