Quality-wise, Makita > DeWALT ≥ Milwaukee > Ryobi, at least, if you watch teardowns by guys like AvE.
Power tools are like cars; companies hold several brands and target them to different market segments, like Porsche and VW.
Ryobi is owned by the same company as Milwauki; it’s the budget line, Milwauki being their premium line.
DeWALT and Black & Decker are owned by the same company; DeWALT is their premium line.
The exception in this list is Makita, which is its own company. They’re also objectively more well-built than the others (here), and correspondingly usually more expensive.
The premium lines are better quality (not just more expensive) but also tend to have smaller battery-tool options. Despite being a budget line, I mostly own B&D because most of my tools these days are 24V and there are more tool options there. The few, select, DeWALT tools I have are noticably better quality.
I don’t use power tools enough to justify Makita, but also, their battery-powered line is comparatively tiny. As someone else said, there’s a lot of motivation to pick a (compatible) lane, whichever it is. For most home-gamers, the quality difference will probably not matter much. If I were made of money, though, I’d have everything Makita except for the things they don’t make.
We are a cheap garbage household 💪💪💪💪💪
But im a craftsman…
Makita still going strong after 15yrs of use. They were the best at the time and still works amazing today with backwards compatibility batteries. My 15yrs old driver can use a brand new battery that a 2023 model uses.
Drill a 1/2" hole through 4" thick stainless without a hiccup on a single battery. Then tap the hole on the same battery. Impressive power and reliable
4 inch thick stainless steel? What in tarnation is that for?
Adding a lift point. Did 12 of them and the driver was on the toasty side when done
A lift point on what, though?
Large pieces of billet material, lift point added for moving between machines on the first 2 operations. Afterwards the item is light enough to pickup. Roughly 323lbs of material removed in the first 2 operations. Then the items went on to 6 months of machining to complete them. Very expensive one off pieces manufactured during R&D. Final products are low number runs of 2-3 items that take 5 months to manufacture. This was a single piece in a larger piece of equipment that I manufactured. Largest tolerance on the item was 0.0005" with true position at 0.0001". Challenging item to handle and machine
What were they parts of?
What I’m more intrigued by is that OP didn’t say that they use any kind of guide or frame to hold the power drill. Try drilling 10cm by hand straight enough that it makes sense to tap the hole.
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You forgot Bosch! It’s a shit company in my opinion though… they also produce in Chinese prison camps
How about dads who went with the discount hardware store’s brand. It’s easily 1/4 Dewalt prices and comes with a 5 year no questions asked warranty? I spent like 80euros on two 18V cordless drills. I keep the receipt in the case they came in, and in the last 8 years I’ve abused the shit out of them, and have had at least one replacement. Just like Dewalt, makita, milwaukee, and ryobi, I have several batteries and charges, and a plethora of tools with the same battery.
I went to the store with a beat up drill, and the pimply faced teen at the register was like wtf?!? But the manager didn’t want the full story on the phone. Only three questions “is it [store brand]?” “is the receipt less than 5 years old?” and “what are you calling me for then?”. New drill, new case and new receipt. Oldest drill is about 4.5 years old now, so I guess that I have to torture the hell out of it and get a new one with 5 more years.
People talk shit about Harbor freight, but I have walked into that store with a box full of burnt up power tools and had absolutely no problems getting my money back or new tools. That bonus warranty for two dollars has paid for itself I don’t even know how many times. And you don’t have to buy a new warranty on every tool. You just have to buy that once and you get unlimited exchanges.
My dad rejected those answers, instead, he chose something different, he chose… Festool!
I guess when you have Malfoy money you can afford to go full death eater.
My tools?
Wired: DeWalt
Battery: Makita
Pneumatic: Bosch
Hand: whatever’s in the box…
House DeWalt: The Builders
House Ryobi: The Slapjobs
House Milwaukee: The wishes they were house DeWalt
House Makita: Quality prevails regardless of how little I use my tools.
Unmentioned:
House Bosch: House Makita but doesn’t like Asians
House Metabo: House Milwaukee but green
House Rigid: wow these are fuckin cheap
House Worx: Tools take a backseat to Yardwork
House Metabo HPT: My wife says they’re great
Rigid are mostly Milwaukee tools but cheaper.
Nah Makita is trash, unless you’re talking LXT, which is 36 volt. Most of the Milwaukee stuff comes out on top on the torque test channel on YouTube.
But also don’t forget House Skil: Issue
House Harbor Freight: Safety squints aren’t enough danger
House Bauer/Atlas/Hercules/Warrior: Life is transient, why does your tool or battery need to last longer than the job?
Huh… Which school are HART and Hyper Tough from if it’s not Hogwarts? 🤔
As a Semi pro, I run Metabo HPT for power tools and beat the hell out of them and get free batteries. Never had a tool or battery die in several years.
For groundskeeping I go with worx. They’re great but aftermarket batteries suck ass.
Any plug in tools that aren’t antiques are rigid, their warranty is nuts, and their mitre saw has the widest range of any I’ve ever used. Plus free service and parts for life.
My coworker runs Milwaukee, lots of variety, but he’s had two drills and three batteries die in 3 years of basic use, so I’m not sure if I trust them wholly. The packout is nice, but there are better options out there for portable tool chests now, like flex and toughbuilt.
I know a few pros who switched to flex tools and swear by them, but they’re too fresh to market to know for sure, although the company has been around forever supposedly.
Yeah same company that makes Flex also make Kobalt as their Ryobi competitor for Lowe’s, and Ridgid as their mid tier tools.
…snap-on?
I’m scared to mention Kobalt in here
So DeWalt is Gryffindor right?
hufflepuff
I would argue Ryobi is the Hufflepuff of these four.
Went looking for my Craftsman brothers, but I’m afraid I may stand alone.
IIRC, that might be because their quality & reputation took a dip for a while. They were, after all, a Sears brand, and Sears got run into the ground by some blood-sucking leadership.
That said, they used to have a great reputation, and were sold to Black & Decker in 2017, who seem to be handling the line up much, much better.
