Which 18V line to get

Hi, this is my first post thus I assume Ive done something wrong on the post, sorry.

I am starting over on a 18V line, I have Craftsman 19.2 but I am selling them as all the batterys are dead. I am looking for any advice about which brand to get. I don’t honestly use most of the tools all that much, I have the Makita 12V and that does most of the day to day drilling/screwing. I want to have a few tools of good quality that will last, above all I want tips on how to make the batterys last as long as possible and not have the 4 dead batterys I have now. I am not all that worried about the money. Basically my cordless needs are – hammer drill, impact driver, and circular saw. I figure I will expand the collection as I need different stuff.

Thoughts?

J

To be fair there all really good I’m a bosch man and have there 18v line but dewalt makita Milwaukee and all the others are great just look at which range is easily available in your area

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I think we all have our favorites but really they all are great lines to get into. If you don’t have any specific tool needs you can’t beat Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Ridgid, I woukd even look into Ryobi. I think you’ll find that all of the brands will have their pros and cons. I’m pretty heavy in Bosch and Makita, but it isn’t because the other brands aren’t great, it’s just what I caught on sale at the time I was looking. Sorry it’s no definite answer, but really all of the brands are fantastic. Good luck and post pics when you get some new tools. Oh and welcome to the forum!

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Welcome to the forum.

Well, I have dewalt 20v (18v), awesome tools, I have their new impact which, I won’t kill you with stats, but really powerful, equal to the milwaukee.  Now even though I’m a dewalt boy, I am going to say Milwaukee, with their 18v Fuel, you can have brushless Hammerdrill, impact, and cordless circular saw.  Currently Milwaukee, Rigid and Makita have a 7 1/4″ brushless where dewalt only has a 6 1/2″ brushed.  Rigid is awesome too, I got a kit courtesy of Tools in Action!! great value and awesome quality if your looking for a budget but their line is limited where your best bet for huge like would be Milwaukee.  They are all awesome brands though.

Welcome to the forums!

Given the parameters you’ve stated, I would suggest Ridgid. The X5 lineup has very well reviewed hammer drills, impact drivers and circular saws. Not only that, but when you buy a kit, and register it of course, the LSA means that you’ll never have to worry about batteries dying – free battery replacements for life. While the Ridgid lineup isn’t as extensive as the other big names, they are expanding steadily of late. The fact that their tools are also a bit more affordable than some other brands doesn’t hurt either.

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ya it’s not so much what brand to get the most common tools drill/impact/saw/ it’s the other tools in the brand’s line up that are available when you do want to expand…you can’t really go by what you had either, craftsman was never really in the cordless game for higher end stuff. so I’m sure you will be happy with whatever brand you decide…..did I say Milwaukee out loud?….lol

Welcome to the crew!! Like kruton said any brand u choose now a days will work perfect for ya I’m a Dewalt and milwaukee fanboy but I wouldn’t mind adding any other brand to my arsenal all have there pros and cons but like I’ve learned here from all these crazy tool junkies is that u can’t have just one battery line here lol good luck into finding a line to get into and enjoy the forum!

The best 18v circular saws right now are probably Mikeaukee Fuel and Makita. Milwaukee has better choice if you want left or right blade as you can choose between which you prefer as their 7-1/4 and 6.5’s are similar but different blade positions. Milwaukee just updated their hammer drill and it’s a torque beast and they come with 5 year warranties in the tools an 3 on the batteries.. That being said the Rigids mentioned above are pretty darn good and if you hate dead batteries I think rigid basically has lifetime replacements on them which is impressive.

Honestly you cant really go wrong with any brand it seems these days.  They all offer great products and have a good variety of tools in their lineup.  Im a milwaukee guy myself, I love their products.  They are built well, and just are great tools.  I see you already have the makita 12v so maybe stick with them if you like them and their 18v lineup offers what you need.  I dont know if they have chargers like milwaukee but its nice to be able to charge my 18v and 12v batteries on one milwaukee charger.

Way to go new guy you started a brand war!! Lol

Jimbo

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… Again

Jimbo

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Jimbos1ice wrote:

… Again

Jimbo

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All of the top Brands produce a good impact and Hammer drill.

Circular saw is more for Milwaukee and Makita. They produce a good brushless circ saw.

You must also check the scope of a Brands offering on thesame battery platform.

Milwaukee had a few very specific cordless tools for specific trades that you will not find anywhere.

Makita has by far the largest 18v tool line up.

Makita 18V also extends into garden tools and 36v tools ( by combining 2 18v batteries )

Makita or Milwaukee, their cordless lines keep getting bigger and bigger…..

thebookkid wrote:

Hi, this is my first post thus I assume Ive done something wrong on the post, sorry.

I am starting over on a 18V line, I have Craftsman 19.2 but I am selling them as all the batterys are dead. I am looking for any advice about which brand to get. I don’t honestly use most of the tools all that much, I have the Makita 12V and that does most of the day to day drilling/screwing. I want to have a few tools of good quality that will last, above all I want tips on how to make the batterys last as long as possible and not have the 4 dead batterys I have now. I am not all that worried about the money. Basically my cordless needs are – hammer drill, impact driver, and circular saw. I figure I will expand the collection as I need different stuff.

Thoughts?

J

J,

Hello, I saw the apology you made your first sentence so I’m going to assume you’re Canadian

Jimbos1ice wrote:

Way to go new guy you started a brand war!! Lol

Jimbo

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He is not the first is he. LOL

does DeWalt make an impact?…..

The reason you are getting away from craftsman is dead batteries.  if you buy into the ridgid line, their lifetime service agreement includes battery coverage for any batteries bought in a kit (with a tool).  

Or you could get your craftsman batteries rebuilt.  I haven’t done it, but others probably have.  

Otherwise, any of the above will fit the bill.  If there is any special tool (other than drill, impact and saw) that you are interested in, find who makes that tool best and buy the rest accordingly..

Yes when it hits the floor. Bump da bump. Lol

John, Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Bigmikez wrote:

Welcome to the crew!! Like kruton said any brand u choose now a days will work perfect for ya I’m a Dewalt and milwaukee fanboy but I wouldn’t mind adding any other brand to my arsenal all have there pros and cons but like I’ve learned here from all these crazy tool junkies is that u can’t have just one battery line here lol good luck into finding a line to get into and enjoy the forum!

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kdv wrote:

Welcome to the forums!

Given the parameters you’ve stated, I would suggest Ridgid. The X5 lineup has very well reviewed hammer drills, impact drivers and circular saws. Not only that, but when you buy a kit, and register it of course, the LSA means that you’ll never have to worry about batteries dying – free battery replacements for life. While the Ridgid lineup isn’t as extensive as the other big names, they are expanding steadily of late. The fact that their tools are also a bit more affordable than some other brands doesn’t hurt either.

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The Ridgid isn’t a bad idea in his case. Also Ryobi wouldn’t be a horrible choice either as the batteries are cheap They do the 99 dollar 2 packs of the 4.0ah batteries fairly often at HD. The one thing about Ryobi is you buy into a huge lineup of tools. Ridgid lacks in that department it is expanding, but I doubt it will ever be as big as Ryobi. Ryobi has cordless outdoor tools you might find handy. Unless he gets a good deal I don’t know if he needs a Bosch/Dewalt/Makita/Milwaukee tool unless he wants to go that route.

If big thing with lithium packs don’t let them in the cold long, and never let an uncharged battery sit uncharged. If you do the pack can deep discharge and it will kill the pack. They say optimal battery storage is 75% charge for long term storage.

You said you dont use the tools much,with that said,I wouldnt waste the dough on higher end stuff, Look at the porter cable 20v line,low cost and powerful..

It comes down to what your cordless use style is. My father builds houses solo for a living and has one cordless tool. It’s a ryobi drill. NiCad not Lithium either. Was purchased a decade ago. He builds entire houses without any problems. I do completely different work and have every DeWalt tool. If you’re a homeowner that hangs shelves occasionally buy whatever is cheapest at HD or even HF. If your livelihood is based completely off of heavy use of a cordless saw go with Milwaukee.

Bosch Milwaukee makita and Dewalt are all great brand and will probably do what you want them to do

I have Dewalt and they have never failed on me yet I would definitely recommend Dewalt

On keeping batteries last longer I’ve always drained my batteries all the way down to the point that it won’t even turn the chuck on the drill then charge them to 100% I never charge them at anything but 0 and my batteries have lasted me a long time

Any company will work for you. I prefer Bosch bust just purchased a makita hammer drill/ impact for a stupid good price. See what is most available in your area for immediate purchases. Also look at the line up to see what tools (with good reviews) you will most likely purchase.

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Feel is another important thing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Milwaukee but the Bosch felt great. Much easier to work with tools when they are comfortable.

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Throwing another more budget line at you with a solid line up would be the Porter Cable 20v.  Ive heard good reviews on the drill, saws are pretty average but you can usually get a big combo kit for a decent buck.

PC  would be a great choice as well. very reasonably priced with a large amount of tools

Thanks for the replys, one other thing I should have mentioned, I like fixing shit, I do want something that is fairly easily rebuildable. I have heard that Milwaukee is great about this. Two friends of mine have Ryobi, I just am not impressed with them and am not planning on getting into Ryobi. I really like the Ridgid replacement battery deal, but I dont know anyone who has Ridgid so I dont know how complicated that is. I do want to get into a line thats got a lot of tools so I like Milwaukee for that. One tool I want to get in the future is a impact wrench, I already have an air impact gun, but Im sure I would use a cordless one if I had it. Honestly I just dont know much about Porter Cable or Bosch.

Nope Im American

well if you decide to go with the Milwaukee line I think they is a member or 2 that can help you out with any questions, I’d have to look in the shop again but I’m pretty sure I have milwaukee lying around…..

thebookkid wrote:

Hi, this is my first post thus I assume Ive done something wrong on the post, sorry.

 

I am starting over on a 18V line, I have Craftsman 19.2 but I am selling them as all the batterys are dead. I am looking for any advice about which brand to get. I don’t honestly use most of the tools all that much, I have the Makita 12V and that does most of the day to day drilling/screwing. I want to have a few tools of good quality that will last, above all I want tips on how to make the batterys last as long as possible and not have the 4 dead batterys I have now. I am not all that worried about the money. Basically my cordless needs are – hammer drill, impact driver, and circular saw. I figure I will expand the collection as I need different stuff.

Thoughts?

 

J

I was in the same boat as you about a month ago.  I just needed the basics for working around the house and for some remodeling projects.  I went with Ridgid.  They don’t have a huge line up like Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita etc., but for a casual DIYer who doesn’t use their tools every day I don’t think you can go wrong with Ridgid for the money especially.  If you go with Ridgid be sure and buy tools in kits so you can take advantage of the lifetime service agreement.  You can register everything online.  

I picked up the Gen5x Brushless Hammer drill-Circ saw combo kit and the Gen5x Impact driver kit for about 260 bucks.

Also you have to buy the kits from Home Depot or Home Depot online to qualify for the LSA.

Just my 2 cents  ;D

If I remember correctly, there are one or two here that really love their Milwaukee impact wrenches, so maybe they’ll chime in as well

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comp56 wrote:

well if you decide to go with the Milwaukee line I think they is a member or 2 that can help you out with any questions, I’d have to look in the shop again but I’m pretty sure I have milwaukee lying around…..

O’rly?  I could have sworn that your tag was “Better dead than red”…

kdv wrote:

O’rly? I could have sworn that your tag was “Better dead than red”…

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kruton wrote:

He also has more Milwaukee tools than Milwaukee has!

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just to clarify, it is “did have”……I got the tools from them after all…lol

and Milwaukee by the Milwaukee way, I Milwaukee would never Milwaukee push a brand Milwaukee on anyone…. 

comp56 wrote:

just to clarify, it is “did have”……I got the tools from them after all…lol

and Milwaukee by the Milwaukee way, I Milwaukee would never Milwaukee push a brand Milwaukee on anyone….

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kruton wrote:

Compwaukee you are not right

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my therapist says I’m doing just fine…thank you very much!…lol…

thebookkid wrote:

Thanks for the replys, one other thing I should have mentioned, I like fixing shit, I do want something that is fairly easily rebuildable. I have heard that Milwaukee is great about this. Two friends of mine have Ryobi, I just am not impressed with them and am not planning on getting into Ryobi. I really like the Ridgid replacement battery deal, but I dont know anyone who has Ridgid so I dont know how complicated that is. I do want to get into a line thats got a lot of tools so I like Milwaukee for that. One tool I want to get in the future is a impact wrench, I already have an air impact gun, but Im sure I would use a cordless one if I had it. Honestly I just dont know much about Porter Cable or Bosch.

Nope Im American

If you are looking at getting a good high torque cordless impact wrench, Milwaukee, dewalt and makita are the best options. I have the Milwaukee 2763 and it is an absolute monster. The runtime is great too. I don’t have the compact impact wrench yet though. I just ordered it today and it should be here later this week.

comp56 wrote:

just to clarify, it is “did have”……I got the tools from them after all…lol

 

and Milwaukee by the Milwaukee way, I Milwaukee would never Milwaukee push a brand Milwaukee on anyone…. 

No but just expect any tool you buy to be painted red.

in grade school I had a teacher that told me to dream big, I thought she said dream red…..I didn’t speak to much English then….

comp56 wrote:

in grade school I had a teacher that told me to dream big, I thought she said dream red…..I didn’t speak to much English then….

if you’re analytical like me, you might like this 18v platform calculator i created – http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/power-tool-forum/index.php?/topic/6700-which-18v-brandplatform-is-best-you-for-try-this-calculator/

there’s not much in it between Milwaukee or Makita for your desired tools.

And just to chime in, this is a loaded question which will generate a lot of personal opinions but what are you going to do with the tools? Are you more of a mechanic, a woodworker, DIY type? Some of the brands offer more than others in different fields. If they will sit, absolutely, go lithium, keep them indoors. Are you going to want to expand your platform? You’ll find yourself saying…..wow, I really need that tool” when you don’t have it. The question wil be is the platform you bought into going to hfs those tools. Then when you figure that out asking which brand will get you 20 trillion responses from the guys and gals here!

Like Chris said it does make a bit of difference, or you can just skip all brands and go straight to festool.

Jimbo

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Nah…..I don’t mention the green too much Jimbo. Once you take a hit your an addict. A lot of guys have never tried those tools so it’s hard to argue the merit of spending a ton of cash on a tool with someone that’s never tried one. I’m the mintority on this site with the exception of NER, Andrew, Regopit, I don’t think there too many guys sporting blue and green. Besides for general mechanical and carpentry stuff there’s things Festool just doesn’t have. Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Ridgid, Ryobi it’s all good. That’s why I have got so many different brands for cordless stuff, take for instance my Bosch tools and wireless charging station. Or my Ryobi 18v Brad. My Makita 23ga pinner….I suffer my addiction to myself 😉

Yeah I have no plans what so ever to buy Festool, partly cause I am worried that I will want all Festool and I already have Snap On so thats my best of the best tool budget.

I think I have it down to Milwaukee, DeWalt, and possible Bosch. Honestly leaning to Milwaukee just because such a large range of tools.

I would use them for both mechanicing and woodworking. I am planning on having only Li-ion batteries.

thebookkid wrote:

Yeah I have no plans what so ever to buy Festool, partly cause I am worried that I will want all Festool and I already have Snap On so thats my best of the best tool budget.

I think I have it down to Milwaukee, DeWalt, and possible Bosch. Honestly leaning to Milwaukee just because such a large range of tools.

I would use them for both mechanicing and woodworking. I am planning on having only Li-ion batteries.

Nothing wrong with having a little of each, I have plenty of red and yellow, now blue is starting to add up too.