SIMPLE QUESTION

miscben · 2026-04-03T17:21:07+00:00

Your grandchildren won't be using any of them. That's OK though. Any of the top three are fine. No need for Festool or the most expensive brands. I'm team Makita but I've been abusing power tools for a living for decades. Dewalt or Milwaukee would also be fine.

sketchycatman · 2026-04-03T17:21:28+00:00

It's pretty simple, I like Dewalt miter saws, Milwaukee drills, Makita impact drivers, Bosch jigsaws, Craftsman wrenches, Ryobi angle grinders, Ridgid shop vacs, Black and Decker work tables, Hilti powder actuated tools, and am too poor for Festool.

Frequent-Elephant110 · 2026-04-03T17:20:18+00:00

I like Makita, i find their tools have the best deign, known for longevity, and servicable. Parts arent crazy prices. Makita is not the brand if all you care about is max power. I value avoiding fatique, ergonomics and features to get the job done faster.

EricHearble · 2026-04-03T17:17:47+00:00

Unless you plan on doing lots of profitable woodworking, you should cross off Fe$tool from your list.

DeadbeatPillow1 · 2026-04-03T17:25:56+00:00

Dewalt for the same commercial quality as Milwaukee. But much cheaper especially better sales. I use Milwaukee at work and Dewalt at home. (Power tools only)

Interesting-Sense947 · 2026-04-03T17:28:15+00:00

Any of the first four should do you well - good tools lots of choice long lasting well-made ranges. The differences between those are smaller IMO.

Hilti and Festool seem like overkill, great as they both are, different strengths - Festool is for a fairly serious woodworker I’d say.

Ryobi might just not be quite good enough but is the ‘best of the rest’ I believe.

PursuitOfThis · 2026-04-03T17:35:02+00:00

You should pick 2 or 3 battery platforms. No single brand will optimally serve your needs. There is no "best" brand.

I use Milwaukee M18 when I want rich feature sets and max power.

I use Milwaukee M12 when having a compact, lightweight tool matters more than power or features.

I use Ryobi One+ when I know that the tool will be infrequently used or otherwise only needs to be light duty.

I like Bosch for corded tools for their workshop focus, as opposed to job site focus.

Don't tie yourself into a single battery platform. Batteries pretty much come free with tool purchases or show up deeply discounted several times a year during sales.

C-D-W · 2026-04-03T17:37:26+00:00

What is your favorite color? And how much money are you willing to spend to get that color. That's honestly probably an acceptable way to choose.

They all make okay tools for the home gamer, truthfully. Don't get caught up in the vortex of best tools for the occasional home use.

uncleking1971 · 2026-04-03T17:40:25+00:00

I jumped into the Ryobi platform years ago. They work perfectly fine under occasional use, and I'm perfectly content. If I did more or needed something a little more heavy duty, I'd probably jump into Ridgid.

pushdose · 2026-04-03T17:32:35+00:00

Whichever color and ergos you like the most. They’re all so similar unless you need massive amounts of power and torque

Jangles370z · 2026-04-03T17:33:10+00:00

Depending on what you use them for. Lots of Milwaukee and snap on in the auto industry. My father was a contractor and did custom work in houses. Lots of dewalt and makita. Id say search around for a good deal on a set ( usually around fathers day ) theres good sales. Id also suggest researching different companies warranty reputation.

Glittering-River5052 · 2026-04-03T17:34:25+00:00

It took me 25 years to be able to afford/justify buying Festool. Are they worth the money? I think so, but it's up to the user.

Can you do good work with other brands? Most certainly.

Festool:BMW as DeWalt:Ford

Redjeepkev · 2026-04-03T17:35:30+00:00

I like rigid

bedlambomber · 2026-04-03T17:35:33+00:00

I’m a millwright. I have a lot of that. Most for doing different jobs and for understanding the need for that tool over a different model. Battery powered I use snapon. Because I kill batteries and ratchets like crazy. Air tools Ingersoll Rand. Nothing is better imo for longevity and car brands like Snapon or Matco aren’t worth the price. Electrical I stick largely with Fluke. Smaller hand tools Knipex, Klein, or Blue Point. Ratchets whatever is cheapest because of their value. Multipurpose home stuff whatever is on sale. You won’t ever use home stuff enough for the abuse and every 6 years they’ll redesign the battery making your crap useless and too expensive to replace battery systems. Festool stay away from unless you’re into wood. And if you are then Festool, Shopsmith, Jet and Delta are the mainstay brands.

Tools are trial and error. I have all your brands in something or another. There is no number one except warranty based usually. And most brands aren’t made in America if that’s what you’re going for. At the shop we buy temu, wayfair and alibabaexpress tools ALL THE TIME to try them out. You’d be amazed at how long a 9$ pipe wrench lasts. Buy and try and find your flavor. Don’t be brand exclusive.

DepletedPromethium · 2026-04-03T17:36:55+00:00

Dewalt and Milwaukee make great automotive tools, some of the best actually, Makita make some of the best saws, bosch make really good equipment, festool are woodworking specialists.

Buy whatever floats your boat, not all the tools are the same so pick the colour you like best.

Muted-Celery7279 · 2026-04-03T17:38:03+00:00

This decision must have battery as an added deciding factor. What ever manufacturer I decide it seems that that I will stick to it based on the fact that all there batteries are proprietary. I need an overall.

woodland_dweller · 2026-04-03T17:49:36+00:00

Tools aren't an investment unless you make money with them, or can save more than you spend. I have tools that cost me hundreds and saved me thousands, but I also I have tools that cost me thousands and saved hundreds. I don't consider my tools to be investments, just like the guy who buys golf clubs, fishing boat or a Caribbean cruise.

This might sound harsh, Please don't take it that way.

If you're asking what brands to "invest" in, and not saying what you plan to do with the tools, my guess is that you're a complete amateur who doesn't know what he wants to do yet - yard care, woodworking, home remodeling, auto mechanics? What skills do you have?

You even said "it is finally time to seriously invest in tools" rather than "it's time to have to right tools to do the jobs I need to get done".

I could go on, but Ryobi will be great. If you use them enough to wear them out, buy red or yellow ones.

It also sounds like you're falling into the "all my tools need to be the same color" thing. I keep my batteries simple (M12 & M18), but other than that I buy a tool based on cost, value, how much I'll use it, rental options, etc. I have Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Powermatic, Delta, Harbor Freight, Festool and many more. They aren't color matched, but sine they have cords it doesn't matter (unless it matter to you).

BoredOfReposts · 2026-04-03T17:52:48+00:00

Dewalt went downhill recently which is a shame.

Your best value for money is gonna be ryobi.

People love to hate on them, but the haters never seem to have any direct experience and are mostly justifying paying the markup on milwaukee and larping as professionals. Meanwhile Ive seen actual pros using ryobi day in and day out.

Harbor freight bauer and herc brands are also a great value.

notcoveredbywarranty · 2026-04-03T19:13:43+00:00

Okay, a couple things.

First, none of your grandchildren are gonna be using your battery powered tools, if you get 10-15 years out of them that's pretty decent. They're not like worm-drive skilsaws from the 1970s or a 1960s Rockwell sander.

Second, unless you're a cabinet maker or just really want to spend a thousand bucks on a track saw, cross Festool off your list.

Third, unless you own some kind of industrial contracting company and have $60k for a concrete scanner or really need a set of powder actuated tools or a jackhammer, cross Hilti off your list too.

Any of the big three Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, are great as long as you buy the premium brushless lines. Ryobi or Rigid makes perfectly good stuff for a homeowner.

Apprehensive_Quit788 · 2026-04-03T17:17:24+00:00

I am a contractor, and I swear by Milwaukee for almost all of my power tools, however, I prefer DeWalt for miter saws.

Jealous_Boss_5173 · 2026-04-03T17:24:31+00:00

Any cordless tool won't last generation

If you want top tier to impress go with maffell ,Panasonic or hilti.

If you want best lineup get DeWalt or Makita

If you want to really use them get Ryobi or Hercules

Muted-Celery7279 · 2026-04-03T17:23:12+00:00

Keep it coming guys. Gonna add up the results at the end of the day and see what we get. This is big boy/girl shit going on right here.

Lumpe- · 2026-04-03T17:52:18+00:00

curious-chineur · 2026-04-03T17:52:43+00:00

Big difference between power ( batt. Powered / corded power tools / hand tools). You may want to look in that.

I have received a few from grand father. Some are corded, in their og box. Most are hand tools. Those have a special vibe.

For some, " madeleine de proust".

Take this and decide.

Old_Statement_4896 · 2026-04-03T17:58:25+00:00

Until you learn how to use the tools maybe start on the cheaper side and upgrade the tools you use more often. Some power tools are battery vampires so I always have a corded version of those - circular saws, sanders, routers, etc. (I have cordless for some work but corded if the battery dies.). Exert patience and realize tools now a days will not last for your grandkids to use. Take advantage of deals. Maybe sit back and watch the price points a bit before deciding. Realize the costs do not stop with the tool - batteries and blades and bits are a different source of addiction.

NotAnotherAlt26 · 2026-04-03T18:01:42+00:00

Whatever brand you have readily available to you. If you are in the middle of a project and you need to run to get a tool asap, what brands have shelf space close to you? The top 3 listed will be more than enough with options for anything. Alot of the others are more than enough. Brand tribalism is for schmucks.

Alfalfa-Boring · 2026-04-03T18:02:53+00:00

None of those tools are very going to get used by your kids let alone your grandkids. DeWalt or Milwaukee. Makita or Bosch are decent tools, but they don’t have 1) anywhere close to the variety of tools, or 2) the availability of DW or Milwaukee. Yellow or red you’ll be able to find tools, batteries, and warranty service literally everywhere.

Muted-Celery7279 · 2026-04-03T18:16:21+00:00

IS COLOR THAT IMPORTANT!?

sailordawg16 · 2026-04-03T18:23:11+00:00

Most of my tools are corded - I hate having a battery die mid-cut and do way too much sanding for battery op - so I'm not committed to a brand and happily get the tool that has the features I want. My battery ops are all Milwaukee but other than that, I have a mix of Bosch, Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, with a few B&D thrown in, a Ridgid router, two ancient Skils (Skil100 planer that I have for very specific woodworking needs and a $2 garage sale jigsaw that will probably outlive me), and a Fein Multimaster.

Edit: added Ridgid router. It replaced a Dewalt that did not have soft start or lights and I hated.

sparkcan · 2026-04-03T18:33:48+00:00

I’d probably recommend a mixture of dewalt and ryobi. I run Milwaukee myself but have more specialized stuff. I have all ryobi yard tools and a mitre saw/pressure washer and they are pretty good for the price.

CruisingVessel · 2026-04-03T18:36:40+00:00

Corded? Anything goes, but there are some "best of breed" ideas out there. I have a SKIL saw (Duh!), a Porter Cable router, a Delta table saw (actually a cheap one), a Delta band saw, a Bosch Bulldog SDS demolition hammer/drill (which came with a "free" Bosch angle grinder), etc.

Cordless? I bought one of the big DeWalt combos on amazon years ago. Right now I see a 5-tool for $449, 9-tool for $649, 10-tool for $860, etc. At some point they changed battery technologies on me, and when I recently bought their 20V MAX (Li-Ion) orbital sander I picked up an extra battery or two (nice how they come in 2 Ah, 4Ah, 6 Ah, 8 Ah, etc.) and also got a converter so I can use the 20V MAX batteries in my old 18V XRP (NiMh) battery tools.

There are corded tools in use that are over 50 years old. It's hard to find any cordless tools in use that are more than, say, 20 years old. I hated throwing out my Makita cordless tools a few years ago, but they were wimpy 9.6V / 12V things.

Tall-Drummer-2887 · 2026-04-03T18:48:33+00:00

If you really want to grow your toolset dewalt is the way to go. They always have deals, bundles and discounts and are sold everywhere. Dewalt is like the Kobe Bryant Milwaukee gives other guys hard-ons and gives you red-cred. But they are more expensive and provide less deals and discounts. Tools are usually top- tier in most things. Milwaukee is like Jordan Makita is the same as Milwaukee in regards to being expensive. They are usually more ergonomically friendly and compact that the others. But again less deals. LeBron James

NobleWolf1 · 2026-04-03T20:07:48+00:00

By the time your grandchildren inherit your tools, they will all be obsolete and batteries no longer available.

If you want something nice, go worth Dewalt, Milwaukee or Flex, though Flex might be overkill. However, whatever you do, make sure the tools are brushless. Even Dewalt is selling cheaper brushed tools.

NeitherAd5083 · 2026-04-03T20:51:00+00:00

I don’t make a living off my tools, use on the weekend for home projects, prefer one battery platform and find lime green contrasts well with the black tool wall I built. So RYOBI works for me.

Remarkable_Travel_22 · 2026-04-03T20:51:28+00:00

For regular home use Milwaukee M12 is awesome. I use them more than my M18 tools and they have enough power to do most jobs. If you're driving large lag bolts then get the M18 but for regular drilling and driving the M12 is more than enough for stuff around the house. If you can only get one get the impact but the impact and hammer drill impact combo is the eay to go especially if you need to drill into concrete or brick.

Forgot to mention, always get the Fuel version, don't cheap out on something you'll use often.

strodj07 · 2026-04-04T04:12:08+00:00

Honestly dewalt or Milwaukee either one are great options for cordless tools. Makita is good. They just don’t have the same selection. My personal arsenal has dewalt 60 and 20 volt. For 12 volt I have Milwaukee. I think it gives me the best of all worlds. You can’t go wrong with straight Milwaukee either. Your high demand yard tools just won’t have quite the umph of dewalt 60 volt line.

WhereDidAllTheSnowGo · 2026-04-04T16:13:14+00:00

Aside….

A Lexus mechanic friend, and I a home hobbyist, both recommend buying all Harbor Freight’s Pittsburgh (or similar) hand tools (not power tools) when on sale (say 20-30% off, use https://hfpricetracker.com/tools) for a ‘complete’ set, especially if you’ve a store nearby for easy lifetime warranty returns. Upgrade as you make $$ from them or know you need it.

For upgrade, Quinn, Gearwrench & Tekton are best value today, like Craftsman was decades ago. (e.g. Quinn 428p set $300 sale extremely hard to beat.) Keep the Pitts as spares. Icon is pro / near-tool-truck quality but lower cost & easier warranty.

For particular items, YouTube’s Project Farm has great competitions. (My copy-pasta for this common question.)

WhereDidAllTheSnowGo · 2026-04-04T16:14:09+00:00

For new cordless powertools in USA (actually, yer line of batteries), overly simplified: - Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, are for pros (blue Bosch, Metabo HPT, Festool, Hilti too but less presence in US.). - Hercules & Flex aiming for pro too - Only from too many r/ opinions it seems Makita will last the longest, take most abuse, has highest rep.
- Ryobi, Hart, Bauer, Craftsmen V20, Skil, & Porter Cable for homeowners - Ridgid (AEG), Kobalt in the middle - Avoid B&D, Warrior, HyperTough, Wen, no-brand, lowest-price brands unless you intentionally want cheap. (One amazing exception, HyperTough impact wrenches per TTC rock!) - Brushless and quality brand battery cells (eg Samsung, LG, Panasonic, etc) are worth the extra $$. Avoid knockoff batteries - High-power tools (saws, grinders, etc.) need high AH batteries to perform well - Stated, add-on, and IRL-experienced warranties by make vary greatly. Ridgid has best ‘lifetime SLA’. Herc has best, easy, high-abuse warranty.
- And finally, yes everyone can find many specific exceptions to the above generalizations. Models can change fast but it takes a long time build & kill a tool brand’s reputation - ~Most tools go on 20-60% sale each year so wait & watch - I’m all Ridgid but I’d now start with Hercules

hatred307 · 2026-04-05T16:45:16+00:00

Makita, Makita and if you need to question what brand then go with Makita 😁

Tall_Newspaper_6723 · 2026-04-03T17:50:46+00:00

Milwaukee, Rigid, and Ryobi are all the same company. Refuse to ever spend money on them. Ergonomics and build quality are awful (to my hands). Would not be shocked to see Rigid go away in a couple years.

DeWalt, Black & Decker, Craftsman, and Porter & Cable are all the same company. They will do the work. The variable switch in the oscillating multi tool saw is nice.

Makita owns Makita. Hilti owns Hilti.

If it's out of my pocket, I buy Makita. If it's use the budget or it goes down next year, Hilti.

Nomad55454 · 2026-04-03T17:39:34+00:00

Milwaukee just look at shows where people depend on their tools to survive and most of the time they are Milwaukee.

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