I use Dewalt only because I really like the Flex Volt technology. I also have a Ridgid set that works very well.
Ryobi. More than adequate for the home gamer. Built a shed of my own design with them and they didn’t let me down.
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All the brands. At some point in the year the tool you want will be offered with a free battery and charger by somebody. I just wait for that sale. And so I end up with every brand. Whoever has the best sale first.
I made a commitment to Dewalt 20+ years ago and they have been good to me. Still using the 18 volt nicad system. Can anyone recommend an after market battery?
I sold off my Dewalt NiCAD set five years ago. Great set but outdated.
Yeah outdated but I’m retired now so I can’t justify upgrading.
Milwaukee- I think we are past the 15 year mark and still on the same pair of batteries.
Great stuff- I think the DA is needed now.
I use Bosch, other brands that don’t suck either aren’t available here or are otherwise super overpriced. The dark blue tools also look nice too.
Basically everything else is chinesium or overpriced.
NiCAD I imagine? Dont see how thats possible considering NICad barely can make it to 5 years but interesting anyways.
Presumably NiMH and not NiCad. I have some NiMH AA batteries that are at least 10 years old and still have 90% of the rated capacity.
Yes for a flashlight but not to drive 4 inch deck screws.
I had the original Makita NiCad drill from 1982 or so. After 10 years, you could stop the chuck from spinning with two fingers.
Apparently there weren’t OEM Milwaukee NiMH batteries, I was mistaken. They only made Ni-cad and went straight to Li-ion. Must’ve just been well taken care of, or very lucky.
That’s real good battery life. I am on my 3rd set in 23 years.
I had cordless tools from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and now 2020s.
The new ones are so much better than the old.
When lithium batteries were introduced to cordless tools, I swore I would never be a customer.
Boy I was wrong.
Same goes with flashlights. Compare a 30 year old flashlight with what we have today.
No comparison.
The reliability of our electric grid is about 99.9% so I owe only a few cordless drills for screws in beams etc. I have a Makita with two original 9.6V NiCad batteries and a (green) Bosch with a 7.2V aftermarket NiMH battery. I know these are not pushing the envelope but I love the feel of both of them. And in case of emergency: some very long extension cords that can bring power to my herd of green Bosch’es anywhere in my house or garden.
DeWALT drill. Craftsman (yes) blower that gets the job done (driveway, sidewalks) for my wife instead of firing up our serious-work Stihl 2-cycle blower.
Have a bunch of the Ryobi ONE+ stuff. (couple drills, lights, inflater, a few I’ve never used too lol, etc…) Just keep movin batteries around. Went from Ni-cd to Li-ion. Still works…
100% Milwaukee. Some M12, but mostly M18.
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Hitachi/Metabo HPT
I’ve had a lithium 18v hammer drill for about 14 yrs. still works great, Just recently started to upgrade to their new 18/36v stuff.
It’s not as comprehensive of a tool collection as TTI offers (Milwaukee/Ryobi) but lifetime warranty on the tool bodies and they’re IP rated which has come in handy.
I also have a small 12v kobalt drill and impact that has been going strong for 7 years now and super affordable. I’m not sure who built them. But I hear the current kobalt are built by the company that owns Flex.