Power Tool Brand Thread

[SlammedZero]

What is your preferred power tool brand? I'm not a loyalist to any brand in particular, though, I have found myself leaning towards DeWalt. When I was a communication field technician back in the day, we primarily used DeWalt products, and they always did great for me.

I'm currently shopping for a new drill. I made a stoopid mistake yesterday. Went down to help one of the network guys on my team install an outdoor wi-fi at our local library. Well, I got ahead of myself after we completed the task and took off and left my DeWalt drill there, sitting next to a wall on a sidewalk. I left about 2pm and I didn't notice it was missing until about 6pm. I ran down there to check, knowing damn well it was gone, but you never know. Yup, sure enough, it had walked off. So, super bummer but my own fault for getting ahead of myself. Lessons learned!

At home I still have a DeWalt impact driver with battery (it came in a combo package). At this point I'm leaning into just buying a DeWalt drill (to match) and possibly upgrading to a model that also has a hammer drill mode. With all this said, I found myself looking at Craftsman models. Curious what everybody preferred!

 

[Reality]

Binford Tools ..

.. because if your drill says Binford, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! ... TOOLS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO TALK TO YOU!

 

[SlammedZero]

Binford Tools ..

.. because if your drill says Binford, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! ... TOOLS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO TALK TO YOU!

 

[Runwildboys]

What is your preferred power tool brand? I'm not a loyalist to any brand in particular, though, I have found myself leaning towards DeWalt. When I was a communication field technician back in the day, we primarily used DeWalt products, and they always did great for me.

I'm currently shopping for a new drill. I made a stoopid mistake yesterday. Went down to help one of the network guys on my team install an outdoor wi-fi at our local library. Well, I got ahead of myself after we completed the task and took off and left my DeWalt drill there, sitting next to a wall on a sidewalk. I left about 2pm and I didn't notice it was missing until about 6pm. I ran down there to check, knowing damn well it was gone, but you never know. Yup, sure enough, it had walked off. So, super bummer but my own fault for getting ahead of myself. Lessons learned!

At home I still have a DeWalt impact driver with battery (it came in a combo package). At this point I'm leaning into just buying a DeWalt drill (to match) and possibly upgrading to a model that also has a hammer drill mode. With all this said, I found myself looking at Craftsman models. Curious what everybody preferred!

DeWalt is definitely a quality brand, and since you already have other DeWalt tools, you should probably stick with it, so you don't have to buy new batteries and a charger. (Which you may have to do, even if you upgrade within the DeWalt family)

I personally like the way Makita power tools fit in my hand, and the balance of them, but DeWalt may be more durable.

 

[CouchCoach]

I am sorry I wandered in, I thought this was about rich aholes.

 

[Hardline]

I've used them all and would choose Porter Cable over any of them.

 

[Vtwin]

I've got a Porter Cable reciprocating saw and a Makita cordless drill that are 25 years old and still going strong. I had a 20 year old Ryobi cheapie cordless drill from Home Depot that surprised the hell out of me for how long it lasted. It did finally give up the ghost a few months ago and after consulting with my contractor buddy, I replaced it with a Dewalt.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

Huge fan it my Hitachi stuff. Lifetime warranty too

 

[SlammedZero]

DeWalt is definitely a quality brand, and since you already have other DeWalt tools, you should probably stick with it, so you don't have to buy new batteries and a charger. (Which you may have to do, even if you upgrade within the DeWalt family)

I personally like the way Makita power tools fit in my hand, and the balance of them, but DeWalt may be more durable.

I did just that. Went ahead and ordered a DeWalt drill last night at the Home Depot.

Kind of cool, they texted me saying it was ready in a pick up locker. So, I get to go wander down there here shortly and use that set up for the first time ever.

 

[Runwildboys]

I've got a Porter Cable reciprocating saw and a Makita cordless drill that are 25 years old and still going strong. I had a 20 year old Ryobi cheapie cordless drill from Home Depot that surprised the hell out of me for how long it lasted. It did finally give up the ghost a few months ago and after consulting with my contractor buddy, I replaced it with a Dewalt.

The Ryobi is okay if you just use it for simple things, but if you need speed and torque, an upgrade is needed.

The only Porter Cable tool I have is a finish nail gun, and I like it.

 

[NorthoftheRedRiver]

With power tools--heck, with most tools--the old "you get what you pay for" adage applies. Beware the cheap Chinese stuff.

 

[Vtwin]

The Ryobi is okay if you just use it for simple things, but if you need speed and torque, an upgrade is needed.

The only Porter Cable tool I have is a finish nail gun, and I like it.

Definitely not a pro quality tool but I have to give it it's props. I bought it on sale and cheap to have one around for the simple things. It ended up becoming my go to and held up to 20+ years of my homeowner and rental property owner antics. Remodels, decks, sheds, roofs... Getting a lump in my throat just thinking about all the good times we had. lol.

 

[Creeper]

I have a Dewalt chop saw which is pretty good. I beat the crap out of it renovating my house though. But my Dewalt impact drill did not last very long. I have a Milwaukee reciprocating saw that I swear will cut through Superman's bicep. Its powerful and solid. I think Dewalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable and Ryobi are all pretty good depending on the tool. But if we are talking about cordless only, then I would go with Dewalt or Ryobi.

 

[Runwildboys]

I have a Dewalt chop saw which is pretty good. I beat the crap out of it renovating my house though. But my Dewalt impact drill did not last very long. I have a Milwaukee reciprocating saw that I swear will cut through Superman's bicep. Its powerful and solid. I think Dewalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable and Ryobi are all pretty good depending on the tool. But if we are talking about cordless only, then I would go with Dewalt or Ryobi.

Milwaukee's Sawzall is the original reciprocating saw, I believe. I have one too, it's a beast. I also have a Makita cordless reciprocating saw, but it doesn't have near the balls of the corded Sawzall.

My brother is contractor, and he uses exclusively DeWalt for his cordless tools.

The only Ryobi tools I have are a bench grinder and a belt sander. Don't really need to go deep on those tools when you're not using them professionally.

I have a compound mitre saw that I bought at a big lots type store. It's called Pitbull. Came without a manual, and it took me some time to find the right one online, because it's such an obscure brand. Lol The angles are a little off, so you have to adjust it manually to get it precise, but other than that, it works fine for my needs.

I also have a B&D table saw, corded drill, and palm sander, B&D air ratchet, Porter Cable nail gun and compressor, and IIRC, the rest is all Makita: Cordless drill, reciprocating saw, impact drill, corded circular saw, and random orbital sander.

 

[jterrell]

I worked for Rexel a while ago and I ran the IT of Tool Days shows on the West coast for their purchased brand Platt.
DeWalt was always the best value so I bought a set of that using the discount.
It all still works (bought new battery for the cordless hacksaw) but it doesn't match some of the sheer power of higher end brands.

Once it's not 110 degrees maybe I'll break them out again, lol.

 

[Runwildboys]

I worked for Rexel a while ago and I ran the IT of Tool Days shows on the West coast for their purchased brand Platt.
DeWalt was always the best value so I bought a set of that using the discount.
It all still works (bought new battery for the cordless hacksaw) but it doesn't match some of the sheer power of higher end brands.

Once it's not 110 degrees maybe I'll break them out again, lol.

I'm sure DeWalt has lower tier tools that are cheaper, which may be what you got. The DeWalt tools my brother has are nearly as powerful as corded tools.

 

[Creeper]

Milwaukee's Sawzall is the original reciprocating saw, I believe. I have one too, it's a beast. I also have a Makita cordless reciprocating saw, but it doesn't have near the balls of the corded Sawzall.

My brother is contractor, and he uses exclusively DeWalt for his cordless tools.

The only Ryobi tools I have are a bench grinder and a belt sander. Don't really need to go deep on those tools when you're not using them professionally.

I have a compound mitre saw that I bought at a big lots type store. It's called Pitbull. Came without a manual, and it took me some time to find the right one online, because it's such an obscure brand. Lol The angles are a little off, so you have to adjust it manually to get it precise, but other than that, it works fine for my needs.

I also have a B&D table saw, corded drill, and palm sander, B&D air ratchet, Porter Cable nail gun and compressor, and IIRC, the rest is all Makita: Cordless drill, reciprocating saw, impact drill, corded circular saw, and random orbital sander.

I forgot to mention I sprung for a Paslode finishing nailer when I was replacing all the moldings in my house. I cannot imagine doing that job without a nailer. Paslode was supposed to be the best and it was certainly one of the more expensive nailers. When it worked it was great but I began to have a lot of "misfires" pretty quickly. I replaced the gas canisters with brand new ones and it did not make a difference. I finally had to have it repaired when it 10 months old - after finally finding a place to repair it. When I got it back is was better but still too many bad shots. If I had to do it again, I would get a small compressor and nail gun that uses compressed air. I believe they are better. The problem with the Paslode is if you want one for a different gauge nail you have to buy a new expensive Paslode gun. Compressed air guns are much cheaper once you have the compressor (which you can also use for all kinds of other tools..

I have a Ryobi 40V weed wacker. I love it other than it east the line very quickly. I bought their cordless hedge trimmer too. I also love that. The charger went bad after 3 years but it cost me about $30 to get a new one. Just a little surprising the charger died before the battery.

 

[Boom]

Ryobi, because if I paid more for the fancy tools, I'd feel obligated to do more work around the house.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Pretty much Dewalt and Milwakee.

 

[jsb357]

We use Milwaukee and Dewalt at work but they have a bigger tool budget.

I started with a Porter Cable set then after a few years batteries cost more than the tools did.

Went with a 12 volt Ryobi just because I needed a small light drill. I still have it as batteries are available on fleabay

I did eventually make the 18volt jump, Ryobi again, and the impact driver is really nice for putting things together
and makes some maintenance task faster.

The Ryobi skil saw is okay for trim but lacks the torque for any lumber usage.

chain saw is a joke

The saws-all is a beast and I've basically tortured it and it's still alive.