Bosch, Dewalt or Makita?

[Scott R]

I have Craftsman 19.2v tools currently that I use around the house. (Currently I'm installing some more wood floors, this project never ends.) At any rate I had four 19.2v batteries to supply power for a sawsall, jigsaw, drill, angle drill. The replacement battery is nearly $80 from Sears and about $60 on Amazon, this to me is ridiculous for a battery.

So who makes the best cordless tools? I'm leaning towards Makita since we used those on a project to build homes for veterans and they seemed to last forever. But what about Bosch and Dewalt?

These are the batteries in question.

[Dan J]

I have a bunch of the Makita LXT line and have had good service from them

[dad911]

I actually like the Ryobi stuff. Been using for 8+ years, in construction of single family homes, almost daily. No tools have worn out/broken. Batteries are reasonable.

[Scott R]

Ah Ryobi! I had not considered them, thanks for the suggestion!

[porsche4life]

The Makita LXT is pretty hard to beat. Great battery life, tools aren't overly heavy, gobs of power. I love mine.

[ledhedsymbols]

Originally Posted by dad911

I actually like the Ryobi stuff. Been using for 8+ years, in construction of single family homes, almost daily. No tools have worn out/broken. Batteries are reasonable.

The newer Ryobi stuff is much better than it used to be. Of the three you mentioned, I REALLY like the Makita Lithium Ion stuff. Most of my tools however, are Milwaukee. It's my preferred brand.

[Sebscst]

I use cordless tools daily in my trade for the past 12 years. At one point i owned several of each brand but dewalt has definately been the best. Also make sure you buy the new brushless series tools.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Sebscst

I use cordless tools daily in my trade for the past 12 years. At one point i owned several of each brand but dewalt has definately been the best. Also make sure you buy the new brushless series tools.

So question on Dewalt then.. Do they change battery types often?

[herr_oberst]

I get the ones that are the best value at the time. I've had 2 makita 9volts, 3 Bosch 12 volt and right now I have 3 Hitachi 18 volt. I just start over when the batteries need replacement, because, like you discovered, it's way too expensive to replace batteries, especially when there are plenty of discounts available for a drill motor and two batteries.(like right now, for instance, during the annual Christmas shopping extravaganza)

[look 171]

Brushless and li-ion batteries are the way to go. All the major brands are pretty much the same, but I like Milwaukee, so we have switched over almost all our tool to use their new batteries. The Dewalt feel really good in my hands as well. Get one that feel good to you. Again, they are all pretty close.

[Jrboulder]

I like my makita 18v LXT tools but I use my Makita 12V Max tools literally 20 times more than the 18v.

Dewalt

[908/930]

Using three Bosch drills for a couple of years now, building our new house, two 18v and one 36v, all have operated well. Used a friends 20v Dewalt and really liked it, have also used Makita in the past excellent also.

[MBAtarga]

Most of my portable tools are either Dewalt (18V) or Ryobi (14V). My Ryobi batteries are getting worn out and so I went shopping for replacements/upgrades. That was just two months ago. Instead of putting more money in Dewalt or buying more Ryobi batteries, I opted for Ridgid (carried exclusively by HD) which has a lifetime warranty which INCLUDES batteries. HD has several multi-tool sets on special right now. The Ryobis are practically cheaper to buy a multi-tool set just to get the two replacement batteries.

For the homeowner, I don't think the additional cost for brushless is warranted.

[Dantilla]

I was recently demolishing a few walls and the Dewalt sawzall was ingesting huge amounts of sheetrock dust. It occurred to me that despite the regular abuse, all of my Dewalt cordless tools have functioned flawlessly for several years.

I have limited experience with any other brands, but to do over again, I would buy Dewalt.

[Brian 162]

I used cordless De-Walt tools for 10 years. For daily use they held up well. I had around 6 batteries. I had to replace on average 2 batteries a year. I think because they were left in the work vehicle all the time so maybe the cold affected their life.
I recently replaced everything with Milwaukee cordless tools.
Same quality but a little lighter. The radio with the charger is better than the De-Walt one.
Both have served me well.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Brian 162

I had to replace on average 2 batteries a year. I think because they were left in the work vehicle all the time so maybe the cold affected their life.

Yikes. Would expect more but I don't know about the cold.

Ryobi. 18V 1/2" drill. Bought ten years ago. One battery four years ago. The thing is a monster. Two pack battery about 60-ish dollars.

I have a Makita corded 1/2" drill bought at Costco in Anchorage in the late 80's. Off topic, but it can break your wrist.

[Charles Freeborn]

I use tools for a living. Bosch or Makita. Milwaukee Fuel drill and driver rock too.
Dewalt's quality has been gone for a decade. Ryobi is Home Depot crap.
Charles Freeborn | Fine Furniture

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

Dewalt's quality has been gone for a decade. Ryobi is Home Depot crap.

I cannot argue with that as I only use the Ryobi twice a week now. I did put a deck in with it in the mid 2000's. I would not call it crap, I would call it functional but replaceable.

I use tools for a living as well.

I like your picnic table. That would be the picnic table on steroids that could support a semi-trailer. Table end work is quite cool. Aluminum trim is unique.

[Nickshu]

I've had great luck w/ Dewalt.