With tax money coming back soon I convinced my wife to let me blow my load on some tools.
Just starting out on my own so high end shit is out of the question. But im also not looking to get cheep crap that breaks on me.
My dad says to buy dewalt, Grandpa says to buy craftsmen, Uncle says porter cable, mechanic brother says snap on ect ect.
Help me out here.
Not doing daily construction work or anything. But i would like my tools to not break on 1st or 2nd remodel.
The Craftsmen C3 line looks decent. As dose the 20 volt portercable line.
Should i go cordless or corded? Cordless ill have the added expense of batteries. corded ill have to have power anywhere im working and be unpluging and pluging in tools.
>>951984
I have a handfull of toys.
>table saw
>compound miter saw / chop saw
>router + table
>orbital sander
>an ok number of hand tools (wrenches, socket sets and the like)
I have always liked doing wood work and see my chance to get some stuff to be able to start doing that on my own.
Im look at a jig saw and some drills first of all. Also keeping an eye out for clamps, chisels and files and some other odds and ends.
>>951987
Are you OP or not, I cant tell.
>>952001
Yes i am ok. First 2 posts and this one.
Am very tired and my bodys on / off switch is getting ready to turn to off.
>>952004
OP*.... yeah its time for bed.
>>951984
>Not spending your hard earned money on whatever dumb shit you want
Man up bitch.
I've never had an issue with any of my dewalt tools, so i'll vouch for 'em. Never tried them other brands though
My personal preference is corded, because I hate batteries and they seem to wear out very fast. Corded is also much less expensive, so more tools can be purchased.
Switching plugs isn't an issue for me, it's as easy as putting in ear plugs after the first hour of working with them.
As far as brands go, they're all pretty good. I've molested my craftsmen router and it still runs great. The porter cable heat gun I've got hasn't given me any issues. At my old work place there were lots of DeWalt cordless drills and porter cable routers, those could take anything, in three years of working there I'd only seen one router replaced and that was from a fork lift crushing it. The drills had very old and over used batteries, so the charge lasted for about five minutes of drilling. Snap on is nice and will likely out last you, but they are god damn expensive. My kobalt compound miter saw is sturdy as shit, had a piece of lumber that wasn't dried properly and it exploded mid cut and only broke one of the add on wings off. Still holds angles.
My botsch jig saw works fine, i don't use it too often though, I've only gone through one blade so far.
I prefer Hitachi drills, but max craft works very well too.
Irwin metal clamps are my personal favorite. They're stronger than the plastic squeeze handle clamps and easier to use for me.
As far as chisels go, make sure the steel is a decent and the handle is comfortable in your hands. And don't use a metal hammer on chisels, use a wooden mallet or rubber mallet.
Files are the same as chisels, as long as they are made of decent materials and fit your hands they'll work.
For renovation and having no electricity, how far are you willing to go for that? Are you a licensed electrician or know enough about it to not kill yourself? Can you establish power before other work is needed? Do you have enough money, time and motivation to renovate?
Ive used Hitachi fir the last few years and cannot fault them, others will possibly disagree though.
If you want to keep it cheap then i would go battery power on most stuff but mains for things like the sds drill(providing you want one capible of heavier jobs)
>>952030
Another advantage to corded is that you can mix and match with out having to worry about batteries.
Ie. Dewalt drill, makita grinder, Bosch power saw, etc.
And buying everything one after the other still works cheaper than blowing everything on a kit of battery tools and you don't have to worry about getting meme tools that you would hardly use.
Don't blow your load on your tools, do it in a tissue and then flush that son of a bitch.
So if I wanted to build something similar like >>950785.
What kinda tools will I need? (wood making will be by a friend, I'll buy the tools for it afterward) Welding machine, pillar drill, grinder, x-saw..
There are certain tools I would only buy corded. Everything else I'll try battery, rule of thumb being if it's primary function is to cut, you're better off corded.
From experience makita is the brand is go to for anything.
>>952087
I second Makita. Been through most brands (used to have a kitchen business) but Makita never left me down. Worst was Shitachi
>>952070
While it's nice to have one battery platform to hand, I personally never really give it much consideration beyond that.
If I buy a tool I expect it to have 2 batteries with it or I will purchase 2 batteries with it.
Even if I have 2, 3, 4 etc tools using the same batteries. Reason being you could (albeit unlucky and unlikely) have several of those batteries fail and then you're limited to whatever you have left. Ie:
3 batteries over 3 tools between 2 tradesmen. 1 battery fails. There's going to be a point where one maybe can't be as productive because you're waiting for one of those remaining 2 batteries to charge.
For most this scenario won't apply but for those who need reliability over cost it's a big thing to consider.
>>952030
>>952070
OP back again.
Yeah my main worry with buying cordless is that im going to pick a brand for my cordless tools and stick with it so i dont have to buy a craftsmen, Porter cable AND dewalt batteries.
I know enough about electricity to not get myself killed during a reno. Just finished up remodeling my basement and i rewired the whole thing. I did have an electrician friend come out when i came to putting everything in the breaker box though.
I am leaning towards Craftsmen right now. There are a few K-marts going out of business around me and they have started marking shit down. Im gonna wait it out though till it hits %50 or %60 off. If i can pick up a few tools at that kind of discount then i will.
>>952300
I had 2 Kmarts go out near me.
They shipped all their good stuff to other stores, then they marked their prices way up.
Their 30% off sales were literally regular price.
Dont hold your breath on getting power tools at a good price.
Have you looked into Ryobi?
Cheap, made by the same company that makes Craftsman and Milwaukee power tools
And I have a strong feeling that Ryobi is going to have their batteries availble a lot longer than Craftsman will.
Sears just OEMs shit, keeps it a year and switches to something else. Look at their BoltOn or Nextec stuff where they no longer make batteries for.
>>952303
But you can use the new C3 batteries in old battery powered craftsmen tools.
And from what i have seen the C3 line is fairly good for the money.
i doo like milwaaakeee fuel series
>>952092
I found with Hitachi their brad nailer is shit their 15ga finish nailer is decent enough but replacement parts are stupid expensive. I've had to replace the driver twice already and buying that part twice has already exceeded what I paid originally for the gun. Thankfully my boss buys the parts. Probably gonna upgrade to senco if and when my driver fails for the 4th time. My senco brad nailer is a beast.
>>952304
I am using new Ryobi batteries in ten year old drills and circular saws. Battery unity is their biggest thing.
Ok you America. Can i please tell you which Tools to buy? Please Buy this Stuff and throw everything else AWAY
For Heavy Construction Stuff, Drilling Holes in Concrete, Work on Brick Walls etc etc
HILTI is the Brand to go
When it has something to do with Wood: Cutting drilling Saw etc
FESTOOL is the ONLY choice
Except circular saw or plunge saw, this one you will buy from MAFFEL
ok i repeat HILTI, FESTOOL, MAFFEL
everything else goes to trash.
>>953494
>Festool
Never heard of anywhere else in the world. Same with Milwaukee.
Those brands are America only and they are that way for a reason.
>>953494
I don't agree.
I'm in England. I don't know if that has a bearing against your argument. Either way:
I agree Hilti offer brilliant tools, good customer service and replacement. I have a few hilti hilti battery tools and they're brilliant but not all their tools are the best.
Festool however I don't think are as good as everyone says. I think festool users try to justify the amount they've spent by repeatedly saying they're the best for woodwork.
They're not. They're good but just because they have a high price tag they are not the be all end all.
The only tool they sell for wood work that is worth the coin is the domino.
>>951984
Some of the internal part that Porter Cable have similarities to Dewalt since they are both subsidiary SB&D but Porter cable shares more similarities with B&D tools
>e.g Porter Cable batteries are internally the same as Black Decker batteries, you just have cut a small plastic part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utx4fLTdAbQ
Some Dewalt's entry level cordless have 4 instead of the usual 5 contacts
I own all but the jigsaw and grinder in pic related.
First off, unless you work in construction, there's no need to go with dewalt.
The Porter cable impact IS THE SHIT!! I welcome any oppurtunity to use that little fucker.
The drill is ok but they make a 20v hammer drill for heavy use.
> if use torture the drill in pic related if will break.
Skilsaw is a bit shaky but overall not bad
Flashlight is a flashlight
The tigersaw is a beast but doesn't have a variable speed setting, meaning it's based on trigger sensitivity.
Oh, buy the 4ah battery $90 otherwise you won't be using the grinder or saws for long.
>>953555
Good ergonomics and blah blah too.
>>951984
>I convinced my wife to let me blow my load on some tools
Buy glorious makita op. Get one good set with like 3 4ah batteries and then just buy bodies for rest of the tools. (like buy drill with batteries and charger, then just got the body of impact, circular saw etc.
Ryobi.
>>952300
I have both craftsman and dewalt cordless tools, neither are as good as makita, but they work just fine. The battery value from craftsman is pretty hard to beat
>>953513
The rotax is a pretty fucking good sander and the track saw is awesome. Wouldn't know about the other tools as I'm not about to go out and spend 500 dollars on things like a shop vac
The only tools I would go with cordless are my drill and driver, because I use them so much that I don't think they'll last me much longer after the battery line becomes outdated.
My other tools (circular saw, angle grinder, jigsaw, various sanders etc) are not as commonly used so I will deal with the inconvenience for the sake of longevity.
That said, I actually do have the 20v Max Porter Cable drill and driver, which are fine. I'm a /diy/er, not a pro, so I don't need the durability/performance/sex appeal of DeWalt or what have you. But the good news is that these have totally surprised me with their durability and performance. I had my driver drop 4 feet onto concrete right onto the tip of the bit at an angle and I thought it was a goner. Nope, didn't do any damage to the tool at all.
>>951984
Also interested. Dropped my cheap cordless drill off my roof while installing new gutters. Needless to say, it isn't responding. I wanted to invest in a quality compact cordless drill now. Was thinking of Hilti. Anyone have any experience with them?
>>954059
that you're throwing tools off of the roof is a reason to make many changes in your life, but buying more expensive tools is not one of them
>>954079
>9.6/10 response, would personally offer financial support towards potential 2020 POTUS candidacy.
>>954079
your autism is showing
I'll be hated for saying it here but I buy Ryobi for all my cordless tools. Here's the thing, if you need a vast variety of tools (2 drills, impact driver, small circ saw, palm sander, jigsaw, flashlight, sawzall, etc.) then don't bankrupt yourself on a nice one of each. I got the lithium ion batteries and under weekly use I've had one battery start crapping out after 5 years. Great purchase, no regrets.
However... in my experience angle grinders, circ saws and jigsaws are best as corder equipment. They just use so much juice so forget batteries. I do have a battery ones but only for places where I can't run power.
For good deals, check craigslist for used or maybe wait for father's day sales.
Are you interested in hand held or a table saw and chop saw too? Good wood clamps are life savers. I prefer hand tightening clamps over Irwin quick clamps.
>>951984
>Just starting out on my own so high end shit is out of the question. But im also not looking to get cheep crap that breaks on me.
>My dad says to buy dewalt, Grandpa says to buy craftsmen, Uncle says porter cable, mechanic brother says snap on ect ect.
Your best bet is Makita or Ryobi. Any lower brand is going to feel like a Toys'R'Us plaything next to one of those brands, almost not worth the money to buy it unless you really are using it about once or twice a year for fifteen minutes. The "ten thousand tools in one box" kits are generally good bang for the bucks if you really want that many tools, I work construction and I don't need half the tools in a lot of those sets.
Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, and to some degree Ryobi are all more-or-less equal, Dewalt and Milwaukee are probably the highest quality by a slight margin but unless you're using it every day you'll probably never notice. Makita and Ryobi are far cheaper, Makita feels far nicer than Ryobi but it's a bit more expensive unless it's on sale. Snap-Ons are overpriced and they're decent but they're definitely not worth all that extra money in my opinion.
>Craftsman
Don't buy Craftsman for anything more complicated than putting together boxed sets from Walmart, or you'll be disappointed. Nobody I know (might be a West Coast thing, who knows) really uses anything Porter Cable, it's either hobbyists with B&D/Craftsman or industry Makita/Milwaukee/DeWalt (and the occasional Ryobi user.)
My dad used B&D for hobbyist stuff for about a decade, then he switched to Makita once he got more serious about his hobby and it was like (to hear him talk about it) trading up from a Civic to a WRX.
On the topic of batteries, I'd make sure you're getting something with Lithium Ion (all the major professional-tier brands outside DeWalt solely market LI, I believe Dewalt still sells NiH under the "18V" name and LI under the "20V" mark, despite them both being 18volt tools.)
Ryobi is shit.
Makita for serious tools and if you want to save money on anything just get something from HF with a warranty. I have things like orbital sanders, demo hammers, etc. From HF and they work great considering they cost like 20% of what comparable stuff does in other stores.
Hilti if you're a baller.
Grizzly or Jet for table saws, planers, etc.
>>956065
Yeah, this guy has no fucking idea what he's talking about, slit his throat please.
>>956859
The price of the makita's does not justify home owner use.
I use a bunch of ryobi li puke green stuff for hotel maintenance. 48 rooms, restaurant, conference room coastal property so shit is always broken.
We run the tools hard enough to be considered pro usage and they hold up just fine.
The only thing I could say is that if you get the grinder get 2 4ah batteries dedicated for it even if it is only light stuff. It will burn through one in 5 mins of runtime. And if you have a grinding job worth more than. 10 mins run time. Pull out your cord.
If you go anything more serious then makita brushless all the way. The power saw that uses 2 18v batteries is a beast.
>18V brushless
>18V brush
>12V brushless
>12V brush
pick one and only one
>>956887
wat
>>956864
The makita brushless 6 1/2" circular saw is amazing. Battery life is ridiculous, it's quiet (for a saw), and weighs like 8 lbs.
I think its like $180 for just the saw and $375 for the saw, 2 4ah batteries, and the carrying case.
Maybe your ryobis are ok, but the latest gen seem to have lower duty cycles and trip thermals more often, etc. Like I said, if I didn't need makitas I'd just get HF. I bought a 12v cordless drill from them for like $40 and it's a gem for lighter stuff like furniture work or moderate construction tasks.
>>953505
We have festool here in Australia, though I've only seen them in TAFE where you learn a trade instead of using them at work.
>>956065
As much as I want to dissect this whole post for how retarded and innacurate it is, ill leave it as this.
The Craftsman line in question is made by TTI, they are the brand that makes the Ryobi tools you are touting. Same tier tools, literally
>>953494
Hilti is absolute top of the range gear, like a genuine next step up in tool grade from your Milwaukees, DeWalkts etc. Unfortunately very few of their tools are worth paying the premium. Especially battery tool sets.
The company I work for just did a battery tool upgrade, and we genuinely wanted to go to Hilti but unfortunately when you can buy 2-3 Milwaukee sets for the price of 1 Hilti set the choice is easy.
The Hilti battery gear we do have is bloody nice though. And there core drills are awesome.
>>957233
A specialized concrete repair mob I worked on site with only used Hilti and Festool, and it was mostly labor hire cunts working for them as well so they didn't realize the luxury they had.
>>951984
I've had good experience with Ryobi, Makita, and Milwaukee. Shit we used the cheap 'throw away' Ryobi drill with a grout mixer on site and it managed easily. Battery tools seem that good nowadays it's hard to fuck up.
Hello, Taxbro. Congrats on deciding to spend your return on something useful!
I recommend spending a few extra minutes researching advantages/cons of buying expensive brand name tools before shelling out.
In most cases I would not recommend Festool/Dewalt to a jolly amateur because you wouldn't get your money's worth.
I assume you're interested in expanding the range of things you can do, and in that case I'd recommend checking out youtube for tips and tricks. Most old tools can be fixed cheaply, and if you check out a dude called AvE, he has teardowns of expensive and cheap tools alike, where he explains how production has cut corners and what that means for you as a dingbat with too much money on your hands.
Worth a look.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA
>>957315
Let me clarify right quick before some contractor who hasn't gotten his daily fingerblasting freaks out.
Hilti, Dewalt, Fein and Festool are high quality, high profile, high value tools. They have a different "failure rate" than cheap tools.
This means: festool will break on you. After some thousand hours. Cheap tools are engineered to break before, by having parts that are more prone to wear than they should or need to be.
However, if you can buy 10 cheap drills for the price of 2 good fein tools, I'd rather buy one good Fein tool and 5 drills, because for fucks sake, you don't use all the tools equally much...
TL;DR: Unless you use all your tools equally much, or make millions, there is literally no point in being a snob. Tools break. They can be fixed.
Use your money on variety to give yourself more options, not on quality to give yourself more time not to do anything.
>>953505
Festool are available everywhere, and they're top-end.
>>953505
https://www.festool.com
>German produced tools recognized by literally every contractor as "top notch".
>Highly modern design and over-engineered to hell and back.
>America only for a reason
Tip Top Snek Kek
>>951984
I own several rentals and do all the work on them myself I have all wireless Ryobi tools. Great battery life and I've never had a problem with any of the tools. I wish they had a battery powered roofing nailer though. For hand tools I use estwing and craftsman tools from a tool resale shop or Craigslist. Hand tools I only use German or American made tools. Cut the cord and go cordless it increases your speed greatly.
>>957336
>everywhere
Never seen one. Never knew they nor fein nor milwaukee, existed until I came to /diy/.
>>957157
My ryobi cordless stuff I got last august.
Though I also have a ryobi blue and black 7" grinder and 9" power saw that you can tell are much better built.
>>957501
Yeah, it's a shame. Some of my uncle's older tools are ryobi and really nice, but I haven't been impressed by the ones I've seen or used at the stores and demo shows. From what I hear they are having issues with the manufacturing in the US and that the stuff from across the pond (for UK bros) is still good.
Most of my makita dickriding is because my father was a dealer in the early 90s, so he's always been really adamant about them. They are getting better from what I can tell, though I haven't tried everything they make.
>>957880
Makita was made in Japan in the 90s
They like every other mainstream brand have suffered in quality after jumping ship to chinese factories.
They all did it around the time of changing from Nicad to Lithium batteries, so everyone kind of igrnores how the tools are crappier and justifies it by saying "look how much better the run time is!"
>>957885
I have never noticed a lower quality except for maybe their entry level stuff. The battery life has gone up, not just because of the batteries but because of the motors themselves.
My biggest thing is how much quieter even the recent models have gotten. The older models are loud as fuck and the new ones you can gave a conversation while using. The power is smooth, the duty cycles are proper, and I've not had any issues. I really don't consider them expensive either, not once you get the batteries. I'm not down talking every brand out there, simply sharing what I myself know.
I slap diablo blades on all my saws and buy some quality bits for the drills and go to town. I think that makes more of a difference beyond noise and battery life.
