ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Cordless tools, milwaukee or dewalt?

I have had Dwalt it boke after a 4 ft fall. I bought the Milwallkee set and have droped the drill twice from about 20 ft. Still work like the day I bought it. The batteries take a little used to . I will never own another Dewalt again.

I have the Milwaukee set with radio and I love it, I had three Dewalt drills catch fire, after that I switched to Milwaukee and haven't had any major problems since. The new battery design makes the battery changes a lot easier, and I like having the option to flip it around to better balance the drill. The bag it comes with is nice too, you still have room to throw in a few tools, parts, bit cases, etc.

Doesn't anybody use makita drills? I have a 24volt combination drill/hammer drill. It has lots of power and the battery lasts a long time. Its not cheap, but its worth every penny.

Actually, according to consumer reports, for heavy duty use, the newest makita kit was rated the best.
But, the drill wasn't a hammer drill.

Next was dewalt, then milkwaukee.

I bought the milwaukee set a few years ago when price at big box store went from $499 TO $449. The helpfull salesman told me the price was due to a deal they got. He lied, the price was due to fact that the set included drill/driver, not a hammer drill/driver which I really needed. Hammer drill/driver is necessary for mounting things to masonry/brick work. I bought hammer drill/driver later and have worn it out, head wobbles but it still drills torques and hammers. Recently bought lok-tor
milwaukees latest hammer drill/driver. Batteries change easier now (new design I guess). I use these alot and I am still buying milwaukee replacements.

DeWalt or Milwaukee? remids me of the Less filling / tastes great debate. Can there ever be a winner?

I say, forget price, forget the sets....concentrate on what your needs are, and buy accordingly.

I certainly don't want to carry different batteries and chargers for each tool. So- product line is important to me. Important enough that I'll be happy with the "second place" tool most of the time.
I also like to hold on to my tools....and one way to help me keep them is to have mine a different brand than everyone else. This is especially important if it can be possible to confuse "personal" with "company" equipment.

Kits are deceptive.....you generally get a tool that you don't need (I need a circular saw about as much as a fish needs a bicycle!), only one or two batteries, and a monster case. This is kind of wasteful, as I typically carry six to eight batteries, and re-package my tools to suit my needs.

Hammer drills are great- but WILL wear out- especially if they're used for more than setting screw anchors!
An 18 volt drill gets heavy, fast.
The flashlights are great- but I've had little luck with the "snake" lights.
I have no use for a radio that's not also a charger.

Other tools that come in handy from time to time....often used only for a few moments, so 'cordless' is an advantage...are a vacuum (that can handle sheetrock dust), an angle grinder, a 'sawzall' type tool, and angle drill.
One "freebie" worth having is a cooler; batteries last a lot longer when stored in it - the hot summer sun is death on battereis kept on the truck. Let's see...$10 cooler once, or $75 batteries regularily...which should I choose?

For me, DeWalt wins the contest. IF Milwaukee expands its' product line, that MIGHT change.

Hello From South Dakota!!!!

I have used almost all of the tools mentioned, and was actually having this conversation with a fellow tradesman tonight.

I like the way a Dewalt sawzall feels in your hand. It is easier to hold and it is much faster than the milwakee. It also has a shorter stroke than the milwakee on the front end. I have taken two people to the ER because of the milwakee grabing thumbs.

I think that for heavy duty drilling you should go with the Porter Cable 19.2, but you need to beware that it is heavy.

For small drilling and trim outs I really like the Hilti 15v. It is light wieght and long, long lasting.

The Milwakee and Dewalt hammer drills hammer so fast and short that they take longer than a corded hammer drill. If all you have to drill is one or two holes, either one of them will work. If you have to drill more than that, it will be faster to string a cord and go for the Bosch Bulldog.

As far as punching holes in siding with hole saws, or drilling with high speed KO's buyer beware. We have burned up every drill on the market with these.

In my expeirience it has been the Milwakee drills, the Dewalt batteries, the Porter cable sawzalls, and the Makita hand saws that burn up the fastest.

They all have their strong and week points. Now if we could just get them to work together!


Jon

I have the milwaukee kit and have gone through 2 drills in a year, but I am pretty hard on my tools. The milwaukee radio is great though, it doesn't charge, but I have a charger for that. Put it in a 40,000sq/ft warehouse and you can fill it with great sounding music, put a dewalt in the same space and it sounds like a toy.

I was wanting to switch over to mostly cordless, but I have quickly realized that corded tools will always stay in my life.

Don't get the milwaukee hatchet sawsall, its a joke powerwise compared to the full size version.

I remember reading a lot of positive info here on the board about Panasonic battery tools. Do they have kits?
I am getting more and more into corded tools for anything but driving screws. I will use the cordless for a plastic anchor but if more than a few are needed I use the corded tools.

Well,
I was in HD and they had the two kits i was considering, i stood there for what felt like an eternity deciding.

I took the milwaukee set and checked out.

I don't use the sawzall much, so i'm not so concerned about the hatchet being weak. But i love the bag instead of plastic molded box, and i'll be sending my receipt in for the free jobsite radio.

I use the drill the most and need to cut a fair amount of 2x4's with the cicular saw, so we will see how it goes. I'll keep you guys updated on if i break them, but i'd find it unlikely considering i didn't break the ryobi.