Mid range battery power tools

[crofty1984]

Hi All, I've nearly always had mains tools (and sometimes air) other than my little impact driver.
I'm thinking of sticking to one brand to maybe be able to swap batteries between. What do people recommend? Looking more mid-range, Makita are a bit out of my price range. I've seen De Walt around, they seem to be good. Don't need pro level, but heavy DIY use, need a bit more than Lidl Parkside. Anything else? Bosch, B&D?

[mikey_b]

Have a look at Einhell or Ryobi. Maybe a step down from Makita/DeWalt/Milwaukee, but also definitely not crappy poundshop brands and they both do a wide range of tools.

Something to bear in mind is that as the tools age and the batteries wear out, the bigger the brand the more likely it is you can pick up clone batteries from eBay for cheap. In 20 years you'll still be able to buy batteries to keep an older collection of major brand tools running, but you may have to start over entirely with a collection of cheap ones.

[normalbloke]

I was in a similar boat to you. I bought a Milwaukee’starter kit’ that was on offer through Powertoolmate.Seemed like good value at the time and a very good reputation. It was an impact driver and drill, plus 2x 5ah batteries. Since then, I’ve expanded my tools quite considerably, as the price of the bare tools is pretty reasonable. The fact that they’ve got their hooks into me, and I’ve also expanded my battery range too is neither here nor there…..

[Simpo Two]

I like the Bosch 18V 'one for all' system. Just right for 'serious DIY but not a tradesman' level.

https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/power-tools/cordle...

Whatever you choose, make sure it has lithium batteries.

[sjg]

Worth thinking about what other tools you're likely to want. Some have a wider range of things like garden tools - I'm on Makita and it's been handy to get a bare tool strimmer and hedge trimmer that works with my existing batteries and charger.

fwiw Makita tend to have cheaper basic tools and pricier ones in the same ranges. You can spend <£40 on a bare drill at the low end and £200+ at the high end before you even get into the specialist and SDS stuff. I find the lower end stuff very similar on price/quality to the likes of Ryobi. Similar for Dewalt really.

Screwfix or Toolstation usually have the kits of a drill, an impact, a couple of batteries and charger on special. Then just get whatever other tools you need.

[Sford]

I'd say don't discount the Lidl/Aldi offerings. I've used my Aldi 20/40v tools for all manner of diy work around the house and on outside projects and they've all been up to the task. I have a friend who is insistent his Dewalt drill much better and while I don't doubt it is, any time he has come to help out (putting a new ceiling in replacing trusses, drilling into brick/cement, fencing) there is nothing that my £25 drill hasn't been able to do alongside the Dewalt.

A big part of making the decision though is the battery set you are buying into. The Aldi 20/40v gets a lot of grief as it isn't as available when people need it (again, I've not struggled though) and the range of tools you can get for it covers most things. The einhell stuff seems fairly priced and the range of compatible tools/availability is great.

If I were doing it again, I would go for the Dewalt stuff. The range of tools is huge and availability doesn't seem to be a problem. You can often buy second hand but then you need to be a bit wary about buying stolen stuff.

This Ryobi drill is £130 https://www.diy.com/departments/ryobi-one-18v-2ah-... but then you can often get a Dewalt set for similar. Have a search on HotUKDeals for Dewalt, you can often buy an impact driver set for £100ish and then add a bare drill body for another £40.

[timberman]

I used mainly Dewalt and before that Elu, plus some Makita stuff for decades while I was working,

had a few failures from my Dewalt tools but nothing that would put me off buying more of the same if needed, I also had a few other brands and tbh at that sort of price point there's not a lot between them,

since retiring I've become a bit more cautious with my spending, so when I need something new I've started buying Erbauer tools from Screwfix and so far I've been pretty impressed,

considering the price difference when compared to the bigger brands the quality and performance is excellent and it feels
like they would quite happily cope with being used on a daily basis if needed,

Imo it's not really worth spending more on power tools nowadays unless you need something quite specific or feel only the best will do.

[snotrag]

Remember to consider what kind of work you are doing.

I am a Milwaukee user - they have a full range but more of a swing towards mechanical work, ratchets, impact wrenches, torquing tools, drilling, fastening etc. Better for a mechanic or maintenance professional.

Makita and Dewalt for instance, offer a better range for carpentry, woodwork, framing, general building, and 'trade' type stuff.

[OutInTheShed]

Depends what tools you need/want.
The best cordless tool I have is a Dremel.
I have a £30 drill driver which is great, anything that won't do, it's worth getting a mains tool out generally.
I like that it's a small light tool which gets into awkward spaces.
I have some Lidl 12V tools which have earned their keep.

I inherited a not very old Einhell drill, the Li-ion battery had died presumably from lack of use and it's not worth replacing the battery.
£28 for a battery, £35 for the drill with battery.
Putting new cells into a Li battery pack is not trivial, there's a whole bunch of electronics in there!

Very different for a tradesman who will make lots of nice cordless tools pay for themselves.

[anonymous-user]

I’ve had Ryobi battery drill for a few years, works great. 2 batteries.
Also picked up hedge cutter / power saw, I watch out for good deals on those, body only.

[Aunty Pasty]

You can have a look at the Worx tool range to see if that suits your needs. The brand isn't mentioned very often but they seem to have a decent variety of tools and they're not just rebadged generic stuff like some of the own-brand stuff. I would say they are of a comparable level of quality to Ryobi.

[57 Chevy]

I've got over 20 Ryobi tools, been using them for best part of 10 years only had one tool and one battery fail so far and I built my own kitchen extension.

[shakindog]

I’m using Ryobi gear for pretty heavy house renovation and it’s doing well.
They have a deal on at the moment but 4ah battery and charger for £100 and get free tool.
The drill and impact driver certainly do the job.
Also have the circular saw,grinder,mulittool and the battery mastic gun is just awesome &#129321;

[Shuff4]

I opted for DeWalt drill and impact set, as it was an offer via screwfix or one of the likes,

Can add other ‘bodies’ to it if you’ve a couple of batteries.

Seem to hold up well, think I paid around £140 around 6 years back and they’ve taken some abuse.

[Register1]

What bare Ryobi cordless drill is a good one ?
So many models, and I cant work out which are better than others

Anyone recommend a Ryobi + One model number ?

[MattCharlton91]

I run Milwaukee stuff and love it… all gets used hard and in all weathers!

If I fancy something a bit different and not sure I can justify paying top money for a Milwaukee/festool, I always go with erbaur, and I’m always very impressed!

[mattyprice4004]

Ryobi gear has been great for me - I only have the cheapie drill but it does the job (although might not last too long with hard use).
The cordless jigsaw and grinder are also great.

[pghstochaj]

I’ve been using einhell brushless whilst renovating my house for the last 3 years - been pretty good given the abuse the tools have had. I had one impact driver fail and one recip saw. Both replaced immediately by Amazon. I’ve got one of the smaller brushed drills (when I need a second drill bit available and don’t want to switch over) which is very poor though.

[rxe]

Problem is that all of the manufacturers fill slightly different segments, and I wish they’d come to an agreement about sharing. E.g.

If you want a really good 1/4 ratchet, it’s Milwaukee.
If you want a heavy duty impact gun, it’s Dewalt.
If you want a really compact set of tools for light duties, it’s Bosch 12v
If you want a decent drill/driver it is any of them
If you want something that works with centrotec, it’s Festool