Calling all Cordless tool Gurus – Need to invest in a new ~cordless~ system
Shop got busted into and some tools went missing. Previously was running 15.6 and 12V Panasonic NiMH stuff. Great stuff but the electronic clutch in my 12V impact was a little finiky. I do need to reinvest in small/large impact driver, a drill as well as biggie impact wrench. On the Impact Wrench, I am looking at the Snap On units..They are NiCad units but they have bigger hammers, bigger motors—-beasts of a impact wrench. Not sure how the dewalt stuff stacks up. We have ran Makita prior to the Panasonics and the balance on them were great as well. I have read some favorable reviews about the current crop of Dewalts… From what I understand, the Makitas don’t have thermal protection on their units which could fry a $$ battery. I have not seen alot of feedback/reviews on the current Panasonic Li-Ion lineup. Would love to hear you feedback on the cordless tools in your crop.
Replies
I like my Li ion 18V Makita stuff.
My next cordless investment is going to be Makiata; most interested in the 18V Li-ion impact driver and circ saw. Right now my cordless tool bin is a collection of unrelated bastards who don't play well together.
Carl
for the biggie I like the Makita BTD141. For smaller ones I like the Bosch 12V line.
I currently work for one of the big boxes, & I'm very impressed with the new Porter Cable stuff. Basically DeWalt, without all the bells & whistles. PC has commited to the same battery design for an extended time, Just like DeWalt, so no worries abut finding replacements in teh future. Plenty of power, reasonably light, & available in Li-Ion or Ni-Cad. No difference in the tools other than some Silver accents on Li stuff, so upgrading to Lithium later only means batts/charger.
As a bonus, PC is offering tools bare, without batteries/charger, so adding tools won't break the bank.
I have a chest full of DW stuff, & if I had to replace it all, I don't think I could justify the extra expense of the preimum brands.
don't see how you can go
don't see how you can go wrong with Hitachi
I had the Dewalt 18v and switched to the Makita li-ion last year. They are small and light which I love for installing kitchen cabinets and quick to charge. The drill chuck is junk on the Makita, it locks onto a bit and will not release.Also I think the gears are taking a crap in the drill allthough that is probably my fault for drilling with a 4" holesaw. If I could do it over I would stay with the Dewalt. I just wish the Dewalt stuff was more compact. Also they have a nice 1/2" drive impact that seems much nicer than the Snap-on unit that I used a couple years ago. The Panasonic stuff is top of the line from what I have seen.JMO
I did a ton of homework and purchased what I hope is my last cordless set up...I bought a 28volt contractors set.The sawzall and circular saw are awesome and the drill/hammer drill is unstoppable...I still have my 15.6 panasonic which is great too....Every Hector,and Diego have DeWalt...not me...sorry I'm just a tool snob at heart...I forgot to mention it is a Milwaukee 28 volt!!
I have had my Makita Li-ion tools for two year and had no problems, and I use my tools daily.
Like the v-28 stuff alot. Bro in law has a set. Best recip saw out there. I hate my 18 volt dewalt recip saw. The 28 volt rt angle drill is the stuff! If I had a million dollars...For now, I will stay with my old Makita 14.4 volt set. Just wish aI could get the recip saw that Makita used to make in this platform, the JR140.
I have had great luck with ridgid tools, although a bit clunky, the lifetime warranty (batteries included) is worth a look. I demod a Hilti kit and it was the cat's ass. a little expensive but they have an awesome lease program i am crunching the numbers on. Basically they supply you with a complete set of new power tools and you pay a monthly fee. they handle all maintenance and repairs they just replace w new or recon tools. you can also "demo" exotic tools for rare one day jobs for free.Also, had a buddy buy the new pc stuff @ lowes. They are happy homeowner toys. Definately not pro grade.
I have two Makita sets, one Panasonic set, a Dewalt drill and the Ryobi green set.
The Dewalt, a 14.4v, was my first cordless and still is my favorite for its chuck. It is a Jacobs and tends to grip better than the rest.
The second set was a 14.4 v Makitafor impact and drill the wife. She used it for nearly a year before I bought myself a set. After I borrowed her impact, I wondered what the heck I'd been doing not having an impact all that time.
I bought the Panasonic set because of reviews and based on brags by friends who had them. It's still my favorite. Why, I'm not sure. The refersing button is poorly placed for guys. My hands aren't really that big, but I often have to switch it back because I push up against in the routine use of the drill or impact. That aside, I like the extra power controls, power and weight. It hides in my shop for cabinetry work and such.
I bought the Ryobi because I've seen how my employees treat tools. It's theirs and that's all they get. The green ones are a big jump ahead of the blue, but they still don't compete with any of my others for battery life. Not a big deal for most people though.
My last set was a Makit 18 v. Everything but the circular saw. That will probably be remedied in the not too distant future. I wasn't sure about the fluoresent light, but it's proven invaluable. All in all, its a "can't go wrong" set.
In the end, you have a lot of choices and, depending on how much use your going to put them to, most would be good.
Comfort is a big issue. Ease of use too. Interestingly, I've noted some high end sets don't have belt clips. On a job site, I wouldn't want to have to keep switching my Panasonic back to reverse, or forward, because I kept switching accidentally. So ch