Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
If you haven’t seen the post it’s here: http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2015/12/tools-in-action-2015-tool-awards-the-best-of-the-best/
It’s kind of difficult to have a discussion in the blog section but I figured we’d all have various opinions on the list. So what do you guys think? Did the guys get it all right? Did they miss the mark? Any snubs?
It’s quite the list too, I think a big thank you is owed because of the amount of time it took to assemble the list.
Pretty good I think. As usual, its is very American brand centric. Here’s my discussion points/questions:
- I think the Makita impact should have gotten the nod against the Milwaukee.
- The more powerful FUEL SDS probably should probably be favourite over the Dewalt, but the Dewalt is excellent.
- Why is the Bosch axial glide saw not winning the mitre saw section?
- How could 20V outdoor gear be getting the nod ahead of 40V, 56V, 80V tools?
Dwain seems to be spot on !!!
Personally i think that Makitas 18v line is better then milwaukees.
Why?
Most extensive 18v lineup by far.
The 18×2 system Rocks. Use your 18v batteries for the bigger 36v tools
Your 18v Makita platform also gives you access to a very wilde selection of garden tools.( in either 18 or 18×2 volt )
Fast charger standard.
But thats very much up for debate so no biggy 🙂
The next thing I will say is with a smile… ,!!
To much red but more yellow:-)
What I always say is that I think it’s great that there are so many solid offerings out there from the various manufacturers that each one of these categories could have gone several different ways and still been good picks. On a list this subjective I have not used as many different tool brands as Dan and Eric so I enjoyed reading their write up. Like Dwain, I was somewhat surprised that Bosch didn’t get the nod for the miter saw category. I think DWS 780 is a great saw (it’s on my list of future candidates for my shop) I think the axial glide is pretty innovative. As much as Milwaukee is touted for their innovation, I think in miter saws Bosch’s axial glide is pretty forward thinking and addresses what has always been my biggest complaint about sliding miter saws and that’s the dead space behind the saw.
Either way, good topic man. It’s nice to know that with this forum and the crew here it won’t become a firestorm but instead actual discussion about tools. Good work Crew!
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Yea I think it’s a pretty good list, dwain talked about how 20v outdoor equipment trumped some higher volatile stuff but if you look from a buyers, specifically a homeowner, if you already have the 20v platform those are some great products at lower costs than the 40v. I’m not knocking the higher voltage equipment because that stuff is awesome but I can see why that stuff made it to the list. For the quality power and price can you really beat that?
Jimbo
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On impact drivers I think you could really debate the xdt09 vs 2753. Yes the makita is faster but the Milwaukee has more torque, also the Milwaukee just “seems” like it could really take a beating. As far as the axle glide saw, i think it’s downfall is its weight. I went with the 780 simply because I’m unloading it every day
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No you really cannot debate it.
You have to try reaaal hard to find a real life situation where the Milwaukee out does the Makita.
The situations where that ‘max torque’ comes into play can be counted on 1 hand.
And for 95% of impact driver use the better speed will count.
kornomaniac wrote:
No you really cannot debate it.
You have to try reaaal hard to find a real life situation where the Milwaukee out does the Makita.
The situations where that ‘max torque’ comes into play can be counted on 1 hand.
And for 95% of impact driver use the better speed will count.
I own the xdt09 and the speed is an issue when driving into hardwoods with Phillips screws. It will cam out the screw every time. I live the driver but it doesn’t not absolutely beat the Milwaukee. They are pretty equal in my opinion
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I pretty much agree with them some can be debate able
Makita never sent a review sample of the impact to Dan and Eric to test.
I think they nailed it I agree 100%
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Hard to argue with a lot. Most of my 18v tools are ridgid or Bosch. Ridgid isn’t the best at much and I’m sure Bosch was a close second or third in some of these.
Jasonc wrote:
Makita never sent a review sample of the impact to Dan and Eric to test.
are you saying that this is the tool awards of only tools that Dan and Eric have been sent by suppliers? What is there was only one or two tools in the category they reviewed?
DarynH wrote:
I own the xdt09 and the speed is an issue when driving into hardwoods with Phillips screws. It will cam out the screw every time. I live the driver but it doesn’t not absolutely beat the Milwaukee. They are pretty equal in my opinion
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Aha ! Have you tried changing bits/bitholder? Wiha and Bosch both make bits with a special coating to reduce cam out effect which is inherent in the Philips design.
Combining those bits with a torque controlling bit holder
( ive got mine from Felo)
That combination will solve alot if not all of impact driver problem of camming out/stripping screw heads 🙂
DarynH wrote:
I own the xdt09 and the speed is an issue when driving into hardwoods with Phillips screws. It will cam out the screw every time.
Isn’t that mostly about just getting your technique down with the variable speed trigger (and also setting the driver down to speed 1 or 2)?
Good bits will help, but its mostly about applying the right amount of pressure and RPMs…
There’s definitely not a problem with my technique. I’ve been in the trades since I was 15. It’s mainly when you’re over reaching. But it does happen more often with the makita because of the extreme speed. And I use makita gold and wiha bits. The problem is you can’t drive screws into hardwoods at that speed but you need the torque on setting 3.
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Isn’t the realistic measure of a really good tool that it doesn’t need to have additional accessories and/or perfect technique to work anyway? If one tool is easier to use and doesn’t need any special accessories doesn’t that make it a better tool for that job?
Anything that says DeWalt I like, anything that looks like food I love 🙂
They are both great drivers, I own a Construction company and own both drivers and use them 7 days a week. I’m just tired of hearing that the td148/xdt09 is the end all best driver in the world. They are all still very comparable, even the dewalt.
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DarynH wrote:
They are both great drivers, I own a Construction company and own both drivers and use them 7 days a week. I’m just tired of hearing that the td148/xdt09 is the end all best driver in the world. They are all still very comparable, even the dewalt.
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I feel the same way just like DeWalt Vs. Milwaukee we all know DeWalt is the better brand 😉
DarynH wrote:
They are both great drivers, I own a Construction company and own both drivers and use them 7 days a week. I’m just tired of hearing that the td148/xdt09 is the end all best driver in the world. They are all still very comparable, even the dewalt.
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I hear what you are saying. Everybody can beat their chest and yell I’m the best. When it comes down to it the top brands have very little in their differences. They all make good tools and they also make not so goods tools.. My family has been making a living using tools a long as I can remember and we has always bought the best we could afford. I still use tools that were my dads that would be called junk today but they still do the job and do a very good job as well but they are junk. Buy what you like, use what you like and be happy. The tool does not make the job the man using the tool makes the job.
DarynH wrote:
I own the xdt09 and the speed is an issue when driving into hardwoods with Phillips screws. It will cam out the screw every time. I live the driver but it doesn’t not absolutely beat the Milwaukee. They are pretty equal in my opinion
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Phillips screws? I use phillips screws as little as possible these days. I use torx drive GRK or Spaxs it is rare for them to cam out.
regopit wrote:
Phillips screws? I use phillips screws as little as possible these days. I use torx drive GRK or Spaxs it is rare for them to cam out.
I know, I really try to stick with Robertson screws but I come across a lot of Phillips
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Besides drywall screws even big box stores are really pushing other drive type fasteners now finally. It wasn’t like that it the mid 2000’s Phillips was the king of shelf space. I’m kinda glad its changing but you can always find a phillips bit easy though others not so much at times.
Robertson #2 for almost everything since I was a kid……guess it’s a Canadian thing, philips is used mainly for drywall
dwain wrote:
are you saying that this is the tool awards of only tools that Dan and Eric have been sent by suppliers? What is there was only one or two tools in the category they reviewed?
I get what you’re saying, but how can they, in good conscience, give an award (thereby recommending) to a tool they haven’t used?
Did Makita have a couple tools that would have been contenders? Sure, as I predicted, they had a great year (albeit a couple years late), but Dan & Eric wouldn’t know because Makita doesn’t participate. Why doesn’t Makita participate? Officially, it’s hard to say. My educated opinion (and therefore not subject to any nasty legal emails from Makita) is that Dan & Eric are too honest for Makita. They want marketing whores (like some people who are no longer here and shall remain nameless) who will say anything Makita wants them to say, set up “tests” designed to ensure their tool excels, and in some cases, just flat out lie. Dan & Eric won’t do that and for that reason alone, Makita USA does not participate. They operate with a big corporate attitude and see no advantage to participating with an honest, pro-consumer, blog like TIA. But that is, again, just my opinion (officially).
These companies spent tens of millions of dollars every year to protect their brands and Makita USA doesn’t (in my opinion) have enough confidence in theirs to put their reputation in the hands of those they cannot buy the endorsement of.
Remember that Makita drill that practically caught fire on video a couple years back? How many Makita items have you seen on TIA since then? Coincidence?
It would benefit Dan & Eric financially to whore themselves out to these corporations, but they choose to remain true to their character. Do I always agree with them? Hell no, Dan and I disagree about tools all the time, but agree with their assessments or not, their reviews are honest and given with integrity and that’s a rarer commodity than it used to be. They don’t put their name on the line for a tool they haven’t used and you can’t blame them for that.
And for the record, I’ll take a little more torque over a little more speed in a driver any day.
As for the awards, I detest that Klein, an electrical specialist who doesn’t even manufactur drive tools, is the best hand tool brand. Aside from cutting pliers, Klein doesn’t make the best of anything and their core designs are all older than any person here.
Giving them that award is a slap in the face to full line manufacturers like Mac/Proto and SK who pumped out innovative products and spent millions on improving existing products.
But that’s just my $ .02
Conductor562 wrote:
And for the record, I’ll take a little more torque over a little more speed in a driver any day.
As for the awards, I detest that Klein, an electrical specialist who doesn’t even manufactur drive tools, is the best hand tool brand. Aside from cutting pliers, Klein doesn’t make the best of anything and their core designs are all older than any person here.
Giving them that award is a slap in the face to full line manufacturers like Mac/Proto and SK who pumped out innovative products and spent millions on improving existing products.
But that’s just my $ .02
The hand tool category should probably be separated into mechanics tools and electrical tools. Like Conductor mentioned having one broad category is some times hare to define. It also comes down to the fact that Dan and Eric don’t do reviews of those brands for the most part. There are only 260 week days in the year, and with all of the tool releases its hard for them to fit in a daily video. I prefer the honesty TIA has over other sites that are the sites that Conductor calls marketing whores. A defective Dewalt tool won tool of the year a few year ago that was so effed up. He never really admitted to his fuckup either. http://www.toolboxbuzz.com/feature-story/2013-toolboxbuzz-tool-awards/
Conductor562 wrote:
And for the record, I’ll take a little more torque over a little more speed in a driver any day.
As for the awards, I detest that Klein, an electrical specialist who doesn’t even manufactur drive tools, is the best hand tool brand. Aside from cutting pliers, Klein doesn’t make the best of anything and their core designs are all older than any person here.
Giving them that award is a slap in the face to full line manufacturers like Mac/Proto and SK who pumped out innovative products and spent millions on improving existing products.
But that’s just my $ .02
Klein was the only one I disagreed with on the list(though some I don’t really have opinions on).
The big thing is Bosch they can’t seem to put out new tools in a timely fashion. Bosch makes solid tools but besides the wireless charging that seems to be a flop they really didn’t do anything that crazy this year. They added a few new tools but nothing really innovative to market.
Maybe a big disclaimer on top would have helped: ” this is only based on tools we have personally tried ” would have helped a bit.
Now it does look like an overal ‘best of’
🙂
Whats a Robertson screw btw? Never years of that !
It’s basically square drive. Here is a history wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._L._Robertson
Owww OK. Those just quite recently starter popping up in belgium. Mainly electricians.
Thanks Jason !
Conductor562 wrote:
And for the record, I’ll take a little more torque over a little more speed in a driver any day.
As for the awards, I detest that Klein, an electrical specialist who doesn’t even manufactur drive tools, is the best hand tool brand. Aside from cutting pliers, Klein doesn’t make the best of anything and their core designs are all older than any person here.
Giving them that award is a slap in the face to full line manufacturers like Mac/Proto and SK who pumped out innovative products and spent millions on improving existing products.
But that’s just my $ .02
I’m not saying your right or wrong, but as an electrician I use Klein tools and like them. The price is cheap and the tools hold up well enough, I can’t go out and spend a ton of money on tools. The reason being is that sometimes a tool gets left behind on a job to no fault of my own and if that was a Knipex linesman I would be pissed. Also the tools get beat up fast and I wouldn’t want to use expensive stuff to get all dirty, rusty, and smell like sweat..lol Screwdrivers tend to disappear quick so I stay away from Klein, I bought a 3 piece Commercial Electric insulated screwdriver set for 11 bucks from HD. I had them for a few months now and just discovered yesterday the Phillips driver is missing, maybe someone took it out of my bag :/ Also when working in a attic you have to put a few tools in your pocket and crawl around if something falls out into the insulation you will not find it. I guess I would buy better tools if I worked only in a workshop and the tools stay it one area. So I would say Klein is good if you are working in service and repair and are going from place to place to work.
kornomaniac wrote:
Maybe a big disclaimer on top would have helped: ” this is only based on tools we have personally tried ” would have helped a bit.
Now it does look like an overal ‘best of’
This is what i was getting at. I totally agree with conductor about wanting to at least try out tools for themselves. It’s just that the way it’s advertised makes it seem like it’s their opinion of the best tool on the market.
we have similar problems in Aus with Makita, they just don’t seem to want a bar of independant reviews…
Japanese companies seem to completly fail at marketing imo