K&R

I started in this trade in 1989. AT that time I bought the latest and greatest cordless drill available. I believe it was the Dewalt 12V. I took it home charged it all night snapped the battery in and the chuck spun for 15 seconds and was done. Did the same thing with the 2nd battery. Back to the shop I went and traded it in immediately for a porter cable that lasted 4 years.

After moving to Tennessee about 7 years ago I was never planning to do construction ever again. When I got here and viewed how badly people were being treated by contractors (myself included I decided to try again). I bought a cheep $199 Ryobi set of tools that lasted me a year (just needs battery's). So I decided to try out Hitachi tools which were $299 and they worked for 2 years and still just need new battery's.

So now I decided to try out the Dewalt XRP set. I run down and buy a set for $499 including a free impact driver. I got everything charged up and out the door on Sat. morning. I have a mechanics pit to wire and figure the hammer drill will be the bomb for it. Used the hammer drill for about 20 minutes and the clutch adjustment was stuck in hammer. Got that fixed up and moved on then it got stuck in drill. When I say stuck I mean hold it between your legs and use both hands to change clutch settings.

So what cordless tools are you guys using? I always had the best luck out of Milwaukee but this was short notice and all I could get was dewalt. I been wanting the V28 but after looking at replacement battery's $149 each thats not going to happen. I only need this dewalt hammer drill till the end of tomorrow and it's going back thanks to the 30 day no questions asked return policy at lowes.

For me right now I think im limiting myself to the V18 Milwaukee or the LTX Makita set, maybe the 18V rigid. I have had it with the Dewalt stuff for the second time. Took me 10 years or more to even buy a second cordless tool from them. Had good luck with their corded tools though.

MDShunk

I guess this is a Fords vs. Chevy type of thing. I've always had real good luck with Milwaukee. I was previously on the 18 volt system, but went 28 volt a few months back. The batteries charge up super quick (maybe 1/2 an hour) and have a longer run time than anything I've ever used. That said, I don't really think they're any better or any worse than any other brand's top of the line cordless tools. I just happen to be stuck on Milwaukee, is all, due to the fact that I can get them serviced locally.

__________________
-Marc, ABC, XYZ, PhD, 1-2-3

-Someday, I'll wear pajamas in the day time.

K&R

I always liked the Milwaukee. I just needed this super fast for the hammer drill. I don't really feel I need the V28 tools but the V18 seem to be even harder for me to find. Everyone has the drill/circular saw kit but no one has the 4 piece kit. I have found the Makita LXI series I think it is at a shop not to far away. They are all reconditioned but I like those better most of the time anyway.

My problem is I have one Lowes with 10 minutes of the house and nothing else. I have to ride 100 mile round trip to hit a Home depot or the tool shop selling the recondition tools. Not able to do that and be at the weigh station by 8am.

JohnJ0906

I've had good work out of Bosch cordless tools. However, when my 18v hammer drill-driver went up, I decided to try Mikita 18v. I've had that for about a week. So far, so good.

__________________
John from Baltimore
"One day at a Time"
All responses based on the '08 NEC
It's not my fault, it's not my problem, I'm not your solution.

knothole

I just picked up the Ridgid 3-piece 18 volt combo, details to follow . Always liked the Ridgid plumbing tools, so we shall see.

Danny

K&R

I know Rigid is offering free replacement batteries for the life of the tool. It is on the front page of their website.

knothole

That is a good deal, I think. A new battery sells for $80 at HD.

Danny

Mountain Electrician

I've got Hitachi and Milwaukee, both decent but all in all I think the Milwaukee preforms better. More tork and longer battery life. I've had bad experiences with Dewalt, so I steer clear of them. Next set will be a Mil. 18V lithium.

K&R

Hope you have better luck finding the 18V Lithium then I have. Unless I want to order from the net and wait it does not look good.

Mountain Electrician

I live in a remote area, so I buy most of my tools off the net, or when I'm in a big hurry, from my local supply house. (Ouch!) I've gotten good deals on my cordless stuff on ebay. The trick for me is to plan ahead, but when its over 75 miles to the nearest big box store you get used to thinking like that. My major supplier delivers to my shop 4 days a week, so they get some of my tool orders by default. If I have to have it the next day, I'm sure going to pay for it!

sparkysteve

I think every guy has a brand they like. You will get as many answers as there are tool brands. I have a 18v DeWalt 4 pack. (sawzall, circular saw, dril, and flashlight) It has performed great for 3 years. I've had my drill serviced twice while I waited at the DeWalt factory store. I had some Milwaukee stuff before that and wasn't too impressed. I also have the DeWalt radio an 18v impact, an 18v grinder, an 18v SDS hammerdrill, and a 9.6v drill. I like that I can use the same batteries in all my tools and charge them in any of my chargers or radio. DeWalt also has a huge selection of other tools both cordless and electric. My only beef is that I go through batteries fast. I used up the first set of 2 and had them rebuilt (not recommended) and have since bought new ones. I guess if you make durable tools you have to make some money somewhere.

MDShunk

That's why I've generally reccommended that guy buy whatever they can get fixed locally. Every tool will require service from time to time. I only buy Milwaukee because there are two Milwaukee service centers in my area, and I can get the tools worked on while I wait, most of the time. If I could pick any brand, I'd pick HILTI, but there's no place local to get them worked on, so I only own one HILTI tool. That's why I resolved on Milwaukee. I'd have no problem using any of the major brands. I don't think there's much out there that I'd personally call junk (well, maybe Black and Decker). I really think it's important to keep the tool in circulation, so I buy what I can get worked on locally. The Ridgid battery warranty is certainly attractive, but I'd have a hard time buying one, due to the fact that it's a 3-4 week turnaround for tool repairs on Ridgid.

__________________
-Marc, ABC, XYZ, PhD, 1-2-3

-Someday, I'll wear pajamas in the day time.

AT Grimaldi

Hello all.

New to the board and first time poster.

I have both HILTI and Milwaukee 28V cordless and love them both.

- ATG

knothole

Well, the only problem I have found with my new Ridgid combo is the charger will not charge outside due to the heat, I guess. I can take it inside and everything is OK.

K&R

I ended up with the Makita LXI 18V set. There are no service centers closer then 100 mile round trip to me. I figure if this set needs repaired I will have to use another set till they get back. I originally bought a Dewalt 4 piece combo and the clutch on the hammer drill kept sticking. I took it back and traded it in for another of the same set and the same thing happened. Nothing like a drill that wont do anything but hammer. This set seems good so far.

frank

There is no answer to this question that will suit all. I don't think there is anything between the top 5 manufacturers. So the 'best price of the day'' is my guide line - choosing any of the following. Mailwauky-Hilti-Bosch-DeWalt-Makita.

Frank

TOOL_5150

I like DeWalt. I have tons of 18v DeWalt tools [Ok maybe a hundred pounds]. I have almost every 18v tool they make. My only issue that I have had is that the 3 speed clutch sticks on both of my drills. Ill get a pic of my cordless 'set' tomarrow night. more than half my tools are in my truck ready for a big job tomarrow.

~Matt

joebell

The problem is the combo kits. Once you buy that kit you are pretty much locked into it. I started with a drill/sawzall kit then added a flashlight then a vaccuum all use the same battery. I go through cordless drills every 2 years on average and have been with Dewalt for the past 10 years or so. I have also been through 2 sawzalls in that same time. In the past I have had the 9v Makita, 12v Poter Cable Magnaquench (The strongest cordless i've ever owned) Milwaukee 12 Drill Flashlight kit and Dewalt.