What cordless tool "ecosystem" do I want to buy in to?

I'm finally at the point in life where we have enough money for me to move on from the mishmash of Harbor Freight stuff I have (drills, impact drivers, etc) and start buying decent, name-brand cordless tools.

There first requirement I've run into is a reciprocating saw. My first thought, of course, was to get a Milwaukee Sawzall, but then I'm married to their M18 battery system unless I want to continue to sink money into incompatible batteries.

What do we think about the Milwaukee cordless tools generally? Is there another brand I should consider? We are talking homeowner/hobbyist use.

I have Rigid. The short and long drills. The batteries are guaranteed for life as long as you register them online. THe tools have been excellent after several years of heavy use. Buy them on sale with charger and two batteries at Home Depot and you basically get a free drill for the cost of the batteries.

I have other Milwaukee tools that are equally excellent but they have power cords.

I'm into the complete Dewalt ecosystem between 20V XR handtools and the 48V Yard tools. I am very happy with both for how long they hold and use a charge and the overall quality and durability of the tools. Their function is great and I rarely use my air with these being so easy. My only complaint is the 3 speed,hammer drill capable drill is a little large/long for fitting in tight spots. I picked up a HF 90 degree drill for spots that it doesn't fit. I have the drill, impact driver,light,saws all, weed wacker and blower.

I have the M18 cordless impact, and it takes crank bolts off of Hondas, which is no small feat.

Milwaukee here. Can't say enough good about them so far. They easily do everything I ask of them.

I'm in the Black & Decker ecosystem for occasional use. Drill driver, weed whacker, chainsaw all work as expected. If I had to do it again, I would have gone with the 40V weed wacker, as we have a large lawn.

I too have the Dewalt 20v system. I too cannot say good enough about the batteries and how they hold up. Two years ago we had a neighbor's free fall into our yard. He was unemployed at the time, so I used the reciprocating saw to cut it up (it was about a foot across) into manageable pieces. It went right through it with a good blade and several batteries to keep going.

I have a family of B&D 12v products, but recently started to move to the Makita 18v Li-Ion. Battery life is much, much longer and the power is a huge step up, but that has more to do with the jump in battery tech than brand.

I never had any issues with the B&D for my home use, but they don't make some of the tools that I want, so I am transitioning. I can't imagine that the tools you see in HD and Lowe's are vastly better/worse than each other, so a good Holiday Deal on a set from Porter Cable, Rigid, Hitachi, Ryobi, B&D etc. will probably work just fine for a long, long time.

If you want to step up a bit, Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee and others all make "pro-grade" tools. I went with Makita because I liked the features and performance compared to the others, and I can use Amex points at Home Depot. You can read all the reviews, but it will only confirm that everyone makes pretty good stuff.

Makita Wins

Dewalt Wins

Milwaukee Wins

Oh, and they have this little sucker, that is awesome for drying off a car after washing!

I guess I ought to mention what I expect to be getting/replacing down the road:

Reciprocating saw (this is the immediate need)
String trimmer
Hedge trimmer
1/2" impact
1/4" impact
Drill
So, a pretty good mix of lawn and shop tools

I accidentally ended up with the Hitachi setup after I got a drill for Christmas. Been happy with the sawzall, impact, and drill, though I think I finally cooked the clutch on the drill.

I'm going to be going back to rigid soon. The lifetime battery warranty seals the deal for me.

Aside from needing a bigger battery for sawzall and circular saw, I loved my last set.It's just beyond frustrating to me that I can't but direct from them.

I bought the Ryobi 18V lithium set from Home Depot. On sale for $250 I got drill, 3/8 impact, sawzall, skillsaw, reciprocating cutoff tool, light, and two batteries. Since then I've added a jigsaw, and a string trimmer. No complaints so far. I've used the sawzall and skillsaw a lot and love how light they are. The skillsaw even has a laser.

I've been all Ryobi for a while but I think I messed up the chuck on the drill that I have. It's making me consider a switch, but I've been 100% happy with the cordless impact I have from them.

I'll probably stick with them and just buy a new drill. Batteries and comfort in hand are what matters IMO. For general home use all the brands perform similarly in my experience.

Just a few thoughts/notes about the cordless tool business. I started to invest in the Ryobi line about 1-2 years ago. I liked that they kept their battery form factor compatible as they migrated from NiCads to Lithium Ion. You can find some of their old tools on Craigslist and use the latest 4.0 AH and get a power upgrade. I've been quite happy with my tools so far (Drill, Impact Driver, Jigsaw).

Craftsman C3, Ryobi, Ridgid, and Milwaukee are all owned (Ryobi/Milwaukee) or manufactured (Craftsman/Rigid) by TTI. Home Depot has an exclusive deal with the owner of Ridgid. There is a lot of crossover between C3 and Ryobi, less crossover to Ridgid (seems to be rebadged versions of TTI's AEG Tools from other countries). Milwaukee is it's own thing, but very well respected.

Black & Decker, Dewalt, Porter Cable - They are all related. Although they all use 20V Max batteries, they are incompatible form factors, primarily to lock you in to that specific line. It was disappointing that Dewalt abandoned their 18V market with the 20V max tools. Claimed it was impossible to do the Lithium Ion batteries with the old tools (See Ryobi/C3/Ridgid....). They even started to sell Lithium Ion batteries for the 18v tools but they dropped it. Now they have an adapter that will let you use the 20V max batteries in the 18v tools. Good tools, had an old 12V XRP drill, but more expensive.

Makita - I have heard good things about them too. But they seem to not be playing quite as hard in the one-upmanship game as Milwaukee/Dewalt.

TL,DR. Lots of similar brands. No real wrong answer. Look at what the systems have for tools, and pick the system you like best. Go to the store(s) and try them out to get the feel. Ridgid warranty is a big selling point for it, but the line is not as extensive as Milwaukee/Dewault.

I needed to buy into a set for a bathroom renovation, that we're now just finishing up. Went with the Ryobi 6 tool/2 battery set, and am glad I did. It already paid for itself by coming with the surprisingly useful oscillating multi-tool, that would have required jumping to a much higher price range to get from other brands. Bang for the buck, it seems to be a winner. Overall it will typically just see occasional and relatively light duty work, so I expect it should more than suffice for plenty of years to come.

This is relative to my interests. I've been looking at small impact drivers as a general-wrenching implement. I have 1/2" and 3/8" impact air guns, but dragging them around sucks and they're heavy and awkward for actually working under the car or in the engine compartment. Are you guys using these impact drivers for mechanic work or home improvement?

I've looked at several but I'm trying to find the smallest/lightest that still has some oomph. I like the look and feel of the Milwaukee, but not the $.

In reply to ultraclyde:

I've tried using my impact driver (not wrench) with a hex->1/2" impact adapter to removed some rusty exhaust/end link bolts. I was successful in either loosening the bolts or snapping them. This with all of 125 ft-lbs of power (Ryobi P234G). Ryobi's Impact wrench (P261) is rated at 300 ft-lbs. So yeah, it'll do some stuff. Haven't tried anything like an axel/crank nut..

ShadowSix wrote: I guess I ought to mention what I expect to be getting/replacing down the road: Reciprocating saw (this is the immediate need) String trimmer Hedge trimmer 1/2" impact 1/4" impact Drill So, a pretty good mix of lawn and shop tools

Problem I see is that many of the manufacturers are using 20v for the hand tools and 40v for the outside equipment and the batteries are not interchangeable.

I have had DeWalt for my hand tools and B&D for the outside stuff for 3 years now and just keep adding tools each year. Am very satisfied with all of them.

Rigid. Used professionally every day. It's tough stuff.

I had a mishmash of stuff, too. As it started breaking down I've gone with the Dewalt 20V stuff. Main reason was that their 1/2" impact was the best reviewed in that class. Real happy with what I have, though.

But I also have lots of Harbor Freight 18V stuff, and it's honestly better than my old Porter Cable or B&D stuff. Plus it's so cheap as to be almost free. It's nice have two drills sitting there, one with a screw bit and one with a drill bit and never having to worry about changing bits when you're doing something. The HF stuff gets the most general use. The Dewalt stuff comes our for critical missions, and for the impact. I almost never use air anymore, mostly just the cordlesss.

Just bought into Milwaukee M18. Very happy with the drill and impact gun. Sawzall is next.

From my experience DeWalt, Ridgid, and Milwaukee are pretty much making the same tools, with Ryobi being a year/two behind.

I have a Ryobi set that's been abused pretty hard. The drill only failed after about 4 years of heavy use 3-5 days a week. The recip saw worked well, but would use up the battery quick. But it's all quite capable for the more typical "hobbyist".

I have a passive need for some new batteries and want to get an impact driver and an impact gun so I'm planning to jump to Milwaukee because they currently offer the highest rated 1/2" impact wrench. Also as mentioned above, with the starter kits I'll essentially get a free drill in the process.

Here is a Milwaukee deal from Slickdeals website:

http://slickdeals.net/f/9171127-milwaukee-m18-compact-drill-driver-impact-driver-combo-kit-w-2-batteries-154-m12-combo-kit-119-free-shipping

I've been committed to Makita for over 30 years, hundreds of tools.

Their current generation of tools is fantastic. Incredible variety, excellent quaility. I beat the crap out of them, and can't kill them.

However, their current generation of battery management systems suck. They seem to be programmed for reduced lifespan (though the charge times, etc are good). When they get a little worn, they shut down permanently and the chargers won't try to charge them.

I've spent more than I expected on battery replacement in this generation.

Love the tools. Hate the charge system.

Ryobi battery warranty looks enticing.