Cordless tools - Best brand?

Everyone will have their favourites, and dislikes.

Most of our tools are dewalt, they're decent, and last a good while being abused daily for work. We stick with the brand, as it makes sense given we've got loads of the batteries.

My electrician swears by makita, and my plumber only uses milwaukee.

Having tried all 3 brands, I'd happily use any of them in the future, if i had the batteries.

I've had a few stanley fatmax tools, and they're not at the level of dewalt in my opinion. Jigsaw, circulaw saw and sds drill, all wore out pretty quickly with regular use. I'd say they felt diy+.

I'd shop around for deals, and settle on a range from there.

Makita for me as originally they had the widest range and were decent value. Once you’re locked into the battery type it makes no sense changing.

Makita. Best range of tools and the quality is good.

Having said that, power tools are like opinions...

Large previous thread with loads of info, I'm currently following Dean Doherty Greaser & he seems to like Makita but not modern Milwaukee.

 Once you’re locked into the battery type it makes no sense changing.

1 battery with multiple adapters

Are the batteries being standardized by the EU? If it is the case that they are I'd hold back buying anything until the new models are released.

I have DeWalt stuff. Only 3 tools and 2 4ah batteries which are now 12 years old and adequate for my occasional use.

Now you've done it!

The different brands have slightly different focuses - I use Milwaukee as they have a better range for mechanical work (impact wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, lighting etc).

Think about what you want to do, what you might do in the future and look at the ranges offered.

Festool are the best , but you pay a premium for them.
Then Milwaukee , red power 18v . Compact, lightweight , powerful.
Then Makita , very good tools. But more expensive batteries than Milwaukee .
Then Bosch probably but smaller range and up there in the pricing.
DeWalt ok , but buy the better models.
Don't overlook Ryobi for home DIY use. Huge range of tools at a sensible price .
Einhell making in roads to the UK market but I've no direct experience with them yet

It’s like wheel sizes. It doesn’t really matter but you’re obliged to just pick one you like and then be a dick about it forever.

Obviously 26”wheels and DeWalt

Pick a battery and be a dick about it. I favour Makita. Wide range of tool and at the longer lasting end of things. I'm not buying erbauer again.

I was recommended Milwaukee by our GE technical field advisor the other day because I need a decent impact driver for work. His reasoning was that I could rob a battery or two from then next time we have one of their tool containers on site.

Not sure that's an entirely useful suggestion for the OP.

Battery adaptors allow you to mix and match if you want....

I would like to use Makita as they have the clever concept of being able to use two 18V batteries in their 36V tools.   Most of my stuff is 18V Bosch green and it's just fine for what I use it for.  Got some 36V Bosch green for bigger stuff (strimmer/chainsaw).  The 18V bare tools can be very cheap and fine for most use.   Got a few Bosch blue corded stuff where I really care about the tool but wouldn't want to spend that on everything

I have Bosch but on price and range wish I had started with Makita. 18v LXT is the goto range.

Mine are all a mix.  Things I rarely use can be budget and corded.  Things I use a lot are Festool or Makita mostly, but when I bought the tracksaw nobody else did them.  My 10v drill driver is Festool, a bit of a luxury but feels so nice and has some useful uniques, like a right angle adapter.

The thing I use most though is my impact driver.  A cheap Erbauer. I keep abusing it in the hope it will conk out so I can justify an expensive one but it just won't die.  Works fine though.

I'm a furniture maker, wardrobes and stuff.

Guy I used to buy my to tools from used to also have a repair service.

He said repair they were all much of s muchness, but Dewalt were not so repair friendly and the housing would often have to be relaxed as it wasn't always designed to be taken apart. Saying that, I quite like the metal chuck on Dewalt.

Had Makita tools for years. Most of the workshops I used to work in were full of either Festool or Makita.

Used a Makita track saw a while back. Pretty good bit of kit.

I wrote down a list of every possible tool I might ever want in the future which included a heavy duty impact gun, 36v lawnmower and 18v strimmer above the usual DIY stuff. That made the obvious choice for me to be Makita.

Then literally weeks later work started spoiling us with some amazeballs Milwaukee stuff (dirty water stick pump, mechanics led strip lamps and 18v flood lamps on tripods.  The Milwaukee stuff is cool as the charger is a 12v vehicle one.

I have a whole load of powertools, from Festool to LiDL/Parkside branded stuff. I have a selection of DeWalt battery tools simply because it was a DeWalt that was the best value on sale when I was looking for a drill some years ago. So I now have DeWalt, Bosch (green and blue), Makita, Festool, Lidl/Parkside, Black and Decker, Ryobi and probably a few others. Personally, I don't see any difference in quality between DeWalt and Makita, blue Bosch perhaps just a little bit better, and Festool a step above all of them. But they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and each brand will do something a little bit better than another; my Bosch router is better than anything Makita or DeWalt do, and was a good bit less expensive than a Festool. And my Festool track saw is significantly better than anything else I've used. A Dewalt drill/driver is much cheaper than a Festool one, yet does exactly the same job. My Makita chop saw is great, really solid and accurate, although the laser guide thing was misaligned from new and stopped working quite quickly anyway.

Makita here have a really good rep but, like Festool, ar at the tippy-top of the pricing, Milwaukee just below with Bosch (blue).

So, recommendations? Is Makita/Milwaukee worth the uptick in price?

Makita, no. It's on the same level overall as DeWalt or blue Bosch. Definitely not worth paying Milwaukee prices for. And nowhere near Festool for most things.

As a home DIY'er where things are only rarely needed, I use Lidl Parkside!  4 decent enough tools for the price of one.

DeWalt are. great. Other posher brands will be 'better' if you're looking to use things daily.

Everyone seems to have nailed it, I went with Bosch and kinda regret it sometimes as it seems to be more construction oriented but with adaptors you can power anything (of the same voltage, Milwaukee is 20V and seemingly that's a real 20V).

Good tools are good, Parkside/Ferrex are good for beaters.

Bosch do deals as well so it's often worth checking them, dunno if the same applies in Sweden but the UK site has redemption offers where you get a free tool, battery or whatever. They also do refurbs in the warehouse section.

I think if you're not really looking to build some mass fleet of tools then the number of weird and wonderful tools available in a range, beyond the drill driver and the jigsaw you actually want, maybe doesnt really matter much. Being able to buy replacement batteries in future does, so theres sense in favouring 'brand names' that have invested in that wide range and intend to support them, over retailer own brand.

For the tools you're asking about theres not really much to choose between the main brands - they'll all do a range of drivers and probably two or three jigsaws at different price points and they're in direct competition on these models so they're all good value.

Makita do indeed have the widest range and, perhaps as a home users that range might stretch into other household applications beyond 'DIY' in terms of things you might get beneficial use from - as their, mowers, strimmers etc are very good, they make a good, affordable dust-buster like hoover they make a cracking little car tyre inflator and so on. Amongst that huge range from powered wheel barrows to a microwave, theres maybe more things for home use that you'd actually use than the other brands currently supply

I have no experience with their battery powered stuff but I have lots of Erbauer power tools (B&Q/Screwfix own brand) and like them.

Great for home DIY level work.

Not as good as Makita etc but an obvious step up from eg Bosch green, solidly made and do the job well (so far!)

Festool are the best

Completely subjective.
Hope that helps

Seeing that nobody else has mentioned them and they are actually the best (as in quality/durability/strength of the tool as opposed to can you get a heated 18v bodywarmer in the range)........Metabo. The tapping function on the drill is genius and their impact drivers carry some wallop.

Festool = overpriced and too fussy.

Makita = good but not as good as Metabo.

DeWalt = fisher price of the power tool world.

Blue Bosch = okay but the drill chucks are crap.

Festool are the best

Completely subjective.
Hope that helps

They really are for certain things though; their track saws for example (didn't they invent the track saw?). No wobble, totally solid, 100% accurate and the blades are top, top quality. And their Kapex chop saws are second to none; again with no wobble or play, reliable and accurate. Their Domino jointer tool is the go to choice for anyone doing kitchens. I do think their drill/drivers, jigsaws and a few other bits are overpriced though, and no better in actual use than cheaper brands. And I don't really know why their tracks are so much more expensive than other decent brands. Makita ones are just as good yet half the price near enough.

Do the Wishlist thing and then compare the ranges. Don't forget household/hobby stuff in that list.

We happened to choose Makita because there was an offer on batteries at the time my old drill died, but we've now got vacuum, cool box, lights, mower, strimmer, so we can work the batteries quite hard.

Most of my stuff is 18V Bosch green and it’s just fine for what I use it for.

Same here.  But I was less concerned about "the best" - I'm only a hobbyist - and more about availability of batteries / chargers / compatible tools years down the line.  I once wound up throwing out a whole suite of VersaPac tools because the NiCad batteries all died and replacements were at "gouge" levels of pricing because, well, the old batteries all died.  I've avoided the Lidl ones for the same reason, there's nothing to say they might disappear as a brand tomorrow.

Bosh uses the "all18v" system which is something approaching a standard between multiple manufacturers.  My thinking is that even if Bosch abandon it, hopefully it should carry on with a different badge.

Festool = overpriced and too fussy.

Fair comment for certain things. I'd happily spend the money on say the track saws though.

Makita = good but not as good as Metabo.

Same level as DeWalt etc in my experience. Nothing special, gets the job done and pretty reliable.

DeWalt = fisher price of the power tool world.

Bit of a daft comment. The bright yellow colour helps to find them easily especially in dark dingy places. Well designed, tough and reliable.

Blue Bosch = okay but the drill chucks are crap.

On a level with DeWalt and Makita, but some bits are a little better quality. Their sanders seem to be better damped than DW/Mak, less fatiguing for long periods. Their L-Boxx system is better quality than the T-Stak DeWalt and others use. Almost on a par with the Tanos Systainer design. As I said; their router is excellent.

I have no experience with their battery powered stuff but I have lots of Erbauer power tools (B&Q/Screwfix own brand) and like them.

Great for home DIY level work.

Not as good as Makita etc but an obvious step up from eg Bosch green, solidly made and do the job well (so far!)

Not in my experience. Erbauer is a Big Shed brand which you'll find under many other names. It's ok for lighter work but the Bosch green range is better designed I think. Quality batteries. And surprisingly durable. I see lots of green Bosch around, andI've got a really old 14v smaller drill I use for quick light jobs, that I've had for nearly 20 years.Never seen Erbauer/BnQ specials last anything near that.

midlifecrashes

I have Bosch but on price and range wish I had started with Makita. 18v LXT is the goto range.

+1

I've got bosch blue at home and a mix of bosch and milwaukee at work.

The bosch stuff is great but expensive outside of the drills (and as above, one of the chucks is playing up) and now that I've drills, driver, jigsaw and circular saw there's not much else worth buying when I have unexpected pocket money.

That's why I ideally wanted makita, loads of toys and by all accounts there's plenty of cheap knockoffs that work on their batteries. Bosch just had a better deal on drills at the time.

Bosch customer service has been good though, I left a drill out in the rain overnight and they didn't quibble, just exchanged it for a new one

Fully invested in Makita, trade use. Spare parts easily available IME. New motors, etc, which I have purchased

Can't fault it, I'm sure non Makita stuff is good too.

We use Makita impacts for heavy mechanical stuff at work and they've been very durable (but also VERY noisy).

Sort of wish I had Makita, but settled on Einhell as a half way house for home use. Lots of 2x18V stuff for the garden and the brushless tools seem good. Spares also available.

One thing to watch with Lidl / Aldi stuff is it only has limited availability. So you might have the batteries and charger, but you are stuffed if you need a tool and have no idea when it will next be in the shop.

Yes the makita hedge trimmer is useful taking the same 18v battery and their 2x18v chainsaw is really handy when you cba to get a petrol saw out of the shed. I’ve a few lights that are always useful and their 18v air pump has turned out to be really useful on cars, bike tyres, blowing stuff etc. Items that would be expensive seem to be better value if you’re only buying the bare tool and no box.

Dear gods, I had no idea this would a) open such a can o' worms and b) this had been discussed (at length) before. I'll have to look at more than the first page of search results in future. Damn you Google!

Hilti all the way. Stupidly expensive but nothing is more durable (in my own, limited experience!)  Even if you do manage to break them they have a 2 year "no questions asked. You break it we repair/replace it" warranty ( this is single use and was very useful when someone on site ran over a Hilti demolition hammer with a dumper!). This is on top of the lifetime manufacturers defect warranty. But SUPER expensive!

Dear gods, I had no idea this would a) open such a can o’ worms

Are you new here?

their Kapex chop saws are second to none;

Again, subjective. I hate their mitre saw. The handle is in a stupid orientation, just to be different imho. Feels very unnatural to me to twist the wrist like you have to.

I do have Festool though. I have the Domino and the 1/2" router with the pistol grip which is fantastic

Pick a battery and be a dick about it

This

PArkside for the Win 🙂

Somehow, i knew how this thread would go.... exactly like it does on site!

There's never much love for DeWalt in these threads, Makita, Milwaukee etc. always getting more likes but I like them. I'm not a tradesman, so I'm not subjecting mine to loads of abuse, but they just work well and seem to last. I don't doubt that all the others are good too, better even if you are a pro or semi pro user.

For me, DeWalt seem in a value sweet spot. A good compromise between features, longevity and price. Much nicer than the cheaper Bosch and Screwfix own brand stuff I've used in the past, but maybe not as premium as Makita etc. They seem ideal for heavyish DIY use. Because there are so many models, you can often get a great deal on last year's version, especially if you buy it 'bare' without a battery. For home use, once you've got 2 or 3 batteries of decent capacity (4 or 5AH) you don't really need to keep buying them with every new tool. I usually try to stretch to the models with brushless motors

Horses for courses though, I think as long as you stick with any of the the well known brands on this thread you'll be fine.

, I think as long as you stick with any of the the well known brands on this thread you’ll be fine.

Absolutely.

In terms of battery size mentioned earlier, I've got heaps of 4 and 5s , and they are essential on site using a grinder or suchlike

But my favourite is the 1.5 which usually sits on the driver, so light and easily handled. On a brushless tool it lasts for ever. For plain, DIY and irregular use, it's a great size.

I've ended up with a mix of 12V and 18V Bosch Pro stuff which seems good but also worth noting that the 12V batteries work with cordless Dremel's (Dremel and Bosch are same company).

Why has nobody mentioned Worx? The strimmer, hedge cutter,  reciprocating saw all work fine for me with no issues.

I'm ryobi because it does gardening kit too.

I've a router, drivers etc and they have all been excellent

Why has nobody mentioned Worx?

I can't believe he mentioned Worx!

Another Bosch Green user here, it's man enough for home use IMO and the Power4All batteries mean you're not tied in to one brand. Husqvarna batteries are cheaper than Bosch.

I use Erbauer at work, some use DeWalt, just depends what's on offer at the time.

DeWalt = fisher price of the power tool world.

Bit of a daft comment. The bright yellow colour helps to find them easily especially in dark dingy places. Well designed, tough and reliable.

I once spent 12months looking after a massive highly automated joinery company that had a handbuilt / bench joiners department. We had a huge amount of battery tools including DeWalt. They were the worst out of the mainstream brand's and were phased out. As mentioned previously - they weren't durable enough, not built with repair as a consideration and parts were difficult to source.

Bosch's GSS280/140 sanders were the best but went through base plate clips and flexible mounts.

Ryobi belt sanders were really good (I've seen belt sander roller skates with a Ryobi taped to each foot and the extension lead then flicked on at the wall!)

Atlas Copco battery drills were durable/robust but spendy.

Nowadays Metabo -> Makita -> Blue Bosch

Makita LXT. It just works

Makita.

Milwaukee if you are outside all day in - 0 conditions.

Hilti if you like smashing things up.

(I have have just brought a Makita cordless coffee machine. )

I have have just brought a Makita cordless coffee machine.

As reviewed by the coffeemeister James Hoffman. I don't think he was a massive fan!

anyone saying Milwaukee is a social media influencer, or a plumber 😉
They've done a great job marketing themselves to be fair and do have a massive range of tools.

Its brushless Bosch obviously though, or apparently Japanese imported Makita if you're serious

@blokeuptheroad

It boils water in the middle of nowhere where I often find myself. And we are not allowed inverters in the vans. We used to use jetboils types but they banned those too

You need a 5amph battery thou.

I liked a Milwaukee 4" grinder as it had a dead mans switch.

I used a lot of hilti for drilling brisge TE6a was a great SDS drill.

At home I use Ryobi, not as good as some of the more expensive brands but the hammer drill I have is over 10 years old now and has been abused and still going strong. I don't think they make that model any more

It’s like wheel sizes. It doesn’t really matter but you’re obliged to just pick one you like and then be a dick about it forever.

exactly this. Pick a brand and be a dick about it.

Festool are the best

you’re wrong ?

Hilti for the win.

in all seriousness I have Hilti, Milwaukee, DeWalt and Makita cordless plus corded of these and Atlas Copco, Bosch, Hiatchi and others.

reality is any big brand is fine.

edit I also have Ryobi cordless and that’s fine also, despite the diy tag some tradies give it.

@pk13 fair enough!

Makita LXT for me, started off that way with a present and no sense changing because of the batteries. All excellent quality and no issues except my garden vacuum likes to jam if the mincer gets overwhelmed. Would have been better without the mincer built in really. I notice some tools are made in the UK if that matters to anyone.

DeWalt seems decent. Haven't used much of it but the quality seems a tiny bit lower. Bought a combi for someone last year and the battery was a loose rattly fit, ended up filling the gap with a small strip of mastic tape. On the upside the light was lower down which meant the bit wasn't in its own shadow like most others.

I'd be real tempted by Milwaukee if starting fresh. So many tools to choose from. The motors sound really nice, even comparing brushless to brushless. The two finger pinch for battery removal seems awkward to me.

I use loads of Makita stuff, a bit of dewalt and a few Milwaukee tools. I have to say the Milwaukee stuff is better than Makita but it's also more expensive and if you're just a DIY er then Makita certainly has a range that'll sort out any job you'll ever need it for. Their site radio also sounds better.

I’ve ended up with a mix of 12V and 18V Bosch Pro stuff which seems good but also worth noting that the 12V batteries work with cordless Dremel’s (Dremel and Bosch are same company).

They are, but Dremels run off the green 12V batteries rather than the blues. You used to be able to swap out the shroud on the battery but they changed the design so you can't do that any more. No idea why they don't just harmonise the batteries.

They make a blue version of the Dremel but they're a lot more expensive. If one ever came up cheap I'd think about it but I never use mine enough to justify changing.

The Milwaukee stuff is cool as the charger is a 12v vehicle one.

Exists for Makita, too. Have one in my van. Charges 18v via 12v lighter socket.

Again, subjective. I hate their mitre saw. The handle is in a stupid orientation, just to be different imho. Feels very unnatural to me to twist the wrist like you have to the.

+1

Although they're great in a workshop where you've a few oddball left handers in the team.

Much prefer the Makita saws... So much so I spent 750€ on one a few years back.

Why has nobody mentioned Worx?

Because it's shite... ?

I'd avoid Bosch. Mainly because you are really limited as to what you can use with their batteries. Yes they do the main woody stuff, jigsaw,sander, small circular saw and drills, but thats about it.

And I've 3 18v Bosch blue drills, but it really annoys me that Bosch have limited their stuff to such a small selection, which is especially baffling given bosch are known for producing battery powered electrical motors.

As for Milwaukee, i know nothing about the brand other than it has  good reputation in the US, but Americans seem to prefer to buy American made whether its good or bad, just so long as it is American.

Ryobi, Workx are ok, and have a large selection of bare tools at competitive prices, but it's not really intended for any heavy duty use. They are almost specific to DIY

Dewalt are very good, maybe not as very very good as they used to be, but well made and can last rough handling and intensive work periods.

Which kind of leaves us with Makita, and you can't really fault Makita. I've their biscuit jointer,rto700 trim router,and the 9911 belt sander(which is ace by the way)

So on that I'd highly recommend the Makita over anything else. I know this is cordless ask and much of y kit is corded, but the build quality is really good and i dont see their 18v being any different.

And i'd specially recommend you buy yourself a 9911 belt sander. Super easy to handle,very stable and you can get replacement belts from aldi/lidl for cheap.

As for Milwaukee, i know nothing about the brand other than it has  good reputation in the US, but Americans seem to prefer to buy American made whether its good or bad, just so long as it is American

I always find this amusing.  You are 100% correct in how Americans view Milwaukee...... but the irony is that Milwaukee isn't even an American brand any more.  They sold the name a while ago to TTI (based in HK I think).  The even more massive irony is that the US Milwaukee fanatics are exactly the same people slagging off Ryobi..... which is owned by the same company, and shares a lot of the same DNA as it's more expensive cousin.

I mostly have Makita, some cordless, but mostly corded (for longevity).  I use my biscuit jointer etc so infrequently that it's never going to wear-out..... and I don't want to need it in 8-10 years time to find that the battery platform has been "obsoleted".  Less of an issue these days with battery adapters I suppose, but it's also possible to pick up second hand corded tools for peanuts - so it's an economical way to build a great tool collection.

I also have a few bits of cordless - ryobi kit:  A couple of LED lamps, inflator (both LVHP and LPHV), glue gun, leaf blower etc - absolutely fine.  One-up from the supermarket own brands I would say, but only a fraction more expensive.  If you are only doing DIY, I think they are probably the sweet spot for most people (which is of course exactly the market segment they have targeted)

I'd possibly go Milwaukee Red if I started again, dunno, but I invested in the Makita LXT system years ago and it's stood up well, mostly working outdoors.

I bought a DeWalt XR Combi Drill/impact driver set as a back up kit and it's like Fisher Price in comparison.

Off the top of my head and probably forgetting loads, I have in the Makita range

4no combi drills

1no impact driver

2no smaller impact wrenches

1no large (1000nm) impact wrench

2no metal circular saws

1no standard circular saw

Jigsaw

Multi tool

Rebar cutter

Reciprocating saw large

Reciprocating saw small

Angle grinder

X-Lock angle grinder

SDS drill

Large bandsaw

Small bandsaw

Heat gun

Hoover

Coffee machine

Dab/Bluetooth radio

8no batteries

4-way charger

2no single chargers

... and a partridge in a pear tree.

… and a partridge in a pear tree

it is important to remember the moto

“he who dies with the most tools wins”

Forgot 90 degree tight space angled drill and tripod floodlight 😉

Wait, what??? Makita does a damn coffee maker??? That alone might get me to buy into that ecosystem; I could just have that in the van and not have to worry about making espresso ever again.

Edited to add that I was looking at the Milwaukee dual brushless drill package to replace the one my ex took with her, but the coffee maker might be a deal breaker, despite the offer I saw on the package. Will have to see if the coffee thign is available here somewhere, otherwise I will just drop the cash on a straight replacement.

The 14,4v AEG drill/screwdriver I have is currently on charge to see if the batteries have survived. It seems sluggish, but that could be becauase I am used to the Milwaukee stuff now.

Wait, what??? Makita does a damn coffee maker??? That alone might get me to buy into that ecosystem; I could just have that in the van and not have to worry about making espresso ever again.

You might want to watch that Hoffman review I posted before you splash out.  You won't be making espresso with it.

Forgot 90 degree tight space angled drill and tripod floodlight 😉

You also forgot to buy the LXT wheelbarrow to cart them all around in

Just watched it... Ok, maybe not.

But now I _do_ want an Aeropress.

But now I _do_ want an Aeropress.

In that case you just need the LXT kettle 🙂

Just watched it… Ok, maybe not.

But now I _do_ want an Aeropress.

Well that's saved you a few quid! Aeropress = cheap, easy to use/clean, makes fantastic coffee.  Get yourself a Jetboil or an MSR pocket rocket stove and you can have great coffee anywhere.

I use Senseo coffee bags in mine. It's far from perfect, but handy enough in a site office or out on site. Also have an Aeropress/Jetboil, but that's far more faff

Why has nobody mentioned Worx? The strimmer, hedge cutter,  reciprocating saw all work fine for me with no issues.

I have a few Worx tools (mainly bought off the back of an initial Hydroshot purchase) and they've been fine for my casual use case - mower, strimmer, drills, saws. I now have enough batteries that buying the new tools themselves becomes virtually free - buy when they're (often) on discount and then flog on the bundled batteries.

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

I bought a DeWalt XR Combi Drill/impact driver set as a back up kit and it’s like Fisher Price in comparison.

Depends entirely one which level in the range you buy.  The "impact+drill for £150" Makita stuff is just the same.

Depends entirely one which level in the range you buy.  The “impact+drill for £150” Makita stuff is just the same.

Not sure where exactly in the range it sits, but not a base spec model. Similar (if not the same) as below

The whole engagement of the battery in the kit and charger for one is massively inferior to Makita - I can't imagine this changes across the range

The whole engagement of the battery in the kit and charger for one is massively inferior to Makita – I can’t imagine this changes across the range

A dewalt bugbear has been including shite, cheap, slow chargers in their bundles, even on quite highspec sets. The one that came with my brad nailer, which is by no means a cheap item, was crud. So I had  buy a proper, fan cooled fast charger to replace it. It cost a dizzying £13 compared to the £10 retail price version it replaced. A £3 (at retail) difference.  Still not as good, or a fast as a makita charger but loads better than the one in the set, which took 4-5 hours to charge.

Given the whole point of these ranges is you're encouraging people to 'buy-in' to a battery system, handicapping customers by putting rubbish chargers in the kits people would start out with seems to be shooting yourself in the foot. I think inconsistency is Dewalts problem - some of their stuff is miles and away the best (their nailers and table saws), and some is just ill-thought out

The plastic connector on my Parkside broom failed. I repaired it with a lump of wood, a Bosch plane, Parkside drill and a few screws.

I have a policy of buying cheap shit and replacing with better if it isn't up to the job. The vast majority of my tools are still cheap shit and working fine. The most common failures are cables which I replace and switches which I can sometimes repair.

After seeing the abuse the Milwaukee stuff gets at work and doesn't bat an eyelid that was my go to when needing a new combi drill recently.

I use a battery adaptor to use my DeWalt batteries with a Makita compatible power tool I have that DeWalt don't make.