I wanted to like Bosch but the ecosystem and availability sold me on Ryobi. They have a reputation of being cheap tools but they've been reliable for me thought a couple of remodels.
Cordless tools are more popular than ever, with lithium batteries and modern plastics making them more powerful and longer-lasting than ever. We’re seeing more and more mechanics—us included—ditch their air tools and switch to batteries instead.
There are dozens of brands offering their take on the cordless tool universe. But which is best? As with Ford versus Chevy or Canon versus Nikon, we’d say there are no wrong answers, just different choices for different applications. Here’s what our staff uses in the garage:
I’m a big fan of Bosch’s 18-volt system. How’d I pick? Simple: I read as many reviews as I could to put together a short list of candidates, then went to the store and picked everything up until I settled on the Bosch as feeling best in my hand. I’ll admit, one tool that will never touch a car was a big deciding factor for me: The job site radio is awesome, and that seems to be the one tool that each brand does very differently. Bonus points for the tools being reasonably priced, at least among the other top-shelf cordless stuff. Also, the batteries seem to be quite durable, as I have a few that just turned 4 years old and are still working great. My Bosch tools have already built a garage and a half-dozen project cars, and I don’t see them stopping any time soon.
Lately, though, I have been straying from the Bosch ecosystem just a bit. Bosch’s compact 12-volt line doesn’t have much to offer mechanics, so I’ve been buying Milwaukee M12 tools for compact spaces. I don’t think I could finish a project without my M12 3/8-inch ratchet and their LED underhood work light, and I just picked up a stubby 3/8-inch impact to test out as well.
One thing I’ve learned: Buy the smallest possible batteries. Most brands offer a few different capacities, but since I build cars, not houses, I place way more value on keeping tools small and light than I do on runtime. Smaller batteries need to be charged more often but allow me to wedge the tools into tighter spaces.
About three years ago, I looked at my shelf of mixed cordless tools and decided it was time to clean things up. Since then, I’ve reduced my battery-powered ecosystem to a single mainline, that being the DeWalt 20-volt lineup.
My decision was based on a few factors: First, I wanted a very broad lineup. DeWalt’s is one of the widest I could find, with their 20-volt batteries powering everything from standard drills and drivers to saws, grinders, and even a hand vacuum that makes cleaning the darker recesses of your car’s interior a snap. I also wanted wide availability. All of the major big-box hardware chains carry their equipment, and I can walk into a Lowe’s or a Home Depot from San Diego to Savannah and pick up a battery, a charger or a new tool if I need one. I also appreciated the price/quality ratio and that many of the tools also come with an additional battery and charger for nearly the same price as the bare tools.
Look, I’m not saying my way is the only way (although I stand behind my recommendation), it's just that I’ve had zero issues with any of my tools since I started collecting them. I do still need a couple of other chargers on the wall—my 3/8-inch ratchet is a 12-volt Milwaukee, and many of my yard tools are 40-volt something or others—but the convenience of having my primary cordless tool lineup all share a common battery is invaluable.
I really like the Ryobi 18-volt ecosystem for my cordless tools. The biggest reason I went with Ryobi is the accessibility of new tools, accessories or batteries any time I need them. Whenever I need a tool or accessory, I only have to find a Home Depot, and the tools are relatively inexpensive. I also like how they are constantly adding new products and expanding the ecosystem—like with the 3/8-inch electric ratchet I just got. I have had my ¼-inch impact for over four years now and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Plus, the same battery that works in my impact works in my leaf blower. For me, it's all about the expandability of the ecosystem and the usability of the tools, and Ryobi’s 18-volt system checks all those boxes.
My Ingersoll Rand cordless half-inch impact and drill are at least a dozen years old and quite shop-worn but still operate as new. Both use the now-discontinued 19.2-volt IQV 192 lithium-ion batteries. For tires, I have a little 12-volt Milwaukee M12 cordless compressor. Love it. So, yes, I operate across two ecosystems. My Honda lawn mower is gas and my edger’s manual, so until something breaks, I’ll just hold steady. Big thing: Going cordless freed me from pneumatic tools. I sold my compressor years ago and don’t miss it one bit.
I had 18-volt DeWalt (Lowes) cordless tools and found them to be pretty decent. I had some issues with variable battery life and a couple of the tools (most notably the Sawzall type saw and the flashlights) coming apart.
I just got DeWalt 20-volt tools at Lowes and so far love them. They are significantly lighter, more powerful and the batteries seem to last indefinitely.
While I am not sure DeWalt has the same quality standard they became known for, I am happy so far.
As for why I chose them? I am in Lowes at least once a week and can get there in 10 minutes should I need another tool, battery or accessory. And perhaps most importantly, Lowes is open 7 days a week. If I have a problem, I can be back at work in less than 45 minutes.
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I wanted to like Bosch but the ecosystem and availability sold me on Ryobi. They have a reputation of being cheap tools but they've been reliable for me thought a couple of remodels.
I went with the DeWalt 20V lineup 10 years ago or so and thankfully they have not changed the form factor on the battery/charger/tool interface. The tools are very tough- I'm happy. A couple things I've noticed- Most of the replacement batteries on Amazon are counterfeit and quickly become useless, and the knock off ones are useless from the get go but at least they don't say DeWalt on them. On the other hand I have found individual 'refurbished' DeWalt 20V tools on Amazon that are actually factory blems for something like 50% off the big box kit prices that surround a tool. So I can buy exactly the tool I'm looking for and don't end up with duplicate needless chargers and bags and other landfill 'value adds'. I've also seen evidence that some of the 'refurbished' tool sellers are selling counterfeit tools. Choosing a reputable established seller with hundreds of reviews and reading the latest and worst reviews help when shopping the gargantuan stolen IP clearinghouse Amazon has become.
Ridgid octane in the garage and at home, though I envy a lot of the Milwaukee 12v stuff, but for some gruntier things I definitely need 18v
On the road and at the junkyard, Parkside (lidl house brand that uses samsung lithium ion batteries). If my $80 cordless impact with $17 replacement batteries walks away, it stings a heck of a lot less than my $280 impact disappearing. Unless I'm dropping a subframe at the yard, the ridgid stays home.
I've been eyeing 3/8 12v cordless "stick" wrenches, Milwaukee will likely win. Some of the house brand stuff (kobalt) is tempting, but if I venture into a 3rd battery family, I want something that will be solid and have a good number of platform uses. The only reason I even have the Parkside impact and drill/driver because my cordless yard stuff (hedge trimmer, leave blower, weed wacker) is all their stuff as well.
I'm a big fan of the Milwaukee M12 line, and of course the M18 as well. My absolute favorite tool has to be the M12 stubby 3/8 impact. The thing is so small and can go anywhere and has tons of power. I have the M18 1/2in mid torque which covers up to 550 ft lb install/650 ft lb removal which is about all I'll regularly need.
The M12 hammer drill and 1/4 hex impact are great as well. The small impact almost exclusively gets used with a 1/4 square bit with a 10mm magnetic socket for 95% of the small interior stuff I need to do. The drill is small but will twist your arm off.
Eventually I will probably get a 1/4 ratchet and the high torque 1/2-in drive impact just because I already have the batteries for both and they might come in handy.
I will actually probably pick up an M12 1/2-in drive stubby just for track use because it's so darn convenient and lightweight.
As a homeowner, I primarily bought in because they have tons of useful stuff for around the house as well which will come eventually as well.
Ryobi 18v user here. But I have been for many years. The family business was HVAC Contracting and over the years we used Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, etc.. But inevitably, an employee (or me) would leave the work van unlocked or leave a drill or saw on a job site someplace. After awhile, you get tired of replacing expensive cordless tools. So, we started using the cheaper Ryobis. We found they were close enough in durability to not matter and if they disappeared from a truck or got lost, they were cheaper to replace than a set of Milwaukees or Bosch, etc. Plus, if something got stolen/lost, we could simply walk into the nearest Home Depot for a replacement.
So, I'm all Ryobi these days. Though, I have still have a compressor and some pneumatic tools...It's just a tiny 1-gallon, Ryobi 18v compressor so it has enough gumption to blast dust out of the garage or loosen a stubborn bolt or two that the 3/8" Impact can't. But sometimes there is no replacement for (air) displacement. I probably should get one of those 5-gallon portable air-tanks to increase my overall capacity.
Speaking of cordless tools, Martina Navratilova just tweeted this photo. (Looks like she's in the DeWalt camp.)
Dewalt 20V user here. Slickdeals has FREQUENT deals on these tools/batteries that make life more convenient (loving the yard tools lately).
On the cordless wratchet, went with the blue 69 dollar ACDelco to save 50 bucks after reading a hundred reviews. My best battery powered tool purchase of all time and I use it every time the car is in the air.....
I'm torn on air compressors. On my bathroom remodel, I've been using a combination of a big 7.4lb impact Rotary Hammer from Bauer/Harbor Freight, but it's a bit too heavy for wall scraping, and when I'm working around hydronic lines I've discovered my little pneumatic air hammer is a really nice alternative. Thing is, it uses insane amount of air for how small it is, meaning that to property drive it I've gotta have a big 4cfm 10gallon air compressor and I just don't want something that big for a single project.
In the biking world, having a tank is nice too, especially for setting up tubeless tires.
I'm thinking of borrowing both my neighbors 2CFM 4gal compressors and hooking them to my supply line via a tee for this project and some others. Then just keeping a little pancake around for the bikes.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
I went with Bauer 20V because they are cheap and meet my needs and Harbor Freight is close by. Undoubtedly the internet will decide that I picked the wrong tools.
In reply to nderwater :
For years my truck toolbox had a HF cordless drill in it (the super cheap NIMH version) and it held up great for infrequent use. When the battery finally died, though, I just bought more Bosch stuff to keep everything the same. For any tool I won't be using a ton (stuff like right-angle drills or tools for the track), I've been buying bare tools used on eBay. The prices are dirt cheap, and I already have plenty of extra batteries laying around.
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