Milwaukee are supposed to be the best, then Makita. Dewalt is good too but there have been questions about them getting worse compared to a few years ago but I would pick Milwaukee or Makita over them. Rigid has the best warranty (lifetime) and probably mid-tier. Their new Octane line is pretty cool but pricy. The "worst" is Ryobi but for an average DIYer any of those will be fine.
Think about what you really need. Most people just need a drill and impact driver. The Rigid 5 piece kit for $250 that has drill, driver, impact wrench, grinder (all brushless), and light + 2 batteries is a great deal especially.
Honestly, their previous highly discounted bundle pricing was better. I picked up a Ridgid driver/drill and a impact drill plus two 2Ah batteries, charger and bag for $99.
The current deals require the purchase of two 3Ah batteries for $169 and you get one tool.
The prior deal got 33% less battery and 100% more tool for 40% less money.
The Ryobi tools are bulkier and tend to be a generation behind in tech, but they're durable as anything. I've seen shared workshops (makerspaces) beat the hell out of cheap Ryobi tools for years and the only thing that ever failed was the batteries. And this was back in the NiCd era, the new lithiums are much better. I own and continue to use a lot of Ryobi stuff, because it just won't quit.
Milwaukee s professionals and tends to cost a bit more, but you get more compact tools with the same or better power, and some nicer features like chuck detents and anti-backdriving mechanisms that make it easier to get the most performance out of a drill, for instance.
Ryobi has a zillion tools that a zillion uses -- I made a cordless soldering iron before they did, but now you can just buy one if that's what you need! There's a flex-shaft rotary tool, and a small power inverter, and a hot-glue gun, in addition to all the usual drills and saws and stuff. There are paint sprayers and nailers and hedge trimmers, all on the same battery. A genuinely nice stick-vacuum! And some of it, like the glue gun, you simply won't find anywhere else. For this reason, I have some Ryobi stuff mixed into my otherwise-mostly-Milwaukee shop.
The way I see it, Milwaukee really has two "families" of tools. There's the stuff priced for the "mere mortal" who uses generic tools like drills and saws. These are the same things you'd find in any other brand, with a bit higher price, performance, and ergonomics.
And then there's the uber-specialized "you must be making your living with these tools to justify them" side, with things like threaded-rod cutters and PEX crimpers, a really serious angle grinder, crimpers that used to require hydraulics. With many of those well beyond $500/ea they're simply not for casual users to keep around. Milwaukee has a huge selection of this stuff, primarily aimed at electricians and plumbers.
Comments & Reviews (25)
Think about what you really need. Most people just need a drill and impact driver. The Rigid 5 piece kit for $250 that has drill, driver, impact wrench, grinder (all brushless), and light + 2 batteries is a great deal especially.
I picked up a Ridgid driver/drill and a impact drill plus two 2Ah batteries, charger and bag for $99.
The current deals require the purchase of two 3Ah batteries for $169 and you get one tool.
The prior deal got 33% less battery and 100% more tool for 40% less money.
Milwaukee s professionals and tends to cost a bit more, but you get more compact tools with the same or better power, and some nicer features like chuck detents and anti-backdriving mechanisms that make it easier to get the most performance out of a drill, for instance.
Ryobi has a zillion tools that a zillion uses -- I made a cordless soldering iron before they did, but now you can just buy one if that's what you need! There's a flex-shaft rotary tool, and a small power inverter, and a hot-glue gun, in addition to all the usual drills and saws and stuff. There are paint sprayers and nailers and hedge trimmers, all on the same battery. A genuinely nice stick-vacuum! And some of it, like the glue gun, you simply won't find anywhere else. For this reason, I have some Ryobi stuff mixed into my otherwise-mostly-Milwaukee shop.
The way I see it, Milwaukee really has two "families" of tools. There's the stuff priced for the "mere mortal" who uses generic tools like drills and saws. These are the same things you'd find in any other brand, with a bit higher price, performance, and ergonomics.
And then there's the uber-specialized "you must be making your living with these tools to justify them" side, with things like threaded-rod cutters and PEX crimpers, a really serious angle grinder, crimpers that used to require hydraulics. With many of those well beyond $500/ea they're simply not for casual users to keep around. Milwaukee has a huge selection of this stuff, primarily aimed at electricians and plumbers.
Thank you!