Tools Recommendation

Mr Claude

Hi guys I was looking for a recommendation On a tool set Such as(ryobi dewalt ridgid Hitachi) or something else, and also what to avoid.

Thanks for your help

Mr Claude

cdac

hitachi, milwaukee, metabo

DecksEtc

Ditto, Hitachi or Milwaukee - it will depend on your budget...

Mike Finley

Geeze, sorry I hate the old Ford vs Chevy arguments that this reminds me of.

Buy anything made by the big guys who make professional tools. There are few if any bad tools made by any of the professional tool makers.

If it costs a lot its probably worth your money. If you see a Black & Decker drill for $29.95 at Sears and a Dewalt for $69.00, buy the Dewalt.

mdshunk

It's Milwaukee or HILTI only for me.

slickshift

I suggest trying a few out in the stores
If they don't feel comfortable to you, they are not worth buying

Zendik

Depends on what tools.....
I use Hilti for laser alignment be it a laser bob or rotary laser for suspended ceilings, there is a new rotary Dewalt that does a great job too. I rarely use corded tools except for circular saws and such. All my cordless tools are Dewalt bought at HD with extended warranties. My buddy has a nice Hitachi cordless 18 volt drill but it weighs a ton......
Powder actuated goes to Fast Track and Hilti makes one similar......
I'm like a kid at a toy store!!

chris-tool-pher

I never got why guys buy the extended warranty or buy even buy their tools from HD. That place is atrocious, and I know b/c I worked there back in the day. They buy cheap tools from the manufacturer and quality is very low. It sort or proves a point seeing that you need (or they offer) an extended warranty. The tools you get from say online or locally (hardware store) are much better quality than those commin gout of HD, Sears, Lowes, etc.

GOOD tools manufacturers come with 1-2 year warranties (new and recon) and the crappy ones come with like 5. I dont know about you but that def brings up a red flag for me.

~Chris

PipeGuy

I used to be a loyal Hilti user until I had a bad experience at HD trying to spend $1K on this



Despite 40 minutes worth of asking around for help, no one in the store could manage to sell it to me so I decided to spend 1/2 of much for this

So far, so good.

pitterpat

HD was the problem...NOT HILTI!!!! Use another vendor, don't blame the tool manufacturer if the tool works properly.

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FireballBrick

We use the Bosch hammerdrills too, and so far have busted up one old Eckerds building, three solid fireplaces, and several other masonry projects with them. They are great imho. I also like that I can put an adapter on the end to accpet regular bits, not just SDS. We bought ours at HD for 320 bucks, and bought the extended warranty just in case. If we can spend 300 bucks, we can spend another 20 for a guaranteed extra year or two.
Also, they work great for mixing grout, thin set, and small batches of mortar on repair jobs. We've also used it to mix concrete on roofs to pour chimney caps. We couldn't live without ours.

Tom R

All right, - - I'll bite, - - why would you want to use a regular bit over an SDS?? Or do you mean like if it's a Sunday or somethin' and regulars is all you got??

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Mike Finley

Mixing paddles I own aren't SDS, so I use a 1/2 adapter drill chuck that is SDS on one end in my hammer drill sometimes also.

I also use plain old small masonary bits in my hammer drill for drilling through tile to mount shower doors that aren't SDS either, so out comes the adapter.

Tom R

Oh, OK, - - I guess I got too many drills for my own good.

I find that glass-cutting bits cut through tile much easier than masonry bits, - - and also make both a finer and less risky cut.

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FireballBrick

Just a quick reply to the question on why we would use regular bits over sds...
We mainly do masonry, and sometimes a little thing will come up that requires us using a bit that simply doesnt come in SDS...
That being said, I'll also let you know I burnt up my Milwaukee drill using a paddle and didnt see the need in buying a new one when I could just get the attachment for my rotary hammer drill....

Tom R

OK, makes sense, - - thanks for the answer, FireballBrick.

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GriffDecker

I started off with the inexpensive tools, but quickly burned them out. I've had 2 DeWalt 18 volt drills for 7 years, using them almost every day. Due to this, I've got about every 18v tool DeWalt makes now, since the batteries are interchangeable. I've never had any problems with them. Also, make sure you can get a quick charger. The 15 minute chargers are worth their weight (or wait, as the case may be) in gold.

nadonailer

Been using primarily Makita power tools for better than 2 decades with no problems...

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firemike

My name is Mike, and I am a newer registered member, but have been lurking for a while. Great board, glad I found it!

Anyway, IMHO, like Mike said - Ford's and Chevy's

I have most of the DeWalt 18 volt line, use and abuse many of them almost daily from mixing drywall mud to 6" hole saws. They keep going, and going, and going... The tools far outlast the batteries, no doubt.
I also have some Milwaukee 18 volt tools, as good if not better than DeWalt. I, and I am sure many ther contractors have a favorite brand of tools for their purpose. Might be an intersting new thread to see what brand everyone likes and for what purpose. ie what brand of cordless tools, the brand of hammer drills, what brand of circ saws, what brand of screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, etc.

One thing to mention, Ridgid now has a lifetime warranty on their cordless tools, including the batteries. Makes me think again about my next tool purchase. I have several hundred dollars of their plumbing-related hand tools, they are professional grade tools in every way. I have a Ridgid table saw on the truck too, it is a hard working saw as well. So far I have never heard a bad thing about the Ridgid cordless tools from fellow contractors I know that have them.

It all boils down to your preference- how it feels, price, durability, capacities, how much you are going to use it, and what attachments are available, etc.

mdshunk

Somewhere between Ridgid's plumbing tools and their more recent power tools and woodworking tools lies The Grand Canyon. Pick up a Ridgid 700 pony drive and a Ridgid hammer drill and tell me that they're the same quality. They're simply not, they are worlds apart. It's almost like they're two different companies.