What you need to know before you invest in a power tool brand (Pro vs DIY vs Prosumer) 

Dewalt!

Milwaukee. Specifically M18 platform.

Milwaukee M18 & M12 platforms. Just depends on what I'm doing that day

Tool Review Zone.. I use Ryobi and Milwaukee. Ryobi has been just as good.

Mostly Makita, Hilti and Bosh Professional but Milwaukee is hitting very hard on the Finnish market too.

That’s why I bought a hypertough drill..i only need it for light duty things, and in the past three years, I maybe charged the battery once. No wasted investment there lol

I was a Ryobi owner, but they sold me a couple bad chargers that destroyed my batteries. Not a bad strategy on the tools, but if the battery chargers are bad, it’s going to go terribly wrong.

Hilti service is terrible 😢

Terrible advice. My dad has tons of cheap tools and he spends more time working on the tools than on the job. Buying good tools that should last me a lifetime was a great investment.

Sounds like your dad forgot the exception to the rule.. some people say “always be frugal, never be cheap” I would say how much you use a thing should be considered before buying either the cleapest or best line of tools.

If you're just starting out you get the brand your coworkers don't have so your stuff doesn't grow legs and walk away, protect your investment. My buddy made the mistake of buying milwaukee and he "lost" several batteries and an impact before spraypanting his whole toolkit pink

Modern brushless tools with lithium batteries are very durable. I saw a video of a milwaukee that was in a house fire and half melted to a bench that still worked just fine.

my Dewalt brushless impact driver was semi broken at the handle and i gotta use tapes to put them together. Summer using involved lotta mud and dirt so I decided to shower it with garden spray head, shake shake air dry then ... The speed selections went nut but after 1 week, it decided to work normally. I'm like: so the plastic shell is garbage but the motor and battery are quite good.

Started as contractor like 10 years ago with Dewalt tools. Few years later was thinking to move to Milwaukee when my Dewalts start breaking but damn tools dont want to break whatever I do with them 😂😂

amaze

​@@Nick-sx6jm The fact this man's house burnt down, plus his workshop and tools (I'm assuming that's his source of income if he has Milwaukee) and he STILL thought to test the melted drill shows that it's some sort of primal drive in our DNA

Yea you probably use it once a year

@@danielredziniak2996 no, it's because most of the power and reliability of the expensive brands is unnecessary. You're just like a kid who buys Apple products because the brand is a fashion statement.

​@@presetregret184its not unneccesary at all if you are using them for more than just random stuff around your house. ryobi is fine for that, but not for construction work where you plan to use it all day and be fast. its a massive difference for that application, and well worth the price difference. thats why you wont ever see ryobi power tools on construction sites. and this is coming from a very frugal person that refuses to buy apple products for the same reason you mentioned

​@@danielredziniak2996well yeah. Why waste money on Milwaukee if you're only going to use the tools a few times a year? Ryobi is perfect for that.

​@@presetregret184lol

Only thing I'd say is for concrete work there's simply more powerful options that will make your job smoother. There are certain tools I've used over the years of ryobi, like the sawzall, that were sufficient, but upgrading to a pro tool was night and day. A proper rotary hammer from milwaukee, makita, hikoki, or dewalt will get you a lot further

im a milwaukee guy but if you already got ryobi i say stick to it and any skilled trades person will agree all tools are pro tools all that matters is the best warranty you can get and if the tool can do the job. i have a few nice tools like a mac tools ratchet but i would say 99.9% of the work ive done with it couldve been done with any flex head ratchet. good luck in your entrepenurship

Funny I’m doing the same thing

Keep an eye out for a really good deal on a combo kit. I got a solid start on DeWalt kit; $300 a 6¼" circ saw, then 4 brushless atomic tools: drill, impact, orbital sander, and oscilator/mulitool. It also came with 2, 4, and 5ah batteries with a single battery charger (not rapid), and a carry bag. I got some Hilti tools for free, but have to fix the batteries, luckily scavenged some 18650s from a bad hoverboard, and a bad vac. Just gotta modify the battery case now (original fit was tight and I have to widen it a couple mm to account for the wires). Main gem of it is the rotary hammer and a bunch of masonry bits. Point is keep a sharp eye you just might get lucky.

One more thing is the only grade I disagreed with was the ryobi one; imo they're prosumer.

Haha so crazy i did same thing lol Started ryobi went straight Milwaukee My employer provides me Dewalt but once i held a milwaukee i was a fan

Which adapter do you use?

Nice!

Whats your experience with the Milwaukee M18 surge? I've multiple collet issues

@matthewgiddings7280 I use generic ones that don’t have a brand name for my m18 tools. Although I made sure I didn’t buy any adapters that have the USB port on them because they will continually draw current from the batteries is left on.

@matthewgiddings7280 my wife has a few ryobi glue guns and things and the adapters I use for those are branded “badaptor” I think. Those are great and low profile.

Not the best tool out there but don’t feel bad when it breaks

18v coffee maker

Makita is a titan in a pro enviroment too imo. I am team makita as an electrician and they make excellent tools.

@ERP are u residential and commercial? I'm commercial and industrial as a electrician apprentice. Just bought from Makita due to getting my first power tools now. Wondering how they hold up and ur thoughts

@@mateoandkaralinevillarreal139 I don't use the cordless versions of Makita (german Metabo instead, because of battery capacity) but the corded versions are almost up to the lower Hiltis.

Makita have legendary reliability and excellent battery technology. They're also not owned by a massive conglomerate like Hong Kong's TTi. Milwaukee SOUNDS American... but in the end, it's Chinese all the way. Yes, Makita make some stuff in China as well... they all do, but I'd trust Japanese R&D over cost cutting I've started to see in some of TTi's stuff.

You are pretty safe with the Big 3 in North America, Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukie for about 99.99% of use cases. I have a hard time justifying the "pro" brands like Festool and Hilti especially because where I live has repair and distribution centers for all 3 brands, Hilti, Snap on, Mac, pretty much everything but a local festool center. So the allure of a "pro grade" Hilti in that the seldom break just isn't there. I am a M&M user though, Makita and Milwaukie and primarily because I am invested into both battery platforms. But I have friends who use dewalt and do own some corded dewalt tools. I haven't really been let down by any of the big 3 yet... except for angle grinders but as a welder I view those as consumable tools that have a 4-6 month life span.

All the cordless grinders are pretty much disposable. I run dewalt at home, Milwaukee at work. I'll bet we go through 2 Milwaukee grinders/year at the shop...and I'll bet I get a new dewalt every other year at home. For whatever reason, the Milwaukee porta-bands are pretty much indestructible compared to dewalt though. I'll bet I've killed 4 yellow ones (both sizes) and I'm still running the original variable speed Milwaukee that was at the shop when I started working there.

Couldn’t agree more! I had a set of blue Ryobi from 2010 that it was time to upgrade as there were things I was doing that they couldn’t get done. I was weighting green Ryobi vs Milwaukee and I had to go Milwaukee. They’re not that that much more expensive than Ryobi HP and I’m confident my tools will get ANY job I need done. (I still like having Ryobi batteries for tools Milwaukee doesn’t make it power isn’t a concern). I have 0 regrets. Buy once cry once!

@@billsedutto8824 I have some older green brushless (non hp) Ryobi tools I keep around as loaners. They’re not bad, but like you, I was pushing them beyond their limits and was smoking them. Like the old saying goes, I’m not rich enough to buy cheap tools lol.

Yeah they are overkill but just run 2 brands. I have Dewalt and Ryobi I will probably buy mostly Ryobi from now on as they have gotten very good recently and I don't work in the trades.

I have a set of ryobi tools and a few Milwaukee ones. In some cases its too much tool but in some cases (like a drill) you'll be annoyed with low quality, trust me lmao

@@Somebody2687 coming from a Milwaukee guy, I can tell you first hand, the new Dewalts that are out and still coming are fantastic. My step-dad uses Dewalt while i use Milwaukee, he recently killed his drill, so I bought him the brand new Dewalt drill. He was blown away by it. I was really impressed with how far Dewalt stepped up with this most recent gen of theirs. I look forward to more from them.

is your avatar name GUNSHIP? GUUUUNNNSHIP

@@mos8541 yes :)

This big brother, you should be a related person in the tool industry. You even know a company in Taiwan. I worked in Changtai many years ago, but DIY tools have gone to the road of Evergrande.

I roll with milwaukee cordless but I don't think I'll find a better table saw than the dewalt 8 1/4. Best fence, and adjustment and lock is right on every time to where I don't ever have to check with a tape. I do high end kitchens and finish work and it does a hell of a job

Bro if you are buying a pressure washer from a power tool company you deserve the shitty product you get. Pressure washers are their own ecosystem with a few specialized companies that make the quality ones

Black and Decker USED TO BE a quality American brand that manufactured elsewhere to the same high standards. It is now just a cheap Asian product.

30 years ago was a great brand like craftsman and Mastercraft. Now it's all garbage including the top brands. In order to make tool light and cheapish, plastic for as many parts as possible. It's like zebco spincasters, the cheap ones with Disney cartoons will suck, but their top of the line, mostly metal construction reels are top of the class and last a long time.

Definitely didn't attach the hoses

@@johncoops6897yup and even worse, they used to be known for certain things that they did well, but now they’re just another brand slapped on generic everything.

Ryobi might have used to be a diy tool but for sure nowadays they aren't especially when considering their brushless series being even better quality. While I do love me some milwaukee tools and they are usually better, my ryobi tools have been working alongside milwaukee tools for years and are closing that gap.

I use my ryobi 18 3/8 impact everyday at work . The battery life with the 4.0 amp battery is better then I was getting with the Milwaukee m12 .

@@jamesp9998 milwaukee m18 is the best

I've used Ryobi for three years (handyman service use). Just put them back in their respective bags to give away. That's about what they're worth, in my estimation. For example, compare a Ryobi 1/4" impact vs Porter-Cable, a similar price point tool. The chuck alone makes Ryobi a non-starter; I hated its stupid design. The drill/driver is similarly VERY lame: won't hold onto anything, especially in reverse. The circular saw is so weak it barely cuts 2x soft pine, that is if the battery that comes with the tool lasts the duration of the cut. The oscillating tool is a (very bad) joke vs, for example, a Porter-Cable (or any other brand, I imagine) given that it doesn't cut anything well and, again, has a stupid, clumsy chuck design. I could go on. The only Ryobi tool I've used that was any good is the reciprocating saw, except that the stupid designers put a spring-loaded trigger release on it. If you've ever pruned a tree with a reciprocating saw you may agree with me (unless you happen to have three arms/hands or six fingers). Should change the brand name to Cheep-N-Shoddy, or Cheep-N-Stupid; more fitting of quality, functionality and ergonomics, or lack thereof. Just OMO.

Ryobi is junk from my experience. Wouldn't even give them away just throw them in the trash.

Well said. For an average homeowner doing a few repairs here and there, plus maybe some hobby usage, a cheap Ryobi drill will last decades. In my experience it's the chuck that will wear out on a drill over time. I've thrown out two drills in my life and in both cases the chuck became stripped and no longer held the drill bit securely. That is my experience with Ryobi tools in general. They're clearly not the best but they're an enormous step up from Black+Decker or WalMart crap and for "average" homeowner/hobbyist usage they will last decades.

Here in norway dewalt and ryobi had max 20% price difference. Here Dewalt is the best tools compared quality/price. Ryobi is getting pretty expensive with the new hp+. My drill sett of 2 powerstack/805/850 + charger cost way less than the equivalent ryobi sett

What is the power tool for cars wheels nuts?

My favourite is their one handed reciprocating saw. It's so nice and small and I can cut 2x4s no problem.

@@Carlos.Riverausually an impact driver.

@@fenix144 sure, either

I’ve used Dewalt ever since I can remember, only ever burnt out one drill it still worked but it was week ( drilling through concrete with a regular drill constantly is not good for it 😂 )

I rarely heard of flex until after I started buying milwaukee. But I’ve literally never heard a bad thing about them, only good things. Might get some of their tools if I could find a good kit deal.

I'm in the exact same boat. Started with nothing, borrowing everything. Everyone used Dewalt. Bought all my own tools now I feel like I can't switch which I mean, Dewalt makes decent tools so it doesn't matter all that much. Though I do think now there could of been a better option.

@@TheOfficialDjProduct What are the "better options" that you think one should invest in if they are going from scratch? I have a few Makita corded-tools, but am looking at Dewalts battery-lineups. I notice most of them are 18V (which most likely will be more than enough, Not sure about the circular saw though. I'm looking at the DCD791 and DCF887 package that I probably would start with

And you can still get batteries for it?

Yeah, Black&Decker are basically toy manufacturers at this point. It's a shame!

As a small business owner to another… you cannot afford down time with fzcked tools. I run both M18 and Dewalt 20V. M12 for around the house.

Lowes sells Craftsman and backs their guarantee. I'm not at all impressed with most of their tools. I do but their 25' tapes and return them to Lowes when they break in less than a year.

As a former makita gnome, I’ll vouch for this. Pretty sure I saw their lithium stuff in the shelves way before anyone else.

I have Bauer tools from harbor freight. It's definitely on the cheaper side of quality, but it's also dirt cheap, and works for whatever I need it for at the moment. When I first got my impact driver I used it to change all the studs on my truck, and that impact was getting some brutal treatment. It was over 105 degrees outside and it was in direct sunlight for a very long time. Toward the end, it completely burnt out and stopped working. So I went back to HF and they swapped it for a brand new one for free. It was definitely a worst case scenario, and it fell just short, but considering they replaced it for free and how cheap all the tools are I can't really complain to be honest. In the future I'm gonna upgrade, probably to milwaukee, and all the tools I have now will be for around the house DIY, while my better tools will stay in my truck.

@@iamnotafraid I just want my tools to last. Idc if a Milwaukee or dewalt screws a screws in 2 seconds faster than my hercules that 2 seconds is nothing as long as it gets the job done efficiently sometimes in my field of work we are literally in the middle of no where I mean like in the middle of corn fields next towns 45 minutes away (cell phone towers) we don't care what drill or impact or just tools in general came from the Dollar tree as long as it will get the job done efficiently.... From what I noticed herc tools are right there with with dewalt Milwaukee Makita etc. I personally buy them now for the batteries not the performance even they i habe nothing bad to say about the performance its the batteries for me, to have a shit ton of batteries is really inconvenient witch seems to be a problem with dewalt I've noticed, never used buaer but I like Milwaukee cause they have everything for everything there the best tool brand to buy into but but hercules is my favorite imo also HF they have some shitty cheap tools there but they have some gems in there to... I say get what ever tool brand you want what ever is comfortable and does the job efficiently. Most people that actually work everyday with tools we dont give 2 shits what tool brand you use as long as it gets the job done efficiently most of these tools perform the damn same there no more than a few seconds of each other quality is the best thing to look for get a tool that last even some the most expensive tools are garbage and some of the cheapest tools are great and never break. This is just my opinion

@@papichulo8442 Especially if you get the warranty on your hercules tools, I could definitely see that being worth it and saving you some money in the long run. Bauer is one of the lesser brands that HF offers, with performance a bit lower than hercules, for a lower price as well. The reason I'd want milwaukee over cheaper options is for the extra power, the bauer tools I have get the job done for the most part, but struggle to complete some difficult jobs like loosening brake caliper bolts, effectively tightening studs, or loosening lug nuts. Most of the time I'm just using my tools for vehicle repairs on my truck or my wife's car, sometimes I also help a friend or coworker as well. But occasionally I use it for other projects too. But with these tools, it takes much longer to get the job done, or sometimes you just need a better tool all together. It can be frustrating.

Makita has a battery powered coffee maker

​@@buddahkz9980makita also has nice TC guns for structural steel

ryobi is cool, but still just for homeowners. they arent up to par with the pro level tools

Makita has a microwave about a $1000 for it.

I have a Hitachi impact and a Metabo brushless drill and they’re great. Only downside is just that there’s not a lot available in stores.

I was looking for someone to mention Hitachi. First time I saw them was with a lady framer who had all pink tools, they had at one point (2decades ago) a pink set. I borrowed her driver and it felt light but had some decent power. I think they get a bad rap, im not sure if they are the same or worse now that they are metabo

The only Hitachi stuff I have and used is their pneumatic stuff. Works great, built solid. All of it 10+ years old and still going strong. I’d imagine they’ll still be good after being bought out by Metabo.

Hahaha isn't that the brand that makes vibrators/"massagers" hahaha