BTW, I have had 2 Makita sawzalls and 1 Makita skillsaw in continuous operation for about 2 years on commercial demolition in the hands of temp workers- serious abuse. No sign of wearing down.
The battery tools are so good that we rarely pick up the corded ones.
I have Ryobi tools at home and they work well for that environment. Sturdy enough and powerful enough for intensive home use. I wouldn't be happy putting them in the hands of construction workers but they're plenty tough for the occasional drop. I filled the reciprocating saw full of plaster dust so bad it jammed by cutting though a hundred feet of plaster ceiling. I took the tool apart, cleaned and lubed it, and it kept working to this day. The gears are metal and the motor is well sealed.
At work we have Dewalt stuff and everything about it is tougher. It's way more expensive; just the hammer drill and recip saw is $300. You can get a six piece Ryobi set for that. The recip saw has quick release on the blades and allows you to use the blade sideways for a really close cut.
I guess what I'm saying is: you get what you pay for but at the same time you don't need the best for home work. So it's a judgement call on your part.
Also I bet any of the major brands are going to have the batteries wear out before the tools in your application. Pick one with reasonable replacement battery prices or a lifetime battery warranty.
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
With that mix of tools, you're probably going to be better off with different batteries, as much as that can suck. A battery that works well for one tool might not be so great for another.
For example, I recently bought a cordless string trimmer - a Lowes-Kobalt 80V model. It is excellent. Definitely as good as any homeowner-quality trimmer I've used. Of course, the battery is massive and would be totally inappropriate for a construction tools (except maybe a reciprocating saw - maybe).
Conversely, for general drilling and screw-driving tasks, I like the 12V DeWalt tools I have. They are compact and lightweight, yet powerful enough to do 90% of what I need a drill or impact driver to do. Maneuvering a big 18V drill inside a tight cabinet or over your head for extended periods of time becomes a PITA. BTDT.
In the middle, I have DeWalt 18V XRP tools (1/2" impact, sabre saw, circular saw, etc). I'm not really in love with these, but I've had those batteries for years (starting with my ex-), so I'm kinda stuck with them. If I could afford to ditch them all and start over, I'd probably get 20V tools. I'm not really sold on any one brand, but I've heard enough good things about Milwaukee that I'd probably get those.
But no matter what, if I lost everything and had to start over, I'd still get three battery sizes: 12V for general duty, 20V or 24V for most construction type tools, 80V for yard work tools. And I'd still have a few corded and air tools for serious jobs.
I just upgraded to Bosch lithium stuff to replace my old Hitachi tools, and I've been blown away by the quality. I like being able to choose bigger or smaller batteries for tight spaces, too.
FWIW, I love my Milwaukee tools - 18 volt driver, drill, impact, and 12 volt ratchet. Just great stuff. Buy once, cry once, I guess...
Tom Suddard wrote: I just upgraded to Bosch lithium stuff to replace my old Hitachi tools, and I've been blown away by the quality. I like being able to choose bigger or smaller batteries for tight spaces, too.
I have some 6 or 7 year old Bosch 18V Lion batteries that are still going strong. It is the reason I keep buying Bosch tools.
I was burned pretty badly by the Makita "smart" batteries. I love the 1/2" drill dearly but the 3 strikes and your out battery packs that cost more than the drill turned me away.
SVreX wrote: Ryobi battery warranty looks enticing.
I believe Ryobi has 'only' a 3 year battery warranty...Rigid has the 'lifetime' battery coverage.
SVreX wrote: \ Love the tools. Hate the charge system.
I called Makita tech support and asked why I had killed 3 batteries and it was explained to me like this. If I was using the tool hard enough to overheat the battery the internal circuitry would shut the battery pack off. When this happens it acts just like the lion battery has died so you slap it on the charger. You will hear 3 beeps and the light will flash. The charger has sensed the battery is too hot and it will refuse to charge it. If you do this three times in a row the batteries internal chip will permanently disable the battery. 
What is the first thing you do if the light is flashing? Why pop the battery out and put it back in of course. Do that a third time and you are out $90. The charger uses icons to attempt to tell this story but unless you are told in advance you will never understand what the pictures are supposed to mean.
I have a shop cleanup/handyman type guy who is deaf as a deaf thing. I watched in horror as he killed my last battery. He was using a 1/4" masonry bit on the concrete wall. Must have been on his 20th hole when the drill shut off. I heard the 3 beeps then a pause of ten seconds and another 3 beeps. I realized what was happening and since he couldn't hear me shouting at him he managed to slam it in a third time before I could run across the shop. 
That sucker is a great drill though. Too bad the cheap aftermarket batteries get such terrible reviews.
I'd throw in another vote for the lithium ion Ryobi stuff, I haven't managed to kill any of mine in ~4yrs of misuse.
Driven5 wrote:SVreX wrote: Ryobi battery warranty looks enticing.I believe Ryobi has 'only' a 3 year battery warranty...Rigid has the 'lifetime' battery coverage.
That was a TOTAL brain fart. I meant Rigid. I wouldn't be caught dead with a Ryobi. (I'd be hesitant on a Rigid)
Jumper K. Balls wrote:SVreX wrote: \ Love the tools. Hate the charge system.I called Makita tech support and asked why I had killed 3 batteries and it was explained to me like this. If I was using the tool hard enough to overheat the battery the internal circuitry would shut the battery pack off. When this happens it acts just like the lion battery has died so you slap it on the charger. You will hear 3 beeps and the light will flash. The charger has sensed the battery is too hot and it will refuse to charge it. If you do this three times in a row the batteries internal chip will permanently disable the battery.
If that's true, it doesn't go one mm toward changing my mind about the charging system. That is a terrible idea.
Thanks for all the answers guys, I really appreciate it!
A couple of the frequently-recommended brands, Ryobi and Ridgid, don't seem to have a big-torque 1/2" impact wrench in the line-up. I'm one of those guys that is gonna need to knock a Honda crank bolt or an axle nut loose here and there, so a ~300 ft/lbs. impact does not do the trick. I also noticed the "catch" (sort of) to the very nice Ridgid lifetime warranty--it only applies to the batteries that come in kits with tools. Maybe it'd be worth it in the long run, but I'd end up having to buy sets with tools I don't need to have sufficient lifetime-warrantied batteries.
A couple of you mentioned that the lawn stuff (string trimmer, hedge trimmer) would require a different set of higher voltage batteries. Dewalt, at least, has a pretty full line of yard stuff that runs on their 20v Li batteries. Makita has gone a different direction and sells several yard tools that require two of their 18v Li batteries at once. You turn two 18v batteries into one 36v. Milwaukee basically hasn't got a yard tool line now, but they're releasing one next spring. It's a bit of a gamble, but frankly I have a lot of faith that Milwaukee will get yard tools right on the first try.
Pricing on Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita tools are pretty close to one another, but Makita does not appear to offer a kit with a reciprocating saw, one battery, and a charger--their only kit comes with two batteries, so ~$100 more expensive. Now, that's fair, but for my first piece, likely not bought on sale, I'd rather spend $250-300 rather than $400, even if I do have to stop work once the battery dies.
So, I think I've narrowed it down to Milwaukee's M18 system or Dewalt's 20v max platform. The Milwaukee stuff feels a little nicer, a little more solid, and seems to have a good reputation. The Dewalt line is a little cheaper, seems to have more tools that I can see myself using. Dewalt also has the most representation at most consumer stores, seems like the easiest to find used as well.
I do think that Round 2 is going to be the M12 stuff from Milwaukee. The form factor of their 1/4" impact, right-angle impact, and a couple other things is so compact that I think you could do things--get to nuts and bolts--that I've previously never considered using a power tool to do.
I was in home desperate today and looked at the various options. The 20v DeWalt stuff does look decent. I like how the 1/2" impact gun is rated for 400 ft lbs vs the (IMHO very optimistic) 300 ft lbs of my 18v version.
Watching JG tonight has me intrigued by the Milwaukee M12 stuff for lighter duty.
I've had 18v yard tools. They just don't have the battery power for that kind of continuous use.
I totally understand the desire for "one battery to rule them all" but in my experience, the compromises are annoying after awhile and then become expensive when you eventually give up and buy the proper tools for the given tasks.
+1 for m18 stuff. I have 5 different tools between home and work, and looking to get more. 1/2" and 3/8" Fuel impacts are monsters.
Start with what you want now. Home depot has some fantastic deals on black Friday . Hoping to expand on my collection then
I started down the same road - wanting to use one make and one size battery - but gave up. Even the same tool line uses different voltage battery packs and even differing amp batteries of the same voltage. That's understandable given the very different power requirements but it loses the one-battery-fits-everything marketing game. For that reason I gave up and went with what worked for me, a Dewalt 20V XR brushless drill (awesome) and a Ryobi 40V weed whacker and hedge trimmer (very powerful). I'll eventually also get the Ryobi chainsaw-on-a-stick that uses the same 40V battery. The Ryobi stuff is way better than it used to be and their 40V battery is a serious power source.
Oh yeah... beware of the game some mfgs pull when they kit up their tools in one box. They often slip in smaller batteries than you would have gotten had you bought them separately and of course, they're always smaller. So while the box deal seems cheaper per tool, there's a reason for that.
I'm a big Milwaukee fan. I use the M12 Fuel (brushless) drill, 3/8 impact wrench, and work light all the time. It's a nice line of compact tools that just work. The impact can get smaller lug nuts, suspension bolts, etc off. Also have the right angle drill which can be useful, vacuum which is as bit lame but works well as a dustbuster in the house, and recip saw that I mostly use to cut up firewood but has some balls.
M18 Fuel 1/2 impact is beastly, it hasn't failed to loosen something ever. I will say that I have had no failures with my Milwaukee gear in about five years of home hobbyist level use. Batteries have been great.
I run the Ryobi 40V yard tools, just the lawn mower and string trimmer here but they have been excellent. I love not dealing with a gas mower for my small city lawn. I wish I could have gotten Milwaukee lawn tools but they'd need to be dual M18 to keep up so meh.
I have Ridgid for myself. The scene shop has Dewalt. My buddy's scene shop has Ryobi. I also have some Milwaukee myself.
Ridgid is awesome. Great torque, lifetime warranty. The LED light is down by the battery and offers a nice light of the whole area you're working, but doesn't help if you're looking in a hole. BAttery problems have been solved.
Dewalt has proven bulletproof. Ours at the shop have been abused for 10 hours a day for 6 years with zero failures. Not quite as much torque as Ridgid, but they're smoother. The impacts seem to be faster and smaller which makes a little less fatigue and less likely to strip out heads. The LED is around the snout for a direct shot of light which is usually preferred, but does have its shortcomings.
Ryobi doesn't cut the mustard with me. Hobbyist, maybe.
Milwaukee is cream of the crop, but I don't know if its proportionally better when comparing price and power. They might be 25% better, but 75% more cost.
Long story short, I'm looking at re-outfitting the shop using a grant and I will most likely be choosing between Ridgid and Dewalt based on performance and price.
You guys have convinced me to go for a higher voltage perform for the yard tools.
Now, has anyone heard of EGO power tools? It's a Chinese company (but then almost all of this stuff is made in China now), but they have excellent reviews on Consumer Reports and elsewhere around the internet.
The string trimmer is pretty crappy. Their blowers aren't bad. If you want electric lawn tools, buy the Echo stuff from Home Depot. The weed eaters are good enough that we use them for our lawn service. It's coming to a point that all small outdoor power equipment is as with electric power as it is with gas. Even the Echo chainsaw that uses that battery is pretty good. I don't think I'd use it for cutting down big trees, but it should do most homeowner type tasks.
Ryobi 18V for hand tools, but Ego 56V for large stuff. That voltage drives a lawnmower with as much spunk as my semi-pro gas model, and recharges in 30 minutes.
RyanW wrote: +1 for m18 stuff. I have 5 different tools between home and work, and looking to get more. 1/2" and 3/8" Fuel impacts are monsters. Start with what you want now. Home depot has some fantastic deals on black Friday . Hoping to expand on my collection then
Very happy with the performance and especially battery longevity of the M18 setup.
In the past, I used Dewalt stuff for work and had no issues besides the batteries being finicky in the cold (I worked outside year round). My parents have used Kobalt cordless stuff and I haven't heard any issues.
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