Bosch because I got a stupidly low deal for a blue drill, two batteries and a fast charger (i still think it was a labelling mistake) and now everytime I look at tools I want the wireless version and since I already have batteries it just make more sense to stay with one system. It was a fantastic idea to vendor lock the clients.
I’ve always thought of Rigid as being the TTI prosumer brand and Milwaukee being more contractor-level, though their M12 line kinda bumps into the homeowner target market now where for most uses 12V gets the job done. Either way, both definitely have their places. Ryobi is great for homeowners who need the tool but won’t use it often enough to justify the price of the Milwaukee durability.
When my girlfriend moved in I "inherited" a couple Ryobi drills with a few batteries. I thought it would be wasteful to not use those batteries, so I just defaulted to Ryobi. They work fine? I'm not in construction, so they work for my needs. I'm not a fan of the neon green, but it does make the tools easier to find.
I've noticed people like to shit on Ryobi but they're being aggressively advertised and competitively priced. I haven't tried them but I'm pretty curious if they're actually bad.
I’ve smoked tools from all of the major brands at work and I prefer the stink of Makita electronics over all of the others, so generally thats what I’ll gravitate towards at the tool store. That said, the stuff we’ve got at home for projects around the house is all ryobi green. Sure they feel kinda cheap, sure they aren’t as powerful, but for around the house stuff they do just fine, just don’t beat on them like I do mine.
I had all Dewalt for a number of years went from their 18v to 20v line. But i kept wanting a few tools they did not make so i purchased the Ryobi versions. I was so happy with the price, capability, and mostly variety of tools. I switched completely over to Ryobi. Sold all my old Dewalt 18v stuff. I now have prob 35 different Ryobi products and 5-6 Dewalt. I even have Ryobi’s 40v trimmer, chainsaw, leaf blower, pole saw. I simply love that Ryobi has pretty much any freaking power tool you can think of, and more.
Is Ryobi the best…No. Does Ryobi have a heck of a selection at really good prices…Yes. Is Ryobi perfectly fine for Home\hobbiest use…Absolutely! If i was in the trades and used these tools daily would i choose Ryobi…Probably not, I would prob go with Milwaukee.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t hold up more than a couple years if you were using them 40+ hours a week on commercial jobs for years on end, but for weekend home use? I’ve had my basic drill for like idk 10 years now and it still works as good as the day I bought it. I have a handful of Ryobi tools and recently picked up the bottom tier Ryobi 40v mower and have been nothing but impressed. I’ve done a lot of mowing of tall, wet grass the last few weeks and the thing just works.
I actually use mine for work, but I’m not using most of them daily. For me I needed variety (the right tool for the job) and them all to be on the same battery ecosystem. They’ve also got some great “widgets”, the 1-gal battery shop vac is around $60-70 IIRC and is an amazing little bit of kit. It’s like a suitcase of clean. The power caulker isn’t a technical marvel but has absolutely saved my wrist on a few jobs. I was on the fence about the power brush but use it a TON around the house. The battery hot glue gun is also more useful than I thought it would be.
I made a 10 amp 18v corded adapter I can use with all the tools when power is available and I don’t want to fry the battery. I also made an adapter so I can USB charge off my batteries if the power goes out or something (they make those but I had the parts).
But I’ve never had issues. It is worth researching each tool though. They tend to have tiers even within the brand (18v vs the HP+ line). The sawzall in that starter kit is… cute. It “works” in the strictest sense of the word. The little circular saw is similar, but there’s a lot more use cases for a lightweight, low-profile circ saw; I love mine. The impact drivers/drills always did right by me. The battery powered chop saw is pretty great (I love that I can just slap a battery on it for a few cuts or use my adapter).
All in all, from what I’ve heard the issue isn’t usually performance it’s durability. That being said, it’s not like I baby my tools, I just don’t use the same tool everyday like a contractor might. IMO it’s a great brand for a ton of people. I think they’re fine for home improvement, just maybe not building a house.
Milwaukee, because thats what was on clearance at Home Depot when I wad finally disgusted with the poor performance and junk batteries on my craftsman C3 stuff.
Milwaukee 12v is the bomb for most drill/driving/ratchet. Super compact, ergonomic, well built, and the same power as “20v” equivalent twice their size. It would be my number one choice for anything except larger impact wrenches.
The shop I work at decided that we would get Milwaukee for most of our cordless tools, so that’s what I have for the convenience of being able to share batteries. We even have a 3/4" and 1" impact from Milwaukee, both work great. The 3/4" sees use every day removing 500ft/lbs lugnuts off of heavy trucks.
Yeah, unfortunately the beastly impacts are M18 so different batteries than the smaller M12 tools. They do make an awesome M12 3/8" Stubby Impact. Anything bigger you need to bump up to the M18 line.
If you’re in the market for something specific check out Project Farm on Youtube. He does a pretty good job of putting whatever he’s reviewing through its paces - sometimes I watch his videos for stuff I know I’ll never buy
Have a few Rigid tools (cordless drill, impact driver, router, contractor table saw, orbital sander). Originally started buying Rigid for their “lifetime warranties,” but after using their registration process, it appears they’re doing everything they can to make people give up, so I don’t buy this brand any more. The contractor table saw is great, regardless.
I now buy Dewalt cordless tools. Good quality, but battery prices are ridiculous.
For tools I don’t need to use very often, I buy from Harbor Freight. Some tools are barely usable, some of their hand tools are superior to other store brands from other stores.
Harbor Freight is a lifesaver brand, by that I mean if you have very little cash but you REALLY need something to finish the job, they’ll do that one job and you’d still have a tool you can use ocasionally
There have only been a handful of times where going with a cheapo HF tool was the correct answer in the long run. HF’s higher end tools are not bad, but then again they are priced at a similar level to “real” brands, so why go with HF? Their lower end tools are mostly throw-away and something that you will need to replace - the old adage of “buy once, cry once” applies. Now I am not saying ALL HF stuff is garbage (their car jacks are good), but it’s just not worth it to me. Other’s can buy what they want.
The icon line is supposed to be comparable to the tool trucks and I have some of them and so far, I’d agree and it’s about 1/5th of the cost. I’ve been beating the hell out of the 3/8 impact swivel sockets and haven’t broken one yet. They’re still tight.
DeWalt mostly - had Ryobi corded tools until they became unusable, switched to DeWalt a swell. I’ve got a nice Festool track saw and dust collector as well. I do some hobby woodworking and abuse tools on a small farm, so my usage is a bit more than the average homeowner, but not as extreme as somebody using them for construction, etc.
I caught a lot of flak for buying my Black and Decker Matrix set but it’s been very solid for me for a few years. Granted, I only use my tools a couple of time a month on average. But it sure is handy to have a drill that’s also an impact driver and also an air compressor and uses the same batteries as my weed whacker and leaf blower.
I have a Matrix because at the time I was looking, it was the only way to get a corded impact driver at a reasonable price. Then of course I got a cordless and never use the Matrix, but that swiss army knife feel is pretty cool.
