[michaelcherr]

I currently love my bosch 12v tools.
I have the impact driver, drill driver and sawzall.

I sometimes want a bit more power and am looking to invest in 18v. Would like an impact driver, and a drill/driver preferably with hammer drill function, but could live without.
Would probably buy cordless circ. Saw and sawzall in the future.
I do not use these day in day out, but do alot of property management/maintenance and need something dependable, but am worried about price and battery quality.
I have all the corded tools, but mostly do alot of very small projects, where getting out an extension cord and finding power represent a decent amount of time percentage wise.

Any recommendations on a good value? Brands to go for/avoid?

 

[VanillaEps]

I was in the same situation a few weeks ago. I had a 12V Ryobi that failed me during a TV wall mount installation. The drill just didn't have enough power to push through a screw into a stud. Even with a pilot hole.

So, I did my research on cordless tools and decided on the 20V Max lineup of cordless tools from DeWalt. I purchased them separately instead of the combo set because some of the tools in the combo set lack a couple of key options that the bare tool has.

Cordless Drill/driver - DCD780
Cordless Impact driver - DCF895
Cordless Circular saw - DCS391

The brushless impact driver has been my favorite tool of the three. This set has performed admirably for my small projects at home thus far.

 

[ddawg16]

Depends on the money you want to spend. I have all Ryobi stuff....I have used the dog crap out of my drills and sawzall.

For the money, the Ryobi 18v stuff is a great value....you can even get the cordless weed wacker that uses the same battery.

What ever you pick, decide on one and go with it. The best bang for the buck is having all your cordless tools using the same batteries...that way you keep 2-3 batteries and can use them everywhere.

 

[jeffsw6]

Cordless Drill/driver - DCD780
Cordless Impact driver - DCF895
Cordless Circular saw - DCS391

Note that the DCD780 is the smaller of the two 20V drills. If you want more torque for tough jobs, there is a huge difference between the 780 and the bigger one. There's also a size difference; the 780 will fit into places the big one won't.

I own the 780 and the first thing I used it for was drilling a hole in my kitchen cabinet for some wiring. It really struggled with a 1/4" brad-point bit. I really needed a larger hole, so I switched to a spade bit. This made a nasty tear-out but it was not in a visible place. If I needed a clean hole, I would have had to get my bigger drill.

I would not buy a cordless circular saw unless you don't plan on using it for more than a few inches of cutting at a time. Battery technology is just not there. I have the 20V jig saw and it sucks compared to a corded jig saw. Can't imagine trying to use a cordless circular saw.

$0.02.

 

[ddawg16]

Actually....I find my cordless Ryobi 18v circular saw to be very handy....I can typically rip (length wise) 2-3 sheet of plywood before the battery dies.

The nice thing about the cordless is that you can get it up into places a corded one would be hard pressed to reach....and when your on a ladder reaching out to cut something off, that cordless which is about 1/4 the weight, it a lot easier to use.

 

[Jay 78]

I agree with VanillaEps. I have a few tools (hammer drill, impact driver, recip saw...with more to come) from the DeWalt 20V Max line and love them all. One thing to note about the 20V line is that they're not really 20 volts. They're really 18, no different than the 18V lithium batteries from any other manufacturer. It's just a marketing gimmick. As mentioned, sometimes it's better to buy the bare tool. I'm not sure what tools in combo kits may lack features other than the reciprocating saw; the bare tool has a 4-position blade clamp and a slightly longer blade stroke than the saw included in combos. I already owned the drill/impact driver combo (neither of which lack any features from the bare tools) that came with two 3.0 Ah batteries, so in my case, it made more sense to buy the bare recip anyway.

DeWalt really takes a beating here, although none of the negative comments I've read here have been about the newest 20V stuff. If you want real-world reviews on this line of tools, look everywhere else on the web but here - they are overwhelmingly positive.


I also agree with ddawg16. I have a LOT of 18V Ryobi stuff and I'm happy with everything. I think it's a good battery system to buy into if you may potentially expand your collection to a wide range of tools, although in all the Ryobi tools I have compared to the likes of DeWalt/Makita/Milwaukee/etc, the specs on the Ryobi stuff usually isn't as good. On the other hand, Ryobi stuff is generally less expensive than similar tools from the other big names.

The only thing that irks me about the Ryobi lithium batteries is the size versus capacity. Perhaps the large size is simply to maintain the same form-factor as the older Ni-Cad batteries since all the lithium and Ni-Cad batteries and tools are interchangeable. Still, there was no excuse for the high capacity lithium batteries to be only 2.4 Ah, as opposed to 3.0 like a lot of the other manufacturers. They finally have released some new lithiums that are higher capacity, and to their credit, the big lithiums are 4.0 Ah while maintaining the same size, but it still seems to me like a way to milk more money out of the consumers.

I would suggest making sure that the battery system you buy into has all the tools you're going to want, then compare them to the other manufacturers. The tools are relatively inexpensive; it's the batteries that will drain your wallet real quick.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

Note that the DCD780 is the smaller of the two 20V drills. If you want more torque for tough jobs, there is a huge difference between the 780 and the bigger one. There's also a size difference; the 780 will fit into places the big one won't.

I own the 780 and the first thing I used it for was drilling a hole in my kitchen cabinet for some wiring. It really struggled with a 1/4" brad-point bit. I really needed a larger hole, so I switched to a spade bit. This made a nasty tear-out but it was not in a visible place. If I needed a clean hole, I would have had to get my bigger drill.

I would not buy a cordless circular saw unless you don't plan on using it for more than a few inches of cutting at a time. Battery technology is just not there. I have the 20V jig saw and it sucks compared to a corded jig saw. Can't imagine trying to use a cordless circular saw.

$0.02.

changing the drill to get a cleaner hole doesnt make a difference its the bit your using.. or your approach.. new bits for cleaner holes and ones the pilot hole is through change which side your drilling from

as for cordlesss circ saws, their decent tools if used for the right situatin. your not gonna frame a house off a cordless saw.. their good for cutting thin material

 

[jeffsw6]

changing the drill to get a cleaner hole doesnt make a difference its the bit your using.. or your approach.. new bits for cleaner holes and ones the pilot hole is through change which side your drilling from

They were new bits. The 780 struggled with the brad-point bit, which is why I changed to the spade bit. Sure you can always do pilot holes and change bits, but my point is to compare the "compact" 780 to its larger brother.

 

[VanillaEps]

They were new bits. The 780 struggled with the brad-point bit, which is why I changed to the spade bit. Sure you can always do pilot holes and change bits, but my point is to compare the "compact" 780 to its larger brother.

Would that be the 980?

 

[toolaholic]

They were new bits. The 780 struggled with the brad-point bit, which is why I changed to the spade bit. Sure you can always do pilot holes and change bits, but my point is to compare the "compact" 780 to its larger brother.

I looked up the 780 on amazon. 1/2 inch chuck and 0-600 on low gear. I'm a bit puzzled why it would struggle w/ a 1/4 inch brad bit.

 

[jeffsw6]

I looked up the 780 on amazon. 1/2 inch chuck and 0-600 on low gear. I'm a bit puzzled why it would struggle w/ a 1/4 inch brad bit.

I was surprised also. That's why I mentioned it. The cabinet was just some kind of MDF with a veneer finish.

I own the 780 and the "big model" in the 18V series. When my last 18V battery gives up the ghost I will buy a 980. If I could only own one cordless drill I don't think I would choose the compact model.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

the compact drills arent much for guts or durability.. ive had a couple.. they cut down on the weight of the tool by eliminating metal chucks and using cheaper gears... im not a fan

 

[PaliBob]

........One thing to note about the 20V line is that they're not really 20 volts. They're really 18, no different than the 18V lithium batteries from any other manufacturer. It's just a marketing gimmick.
................

You nailed it Jay. The marketing guys, by using the word 'Max' they inferred 'better' than the competition and when they said '20V' they lied and said that '20V' just means the battery is a different shape from the old 18V Lion Batteries. By naming it '20V' I think they were hoping that folks will think that must mean that the 'new and improved' 20V battery must be at least 10% better than the old school 18V Lion battery.
......Click here: is what DeWalt said.

 

[toolaholic]

You nailed it Jay. The marketing guys, by using the word 'Max' they inferred 'better' than the competition and when they said '20V' they lied and said that '20V' just means the battery is a different shape from the old 18V Lion Batteries. By naming it '20V' I think they were hoping that folks will think that must mean that the 'new and improved' 20V battery must be at least 10% better than the old school 18V Lion battery.
......Click here: is what DeWalt said.

And what is weird is that the Milwaukee v18s are actually 20volts(5 4volt cells). The v28s are 28volts(7 4 volt cells).

 

[toolaholic]

You nailed it Jay. The marketing guys, by using the word 'Max' they inferred 'better' than the competition and when they said '20V' they lied and said that '20V' just means the battery is a different shape from the old 18V Lion Batteries. By naming it '20V' I think they were hoping that folks will think that must mean that the 'new and improved' 20V battery must be at least 10% better than the old school 18V Lion battery.
......Click here: is what DeWalt said.

And bosch is just as bad renaming their 10.8 volt line 12max. Created confusion buying replacement batteries/kit compatibility. I have 10.8 and 12max batteries to power my bosch multi tool, right angle screwdriver and pocket driver.

 

[jeffsw6]

You nailed it Jay. The marketing guys, by using the word 'Max' they inferred 'better' than the competition and when they said '20V' they lied and said that '20V' just means the battery is a different shape from the old 18V Lion Batteries.

like every tool company doesn't make a "5 HP (peak)" shop vac or lawn mower or whatever. Maybe they don't all do it, but if a consumer is basing his choice of tool maker on how many volts they say it is, that consumer could do a lot worse than Dewalt.

 

[PaliBob]

I looked up the 780 on amazon. 1/2 inch chuck and 0-600 on low gear. I'm a bit puzzled why it would struggle w/ a 1/4 inch brad bit.

January 2012, FHB ran a torture Test on Spade bits where drill speed was shown to follow drill time. The faster the drill to shorter the drilling time. As a recall the Writer used a 2000 RPM Drill.
There was also a huge difference in drilling times with different brands and even with different models in the same brand.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

dewalt has to be the worst comppany for overhyping their tools... they focus way too much on marketing and not enough on quality control and durability

ive laughed in the face of the local rep about their claim of "revolutionizing (whatever specific tool ) yet again).. when in fact their mearly matching what milwaukee, makita or bosch have already had out for upwards of 4 years. they did this with their mitre saws trying to match the bosch 5212 dual compound sliding mitre saw which they couldnt actually pull off.. the dewalt mitre saws are underpowered and need tuning almost monthly. Also makita and milwaukee came out with lithium ion tools back in 05' a year later dewalt released their 36v nicad line which failed horribly 2 or 3 years later they came out with their nano tech which needed major re tuning.. only makita has had success with their lxt batteries.. no major issues