Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

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Oldandfat
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Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#1

Post by Oldandfat » Thu Aug 27, 2020 5:17 pm

Background: I have a decent collection of tools, corded and cordless, and a mish mash of brands, but more recently I bought a combo Ridgid kit, and subsequently I’ve purchased ridged not only for the lsa but also one system, one battery.

My cordless Ridgid circular slid off a roof at the cabin and met an untimely death. My neighbor graciously lent me his cordless Milwaukee worm drive saw. I’ve never used a worm drive ever, and I immediately loved the thing. It just makes sense.

So, for some reason (maybe it’s a Canada thing ) but Home Depot seems to have a lack of Ridgid product. I cannot find a Ridgid worm drive corded or cordless.

Seeing as the my loaner saw was a Milwaukee I made the mistake of looking into Milwaukee. Damn they have nice stuff, way more variety of tools, and more importantly they actually have what I need in stock.

So I should just buy a worm drive so I have a saw and be done with it.

But now I’m thinking of jumping ship to Milwaukee exclusively but it’d be a waste to buy all new tools.

And I’m also debating cordless. My more used tools are cordless (drill and driver ) but my nail gun is air, table saw is corded, mitre saw is corded.

Cabin is off grid so cordless would be great but is it worth buying cordless for something that is used once a year or less?

I’ll be using a skill saw more often now that I’m comfortable using it. (I used to use the mitre to cut framing lumber ) cordless seems to make sense but ridged ain’t got nothing.

I know tools are personal and there are many schools of thought.

What brand are you guys using, and why? Do you use mostly corded, or cordless, and why?

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#2

Post by Melen » Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:21 am

I went DeWalt.

I use a mixture of corded and cordless.

My large circular saw is a wormdrive and it's corded.

My drill, impact driver, reciprocating saw, jigsaw, and oscillating tool are all cordless. Just makes sense.

My table saw and miter saw are corded. As is my palm sander and 4 inch anglegrinder.

I would like to buy a small cordless circular saw, like a palm grip one, but I've yet to need to the portibility for it yet.


I go by corded vs cordless by how much I'd need to move around with it, how continuous I would have to use it, and how much power it uses. Hence the choices I made.


I'm just a diy'er renovating his home.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#3

Post by AdamSkillin » Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:14 am

I don't have that many tools, but what I do have is a cobbled together hodgepodge of various brands, first- and second-hand, corded and cordless stuff. I much prefer my cordless drill unless I'm going to be far from outlets or up on a ladder. In my experience, very seldom used cordless stuff isn't worth it because the batteries don't do well for long if they only get charged and discharged a few times a year, but that may be my own fault for cheaping out sometimes when I buy such things.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#4

Post by mgil » Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:22 am

For cordless stuff, ask the tradespeople.

I have Ryobi because:

-the one plus system has been around a long while
-batteries are available everywhere
-tools stand up well enough to use
-it’s easy to replace/add tools as needed to the system
-most tools are relatively cheap

It’s a balance of performance, cost, and availability. That’s pretty much the basic factors of optimization for most logistical decisions. You can do the research on your own or ask a few plumbers and electricians. I did the latter and that’s why I have several Ryobi tools.

Regarding purchase of said tools, I usually wait until Black Friday to buy where (typically Home Depot) stores are selling bundles pretty cheap. I’ve also supplemented from the clearance area when they are revamping combos and clearing the old stock out. I think I paid $50 for the 1/2” drill and impact driver combo?

That’s simply my experience. Your mileage may vary.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#5

Post by broseph » Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:34 am

I've been fixer-upper-ing my fixer-upper for several years, including serious demo, framing, plumping, and electrical. Started with cheap Porter Cable NiCad system (it was a gift). That was pretty much garbage right out of the box.

I have 1 DeWalt cordless impact driver that has lasted many years and is still going strong, and a few corded DeWalt tools. All great, but expensive.

I've recently started my Ryobi One+ collection, and I have no regrets. My brother in law does as much work as me, and he also uses that system without complaints.
mgil wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:22 am Ryobi [...] usually wait until Black Friday to buy where (typically Home Depot) stores are selling bundles pretty cheap.
I believe Black Friday and Father's Day are the only times of the year these go on sale. I don't think they did it this past Father's Day because COVID and no one was having sales.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#6

Post by JonA » Fri Aug 28, 2020 11:35 am

Mostly cordless for the smaller tools. Mostly corded for the larger tools.

Make sure you are aware of the mAh rating of the batteries and how that affects the power requirements of the tools. Circular saws, angel grinders, reciprocating saws, etc all tend to be used in more continuous fashion and will quickly drain any battery, as opposed to impact wrenches and drills, which tend to be used in short intervals and therefore stretch a battery much longer. Some platforms let you purchase batteries separately from the tools, so you can choose the capacity you are looking for. Most tools that actually come with a battery tend to have smaller capacities. Extra batteries are always expensive. Don't cheap on the ones you can get on eBay. They aren't worth the time.

Charging time is also a factor. If you need quick charge times, a good charger is worth the money and you should be able to compare wattage. The one that came with a tool is likely not the fastest.

I'm not aware of any larger tools that support a battery platform, like compound miter saws, table saws, air compressors, etc. Those are likely to be problematic no matter what you do, given that you are off the grid.

If you really want good reviews on this stuff, look up Project Farm on youtube. It's an excellent source for actual real world performance and reviews on a variety of tools.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#7

Post by tsor » Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:11 pm

Saw "tool" with a capital "T" and got excited, but then read the thread... [hercules]DISAPPOINTED[/hercules]

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#8

Post by Oldandfat » Fri Aug 28, 2020 5:12 pm

JonA wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 11:35 am Mostly cordless for the smaller tools. Mostly corded for the larger tools.

Make sure you are aware of the mAh rating of the batteries and how that affects the power requirements of the tools. Circular saws, angel grinders, reciprocating saws, etc all tend to be used in more continuous fashion and will quickly drain any battery, as opposed to impact wrenches and drills, which tend to be used in short intervals and therefore stretch a battery much longer. Some platforms let you purchase batteries separately from the tools, so you can choose the capacity you are looking for. Most tools that actually come with a battery tend to have smaller capacities. Extra batteries are always expensive. Don't cheap on the ones you can get on eBay. They aren't worth the time.

Charging time is also a factor. If you need quick charge times, a good charger is worth the money and you should be able to compare wattage. The one that came with a tool is likely not the fastest.

I'm not aware of any larger tools that support a battery platform, like compound miter saws, table saws, air compressors, etc. Those are likely to be problematic no matter what you do, given that you are off the grid.

If you really want good reviews on this stuff, look up Project Farm on youtube. It's an excellent source for actual real world performance and reviews on a variety of tools.
Holy fuck that’s an awesome you tube Chanel. I’ve spent a few hours watching, lol.

There definitely are compressors and table saws that are battery. I wouldn’t buy them though.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#9

Post by alek » Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:25 pm

If you’re going to use it infrequently, I’d go with a Bauer or Hercules cordless saw from Harbor Freight. Likely to be cheaper than most but still useful. When my Dewalt cordless stuff goes—it’s the old 18v stuff—I’m replacing it with HF stuff. I just diy around the house, my paycheck does not depend on tools.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#10

Post by Melen » Sat Aug 29, 2020 6:40 am

JonA wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 11:35 am Mostly cordless for the smaller tools. Mostly corded for the larger tools.

Make sure you are aware of the mAh rating of the batteries and how that affects the power requirements of the tools. Circular saws, angel grinders, reciprocating saws, etc all tend to be used in more continuous fashion and will quickly drain any battery, as opposed to impact wrenches and drills, which tend to be used in short intervals and therefore stretch a battery much longer. Some platforms let you purchase batteries separately from the tools, so you can choose the capacity you are looking for. Most tools that actually come with a battery tend to have smaller capacities. Extra batteries are always expensive. Don't cheap on the ones you can get on eBay. They aren't worth the time.

Charging time is also a factor. If you need quick charge times, a good charger is worth the money and you should be able to compare wattage. The one that came with a tool is likely not the fastest.

I'm not aware of any larger tools that support a battery platform, like compound miter saws, table saws, air compressors, etc. Those are likely to be problematic no matter what you do, given that you are off the grid.

If you really want good reviews on this stuff, look up Project Farm on youtube. It's an excellent source for actual real world performance and reviews on a variety of tools.

DeWalt has a large cordless line that has cordless table saws, vacs, and miter saw. They're ridiculously priced of course.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#11

Post by hsilman » Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:41 pm

Aww, I was hoping this was about the newest Tool album and how you're not sure how to handle that you don't really like it.

Oh well.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#12

Post by Philbert » Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:27 pm

My experience (construction and remodelling contractor for 9 years): I did not find using multiple different battery systems to be a major issue, but in your case your batteries will tend to age out rather than wear out. Having fewer batteries used more frequently (because shared by multiple tools) will be more efficient in terms of battery costs. No cordless tool system does well with annual use. That being the case, if you need a cordless saw buy one with a low replacement battery cost, and ideally one you can use a s abase for a new system as your other tools and batteries die. Keep in mind that DIY tools, with exceptions, have faster battery obsolescence (you cannot buy a new battery for some year old tools) than pro tools. Buying the Harbor Freight saw, with the understanding you will have to replace saw, batteries, and charger in a few years, is not the worst option. If you rarely need to work out of range of your generator a corded saw is more powerful than all but the best cordless tools.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#13

Post by mouse » Mon Aug 31, 2020 5:05 am

All decent posts so far I just want to say if you're in the position to consider just buying a bunch of tools because you want to change brands you're in a pretty sweet spot haha...

Personally? I'd just buy the saw I want and not worry about it. Unless you already have a fleet of tools that share batteries I can't see it being an issue.

My wallet determines brand loyalty.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#14

Post by Oldandfat » Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:34 am

mouse wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 5:05 am All decent posts so far I just want to say if you're in the position to consider just buying a bunch of tools because you want to change brands you're in a pretty sweet spot haha...

Personally? I'd just buy the saw I want and not worry about it. Unless you already have a fleet of tools that share batteries I can't see it being an issue.

My wallet determines brand loyalty.
It’s not because I want to change brands. My main issue is loyalty or dependability and not just reliability.

Right now I need a new skill saw. Ridged does not have a skill saw for me to purchase. (I get it covid, supply chain blah blah blah...(Milwaukee has lots of stock)).

Now I have to consider another brand, and that means a new system which means do I consider going all in or not.

Everything I do has to make sense and has to reenforce what I do in the future. If that makes sense?

Not,related to tools but to give an idea of my thought process let’s say I’m building a wall. 100 bucks. But in the future I’m going to add a propane heater so at the time I’m building the wall I can add additional blocking for 4 dollars or I can just get the wall done and then 5 years later I rip open the wall to add the blocking but now it costs me 200 dollars to do it.

So for tools same thing. I’m all ridged right now so ideally I’ll stick with ridged but if I need a skil,saw I have to stick to corded, because if I go cordless than it’s a different brand then I deal with multiple changing platforms.

Sorry guys I tend to overthink shit all the time. Perfect is the enemy of done.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#15

Post by MPat » Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:20 pm

Been in the trades for 15 years and a avid DIYer, I’ll throw in my 2 cents.

Personally I have a lot of cordless dewalt tools. They are expensive, but they hold up, and in my case when they do break most companies will replace tools if they are a name brand. Some tools I have in corded and cordless. A good example is the circ saw. I use my cordless for quick easy cuts. Any tradesman will tell you the corded wins for faster, better, cleaner cuts. But say I had to climb under the house and make one cut, I’m grabbing the 20 volt. Ripping ply wood all day, I’m getting out a cord, ya dig?

I think most tool brands have pretty good platforms, and depending on what your doing cordless can usually get the job done, granted you have enough batteries, battery size is key here.

I agree with you that I wouldn’t want multiple cordless platforms for my main tools. And I’m too deep into Dewalt to ever change them as my main brand, but I have started gathering some of Milwaukee’s M12 line, which is great for drills/drivers, and a few speciality tools.

If I were a homeowner buying tools for homeowner use and had to start from scratch, Ryobi would probably be my go to. Huge selection, great stock, very well priced, and I’ve seen it hold up on job sites through continuous use.

Last thought, I have corded tools that have been passed down to me that are as old as I am and still work great, the cordless ones that old are in the trash....

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#16

Post by Oldandfat » Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:07 pm

Awesome posts guys. All good food for thought!

So today I replaced my cordless skil with a corded Makita hypoid. It’s heavy, but for what I need it for/amount of times per year I need it, it’s perfect.

If I absolutely need a cordless skil I will buy ridged. If they still don’t have one available then I’ll switch to Milwaukee or possibly ryobi. I really don’t like the green (I own a corded ryobi planer) but at the end of the day reliability and price matter.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#17

Post by Stenson » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:04 pm

All my cordless tools are Milwaukee (both 18v and 12v). Absolutely love em. If you're patient you can find some great deals at HD, or look for refurbs on the CPO outlets website. About half my tools are refurbs and I've never had a problem with them.

Corded tools stay in the shop for the most part, and they're just a hodge podge of whatever I could find a deal on. Some dewalt, some bosch, some hitachi.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#18

Post by Oldandfat » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:54 pm

Stenson wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:04 pm All my cordless tools are Milwaukee (both 18v and 12v). Absolutely love em. If you're patient you can find some great deals at HD, or look for refurbs on the CPO outlets website. About half my tools are refurbs and I've never had a problem with them.

Corded tools stay in the shop for the most part, and they're just a hodge podge of whatever I could find a deal on. Some dewalt, some bosch, some hitachi.
Thanks for the heads up on that website.

Are your Milwaukee fuel or not?

My ridged stuff is older (non octane, heck not even brushless ) and they are great.

So I’m thinking even the non fuel stuff would be just fine.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#19

Post by Philbert » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:52 am

Oldandfat wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:07 pm Awesome posts guys. All good food for thought!

So today I replaced my cordless skil with a corded Makita hypoid. It’s heavy, but for what I need it for/amount of times per year I need it, it’s perfect.
THat is a nice saw. THe other benefit is when you are done with it you can leave it to your favorite grandkid, it will probably still be going strong when they die.
Oldandfat wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:07 pmIf I absolutely need a cordless skil I will buy ridged. If they still don’t have one available then I’ll switch to Milwaukee or possibly ryobi. I really don’t like the green (I own a corded ryobi planer) but at the end of the day reliability and price matter.
This seems like a good strategy overall.

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Re: Tool guys let’s talk about what I should do

#20

Post by Oldandfat » Thu Sep 03, 2020 12:55 pm

Philbert wrote: Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:52 am
Oldandfat wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:07 pm Awesome posts guys. All good food for thought!

So today I replaced my cordless skil with a corded Makita hypoid. It’s heavy, but for what I need it for/amount of times per year I need it, it’s perfect.
THat is a nice saw. THe other benefit is when you are done with it you can leave it to your favorite grandkid, it will probably still be going strong when they die.
Oldandfat wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:07 pmIf I absolutely need a cordless skil I will buy ridged. If they still don’t have one available then I’ll switch to Milwaukee or possibly ryobi. I really don’t like the green (I own a corded ryobi planer) but at the end of the day reliability and price matter.
This seems like a good strategy overall.
The only negative is the saw has no hook. Strange for a “pro” tool. Thanks to,google, and,12 bucks later,One is,on route

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