Like an idiot, I went out on Black Friday and fought my way through the madding crowd for a chance at Ryobi’s $59. Plus 1 18V saw/drill combo at Home Depot. They were gone, so now I don’t have an underpowered cordless circ saw.
Seriously considering dedicating my cordless tools to either Panasonic, Makita or Ridgid. Forgive me if this has been discussed to death, but between the 3, do any stand out? I need a lightweight compact circular saw the most.
Regards
Carl
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Replies
If lightweight is what you want, I would eliminate the Ridgid, at least in comparison to the other two. I like the Makitas and the Panasonics, but if you think you are going to be adding a number of other tools to that battery platform, go Makita.
Panasonic, at least while I was selling them a year or two ago, couldn't seem to choose one battery platform to build up, so outside of a drill, impact, and maybe one or two other tools, there wasn't much else to go with it. What they made was seemed go though.
Oooof! I just bought that kit online, now I have to return it!
Ryobi has its place, bro. I've seen professional carpenters who don't use anything else. If my Makita walks away, I'm depressed. A little less depressed if my $60 impact driver does.
I used a Ryobi combo kit every day for two years, ran the poor thing ragged. I sold it two years later to a helper who just had just started. For the money, you can't beat 'em. I own Makita, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Hitachi, Senco.......you name it. It still amazes me that I just had to have that kit.
That's your loss, man. I've used Ryobi circ saws in 14.4 NiCad, 18v NiCad, and 18v Li-Ion and never had any trouble - as long as I accepted the limitations of the tools. None of the cordless saws are gonna keep up with their corded brethern - but they aren't supposed to.
I've built corrals where there wasn't any power within miles using Ryobi saws, drills, etc. The only hassle was making sure that we had enough charged up batteries to get us thru the day.
I just picked up a Ryobi 18v cordless drill and impact driver with two One+ batteries and a charger for $99 at HD. They join my 18v Li-Ion combo (drill, circ saw, recip saw, and light) and I'm retiring the last of my 14.4 stuff.
Edited 11/28/2009 10:39 pm by Dave45
I don't think the Ryobi is any worse than the others.
All those brands you mentioned are now made in China. Some cost more than others.
Ryobi, Makita and Milwaukee M18 lines all have gobs of tool choices.
Ryobi 18v NiCd battery packs are heavy- but, unlike LiIon, they work in the cold.
I am partial to my 18v Milwaukee kit, but that has been discontinued.
Last I heard Makita was still made in Japan.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
just bought the makita 4 piece combo yesterday. i was disappointed to see the "made in china" stickers on the packaging.to the op- i have used the ridgid li-on impact driver and drill, heavier than the makita.i had only used the dewalt ni-cad cordless saw before, and it was almost useless. but the new makita is slick.the makita 4 piece was only a hundred dollars more than the ryobi, so i went for it. also, the 4 pieces are the hammerdrill, impact driver, circ saw and recip. i hate when they count the light as a tool, lol.also, when i was buying it, the salesman said- you should know, none of the li-on batteries work in the cold. to which i replied- that's ok, neither do i.
Hmm. I swear I saw in JLC that mak was made in Japan. I guess they was wrong.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
None of their new cordless stuff is.
There used to be a difference between the "white" tool line and the "blue" tool line. The white tools came with smaller capacity batteries and it was cheaper because it was made in China. The blue line came with the bigger batteries, was marketed towards "pros", and all of it (tools- not the radio, lights or chargers) was made in Japan.
Stores with "old stock" single blue LXT tools still have Japanese origins... all of the new stuff in the boxes has Chinese origins.
Now, it is all made in China.
Same country of origin holds true for Milwaukee, Panasonic, Metabo, Bosch...
And the price hasn't come down a bit.
I think DeWalt is the only major cordless tool manufacturer still located in North America... have not looked lately.
I've had my Makita blue lions since 2006. Seems like they've been sourcing from China for longer than last week. Just checked the stickers and the country of origin is as follows:(Original set from 2006)
China: recip saw, circ saw, hammer drill, impact driver, flashlight, chargerJapan: batteries, grinder(Later additions)
China: white radioJapan: right angle impact, batteries'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
View Image
Sounds about right.
I bet the original production of the blue LXT tools was made in Japan, and the white tools started in China.
Once the white tool line was up and running, the blue stuff went over.
When I wanted to buy the LXT stuff when it first came out, it was made in Japan.
I seem to recall seeing some of the Makita stuff being made in the USA- Georgia? Maybe not any more.View Image
>>....DeWalt is the only major cordless tool manufacturer still located in North America....<<
Don't know for sure where they make the tools themselves, but....
I bought the 70 piece screwdriver bits + split point bits in three DeWalt cases for $14.97 Black-Friday-Special at HD --- Hencho en China.
Also scored the Ryobi 18v circular saw, 3/8" drill, one NiCad battery and charger for $48.
Saw alone sells for $59. normally.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Just as an FYI...
The "old" Milwaukee 18v stuff is being closed out all over the net... not the new LiIon M series.
You can get bare tools in the $50 range. That's Ryobi money.
If you own it and like it... good way to get some extra tools while they are still available.
If you like it and don't own it, you can get a 4 good tools and the new V18 batteries and charger in the $400 range- the batteries and charger are the most expensive parts (no discounts on those).
The Ridgid 18v LiIon system has a 6.5" circular saw that is the same format as their well reviewed 6.5" Fuego corded saw.
If the saw is what you are concerned about, take a look there first.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
I've been using the "old" Milwaukee 18v for yrs. Where I burned out a Ryobi recip the milk went right through. They're tough. Batteries are pricy.
Where are these close out deals on the net? Tried googling and checked a few major distributors ; no bargains.
From what I've heard of the LiIons, I'll stick with the tried and true.
Wouldn't mind having a second team.
Lots of stuff listed at Amazon.com and on eBay.
Just search "Milwaukee 18v".
Local Farm and Fleet had the Milwaukee 4pc tool kit, less batteries, for less than $200... wish my buddy mentioned it a day earlier...
Seriously considering dedicating my cordless tools to either Panasonic, Makita or Ridgid. Forgive me if this has been discussed to death, but between the 3, do any stand out? I need a lightweight compact circular saw the most.
@@@
I bought the Makita 18v Lion kit in 2006. Usually use one or more tools out of it five days the week. Still a happy camper. Today the drill/driver was boring 1-1/8 holes in fascia, the circ saw was cutting a mounting block for a light and the grinder was cutting MC or adjusting a splice in fascia.
Their 6.5" saw is elegant and fully featured. More features than the Skill 77. It does work. Keep a couple of spare batteries to hand. We had it on a 5 month roofing job with occasional job power. It got to cut rips on the ply sheathing, etc.
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
<<More features than the Skill 77>> That's not very hard :)
<<More features than the Skill 77>>That's not very hard :)
@@@I see you know the saw well. I consider it the AK 47 of framing saws. Robust & simple - which means that if you wanted to adjust your 90 and 45 setting, get a hammer or something. They do run for years and years."We don't got to show you no stinkin' set screws." (Bad paraphrase.)I keep looking for a deal on the Makita Mg framing saw to go with the Bosch, Skill 77m and DeWaltThe ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
Yeah, the 77 has been my only saw for 15 years or so. That's going to change soon I think. Just to darn heavy and the I've "adjusted" the plate
as you say a few to many times...
My Skill 77M is set up for hardiplank.I use the Bosch direct connect for framing. Cut the cord on a Skill (did it once) and you have 30 minutes and four different Torex drivers to get back up.Do it on the Bosch DC and you quickly swap for the spare cord. Hopefully fast enough that no one notices - aside from the dead breaker. It does have a better feature set and I put the Third Hand on it, which works well vs. the traditional and Non-OSHA Approved Naked Blade.Other nice thing - the cord is long enough. No hunting for the extension. I carry 25 and 50' cords. Anything over 50' gets a 50' of #10 cord plus what is needed. Usually the 25'The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
For me it's all about sight lines. I'm a Southpaw and find a Wormdrive more comfortable. I can use a sidewinder just fine but there are to many
wasted moves correcting and setting up wrong. I'll check out the Bosch next chance I get, but it has
to suit me or I'm not interested.
Ever tried the PC for lefties??
I find it easier than others to cut a straighter line!
Yeah.
I was doing all shop work at the time and liked it a lot. Smooth and comfortable. Not sure I'd like it in the field so much.
I'm a Southpaw and find a Wormdrive more comfortable.I can use a sidewinder just fine but there are to many
wasted moves correcting and setting up wrong.@@@If you're on the Left Coast, regulations require use of a wormdrive.On the Right Coast, sidewinders with blades right.I am confused about what they use in Chicago.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
<<I am confused about what they use in Chicago.>> Neither, they are to busy trying to figure out how to make
a decent pizza.
I worked at a company that had a demo/cleanup crew.
They cut concrete slabs witha 77 for two years before the handle melted.
They had a big Target concrete cutting machine as well but sometimes the big machine wouldn't fit near a wall.
It's hard to kill a 77. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
They cut concrete slabs witha 77 for two years before the handle melted.@@@SonInLaw has a water nozzle attachment for his Skill - he was cutting dry lay pavers.Melted handle - replacements at Ganahl. Wonder if they melted something harder to fix. Dust in the motor?The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
They were using water as well. I'm not sure what they did.
It was a company with maybe 40? employees so one 77 was small potatoes.
I still have a 77 but I rarely use it.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
I'll take it! The guy I work
I'll take it! The guy I work for is hard on tools. His 77 seems to be the only tool he hasn't broke, no joke!
I got a Rigdid from a guy for cheap (one Benjamin, actually). I've owned most kinds of saws, lefties and righties, and it is my favorite so far. I just like the sound it makes with a good blade. I've finally gotten to where I can cut reasonably square without a straightedge.
I'd say the only thing that bothers me somewhat about the lefties is if you're on the far edge of the stock, you might end up with a slight bevel just from the weight of the saw halfway through the cut. Not a big deal most of the time, but sometimes a square cut is critical. I like to keep a miter saw handy for those instances!