Lithium Ion cordless tools

T

tansinator

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 29, 2007
1,447
111
54
Signal Mountain, TN
#1
I will be using around the house. Looking to get a combo kit. Brands I am considering, Ridgid, Makita, Milwaukee Tools. Dewalt is great but overpriced in my opinion. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance

Eddie
 
#2
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

I am 4 decades user these things. Do not buy at Home Depot. DeWalt at HD is not same as open market DeWalt. Do not use Rigid It too is a HD product. Milwaukee pioneered lithium ion. Makita is best overall . Debateable. I have Makita -not lithium ion-still working from '85.
 
#3
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Depends what you want to use them for. I have the 28v Milwaukee set (drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw) it is big and heavy and will take a beating. The power is amazing and is pretty close to a corded drill. the batteries charge fast and have indicator lights indicating charge level. I also have the Makita 18v impact driver/drill set. I find that I reach for this more often...it has more than enough power, the battery life is incredible. It is very light and includes a led light that lights automatically. It does not have a chuck like the Milwaukee set so you cant use a cheap drill set with it but there are plenty of impact drill bits out there.
 
#5
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

I freakin beat on my Makita 18v Lithium ion tools and they just keep on going. They are smaller, lighter, and more ergonomic than the dewalts too. Another vote for makita.
 
#6
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Buy the Makita and don't look back. I see more of these on the jobsite than any other brands. Use them myself and would not buy any other brand. If your going to shop at Homie Depot they do come in two flavors both 18 volt. The black and white tools have 1.5 AHr batteries. They also come with 3.0 Ahr batteries and the tools are blue. I don't know if there is ant difference in the tools other than the color and battery size. Nice thihg about the new batteries is the weight, or lack of it.
 
#7
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: John L</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy the Makita and don't look back. I see more of these on the jobsite than any other brands. Use them myself and would not buy any other brand. If your going to shop at Homie Depot they do come in two flavors both 18 volt. The black and white tools have 1.5 AHr batteries. They also come with 3.0 Ahr batteries and the tools are blue. I don't know if there is ant difference in the tools other than the color and battery size. Nice thihg about the new batteries is the weight, or lack of it.</div></div>

Are the new ones the black and white?
 
#8
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Wow, I have never heard so much praise for Makita. They were the best in the 90s with the stick batteries, but I don't see much of them anymore. DeWalt and Milwaukee are what most contractors run here, with a 5 to 1 DeWalt to Milwaukee ratio. Mainly DeWalt cordless, and Milwaukee corded tools.

The guys I work with have come to love the DeWalt 12v LI impact driver.
 
#9
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Having used Dewalt , Milwaukee, AEG Pro, Makita, Metabo, Bosch, I'd rate milwaukee and metabo as the top picks.
I've beaten the living crap out of both and they perform flawlessly. I've broken a Dewalt chuck,killed a battery, makita chuck and burnt out the motor, burnt out the bosch and killed an AEG battery. Doing the same tasks the Milwaukee and Metabo did them without missing a beat.
I'm an electrician and install solar so we drop tools from roofs, drill through aluminium, stainless, hardwood, softwood, bricks, steel use them to hammer stuff in, pretty much give them a hard time and they still keep coming back.
I've got a dril driver, impact and hammer drill in milwaukee and drill driver with hammer in the metabo for specs.
 
#10
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Dewalt is crap, in that the tool is good but once you burn out the batteries it's cheaper to buy a new kit than to replace the batteries (Except ordering from Hong Kong)..

FYI, A lot of the R/C guys buy their batteries from China - it's something China does RIGHT...far cheaper too.
 
#12
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

I have had the makita lithium ion combo kit sense 2005, and I abuse it. I have literally abused it. Left tools in the rain, used some as hammers, overheated and melted about 3 batteries, deadlined the drill with a 4 5/8" self feed bit, dropped them from 6'-8' on concrete, and I still feel it was a good buy.
 
#13
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tansinator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be using around the house. Looking to get a combo kit. Brands I am considering, Ridgid, Makita, Milwaukee Tools. Dewalt is great but overpriced in my opinion. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance

Eddie </div></div>

Get the Makita Combo kit, it has a 1/2" hammer drill and a impact driver, 2 3000 mah batteries, at Home Depot I think they are now $269, when I bought mine they were $329.

I have 3 of them, I used to use Dewalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee etc. but the makita is the best.

Me and my guys built a 2+ million dollar commercial project using Makita's.

If I could figure out how to post pictures I would show you pictures of the job.
 
#15
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

Makita by far. I've had mine for about 5 years and thet havent had any problems. The black and white tools are the same as the comparable blueish green models, just the black and whites come with the smaller batteries that have the same power output, they just dont last as long. I can go all day on one charge with the 3.0 batteries doing cabinet installs. Or sink 4" lag bolts building decks or whatever without pre drilling and recharge them maybe once or twice. Quick recharging that holds a charge too. Get the 12 piece kit
smile.gif
 
#17
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tansinator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be using around the house. Looking to get a combo kit. Brands I am considering, Ridgid, Makita, Milwaukee Tools. Dewalt is great but overpriced in my opinion. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance

Eddie </div></div>

I have been using a Ridgid 24v setup for 3 years now. Love it! Over the summer I built a 4' high, 55' long angled retaining wall out of railroad timbers. I only used the battery kit and it held up just fine. I got a lot of usage out of each battery as well before needing a recharge. Also, the ridgid guarantee is awesome (kind of like a Vortex guarantee).
 
#18
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

With Ridgid you get a lifetime warranty and that includes the batteries. Their newer tools are stouter and more ergonomic than previous iterations. You get a lot of performance for the money...good value.

Most new DeWalt is crap, period. We get more of their stuff back than any other brand. When I worked at the largest volume seller of DeWalt in Wyoming, we had the same problem. Lots of stripped gears and broken clutches.

Makita is nice, but the batteries run down quicker than most other brands (that's while using the tool...sitting on a shelf they go at least nine months without losing any noticeable power) and replacement batteries are expensive.

Milwaukee is pretty good, but most of their stuff is clunkier than it needs to be and batteries aren't cheap. Also torque, RPM, and features aren't commensurate with price, IMO.

I personally have owned and used lithium ion tools from five different manufacturers and I favor the Ridgid and Makita stuff. Whatever brand you choose, make sure you get the newest generation batteries...several manufacturers have introduced lithium ions that are good to much lower temps than previous gens.
 
#19
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tansinator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Makita it will be. Has anyone used the saws-all that runs on the lithium? Interested in the run time on it.

Eddie</div></div>

Battery life on the circular and recip saws are nothing special. They will get you out of a jam, but heavy saw work is quicker with corded tools.
I am a contractor, and I may be able to get you some good pricing through my supplier. Pm me if interested
 
#21
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bgbill</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tansinator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be using around the house. Looking to get a combo kit. Brands I am considering, Ridgid, Makita, Milwaukee Tools. Dewalt is great but overpriced in my opinion. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance

Eddie </div></div>

Get the Makita Combo kit, it has a 1/2" hammer drill and a impact driver, 2 3000 mah batteries, at Home Depot I think they are now $269, when I bought mine they were $329.

I have 3 of them, I used to use Dewalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee etc. but the makita is the best.

Me and my guys built a 2+ million dollar commercial project using Makita's.

If I could figure out how to post pictures I would show you pictures of the job.</div></div>

And a beautiful building it is! I drive by it nearly every day!

Post your pictures to a photo hosting site like Photobucket and then you can easily copy them to the photo tool utility here when you use the full reply screen.

Even a general contractor can do it!
laugh.gif


As to the Lith/Ion stuff, yeah Makita makes good stuff. I am pretty committed to Dewalt largely because I have so many 18 volt tools already and the service center here in Tampa is available. I picked up a DW 20 volt Lith/ion drill for my daughter to use when she works with me and find it is a pretty damn nice little drill!

That said, the repair rates are extortionary and it's often better to "Retire" pounded battery tools than to repair them. Often the cost of batteries justifies buying a new tool as each typically has two batteries and a charger for a whisker more than the cost of one battery!

This time of year, the kits are all the rage and hard to walk past. It's a shame Porter Cable was bought out by DeWalt as I have an assload of their older tools, back when they made them for professionals. The PC stuff I see today looks like the Ryobi Homeowner grade tools. Nevertheless, I see a fair amount of tradesmen using Ryobi gear. Lord knows their batteries are reasonably priced.

One word of advice on the buying of contractor grade tools: make sure the batteries/chargers will not punish you for infrequent use. Batteries are pricey and those that will last and hold a charge after long periods of dormancy are as important a consideration as the quality of the tools!

Merry Christmas!
 
#23
Re: Lithium Ion cordless tools

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: queequeg</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bgbill</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tansinator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be using around the house. Looking to get a combo kit. Brands I am considering, Ridgid, Makita, Milwaukee Tools. Dewalt is great but overpriced in my opinion. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks in advance

Eddie </div></div>

Get the Makita Combo kit, it has a 1/2" hammer drill and a impact driver, 2 3000 mah batteries, at Home Depot I think they are now $269, when I bought mine they were $329.

I have 3 of them, I used to use Dewalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee etc. but the makita is the best.

Me and my guys built a 2+ million dollar commercial project using Makita's.

If I could figure out how to post pictures I would show you pictures of the job.</div></div>

And a beautiful building it is! I drive by it nearly every day!

Post your pictures to a photo hosting site like Photobucket and then you can easily copy them to the photo tool utility here when you use the full reply screen.

Even a general contractor can do it!
laugh.gif


As to the Lith/Ion stuff, yeah Makita makes good stuff. I am pretty committed to Dewalt largely because I have so many 18 volt tools already and the service center here in Tampa is available. I picked up a DW 20 volt Lith/ion drill for my daughter to use when she works with me and find it is a pretty damn nice little drill!

That said, the repair rates are extortionary and it's often better to "Retire" pounded battery tools than to repair them. Often the cost of batteries justifies buying a new tool as each typically has two batteries and a charger for a whisker more than the cost of one battery!

This time of year, the kits are all the rage and hard to walk past. It's a shame Porter Cable was bought out by DeWalt as I have an assload of their older tools, back when they made them for professionals. The PC stuff I see today looks like the Ryobi Homeowner grade tools. Nevertheless, I see a fair amount of tradesmen using Ryobi gear. Lord knows their batteries are reasonably priced.

One word of advice on the buying of contractor grade tools: make sure the batteries/chargers will not punish you for infrequent use. Batteries are pricey and those that will last and hold a charge after long periods of dormancy are as important a consideration as the quality of the tools!

Merry Christmas! </div></div>

Thanks for the compliment, you should stop by and see it some time, I will give you a tour, look for a Gray F250 4WD Superduty Crew Cab, or call me you should still have my number.
 
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