New DeWalt 18v tools

[LD1]

Not an issue for a single user, but I dont like the lack of charge indicator on the dewalts.

When working in a shop with multiple guys, you have no idea when you grab a drill if it is charged or not. Or having the spare batteries on top of the cabinet, knowing which ones are full charge that just came off the charger? or which ones are dead and waiting on a charger to free up.

 

[motownbrowne]

I bought the impact driver and compact drill/driver kit for $140 at fleet farm. Made in USA. Haven't used them much, but happy so far. I saw northern tool has the brushless hammer drill and impact kit for $179 this week. Regarding batteries, I like them so far, but they actually seem a little loose, almost floppy when mounted on the tool. I'm sure I can solve it but it applies to the original question, so I thought I'd mention it.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I am not a fan of the dewalt 20v stuff. Most recent experience was with a few new drills they got for us at work. Only 1.5AH batteries and all plastic. (no metal in the gearcase).

Personally I am a fan of Milwaukee M18 Fuel (brushless) tools. Which is what we had prior to getting the new dewalts at work. They came up missing But if it means anything, no one has stolen the dewalts:laughing:

The dewalt drills are DCD780. And the M18 Fuel drills were alot nicer, last longer, better battery. But this is just my :2cents:

+1 on the Milwaukee Fuel, we use them a lot at work and in my opinion are far superior.

 

[Jim Nelson]

Not an issue for a single user, but I dont like the lack of charge indicator on the dewalts.

When working in a shop with multiple guys, you have no idea when you grab a drill if it is charged or not. Or having the spare batteries on top of the cabinet, knowing which ones are full charge that just came off the charger? or which ones are dead and waiting on a charger to free up.

My 3.0 DeWalt batteries have a charge indicator.

 

[Scooby074]

I have a pretty full set of the Dewalt 18v Xrps. Circ saw, Recip, impact, Flour work light, Hammer drill, 16ga brad nailer, radio and about a half a dozen batts. Ive been very happy with them, but they are starting to get long in the tooth. It seems that DW has moved away from the old 18V nicad line with nothing new coming down the pipe so far that Ive seen

Ive been considering the new Dewalt 20v (actually still 18v, just marketing) especially after seeing their new 20V LED spotlight but have really been leaning towards the Makita Brushless 18v LXTs.

No matter what I go with Id have to replace a lot of tools eventually to get back to what I have now for selection and Im not looking forward to that. There is always the option of running 2 different style batterys I guess unless DW gets smart and reworks some of the new 20v Max tools to work with the millions of old 18v XRP nicad style batteries out there.

 

[strum456]

The Milwaukee Fuel line of tools will blow your mind. I just keep buying more of them and using my corded tools less and less. Their high torque impact gun has 1100 foot pounds of torque! Yes, 1100 foot pounds, that is not a typo. More than a Snap On Thundergun, or a Titanium IR.

 

[kevinwak]

I really love my bosch cordless drill and impact driver. Used them all day long when I built my house. Batteries last forever.

 

[gkm]

My 3.0 DeWalt batteries have a charge indicator.

Same here...no problems w/ quality, battery life, quick charge and made in USA.

 

[mikehaugen]

I am not a fan of the dewalt 20v stuff. Most recent experience was with a few new drills they got for us at work. Only 1.5AH batteries and all plastic. (no metal in the gearcase).

Personally I am a fan of Milwaukee M18 Fuel (brushless) tools. Which is what we had prior to getting the new dewalts at work. They came up missing But if it means anything, no one has stolen the dewalts:laughing:

The dewalt drills are DCD780. And the M18 Fuel drills were alot nicer, last longer, better battery. But this is just my :2cents:

Well then I guess they have made great strides. We actually had the exact opposite experience. We had 2 of the older milwaukee 18 volt drills here and they quit working relatively quickly (can't remember what was wrong with them, it was about 7 years ago) They then bought an 18 volt and and i think a 36 volt (maybe 24) dewalt they couldn't be abused enough. The 18 volt eventually grew legs and the big one I think got ran over or something. Now we have an 18 volt makita compact and we also got an older 14.4 dewalt from another plant that shut down that looks like it was through vietnam and still works well. The makita is even fairly impressive for it's small size.

Maybe I should have given Milwaukee a second look as it seems there new line is getting a lot of praise. The dewalt pair I bought was an impulse buy when hd had a sale going on. I have a ridgid set I've been pretty happy with but needs new batteries. I will still eventually get new batteries ir rebuild mine as I did like that set and the drill was a little beefier and was a hammerdrill.

 

[LD1]

Never used older Milwaukee stuff so I cannot compare. I can say, their new Fuel stuff does have a 5yr warranty:thumbsup:

For years I avoided cordless tools. We always had good stuff where I worked, but at home, with not using them often, I was never getting good life out of tools or batteries. Alot of that was cause I bought cheap stuff.

When I finally decided I wanted a nice drill/driver set, I did a TON of research and read lots of Independent testing stuff. General consensus was that the Milwuakee battery system was far and away the best. And the tools (FUEL) also had a slight edge. But there are other "brushless" tool from other brands now too.

And I cannot praise Milwuakees warranty enough. Since I am nearing in on building my pole barn, I wanted some more batteries and more drills and 1/4" hex drivers. So I bought some used on ebay, so now I have 2 Hex drivers, 1 drill, and 1 hammer drill. Plus 4 2.0AH batteries and 2 4.0AH batteries with 3 chargers. One of the drivers died after about an hour of use. Wouldnt change speed, wouldnt reverse direction, etc.

Contacted them to see if they had any idea and if it was a simple part I could purchase. Not expecting any warranty since it was purchased used on ebay. They insisted I send it back to them and they would cover it. 2 weeks later I get a brand new tool, and a note that says they are still evaluating it to see what is causing the issues:thumbsup: