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Cordless power tool system?

raysablade

raysablade

pfm Member
The battery for my old Wickes impact driver is not holding charge and it seems that the system it is part of is no longer made, so replacement batteries are not available. This seems to make it a good time to consider replacing my cheap old Aldi combi driver too so I'm combing through the huge range of prices and specifications available looking at combi-driver/ impact driver sets.

I'm 61 and would really like these tools to see me out so will be buying some spare batteries too. I tend to prefer corded tools and have never felt the need to go beyond a combi driver and an impact driver for the small domestic jobs I take on. However now I'm retired I'm working myself up for a reasonably big project putting shelves and a cupboard in the attic.

Any recommendations? Initial thoughts are thoughts from some Youtubing are that; "brushless" is worth it, the big brands are a step up from budget stuff and 18v is OK for my needs. Beyond that I'm clueless.

The tool I really need to get right is the impact driver, it is the one I use most of the two.
 
If you are a DIYer doing odds and sods - our Ryobi collection has operated without fault for many years, including a kitchen fit out among other things. I did upgrade the drill to brushless about 4 or 5 years ago - seems ok
 
You get what you pay for - Makita/Maktec, DeWalt.

The hassle is batteries - I am amazed at @gintonic comment, but maybe he hasn't recently wanted a battery to last more than 5-10-15 minutes?
I have 3? 4? perectly good drills - I can't bring myself to throw them out, plus they are buried behind loads of crap, but there are no batteries available.

There is (almost) always a major deal available somewhere on some model or other that is just about to be made obsolete, and most come with at least 2, usually 3, batteries. Sit and wait and search.
 
The last Ryobi I had was a fishing reel about 50 years ago, I seem to recall liking it;)

I'll have a look at them, they seem to be at the more budget friendly end of the spectrum.
 
Vinny said:
You get what you pay for - Makita/Maktec, DeWalt.

The hassle is batteries - I am amazed at @gintonic comment, but maybe he hasn't recently wanted a battery to last more than 5-10-15 minutes?
I have 3? 4? perectrly good drills - I can't bring myself to throw them out, plus they are buried behind loads of crap, but there are no batteries available.
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Tell me about it. In preparing the loft I've found and reluctantly thrown out; 2 screwdrivers, the drill the Aldi one replaced and a hedge trimmer.
 
I'm a fan of Makita LXT system. Started with the impact driver and a single battery, added a drill and a then over the years Lawnmower, Strimmer, Orbital Sander, Circular Saw, Hedgetrimmer, Drill Driver.
I now have 4x batteries (3x 5.0Ah and 1x 1.5Ah) and a single charger that means buying the individual tools is quite affordable when not buying a battery each time.

Just have a look at the main brands, and decided which system has the tools you want.
 
I bought into the Hitachi / Hikoki system and very happy. proper step up from the DeWalt gear it replaced (granted I was going from 14V NiMH to 18V LiIon stuff). If I was on a budget the Parkside stuff from Aldi/Lidl is far better than it has any right to be considering the price, I'd probably buy it over the budget Makita and DeWalt ranges (to to be confused with the upper Makita and DeWalt ranges)

Hitachi use decent Samsung INR18650-25R cells in their batteries, they are very good (I had one fail but got a replacement under warranty no trouble). I also had no trouble drilling 10mm holes into a concrete floor about 4" deep all morning with the Hitachi drill, a job I would have normally pulled out a bigger SDS for, but no need, likewise 2 1/2" core bit through brickwork was handled with no real trouble.
 
Ryobi+one here too. Lots of tools, 3 batteries, several years old, still going strong. Still need powerful corded drill to, for example, drill into concrete, but for most jobs the Ryobi’s are great
 
Puggie said:
I bought into the Hitachi / Hikoki system and very happy. proper step up from the DeWalt gear it replaced (granted I was going from 14V NiMH to 18V LiIon stuff). If I was on a budget the Parkside stuff from Aldi/Lidl is far better than it has any right to be considering the price, I'd probably buy it over the budget Makita and DeWalt ranges (to to be confused with the upper Makita and DeWalt ranges)

Hitachi use decent Samsung INR18650-25R cells in their batteries, they are very good (I had one fail but got a replacement under warranty no trouble). I also had no trouble drilling 10mm holes into a concrete floor about 4" deep all morning with the Hitachi drill, a job I would have normally pulled out a bigger SDS for, but no need, likewise 2 1/2" core bit through brickwork was handled with no real trouble.
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Nice looking kit I'm a sucker for anything green, are you using brushed or brushless?
 
Makita LXT here too - lawnmower to hammer drill! World of power had the new LXT driver and drill package for under £200 recently and threw in a spare battery, so bought that for my son for his new house. Used it down there and was tempted to bring it back - lovely small and powerful thing it is.
 
I have a significant DeWalt set. Very good, well made, but expensive.

I part boarded the loft last year, and my cordless drill, screwdriver, jig saw, multitool, and two chargers "lived" up there for a couple of months!
 
Millwauke m18 gear for the win very tough and realy hold their charge , don't buy as a kit buy bare tools and separate 5amp hour batteries and separate charger you can get them at half the packaged price.
i got a multi tool 5 years ago and first job was to sand down a full 8 x 6 summer house did it all effortless and on a surprising single charge. Have used the cordless drill more than anything else i own and left with battery on ready to go and it seems to last forever even if left uncharged in a cold place for months come back and its still ready to go just keeps on going. I've burnt out dewalt and makita in the past brother in law has millwaukee and i got one on his say so he is a tradesman and he knows his stuff. You get what you pay for and this stuff is worth every penny will last you a lifetime and replacement batteries are very reasonable given their power. toolststion shop online or toolbox are good places to buy from.
 
I am a Milwaukee system user and am very satisfied with them. They are ultimately owned by the same company that owns Ryobi and have a range of pro rated stuff. You pay more for the robustness and ability to work continuously day in and day out.

1/ Pick one system that you can buy and get support for locally and stay with that one so you can buy bare tools in the future and just swap batteries around. I have 10 tools and 4 batteries and a fast charger and have never run out.
2/ Pick a main brand to ensure the battery format does not get dropped. Do go brushless and Lithium (not sure you can buy anything else)
3/ Pick from top brands Makita, Bosch Blue, Hitachi, Milwaukee and DeWalt. Bear in mind most of them do a range from cheaper to more expensive so do a little research. Of the cheaper brands I hear the most positive stuff about Ryobi.
4/ There are other top brands like Festool and Hilti but the price point pushes them out of most but pro users.
5/ I got scared off DeWalt a few years ago when they went through a cost cutting period. I hear they have improved now but too late for me as I was swapping from Panasonic (sadly missed).
 
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