I currently have a Craftsman 19.2v set. Two drills, 5 batteries, 1 charger, circular saw, shop light, flashlight, and vacuum....

2 of the old NiCd batteries have given up the ghost... so inhave really only 3 of the newer Li Ion batteries that work. I have 1 charger.

I would like tonget another charger, and at least another drill (2 homes and a business where they see light use)

Given that these aren't really made anymore I am torn between buying a new drill with another battery and charger, and just keeping a drill at each place and one charger at home for the business as well, an.the second charger at the vacation place.

Or... do I upgrade and get a newer system? Seems great as I am sure there are newer and better, but this would be expensive.

Thoughts?

I had given up on cordless tools for a long time.
A few years ago I bought into the craftsman 20V Li-Ion stuff.
I have a drill, a circular saw, a hedge trimmer and a sawzall. I use the hedge trimmer and sawzall a LOT on fencerows. I have cut literally miles worth of balckberry brambles and cedar/persimmon sapliings out of fencerows around the ranch.
I have been impressed.

Sorry...NOT craftsman, Black & Decker. Doh!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hudr,

Upgrade to 20v dewalt or 18v Milwaukee.

Milwaukee is slightly better, but if you get USA made dewalt the difference is negligible and has a good warranty to back it.

Milwaukee has an easier repair process if you abuse your stuff.

I had a Makita and went with Dewalt, and I have not looked back, it has triple the power and about the same for battery life, and its smaller.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-...21-8624-135149aa9081

I've had excellent luck buying replacement batteries on eBay. I have several cordless drills close to 10 years old, batteries failed, and I am pleased with the brand new batteries I got on eBay. They were around $20 each with shipping. Fit perfectly, working fine. You can get a new replacement charger on eBay too.

New batteries and chargers are also available on Amazon, almost dirt cheap.


Also, I haven't used this personally, but you might consider this:

Ridgid Lifetime Warranty

Batteries are included in the lifetime warranty. I'm sure there are some devils in the details, but a few people have told me they had no trouble getting an issue taken care of from Ridgid.

Good luck to you.

I have Makita and have been very happy.
For corded tools, I have a few Milwaukee...built like tanks.

Another Makita user here. They currently have deals on some tools that throw in two free batteries. I bought a chainsaw and got four batteries total, plus charger.

If you're going to upgrade to a whole new system, it's just for light use as you stated, and you're worried about expense, understand that you don't have to spend a bunch of money on contractor-grade cordless tools from Milwaukee/Dewalt/etc. Yes, they'll be high quality, but your livelihood doesn't depend on the tools nor are you going to be using them daily, and the average DIYer doesn't need that level or the additional expense.

I'm all for "buy once, cry once" when it matters. But in some situations it doesn't matter, and "good enough" is fine.

IMO, Ryobi's 18V system hits the sweet spot for light to moderate homeowner/DIYer, use with reasonable pricing and decent quality. Less expensive and lower quality than the contractor-grade stuff, but still plenty good for your purposes. Especially their brushless models.

Home Depot tends to have "Ryobi Days" every May/June, where you can get a free Ryobi tool when you buy a discounted dual battery/charger pack. This is a good way to expand your selection of Ryobi tools and batteries at an even greater savings. If you can, you may want to limp along with what you've got for another 7ish months, and then switch during 2021 Ryobi Days.

I've been very happy with the 20V brushless Dewalt tools. My collection has been growing (drill, 1/4" impact, 1/2" impact, string trimmer, blower).


That said, if I were starting from scratch, I'd take a hard look at the Rigid line from HD due to the lifetime battery warranty. 3 things in the fine print about that warranty I recall are: 1) You must register within 90 days of purchase and 2) Only batteries that are purchased with a "tool" are covered (if, for example, you purchase just an extra battery, that battery is not covered) and 3) If the battery is replaced under the warranty, you have 90 days to call and re-register the new battery.


A few years ago I bought my daughter a Ridgid cordless drill and an extra battery that came with a USB adapter (that qualified as a "tool").
I don't see that combination available anymore though.

I go with corded tools, a very casual user. The few times there’s no easy power, I take my Honda generator.

Personally, if the tools are only infrequently used and then not all that hard, just get a Ryobi drill/driver 18v combo and save the Milwaukee, Dewalt markup. If you were going to use them daily, and or beat them hard, I'd recommend Milwaukee.

Either Milwaukee "Fuel" or DeWalt will do almost anyone. Stay with the brushless verity unless on a budget or a light weight user.

Project Farm on YouTube tested a few impact drivers including DeWalt and Milwaukee. The Milwaukee beat all comers on every test. The DeWalt let the magic smoke out.

If you are still using a drill to drive screws you are missing the boat! Impact drivers for the win there. Of course if you need an actual drill buy a drill.

Link

 
When you say "best", I have to answer Metabo. I have two of their cordless drills and they are fantastic. They are a bit light on additional tools that use the same batteries, though.
 
For a system with quality and lots of options (other tools that use the same batteries), look to Milwaukee or Bosch. I went with Bosch several years ago, starting with a package of drill and driver set. We've added an oscillating tool, angle grinder, an impact wrench/screwdriver combo tool (it has a 1/2" drive square head for sockets that also accepts 1/4" hex screwdriver bits), and an LED work light. We have a 4+ Ah battery for each tool plus one extra.

I'm a Ryobi fan, because when everyone switched from NiCad to LIon they kept the same format allowing the old tools to work with the new batteries.

You can find the old tools cheap in local sales (Craigslist, Facebook, yard sales) for a 2nd or 3rd kit if needed.

Different size batteries for cost/ weight/ use considerations, but all use the same charger.

For non-commercial use? I absolutely recommend Ryobi.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
When you say "best", I have to answer Metabo. I have two of their cordless drills and they are fantastic. They are a bit light on additional tools that use the same batteries, though.
 

Just make sure it is Metabo and not Metabo HPT.
Metabo HPT used to be known as Hitachi while decent tools they are nothing compared to actual Metabo equipment.
But they are big money.

For the casual home owner use it is hard to beat Ryobi 18v. I have a couple drills, impact driver, reciprocating saw. Have the weed eater too though it was a little weak so I replaced it with an EGO 56v.
They all have worked flawlessly for years. I had 1 dud battery that was replaced under warranty with no issue.
Just make sure you register all the tools online for warranty purposes.

I even converted my kids 12v PowerWheels to run on my 18v Ryobi batteries.

Dewalt 20v for me.

As others have mentioned, if you buy a newer system Ryobi is a great option for the average homeowner. I bought my first home 20+ years ago, and all I could afford was a 6-piece Ryobi One+ tool set.

What a great decision that has been as every tool still works and I can buy batteries easily for it. All I've done is buy more tools and more batteries, and have taken advantage of the Ryobi days. Doing projects is great now because I have 4 charged Lithium Ion batteries, a variety of tools, and redundant toos (e.g. 2 regular drills so one is chucked up with a screwdriver bit and the other is chucked up with a pilot bit).

12 volt Milwaukee
Impact, 2" pvc cutter, bandsaw, etc

20 volt DeWalt
Impact, hammerdrill, circular saw, sawzall, oscillating tool, etc.

I've had a Dewalt 20V set for a while and are very happy with them. I'm a light user, but never an issue with batteries going bad or tools not working.

I'm a fan of Milwaukee Fuel when I was home building but the tools were ran pretty hard at times.

For use at home, I would definitely take a look at the Ryobi brushless line. I think the combination of quality, price and tool availability are a great one for most home use.