Best Brand of Tools?
 

I've bought mostly craftsman for handtools. Any thoughts on power tools etc.

1. Hilti.
2. Tie...Porter Cable and Milwaukee.
3. All the rest of the crap.

imho...

There was a huge thread on this very topic a few months back with lots of opinions and observations.

-bear

DeWalt or Milwaukee. Porter cable after them.

I use craftsmen tapemesures just because they are guaranteed for life, so when one breaks the next one is free.

DeWalt - the professional line from Black and Decker (B&D is crap).

I have been using Ryobi for years. They recently changed the design of all of their battery packs so that the new ones won't work with the old drills, etc. Plus they don't include a quick charger in the drill sets anymore. The bean counters must be running the show.

Because of this, when my current drill starts to have problems, I'm switching to DeWalt.

Most of my power tools are DeWalt, but it depends on the individual tool. Imho, Makita makes better drills. Don't stick to a brand name though, check reviews and find out the best tool for you.

I would agree with fhgwhgads, don't stick to a brand name and check reviews. I have a few pro grade tools, but each one was bought after checking reviews for specific tools.

I have a fair number of craftsman hand tools and they all have lifetime guarantee. I was in over Christmas to pick up some stocking stuffer 'screw-outs' and witnessed an elderly man return a worn out screwdriver. Not a broken screwdriver, a worn out one. Sears exchanged it for a new one without hesistation. They also make alright powertools if you don't justify professional grade, my table saw, for example.

Milwaukee makes a very nice recip saw. I swear Makita and to a lesser extent Porter Cable.

Incidently, after recent extensive drill research, I bought a Bosch, which I'm quite happy with. At least as far as drills are concerned, stay away from Dewalt and Makita, in my opinion. Dewalt has a "sleeve bushing" deal that wears out quickly and is a pain in the ass to replace- and such things don't belong in pro grade tools. I have also read- but not seen first hand- that Makita cordless have battery issues but I don't know enough to expand on it.

Yeah, the term 'sleeve bushing' seems wrong, but I just phoned my buddy who used to fight with his dewalt all the time. He called it 'that sleeve dealy', which is about on par what I was calling it. Bottom line, where other heavy duty drills have real bearings, the recent and current dewalt models have a sleeve that doesn't perform as well.

Bosch cordless drills are as good as it gets in my opinion, they also make an incredible jigsaw. I'm a cabinet maker and I have used several different brands of routers, nothing beats Porter Cable when it comes to a router. Milwaukee makes what I consider to be the best reciprocating saw on the market. I have owned a few Craftsman power tools (I currenly own a 13.2 volt cordless Craftsman drill, I paid 40 bucks for it and it is a 40 dollar cordless drill, nothing more nothing less) and they are low quality at best.

Read magazines like Consumer's Reports, Fine Woodworking, Fine Home Building and their like. Do indeed follow the advide of the above few posts and READ REVIEWS before buying.

Spend wisely, and you will not have to spend often. In 20 years, I have repaired most of my tools and replaced none (save the stolen).

Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Rigid, not necessarily in that order. depends on the applacation.

The rest are not even in the playing field.

I have had good luck with my Dewalt hammer drill and cordless saw. No sleeve issues yet, I've owned it for three years. As far as hand tools I have Craftsman and Snap On. Both good stuff Snap On is nice but pricey.

I use Hilti, De walt, and Makita.
IMHO Hilti have the best hammer drills, Makita have the best battery drills and DeWalt have a good general quality and that is why I use them for Circ Saw, Drop/mitre saw etc.

My dad likes DeWalt, so I like DeWalt. I figure he's been around long enough to have an informed opinion on the topic.

Where you talking power tools or hand tools?

Hand tools are all over the place.

Pipe Wrench: Ridgid
Wrenches and Sockets: Snap-On
Adjustable wrenches: Cresent
Hammers: Estwing

etc...

Maybe I'm just a sucker for advertising or maybe it's because I've never had a problem with them, but I'm going to have to vote for craftsman.

Makita cordless drill has great balance so you can drill all day and not get a tired forarm...and you will get a tired forearm.

The Ryobi BT3100 table saw is a good deal for the hobbyist. There is a new brand that can sense flesh and stop the blade immediately. It works. It costs a few hundred more. I don't know how good the saw is but the brake is unbelievable. How much is a finger worth.

Porter Cable 557 biscuit joiner is one of a kind.

Build your jigs. It's lots cheaper and much more fun.

I like Dewalt and Mastercraft (For those in Canada you know about Mastercraft and for those that arent it is a brand name from a store called Canadian Tire) They both have pretty good balance and power. Course who am I kidding I love all power tools but those are just the ones I use/used most often.

Im also a Dewalt fan.....

My dad has always used Craftsman. He likes the warranty on them since if you break it, they'll replace it free of charge. He has broken several sockets and got them replaced without a problem. Just took some time for the shipping.

Any more information on that table saw? The tip of my thumb is just starting to grow back from my latest fight with my table saw.

Makita for me for power tools.
Snap-on for hand tools.

For blowing a hole to concrete etc. Hilti is your tool. I've used those at work for over ten years now (Both cordless and normal hammerdrills) We tried some other brands just out of curiosity but they didnt last as long as Hilti tools. We use daily nailguns and hammerdrills. At home we had a normal Makita drill which lasted over 10 years. Dunno how the quality is atm. Now we have Bosch and been happy with that. Well balanced and the quick lock thing works fine.

Good luck with the hunt.

how many knuckles has he broken because of the broken sockets?Craftsman has a good warranty, but they can't compare to Snap-On. Use them on a daily basis to make your living, and you will quickly learn the difference.

My power tools include Makita, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Hilti, Ryobi and Bosch. If you're looking at spending some serious money, pick up a copy of 'Tools of the Trade', a Hanley-Wood publication put out every other month.

Depending upon the tool tested, different manufacturers come out on top in various categories owing to features and design differences. There is no one manufacturer who makes the best of everything.

Porter cable, Milwakee, Hilti, Bosch, Makita, Dewalt >>all good.....but more bang for the buck and a lot better warranty(2yr), and a no-hassle free battery exchange
>>>good old B & D....
Craftman are great too,...if you catch 'em at 1/2 price when Craftsman changes their vendor

I agree with fhqwhgads...


DeWalt, makes great battery operated tools. Makita produces better quallity drills and saws. PortaCable is not a bad alternate but you pay top dollar for it. You can not go wrong with Craftsman, because if it breaks, take it back.

yeap /agree hands down

Craftsman for hand tools. Very well built, and there are Sears stores all over, so if one does break (and they will--this is a fact, regardless of brand), take it back and get it replaced. They have always been very accomodating in replacing anything me or my father (who also uses Crafstman hand tools, and a lot more than I do) have broken.

As for power tools, it depends on what it is. There have been some good brands mentioned in here. I will leave this one up to others more knowledgable than me.

As above - there is no single brand tool best in general. My shop has Hitachi, Powermatic, Porter Cable, Jet, Makita, Milwaukee and Grizzly in descending order of quantity. I tend to over-research tools and buy the best I can afford - waiting a while longer for a tool and buying a good one is well worth it to me. Some brands I will no longer touch with a stick as they have burned me (e.g. anything produced by B&D (regardless of color), anything Craftsman with a plug, anything Delta from the past 7 years, etc.) There is no right or wrong answer - depends on the user and what type of tool you are buying.

Tools of the Trade is a good resource - as are Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding. Woodworking.com and Woodweb are good places to float potential purchases on their boards too.

I am a DeWalt fan. I do not say they are the best, but I have not had any problems with them. I do agree that not every maker makes the best of all tools, and that you should defintaly look at all brands to find the best for your needs.

I think that I agree with a lot of people already, but I am a huge Porter Cable and Dewalt fan.

Power tools: Mostly Dewalt, with some Milwaukee thrown in because Dewalt doesn't make that particular tool.

Pneumatic tools: Paslode for nailers, Ingersoll-Rand for everything else, with the exception of my Snap-On air hammer (my favoritest tool in the whole wide world :D)

Hand tools: Snap-On. If you ever use Craftsman and Snap-On wrenches side by side, you will find someone you don't like to give the Craftsman set to.

As far as impact sockets go Sunex is about the best deal out there. They are inexpensive (as in, you don't feel guilty when you use one as a drift punch), guaranteed, and in several years of use and occasional abuse, I have never had one break.

It is quite a good deal for a table saw, 10" with 30 left, 31 right. Nice blade guard, and a connector for your shop vac (so the wife doesn't kill you. Couldn't find a better saw for the money. $299 at HD. I just can't cough up 600 for a good one from anyone else.

DeWalt has the best electric drills/screw guns I have ever used in my entire life

Yep, they always do this for me too, no questions.

snap-on makes a mean socket wrench.

I Have found that this is dependent on the powertool that you want. For example if you are looking for a sawall, milwaukee makes the best. If its a Miter saw, I like a Dewalt. Keep in mind all the big names will be pretty good for the occisional user/ non contractor, it comes down to what feels the most comfortable in your hand. Also consider the weight.

I think if I worked with tools all day, and couldn't afford to be running to sears occasionally, then I would buy snap-on and pay the money for slightly better reliability. Being that I am a homeowner who likes to tinker a little with his cars, craftsman works for me. I have a dewalt 9.6 volt cordless for some years now, and it has not given me any problems.

This is smelling suspiciously like the old Ford Chevy Dodge barroom argument. ;) And I know I have a better truck and tools than you, anyway. So there. :D