Comment by linsomniac
3 days ago
I just switched over the last 6 months over to Milwaukee tools for my home DIY stuff and they are really exceptional. I got one of the 7 1/4" circular saws with a FORGE battery and it just cuts everything I've thrown at it effortlessly. I'd put it as more powerful than my Dewalt 10" corded tablesaw, at least it seems much happier to rip a 2x4 than the table saw. I even designed a 3D printed sled for it to run on my track saw tracks and it does a great job there.
Some of the battery powered tools really are more powerful these days, since a home 110v circuit is limited to a total draw of 1800w or so. The latest gen 18v/24v batteries can actually deliver more than that, at least for short bursts. Especially the big 4AH+ packs.
I recently purchased a M18 trimmer after not using one for years, it still surprises me that when not on the throttle - "off" is truly off, and not the persistent hum of a 2 stroke that is too loud in your left ear. No fumes and no fuel/oil mix to worry about.
I've tried to minimize the number of battery families I have, but I did buy into the Ego set of tools ~10 years ago for the yard tools, starting with the mower but I've since added the trimmer and chainsaw. Not having to do small motor repair and maintenance has been so nice!
I was a little annoyed that some of the Milwaukee tools require you to go with the M12 battery (the "bandfile" is what sucked me in) so now I've got 2 battery ecosystems for the tools, but I guess that's not the end of the world.
Even TTI’s lesser Ryobi stuff (my usual go to as a DIYer who bought two tools 15 years ago and the batteries are still compatible) has benefited immensely from tabless and 21700 cells. My 21700 8aH batteries is usually the difference between “can’t cut” and “huh is slowed a little <shrug>”
I think the Ryobi are a good choice. ~12 years ago I got Porter Cable tools, and they worked very well for me over that time. But there was a pretty limited set of tools available, it did cover the core ones though. I had previously had DeWalt tools and felt I didn't use them up to their potential, so I went "down" to the Porter Cable.
I almost went with Ryobi when I did my recent refresh. But I've changed to doing way, way more with the tools, I'm basically using them every weekend now. And the Milwaukees are just a joy to use, though you do pay for that. One benefit I didn't realize when I bought the hammer drill: It will detect if it grabs and the tool starts spinning. I was using a mini auger to break up some soil and the Porter Cable I nearly broke my wrist when it grabbed. I got the Milwaukee partly because it had a second handle you could add, but the accelerometer worked even better than that.