18v (ish) tool systems for DIY'er - which is best?

Man of Honour
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18 Oct 2002
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Been using the Lidl 20v things recently. Working perfectly well.

Impact driver, vibro multi saw both work exactly as expected. Drill is ok, but no hammer action is a touch irritating, but a hammer drill is available. Angle grinder is best with the 4Ah battery but works for chopping slabs and cleaning off some old metal garden furniture ready for powder coating.

Have a Makita drill too, but that thing destroys batteries. And once they're dead, can't change the cells as the circuitry remembers. Great....
 
Associate
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15 Sep 2008
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I'm quite the Makita fan myself. You've got to be careful what brand you pick as you'll end up on their ecosystem down the road.

Check out Project Farm on youtube, he tests a lot of tools there, although I doubt you'll find Lidl or Aldi specials being reviewed (US).

Also who makes what:

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Soldato
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I'm quite the Makita fan myself. You've got to be careful what brand you pick as you'll end up on their ecosystem down the road.


I used to be a Makita fan. I went through a set of cordless drills doing a house up. I had borrowed a mates 36V Bosch SDS and it slipped off a roof. Bounced off every section of scaffolding on the way down. My mates first question was did the paving flags survive.
I switched to bosch blue after that and not had a failure in about 5 years.
 

apg

apg

Associate
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Since owning my own home I have invested in mid range 18v LXT Makita tools. Combi drill, impact driver, multi tool, angle grinder, torch and 2x 4ah batteries. Has all served me well so far. Will soon be adding a circular saw to the list as using my current circular saw with a lead that I once nearly cut through!
 
Soldato
OP
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Two and a half years later!

Went with Dewalt for cordless stuff in the end, 18v for most but also ended up with 12v impact and drill set which I’m a big fan of. Just picked up an SDS and two more batteries as well. I’m fairly happy with it, if I were to start again I think I’d be tempted by Makita but I’m happy with the yellow stuff.

My corded stuff is all over the place. Evolution, Bosch, DeWalt.

Also I did find a battery ratchet in the end, it’s a Sealey one and it’s amazing.
 
Permabanned
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Be carefully before spending money on all the ryobi kit. I blew 2 grand getting all their brushless stuff and loads of their little nice to have. 2 battery failures first month, 2 chargers failed. Brand new angle grinder failed in first five minutes. Grinder completely rubbish, just avoid, torch rubbish too, no wonder its free. I've had every excuse possible. Out of pocket about 400, never again. Going to switch brands.

Ryobi do 3 year warranty.
 
Soldato
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13 Jan 2004
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I'd say no one brand can offer everything but depending on your expectations the big brands are worth getting.... But do your research.

My tools are all Bosch Blue or DeWalt. Ad an example I have a DeWalt impact driver as the Bosch Blue one performs poorly compared to almost all the other comparable brands.
 
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I would say it all depends on budget. I splurged some savings I had on commuting this year and bought a milwaukee impact driver and combi drill fuel set. Have to say they are the best power tools I have owned. The charger that came with the kit can charge 18V and 12V milwaukee tools.
Previously I bought the usual cheapo lidl/aldi black and decker, and cheapo bosch (non pro). I then went and bought a milwaukee hedge trimmer which is ace but a little heavy (I have over 100m of hedge to cut)

as Sin Chase said go OCD on the research for the budget you have and you will be happy
 
Associate
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I've used Erbauer, DeWalt, Milwaukee and Makita tools, so here is my take. Apologies if I am repeating what others have said, I didnt read all replies.

Erbauer - A brand made for Screwfix/B&Q and to be honest, they're actually pretty good. Power wise, my impact driver wasn't bad, but ergonomically they're not amazing. Same applies to the skillsaw, plane and combi. If you're a once a month DIYer I'd recommend Erbaurer.

DeWalt - Dont waste your money. They're always breaking, batteries are shambolic and it just isn't worth the stress replacing after 12 months of use. There is a reason why it is always on sale/deals.

Milwaukee - These tools are insanely powerful, regardless of your trade. I have mechanic friends who say these tools are the best things since sliced bread, same applies to chippies and sparkles. The only downside to Milwaukee is the price (extortionate) and the lack of after sale/customer services. Without ranting, let's just say they're not interested in what you've got to say after they've taken your money.

Makita - These tools are fantastic. They're extremely powerful, yet offer a range of settings to adjust for more delicate tasks. Ergonomically they are outstanding. I have a list of Makits tools too long to list and every single tool feels like it is made to fit my hand. They are reasonably priced from bottom tier to top tier tools. They're extremely robust and the batteries outlast all of my colleagues (also charge in half the time). My brother actually owns a bottom tier combi and he has spent the last two years trying to break it so the wife will allow him to buy another- he hasnt succeeded with this yet!

To conclude, if budget is an issue, buy Erbauer. If you're happy to invest in some tools that'll outlast your kitchen/bathroom/shed etc, buy Makita.
 
Associate
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Naaaah! Both me and my husband have used Dewalt for years and totally battered them renovating our house and on projects - rock solid, maybe 18+ devices and 10+ batteries - never had a failure.

If you want the actual use science, then Makita and DeWalt are on a par, DeWalt have slightly better devices in terms of performance. Ryobi pretty decent too, not quite as robust as above two.

And then there's festool... Have 4-5 of them. Priced to insult you, but extraordinary performance. Tracksaw with zero dust and perfect cuts like you've sanded both sides, rotex Sanders are extraordinary at ripping off stock, domino is by far the best way to join furniture and a pleasure to use...

In short, I'd buy into one of the big ecosystems (DeWalt, Makita or Ryobi) and you shouldn't go wrong. Biggest mistake is buying from several or changing your mind...!
 
Soldato
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14 May 2007
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2,638
I've got DeWalt impact driver, drill, multi tool and circular saw. All 18v, 3 batteries one of which is a 4ah one. Ended up having to buy a fast charger as the standard DeWalt one is useless.
My partners dad has the Milwauke 12v tools and they seem really good and light, none of the other brands manage to get a large capacity battery in a small casing. Tempted to change down the line,
 
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