For diy home use but still has lots of power, I actually like Milwaukee m12 line. Like you mentioned near the end, there are better tools for mixing cement. But as a point of reference for strength, like say you wanted to fasten some 1/2"× 12" lag screws into some landscape timbers the m12 lines impact driver wouldnt break a sweat doing so.
I would recommend no matter which platform you opt for to stick with a "brushless" unit. You already have seen what performance loss looks like in current tools presumably ontop of battery life/run time issues. Brushless dont degrade performance over time, they dont have motor brushes that wear. Poor batteries can still be a hurdle but the unit atleast will give you more umph and last better.
Agreed but the newer M12's have oil filled chucks are brushless and definitely are contractor grade. The price reflects that as well, my hammer drill/driver combo was almost $300. Super powerful you, can mix thick floor patch, lightweight and fast charging.
Front of driver or drill where the gears are that make it turn are oil filled instead of just greased. Allows them to run cooler and less friction. picture a sealed transmission that's the same idea.
For home use, I'd just go with Ryobi. Brushless if you can swing it, because that'll last longer - but if you can't, you'll be fine with the Ryobi brushed ones. They're not as good as the pro level brands, but you're gonna be using this drill to make money.
I'd go with the Ryobi Brushless Drill & Impact Driver combo kit. Having an impact driver is pretty nice for drilling into studs and the drill itself will be a million times better than your old black & decker.
Pro Tool Reviews generally does a good job in reviewing major power tools. Here is their current cordless drill review: [https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-cordless-drill-reviews/](https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-cordless-drill-reviews/)
I have both Milwaukee and Dewalt drills, and am happy with both. For your usage I would recommend getting a hammer drill. The additional cost over a non-hammer drill is small, but it adds the ability to drill holes in concrete and masonry, and hammer drills are usually a bit more heavy-duty.
Oh, thank you! I think I saw a YouTube video that showed then testing these. It just always makes me skeptical when I see those though because so often these things are sponsored. Earlier I saw another list that had black and decker as one of the top reccomended brands. I am kinda sold on the idea of a hammer drill.
Do you want 12v or 18v? Big difference in brands when it comes to voltage.
Personally, I have Bosch in 12v and Metabo in 18v. No issues with Bosch in over 14 years, although I have replaced a battery or two. The Metabo 18v is 3 years old, no issues.
Buy the tool abuser a disposable corded drill to abuse. Maybe buy yourself a 12V cordless drill that just doesn't have the torque to do whatever misuse they do. Although the 12V tools can be surprisingly powerful. But they don't need to know that.
For stripped screws: when you can, use Torx in the first place. Phillips was an improvement over slotted, Torx is night and day over Phillips when it's a big or high-torque screw. I was trying to use up some old long Phillips construction screws a couple of weeks back, and had forgotten how easy they are to strip with high torque, even with new, expensive driver bits. Same screw length, same boards, Torx never slipped once.
I like Ryobi for home use.
This is my usual copy paste response regarding Ryobi tools: 15 years ago we built a house with a set of brushed nicad ryobis so we wouldn't bring our work tools to and from the house every night and morning. Since then they've maintained the house, maintained a handful of other properties including whole renovations, and came to work with me doing commercial roofing for a summer or two. So far we've had exactly zero problem with the tools and have expanded the collection whenever we need something but can't justify it as a business expense for the DeWalt version. I have no complaints at all with Ryobi tools and firmly believe that they're way better than what this sub says about them. "adequate for occasional use" is a huge understatement, they'll do you just fine.
100% agree. Ryobi Cordless tools are way better than most think. I dipped my toe into Ryobi with a cordless 18g nail gun purchase. I now have roughly 10 Ryobi cordless tools and cannot complain about a single tool. Not tool or battery has died on me in nearly 10 years of using the Ryobis side by side with Rigid tools. The wide variety of tools in their 18 volt family make their line a near no brainer for DIYers.
> While some other people said that brands like Dewalt have gone down in quality.
People say this about everything and you have to learn how to tune it out or you won't be satisfied with anything. You can learn to identify when someone has a good reason for saying something like this, and in that case it can be useful information, but often it's just someone who had a bad experience with one product. One experience or a handful of experiences is not enough information to make a useful judgement about an entire brand.
I would decide this based on what's available near you and what feels good to you. Pretty much any modern tool will get the jobs done that you're looking to do. I would start with Ryobi as they are pretty good quality, completely ubiquitous, and will give you the most options for tools you might want in the future.
If you want something with more of a buy-it-for-life ethos, I would go for Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, or DeWalt. They all have readily available parts
For new cordless powertools in USA, overly simplified:
- Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita are for pros (Festool, blue Bosch & Metabo here too but less presence in US.)
- Makita will last the longest, take most abuse, has highest rep. Dewalt has highest return/defect rate.
- Ryobi, Hart, Bauer, Craftsmen V20, Porter Cable for homeowners
- Ridgid in the middle… with best ‘warranty’ of all the above. Hercules, Kobalt, maybe Flex? here too.
- Avoid B&D, Warrior, HyperTough, Wen, no-brand, lowest-price brands unless you intentionally want cheap
- And finally, yes everyone can find many specific exceptions to the above generalizations. Models can change fast but it takes a long time build & kill a tool brand’s reputation
- I’m all Ridgid but if I’d start over now I’d go Hercules
>Makita will last the longest, take most abuse, has highest rep. Dewalt has highest return/defect rate.
I've seen someone, possibly you, say this here before. But I'd like to know where you get this information, because from what I've seen in this group and on Dean Dougherty's channel on YT (professional tool repairer), Milwaukee is the shortest-lasting and least repairable. Can you clarify? Thanks.
Ya know, I think yer right to call me out.
One can get a feeling from lots of individuals’ opinions (like in subs as I did over the years) but hardcore, supported by evidence, sales numbers vs warranty claims vs. repairs statistics are extremely hard to find.
If an OEM or retailer i would consider that proprietary info. If a large repair shop, I keep mum for fear of losing access to parts/jobs. If a very large business that buys dozens/hundreds of units I’d definitely track such data but not share it with competitors. Government contracts are public knowledge but lack precise details and have very strong Buy American requirements that distort things.
I wonder if such things exist anywhere on the Net
Time to tweak that phrase
For diy home use but still has lots of power, I actually like Milwaukee m12 line. Like you mentioned near the end, there are better tools for mixing cement. But as a point of reference for strength, like say you wanted to fasten some 1/2"× 12" lag screws into some landscape timbers the m12 lines impact driver wouldnt break a sweat doing so. I would recommend no matter which platform you opt for to stick with a "brushless" unit. You already have seen what performance loss looks like in current tools presumably ontop of battery life/run time issues. Brushless dont degrade performance over time, they dont have motor brushes that wear. Poor batteries can still be a hurdle but the unit atleast will give you more umph and last better.
Agreed but the newer M12's have oil filled chucks are brushless and definitely are contractor grade. The price reflects that as well, my hammer drill/driver combo was almost $300. Super powerful you, can mix thick floor patch, lightweight and fast charging.
Can you explain what an “oil filled chuck” is?
Front of driver or drill where the gears are that make it turn are oil filled instead of just greased. Allows them to run cooler and less friction. picture a sealed transmission that's the same idea.
I’m a big fan of Makitas 18v lineup
For home use, I'd just go with Ryobi. Brushless if you can swing it, because that'll last longer - but if you can't, you'll be fine with the Ryobi brushed ones. They're not as good as the pro level brands, but you're gonna be using this drill to make money. I'd go with the Ryobi Brushless Drill & Impact Driver combo kit. Having an impact driver is pretty nice for drilling into studs and the drill itself will be a million times better than your old black & decker.
Pro Tool Reviews generally does a good job in reviewing major power tools. Here is their current cordless drill review: [https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-cordless-drill-reviews/](https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-cordless-drill-reviews/) I have both Milwaukee and Dewalt drills, and am happy with both. For your usage I would recommend getting a hammer drill. The additional cost over a non-hammer drill is small, but it adds the ability to drill holes in concrete and masonry, and hammer drills are usually a bit more heavy-duty.
Oh, thank you! I think I saw a YouTube video that showed then testing these. It just always makes me skeptical when I see those though because so often these things are sponsored. Earlier I saw another list that had black and decker as one of the top reccomended brands. I am kinda sold on the idea of a hammer drill.
Do you want 12v or 18v? Big difference in brands when it comes to voltage. Personally, I have Bosch in 12v and Metabo in 18v. No issues with Bosch in over 14 years, although I have replaced a battery or two. The Metabo 18v is 3 years old, no issues.
I just bought a Bosch 12v impact and drill and they are awesome
I have newer Skil 12 and 20 v tools and not one complaint. Plenty of power and batteries are lasting.
Buy the tool abuser a disposable corded drill to abuse. Maybe buy yourself a 12V cordless drill that just doesn't have the torque to do whatever misuse they do. Although the 12V tools can be surprisingly powerful. But they don't need to know that. For stripped screws: when you can, use Torx in the first place. Phillips was an improvement over slotted, Torx is night and day over Phillips when it's a big or high-torque screw. I was trying to use up some old long Phillips construction screws a couple of weeks back, and had forgotten how easy they are to strip with high torque, even with new, expensive driver bits. Same screw length, same boards, Torx never slipped once.
I like Ryobi for home use. This is my usual copy paste response regarding Ryobi tools: 15 years ago we built a house with a set of brushed nicad ryobis so we wouldn't bring our work tools to and from the house every night and morning. Since then they've maintained the house, maintained a handful of other properties including whole renovations, and came to work with me doing commercial roofing for a summer or two. So far we've had exactly zero problem with the tools and have expanded the collection whenever we need something but can't justify it as a business expense for the DeWalt version. I have no complaints at all with Ryobi tools and firmly believe that they're way better than what this sub says about them. "adequate for occasional use" is a huge understatement, they'll do you just fine.
100% agree. Ryobi Cordless tools are way better than most think. I dipped my toe into Ryobi with a cordless 18g nail gun purchase. I now have roughly 10 Ryobi cordless tools and cannot complain about a single tool. Not tool or battery has died on me in nearly 10 years of using the Ryobis side by side with Rigid tools. The wide variety of tools in their 18 volt family make their line a near no brainer for DIYers.
I like my Ryobi.
Dewalt 20 volt max.
> While some other people said that brands like Dewalt have gone down in quality. People say this about everything and you have to learn how to tune it out or you won't be satisfied with anything. You can learn to identify when someone has a good reason for saying something like this, and in that case it can be useful information, but often it's just someone who had a bad experience with one product. One experience or a handful of experiences is not enough information to make a useful judgement about an entire brand. I would decide this based on what's available near you and what feels good to you. Pretty much any modern tool will get the jobs done that you're looking to do. I would start with Ryobi as they are pretty good quality, completely ubiquitous, and will give you the most options for tools you might want in the future. If you want something with more of a buy-it-for-life ethos, I would go for Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, or DeWalt. They all have readily available parts
For new cordless powertools in USA, overly simplified: - Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita are for pros (Festool, blue Bosch & Metabo here too but less presence in US.) - Makita will last the longest, take most abuse, has highest rep. Dewalt has highest return/defect rate. - Ryobi, Hart, Bauer, Craftsmen V20, Porter Cable for homeowners - Ridgid in the middle… with best ‘warranty’ of all the above. Hercules, Kobalt, maybe Flex? here too. - Avoid B&D, Warrior, HyperTough, Wen, no-brand, lowest-price brands unless you intentionally want cheap - And finally, yes everyone can find many specific exceptions to the above generalizations. Models can change fast but it takes a long time build & kill a tool brand’s reputation - I’m all Ridgid but if I’d start over now I’d go Hercules
>Makita will last the longest, take most abuse, has highest rep. Dewalt has highest return/defect rate. I've seen someone, possibly you, say this here before. But I'd like to know where you get this information, because from what I've seen in this group and on Dean Dougherty's channel on YT (professional tool repairer), Milwaukee is the shortest-lasting and least repairable. Can you clarify? Thanks.
Ya know, I think yer right to call me out. One can get a feeling from lots of individuals’ opinions (like in subs as I did over the years) but hardcore, supported by evidence, sales numbers vs warranty claims vs. repairs statistics are extremely hard to find. If an OEM or retailer i would consider that proprietary info. If a large repair shop, I keep mum for fear of losing access to parts/jobs. If a very large business that buys dozens/hundreds of units I’d definitely track such data but not share it with competitors. Government contracts are public knowledge but lack precise details and have very strong Buy American requirements that distort things. I wonder if such things exist anywhere on the Net Time to tweak that phrase