It's time to invest in a new cordless tool infrastructure.

My 10+ year old Dewalts are fading but not quite dead, plus I need to pick up a small portable circular saw for some immediate projects.  The drill and 1/4 impact get used near constantly and have to be reliable.

I'm intrigued by what I've seen with Bauer, but Father's Day tool sales may put a couple brands in the same price range.  Craftsman 20V brushless is one of these, they caught my eye while I was at Lowe's getting some lumber, but I'm not sure how good they are in the long run

Anyone have any insight?

I've had Milwaukee M18 stuff for ~7 years.  Still works, still supported by the brand.  they have continually updated the tools to keep current with technology but left the general battery design the same.  I just have the drill and 2 1/4 impacts.  I want the bigger impact and others but they are not a cheap option.  

Well, looks like it is the time of year for it.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/cordless-ugga-dugga-recommendations/174016/page1/

Even before the sellout to Stanley, craftsman cordless was utter junk. From 9.6v electric screwdrivers to the 19.2v ecosystem they had, all garbage. 

I'm really happy since I made the switch from rigid to Baur. I have had some battery issues, but they changed the design and the new ones are great. Tool price isn't bad, battery costs are step but reasonable. 

If money was better, Milwaukee M12/18 all day long. The tools available and the power are just amazing even with the 12v stuff, but the price is too much for me to handle. 

In reply to RevRico :

Price is a huge concern for me as well.  Only reason I  ever looked at Milwaukee was I once had a hookup that could get me employee pricing.   Too far out of my price range for the majority of the tools.

How about 20v dewalt and you can get an adapter on Ebay to use the 20v dewalt battery in the older 18v dewalts , 

Ohh and the 20v dewalts are really only 18v.......marketing rounded the number up......

there are a lot of adapters on Ebay etc so you can still use your older tools with the new batteries.... even other brand switching adapters.....

PS , I would be interested in your old dewalt 18v impacts  and other odd tools , grinders etc

I have a pile of Dewalt Saws-alls , circular saws and drills because they came in the "kit" 

In reply to RevRico :

The current sale on the rigid octane stuff really makes it tempting, but the M18 stuff sounds to be the better option overall based on real user feedback I'm getting. (Note that HD seems to be compensating more than a few YouTube reviewers to shill for the octane stuff. Doesn't mean that it isn't solid, but it makes me take feedback I'm finding on it with a grain of salt). 

My "rich friends" swear by Milwaukee, i have had a few corded tools of theirs and was happy, but my money goes to Ryobi, cheap, durable, batteries are decent but not like the dewalt ones they replaced, but not even remotely as expensive.  Plus side to Ryobi is things like the battery powered chainsaw, water transfer pump etc.  Lots of cool tools to be had cheaply.  Id pick Ryobi 10 out of 10 over HF

In reply to Justjim75 :

Dad has Ryobi stuff and is over the moon about it. I think I missed their annual sale battery sale though.

I just bought a brushless Milwaukee M12 system with the hammer drill, impact driver, and 2 batteries (2 ah and 4 ah) for $199. Home Depot threw in the 3/8 powered ratchet for free.

I've been hemming and hawing about buying a new tool system but I wasn't willing to part with $150 for the ratchet plus the tools. That made it easy.

Everyone I know still wrenching on things for a living seems to like that system.

If the sale had not been going on I'd have bought a Ryobi system.

I have a dozen Ryobi tools, or so.  I know they are not top notch, but they do all but the really big jobs (1/2" impact is only rated 300 ft∙lbs).  Lug nuts come off no problem but Miata axles don't.

I like the Ryobi because it flows over to "non-tool" items.  I have the the tire inflator, a camping light, a drop light, pesticide sprayer, etc.  Even the cordless vac in the house is a Ryobi, since replacement batteries on household items are usually silly expensive and HD usually has a sale a couple times a year with "buy a $60 tool and get another $100 in batteries."

I haven't broken any of them yet, so there is that.  I really do like that my 30 minute chargers do the vacuum and that I can mix-and-match battery combos.

If Milwaukee is too rich for your blood I'd be looking at Ryobi, built in the same factory, same battery tech, same quality control and there is a so many different tools that use their battery packs.

DeWalt 20V. It's got the broadest selection of available tools and every single one I own is my favorite thing in the world. 

I use Bosch 18v stuff. It's cool, it's nice, I'm not sure it's any better than Dewalt.

Their rotary hammers and hammer drills are probably the best in the biz, but they usually plug in.

If I'm doing it, I'm going milwaukee, price be damned. I only wanna do it once 

I'm very happy with my milwaukee stuff, mostly m12 with a m18 mid-torque impact. 

JG Pasterjak said:

DeWalt 20V. It's got the broadest selection of available tools and every single one I own is my favorite thing in the world. 

Thats hard to believe with the options Ryobi has.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-18-Volt-ONE-Lithium-Ion-High-Capacity-4-0-Ah-Battery-2-Pack-Starter-Kit-with-Charger-and-Bag-PSK003/312493945

ryobi is hard to beat for cheap usable ness right now.  Buy two big Litium Ion Batteris get a "free" tool for $99.  My Craftsman rechargeable drill chuck has too much runout now..

Justjim75 said:

JG Pasterjak said:

DeWalt 20V. It's got the broadest selection of available tools and every single one I own is my favorite thing in the world. 

Thats hard to believe with the options Ryobi has.

At first I was like "nah," then I saw the backpack sprayer and I'll agree to call it a draw :)

You couldn't pay me to take a Craftsman off your hands. 

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

You couldn't pay me to take a Craftsman off your hands. 

Since Stanley bought the Craftsman brand it seems like they are using that brand to push tools that are on par in terms of price with TTI's Hart or Ryobi brands.   I haven't done any side by side testing just going off what I have seen on the shelves.  But I agree I would avoid that brand for a couple years to see how they shake out. Even from an entry level homegamer tool they make me nervous.

Milwaukee is the king of the hill, and the price shows. 
 

I've used Makita for years of really hard abuse, and it kicks DeWalt's ass. 
 

If you are truly mobile, DeWalt is available everywhere, and fairly priced.  It will meet the needs of most homeowners.  But their cordless skill saw is a piece of crap. (Makita wins)
 

I am truly mobile, and need industrial performance. But my next cordless universe will probably be DeWalt. Availability and price point win. 

In reply to RacetruckRon :

Yep. It's crap. 
 

I used to be a Cradtsman fanboi. 

I usually check replacement battery availability. I ended up with porter cable lithium cordless. Its the same as a few of the other brands. Got gobbled up by dewalt or whatever and its just a name now. Seems to work good, extra tools are reasonable, replacement batteries are common. Worked well so far. 

I have lots of Ryobi stuff and have little to complain about. I have killed a couple of the smallest batteries, but also been able to repair them before by selectively charging overdischarged cells in the pack. No issues with the higher AH battery packs, and as everyone else mentioned you can get in on the free-tool-with-battery-kit deal. 

They are certainly not pro grade, I would hesitate to use them for full-time trades work, but I haven't broken or worn out any of the tools. I feel like they're perfect for a homegamer, where you might use some of the tools a few times a week and some of the tools might only get used a few times a year.
Worst one I have is the little cordless circular saw, but it was so damn cheap. Once you get the batteries, the Ryobi tools are so affordable that you can get stuff that you otherwise wouldn't spring for. Like the dustbuster vacuum, power caulking gun, brushless 4.5" angle grinder, electric brad nailer, etc.