What are you doing right now?

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by Mike16

and researching cordless drills. Considering a Craftsman V20 brushless. I've always been a fan of Craftsman hand tools but never used their power tools.

craftsman is decent, but there are better ones.

makita - costs more, but worth it

ridgid - has a lifetime warranty; comes in handy with the batteries (just send the old one in and they'll replace it for free)

milwaukee - good product for a good price

some people prefer 20v over 18v. but the only reputable company making 20v cordless tools is dewalt. and while dewalt is a decent brand, the 3 i listed above are a bit better, in my opinion (even though i own a dewalt drill that has never given me any issues). also, i'd look into tool sets if you plan on doing stuff other than just drilling. the brands i listed all have sets that come with either 6 tools (makita) or 5 tools (both ridgid and milwaukee). all three sets come with 2 batteries (plus a charger). the makita set has two 4Ah batteries, the ridgid set comes with a 2Ah battery and a 4Ah battery, and the milwaukee comes with two 3Ah batteries. the larger number means a longer runtime and (sometimes) a bit more power for the tool. also, all 3 brands offer extra batteries in a 2-pack so you can have more batteries that are charged if needed. i have 2 for my dewalt drill/driver and 3 for my hitachi impact driver (it came in a set with a hitachi drill/driver, but it crapped out a couple years ago).

if it was me, i'd go with the makita. you'll spend more money, but you get more for it. not only do you get an extra tool, but makita is also a very good brand with a good reputation.

[Show spoiler]
makita:

drill/driver
impact driver
reciprocating saw
circular saw
grinder
light

ridgid:

drill/driver
impact driver
impact wrench
light
grinder

milwaukee:

drill/driver
impact driver
circular saw
reciprocating saw
light

and in case it wasn't obvious, i like talking about tools.

[BizCat]

One of the reasons I put up working at Lowes as a side job is because of the dscount, lol. I could buy tools all day! Although I do wish we carried the Milwaukee line.

[Mike16]

Originally Posted by sk33tr

craftsman is decent, but there are better ones.

makita - costs more, but worth it

ridgid - has a lifetime warranty; comes in handy with the batteries (just send the old one in and they'll replace it for free)

milwaukee - good product for a good price

some people prefer 20v over 18v. but the only reputable company making 20v cordless tools is dewalt. and while dewalt is a decent brand, the 3 i listed above are a bit better, in my opinion (even though i own a dewalt drill that has never given me any issues). also, i'd look into tool sets if you plan on doing stuff other than just drilling. the brands i listed all have sets that come with either 6 tools (makita) or 5 tools (both ridgid and milwaukee). all three sets come with 2 batteries (plus a charger). the makita set has two 4Ah batteries, the ridgid set comes with a 2Ah battery and a 4Ah battery, and the milwaukee comes with two 3Ah batteries. the larger number means a longer runtime and (sometimes) a bit more power for the tool. also, all 3 brands offer extra batteries in a 2-pack so you can have more batteries that are charged if needed. i have 2 for my dewalt drill/driver and 3 for my hitachi impact driver (it came in a set with a hitachi drill/driver, but it crapped out a couple years ago).

if it was me, i'd go with the makita. you'll spend more money, but you get more for it. not only do you get an extra tool, but makita is also a very good brand with a good reputation.

[Show spoiler]
makita:

drill/driver
impact driver
reciprocating saw
circular saw
grinder
light

ridgid:

drill/driver
impact driver
impact wrench
light
grinder

milwaukee:

drill/driver
impact driver
circular saw
reciprocating saw
light

and in case it wasn't obvious, i like talking about tools.

Hmm makita has positive rep? Everyone I've spoke with in the field said every tool they put out was junk. And ridgid for some reason I always assumed was a cheap brand like black&decker, good tool for one or two uses but otherwise disposable.

I've got a Milwaukee impact driver and really like it so I was thinking of going with that line, the only reason I was thinking of going craftsman was cause it's cheaper and I've never had a problem with their tools in the past altho now that stanley bought them out I'm sure quality has dropped.

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by Mike16

Hmm makita has positive rep? Everyone I've spoke with in the field said every tool they put out was junk. And ridgid for some reason I always assumed was a cheap brand like black&decker, good tool for one or two uses but otherwise disposable.

I've got a Milwaukee impact driver and really like it so I was thinking of going with that line, the only reason I was thinking of going craftsman was cause it's cheaper and I've never had a problem with their tools in the past altho now that stanley bought them out I'm sure quality has dropped.

almost every pro tool we have where i work is makita (some are hilti, but those things are expensive). they all look like they've been beat on (some have, lol), but they keep on going.

and ridgid used to be just "ok". but lately they've been stepping up their game and now have some good stuff. they're owned by tti (as is ryobi)

and craftsman is owned by stanley (as is black and decker, dewalt, delta, bostitch, mac tools, and porter-cable...among others)


but the thing to remember with tools, at least in my opinion, is to make sure you're using the right thing for the job. and what i mean by that is don't try and use a consumer-level tool for professional-level work. it's just not gonna hold up. if you're a professional and need something that's tough enough to last all day, all night, and into the next week without stopping, then pay more money and get a pro-line tool. i'm certainly no professional in any sort of way regarding carpentry, construction, or even with tools. but i have used a bunch of different brands and there are some that won't hold up even to the lightest of workloads of doing small, simple tasks around the house. they may be cheap, but if you have to keep buying them every couple/few months then it costs more in the long run (of which i'm sure you're fully aware )

just remember to go to a hardware store, whether it be big-box or a local mom-n-pop place and talk to the people there. also, talk to some guy who use the same brands you're interested in. ask them about longevity, ease-of-use, cost, warranties/issues, etc. also...i don't know about where you live, but the home depots (don't know about lowe's) here have several brands of tools (usually drills and saws) that are out on display that customers can try and play with.

[Scarriere]

Excellent info and advice sk33tr!

[BizCat]

Originally Posted by sk33tr

almost every pro tool we have where i work is makita (some are hilti, but those things are expensive). they all look like they've been beat on (some have, lol), but they keep on going.

and ridgid used to be just "ok". but lately they've been stepping up their game and now have some good stuff. they're owned by tti (as is ryobi)

and craftsman is owned by stanley (as is black and decker, dewalt, delta, bostitch, mac tools, and porter-cable...among others)


but the thing to remember with tools, at least in my opinion, is to make sure you're using the right thing for the job. and what i mean by that is don't try and use a consumer-level tool for professional-level work. it's just not gonna hold up. if you're a professional and need something that's tough enough to last all day, all night, and into the next week without stopping, then pay more money and get a pro-line tool. i'm certainly no professional in any sort of way regarding carpentry, construction, or even with tools. but i have used a bunch of different brands and there are some that won't hold up even to the lightest of workloads of doing small, simple tasks around the house. they may be cheap, but if you have to keep buying them every couple/few months then it costs more in the long run (of which i'm sure you're fully aware )

just remember to go to a hardware store, whether it be big-box or a local mom-n-pop place and talk to the people there. also, talk to some guy who use the same brands you're interested in. ask them about longevity, ease-of-use, cost, warranties/issues, etc. also...i don't know about where you live, but the home depots (don't know about lowe's) here have several brands of tools (usually drills and saws) that are out on display that customers can try and play with.

Like me

[Mike16]

and getting ready to make some homemade muffins for breakfast. Thinking about taking a trip out to the local U-Pull-It salvage yard to pick some parts for my truck. It's like Disney World for guys like me...

[Lucy Diamond]

Hall of Fame tonight!!!

[Voltaire53]

Chilling out with a bit of TV before heading up to bed after most of a week off work ill, so a good night's sleep is a fine idea

[Xtempo]

watching Howards End and I might want to check out more Merchent and Ivory films

[sk33tr]

eating dinner and about to start binging some more jack ryan. (it's REALLY good, imo)

[Mike16]

Watching some 2 broke girls/big bang theory reruns with my fiancee and her little brother, and having a rum & cola.

[InuYashaCrusade]

Listening to music on Pandora

[VictoryAtNight]

Finished about 2 hours of yard work.
Took a shower.
About to play CoD: Infinite Warfare.

[sk33tr]

about to be eating a pizza. had kind of a day, today. i'm tired, i got all hot and sweaty at work. people decided to come in 10 minutes before we close (really can't STAND that shit).

[civiclx]

Listening to this great cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTcu7MCtuTs

[Mike16]

Originally Posted by sk33tr

about to be eating a pizza. had kind of a day, today. i'm tired, i got all hot and sweaty at work. people decided to come in 10 minutes before we close (really can't STAND that shit).

I hated working the closing shift when I was working retail. There's always that one customer who thinks they're above the rules, we'd make 3 announcements that we were closing and yet they d keep shopping then 10min after we closed they d want to check out...but couldn't because our registers went under lockdown for security. So someone always had to stay late to "reshop" their cartload of crap, naturally that was always me. Worse was when I had to stay late and was still scheduled for the opening shift the next morning.

[Scarriere]

My last full day before heading home tomorrow.
Yay!

[Lucy Diamond]

I'm at working just waiting for RAW to come on tonight in a post WrestleMania world.

I'm so tired.

[Mike16]

Working, looks like our weekend shift really screwed us over yesterday, doesn't help that a good chunk of my team called out this morning as well. Just what I needed on a Monday, I'm freaking tired, even my ultra-caffeinated coffee doesn't seem to be waking me up, I think I'll be going to bed early tonight-I'm sure my fiance is gonna love that