Skil vs DeWalt
- Thread starter -dustin
- Start date
DeWalt
bumblebee
Milwaukee makes the best tools hands down, none of the crap that Makita and Dewalt do with "consumer" level products that are the same color as their nicer tools but made with crap parts. I have been using the Milwaukee cordless reciprocating saw, 1/2 drill, circular saw, etc for sometime now and they are awesome. Also time to time you can find killer package deals and even rebates. I got mine from Home Depot for about $350 for the set and then I found a coupon online to get an additional battery for free. So I have three batteries total. I also bought a rapid charge dock to charge all three batteries at once in aunder an hour. It's such a killer setup. Ask the pros and they all agree that Milwaukee is the shiz. The higher end Dewalt and MAkita stuff is good though for sure, just don't touch their low-end garbage. Think Honda RN-1 v. Honda dept. store bike. Both are red and say Honda but they are not the same thing at all....
Ok couple of thoughts here, I sell some tools from my warehouse. Dewalt has a kick ass warranty of 3 years on new tools, but they are owned by Black and Decker. So if you see a B&D equivalent to the Dewalt buy it. Same guts different housing. Now I am assuming you are getting it from Home Cheapo or one of the other big box stores. Realize that you are not buying contractor grade tools from them. They will often times have plastic gears and parts that otherwise are/should be metal. If you are ok with that and the price is good go for it. Stay away from Skil. Also if Bosch looks comparable price wise I highly recommend them. It is because of Bosch that DeWalt went to a 3 year warranty to remain competetive. My Brother and Dad both have the Bosch 18v kit and trust me if my dad hasnt destroyed it in 2 years it is indestructible. He literally has torn up iron horses.
Home Depot, yes.
my initial instinct is DeWalt. my dad uses their stuff and beats it pretty good (60hr week electrician). i know he's never dropped huge money on tools, but i want to say the majority of his tools are the 18v XRP DeWalts (recently had 5 18v batteries jacked from his work truck). he's been an electrician for 20+ years and all i can remember is the "bumblebee".
me, i'm just looking for a good drill. nothing bigtime, just modest.
my initial instinct is DeWalt. my dad uses their stuff and beats it pretty good (60hr week electrician). i know he's never dropped huge money on tools, but i want to say the majority of his tools are the 18v XRP DeWalts (recently had 5 18v batteries jacked from his work truck). he's been an electrician for 20+ years and all i can remember is the "bumblebee".
me, i'm just looking for a good drill. nothing bigtime, just modest.
At the consumer level you won't see too much difference between brands, like others have mentioned. Between your two choices, I'd go DeWalt.
If you're going to spend a little more, I would go with the industrial DeWalts from my personal experience at a subway/commuter train manufacturing company. We used tons of battery drills so we didn't have to drag air hoses and power cords through the cars and we got to the point where we were throwing out 5 or 6 Milwaukees a week. The older Mils. that had been around a few years were still kicking but the new ones absolutely sucked. We switched to 18v industrial DeWalts and never looked back. The extra weight sucked but at least we weren't ordering drills all the time. For a 1/2" electric, I would go with the Milwaukee. Our competitor down the road from us went through their entire shop and tossed 300 Makitas in favor of Hitachi battery drills and they seemed to have much better luck with them.
Another company that is starting to come on in the US, but more on the professional side, is Fes Tool, check out festoolusa.com. We also have a local Lowes-type place (Chase Pitkin) that offers a lifetime warranty on all power tools purchased there so see if there is some place like that near you.
If you're going to spend a little more, I would go with the industrial DeWalts from my personal experience at a subway/commuter train manufacturing company. We used tons of battery drills so we didn't have to drag air hoses and power cords through the cars and we got to the point where we were throwing out 5 or 6 Milwaukees a week. The older Mils. that had been around a few years were still kicking but the new ones absolutely sucked. We switched to 18v industrial DeWalts and never looked back. The extra weight sucked but at least we weren't ordering drills all the time. For a 1/2" electric, I would go with the Milwaukee. Our competitor down the road from us went through their entire shop and tossed 300 Makitas in favor of Hitachi battery drills and they seemed to have much better luck with them.
Another company that is starting to come on in the US, but more on the professional side, is Fes Tool, check out festoolusa.com. We also have a local Lowes-type place (Chase Pitkin) that offers a lifetime warranty on all power tools purchased there so see if there is some place like that near you.
I work in the hardware section of Chase Pitkin, the Rochester area home center.
I'd recommend Porter Cable, but if you're looking for a drill act fast.
Black and Decker is the worst tool company around by far. Problem is, they keep buying everyone else. They bought DeWalt and now they bought Porter Cable. I understand that they plan to get rid of Porter Cable's drill line and focus on DeWalt's as the higher end cordless stuff.
That being said, DeWalt and Porter Cable are still excellent excellent tools. If the DeWalt stuff says XRP on it, then it's good to go. Those typically are the ones with the aluminum bulkhead behind the chuck, similar the the porter cable.
I have not had much personal experiance with Skil, but we've had more of their stuff come back than others (not quite as much as B&D).
I would recommend the 12 or 14 volt Porter Cable. They're a company I stand by for being innovative and top notch quality.
I'd recommend Porter Cable, but if you're looking for a drill act fast.
Black and Decker is the worst tool company around by far. Problem is, they keep buying everyone else. They bought DeWalt and now they bought Porter Cable. I understand that they plan to get rid of Porter Cable's drill line and focus on DeWalt's as the higher end cordless stuff.
That being said, DeWalt and Porter Cable are still excellent excellent tools. If the DeWalt stuff says XRP on it, then it's good to go. Those typically are the ones with the aluminum bulkhead behind the chuck, similar the the porter cable.
I have not had much personal experiance with Skil, but we've had more of their stuff come back than others (not quite as much as B&D).
I would recommend the 12 or 14 volt Porter Cable. They're a company I stand by for being innovative and top notch quality.
Dewalt hands down. I work construction and 99% of the tools are Dewalt.
99.9% of all my subcontractors I use in my construction business use DeWalt toots. These are guys who use the hell out of their tools everyday and depend on their reliablity to get their jobs done as fast as possible.
I'd say go with DeWalt.
I'd say go with DeWalt.
Screw Home Depot, go to an industrial supplier and get a contractor grade drill.the Inbred said:
DeWalt.
(does a girl's opinion count?)
(does a girl's opinion count?)
Can't go wrong with DeWalt, Makita, or Milwaukee.
jacksonpt said:
(For what it's worth, I worked for Home Depot for 8 years)
Hilti Beats all period, end of story 
(http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/home/home_main.jsp)
(http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/home/home_main.jsp)
It depends.
If you are just getting a tool for occasional home use - go with the cheap one.
If you are just getting a tool for occasional home use - go with the cheap one.
If on a budget I'd say Ryobi is a decent product. My Ryobi tools seem pretty tough. My Dad uses them semiprofessionally and they seem to last although we were building a deck a few weeks ago and we wore out his batteries. They stopped recharging. They were pretty old before we started. Maybe it was time for them to go.SkaredShtles said:
I heared through the grapevine that craftsman drills are rebadged porter cable drills, their low end routers are rebadged royobi crap but their high end router is bosch, if you know what you're looking for you can find great deals on craftsman tools that will last as long as one of the brand names.
If I were to go buy a drill today from home depot I'd take a long look at the ridgid drills. We market our products through ridgid so I know they demand the best quality from their suppliers. The one ridgid drill we've got (yes we paid retail for it) is a workhorse, it's got a much nicer feel to it than the milwaukee and makita drills we've got.
If I were to go buy a drill today from home depot I'd take a long look at the ridgid drills. We market our products through ridgid so I know they demand the best quality from their suppliers. The one ridgid drill we've got (yes we paid retail for it) is a workhorse, it's got a much nicer feel to it than the milwaukee and makita drills we've got.
When it comes to drills:
DeWalt XRP's are the best around.
Then Bosch.
Then Makita & Milwaukee.
Ridgid makes some nice tools too.
Don't buy Skil unless it's a circular saw (best around).
I'm a carpenter and a cabinet maker and have used pretty much every brand/type of tool you can imagine.
Actually, I own pretty much all of them.
Depending on the tool, it's pretty much always DeWalt or Bosch for me.
DeWalt XRP's are the best around.
Then Bosch.
Then Makita & Milwaukee.
Ridgid makes some nice tools too.
Don't buy Skil unless it's a circular saw (best around).
I'm a carpenter and a cabinet maker and have used pretty much every brand/type of tool you can imagine.
Actually, I own pretty much all of them.
Depending on the tool, it's pretty much always DeWalt or Bosch for me.
the Inbred said:
I'm not certain about ridgid drills, I know our products are developed exclusively for ridgid, nobody sells our products under any name other than Ridgid. I believe it's part of our contract with them that they will be the exclusive distributor of our products.
Ridgid isn't a HD 'house brand'.
Look them up, they've made heavy duty industrial tools for years.
Pretty much every pipe threader you will ever see on an industrial site is made by Ridgid.
Home Depot is simply the exclusive dealer.
Look them up, they've made heavy duty industrial tools for years.
Pretty much every pipe threader you will ever see on an industrial site is made by Ridgid.
Home Depot is simply the exclusive dealer.
Asking who makes the best cordless drills is like asking who makes the best suspension fork: 5 people = 5 different answers.
I'm partial to Makita and DeWalt simply because those are the brands I have and I'd rather not deal with any more chargers on the bench. An example of this would be a cordless recipricating saw. I want a Milkwalkee, but I don't want a third charger brand to keep track of, so I'll get either a Makita or Dewalt.
For what it's worth, I have a 9.6V Makita that has been my main work-horse drill for the past 12 years. I bought it in 1993 after going through a number of cheap Craftsman "consumer" and "professional" model drills. I bought a Makita simply because that was the brand I had used when doing stage-crew work (see a trend here?). The batteries (an odd version between the old stick style and the version they use now) are long out of production, but still hold a charge well enough. It's light and compact and I use it as a speed-driver when working on cars. I also have 9.6V and 12V Dewalts, but never use them as I like the smaller size and lighter weight of the Makita.
For heavier stuff, I have an 18V DeWalt and for serious drilling, a two-handle 1/2" corded Dewalt. Plus, a couple of bench-top drill-presses... One can never have too many tools.
I'm partial to Makita and DeWalt simply because those are the brands I have and I'd rather not deal with any more chargers on the bench. An example of this would be a cordless recipricating saw. I want a Milkwalkee, but I don't want a third charger brand to keep track of, so I'll get either a Makita or Dewalt.
For what it's worth, I have a 9.6V Makita that has been my main work-horse drill for the past 12 years. I bought it in 1993 after going through a number of cheap Craftsman "consumer" and "professional" model drills. I bought a Makita simply because that was the brand I had used when doing stage-crew work (see a trend here?). The batteries (an odd version between the old stick style and the version they use now) are long out of production, but still hold a charge well enough. It's light and compact and I use it as a speed-driver when working on cars. I also have 9.6V and 12V Dewalts, but never use them as I like the smaller size and lighter weight of the Makita.
For heavier stuff, I have an 18V DeWalt and for serious drilling, a two-handle 1/2" corded Dewalt. Plus, a couple of bench-top drill-presses... One can never have too many tools.
stay away for the lower voltage craftsman(less than 12v) i have had bad luck with them personally and sears rebadges everything to lowest bidder (remember they just merged with KaMeapART). Definitely play with the tools you are considering with the battery installed. When I was running an HVAC shop all of my guys were fighting over the 14v because on a ladder an 18v is too heavy. And these were guys who prided themselves on strength.
Just get one of these and never buy a drill again.
This company makes butt loads of drills and in the construction industry is considered the best there is. Cost more, but the tools are primo.
This company makes butt loads of drills and in the construction industry is considered the best there is. Cost more, but the tools are primo.
Apparently they were really split on wether or not to let HD run some of their products. They were afraid that it would take away from their professional quality image. I use to do some design work for them, they truly are top notch.the Inbred said:
yeah, hilti is the shizznitto bam! they make some whoop ass cement and rock drills, so they know what they're doing with the smaller drills
Blam cement and rock drills.Cooter Brown said:
Doubt it.the Inbred said:
He probably moved to CO because it's *NOT TEXAS*......
went to Home Depot today and saw some 14v, 3/8" Ridgid on sale for $99. called up my dad, and asked what his thoughts were about Ridgid, and he said "hell yeah. that's some good ****." so i went ahead and picked it up.
now....bits.
i was thinking about just going to Sears and picking up some Craftsman bits. considering general purpose bits, are they all pretty much one in the same?
now....bits.
i was thinking about just going to Sears and picking up some Craftsman bits. considering general purpose bits, are they all pretty much one in the same?