Modern cordless tools

[Jeff Bartley]

Good Saturday everyone,

I just wanted to see what others experience has been with the current crop of cordless tools, specifically the lithium-ion stuff with electronics.

I pose the question because of my own trials this year with warranty work on a Milwaukee drill/driver combo that I bought in early spring of '18. I was in need of a new set and having used both the drill and driver on jobsites with other carpenters I knew when the time came to replace my older Makitas it would be the Milwaukee 18 volt.

However, both my driver and now the drill have had the trigger and associate electronics replaced. And one of my two friends with the same set has had issues with his as well.

I'm lucky to have a hardware store not far away that has an excellent repair shop that's authorized to do Milwaukee warranty work. And Milwaukee tools have a 5-year warranty....that's huge! But it doesn't change the fact that when I go out on a job I now feel like I'll have to have a back-up drill/driver set.

Sorry for the long winded post, and make no mistake: I don't know if these tools would be as awesome as they are without the troublesome electronics, but man, when up on a ladder and counting on driving a fastener so everyone can let go of something heavy.......no the time for the trigger to stop working!

Has anyone else had issues with any recent cordless electronics?

[Jared Sankovich]

All my cordless tools are milwaukee, and I can't say i've had any issues with a single one of them.

I will say i like the last generation with the friction clutches over the new electronic clutch, they just dont work well at very low tq settings

[Julie Moriarty]

Most all of my cordless tools are Dewalt and they have all worked flawlessly. I have one Bosch cordless. I don't use it much but I've had no problems with it.

[glenn bradley]

Except that you and Jared are both in VA I would suspect a regional problem that had to do with weather, storage or other environmentals. Since your experiences are so different we need to look for the common denominator between you and your friends. Did you all buy around the same time from the same source? In our current world of cost cutting over reputation, parts are sourced from a wide variety of makers; think about the air bag failures across car makers.

I agree with your sentiment that the warranty is great but, now I need a spare. I have a few similar small Ridged drivers that are nice for getting into small places. I bought the first pair over a decade ago figuring the Lifetime Service Agreement would take care of one and I could use the other during the repair period. Over all these years I am surprised that I have only used the LSA for free batteries but, I digress.

If you go in a second or third time for the same repair I would just ask for a full refund and move to another tool. If they never fail again we can assume the first switches were a bad batch and you are good to go.

[Tim Bueler]

I had problems with Milwaukee batteries many yrs ago, as did several other tradesmen I knew. I switched to Makita and my battery problems stopped so it wasn't something I was doing. I don't think I've bought a cordless tool recently that wasn't reconditioned. Someone told me once those are the ones to buy since they've already had their problem. It sounded reasonable and that became my SOP including the tools that replaced the battery problem plagued Milwaukee. Knock wood.

Within the last couple yrs I picked up a drill/driver and an impact driver, both Makita, both brushless, both reconditioned. Both get used daily and I haven't had any problems.

In Milwaukee's defense, I preferred the ergonomics of the drill/drivers, circular saw and sawsall over Makita, but replacing batteries every 6 months was no bueno. And like your failing switch, the batteries would fail at the worst possible time.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have a small construction company and we have pretty much completely switched to cordless. As a new guy brings his own tools in, or we work alongside another trade at a jobsite, the inevitable tool comparison happens. This is completely subjective, but one of us who makes our living with these tools, just wants one that works.

I notice that the newbies usually have whatever was on sale, Ryobi, Porter, or a few Milwaukee. Those tools quickly get replaced by Dewalt 20V (which can use the FlexVolt).

I rarely see Makita cordless in the trades, but there are a lot of Makita chop saws. Just not many stores carry Makita here, but I think they are good tools.

Homeowners tend to have the prettiest tools, this is where you find Milwaukee. Homeowners tools have pretty storage bags, lots of lights, make chirpy noises with different settings, and lots of other pretty little bells and whistles.

My take is that it's not even a close competition, Dewalt is the best out there because are the most reliable, and are the easiest to replace if needed because they are easy to find, and they just work without drama, and most importantly they match batteries across the jobsite. I used to have a bunch of Milwaukee, some Makita cordless, but now I'm down to one Milwaukee PEX expander that I will replace with the Dewalt version when I can because I hate the batteries. Dewalt cordless may be boring, but it just works and the Flexvolt batteries are awesome.

[Carl Beckett]

I have Makita and like the tools. Have had multiple battery issues. My chargers and batteries are from a few years back though, so maybe they have now resolved it all.

It is worth considering which way you want to go because once you are on a particular platform it is nice to add tools that use the same batteries and chargers.

[Julie Moriarty]

I have a small construction company and we have pretty much completely switched to cordless. As a new guy brings his own tools in, or we work alongside another trade at a jobsite, the inevitable tool comparison happens. This is completely subjective, but one of us who makes our living with these tools, just wants one that works.

I notice that the newbies usually have whatever was on sale, Ryobi, Porter, or a few Milwaukee. Those tools quickly get replaced by Dewalt 20V (which can use the FlexVolt).

I rarely see Makita cordless in the trades, but there are a lot of Makita chop saws. Just not many stores carry Makita here, but I think they are good tools.

Homeowners tend to have the prettiest tools, this is where you find Milwaukee. Homeowners tools have pretty storage bags, lots of lights, make chirpy noises with different settings, and lots of other pretty little bells and whistles.

My take is that it's not even a close competition, Dewalt is the best out there because are the most reliable, and are the easiest to replace if needed because they are easy to find, and they just work without drama, and most importantly they match batteries across the jobsite. I used to have a bunch of Milwaukee, some Makita cordless, but now I'm down to one Milwaukee PEX expander that I will replace with the Dewalt version when I can because I hate the batteries. Dewalt cordless may be boring, but it just works and the Flexvolt batteries are awesome.
I think it was sometime in the 90s Dewalt cordless started appearing on the jobsites. Milwaukee 120v pretty much dominated from the 70s til then. But by the time I retired, everyone was using Dewalt cordless. Like you said, they just work. I have a 15+ year old Dewalt 18v hammer drill that is still going strong.

[phil harold]

I was a Makita cordless user from the beginning with 6010D Rechargeable Drill
My last Makitas were 18v nimh set which are still running on their third set of batteries, mostly used in the shop
I have gone 18 volt milwaukee now and I am addicted skill saw, demo hammer/drill, chain saw, drivers, and drills
I also have the 12 volt drivers too small and handy on cabinet installations
My small blower is the only thing that failed just last week...
looking at getting a weedeater in the spring

[Kris Cook]

Sounds like you got your tools from a bad batch, or something has changed with the manufacture in the last several years.

I have the Milwaukee 18V Fuel brushless impact driver and drill set. Bought them in 2014. I have used them extensively. Although I am not a carpenter by trade, I used them for a major remodel, and am now using them for my shop construction. I haven't had any issues with them. I was confident enough in the Milwaukee batteries that I also purchased the 6-1/2" saw which I use every day. I have 4 batteries, and they all work well.

I had an 18V Dewalt setup before these and gave them to my son who just completed carpentry school. Nothing wrong with them, just a little older.

[Kevin Beitz]

Dewalt is my goto tool... I got around 50 different ones. I was buying just the
cells off E-bay to rebuild my batteries but now you can buy the whole battery
just as cheap off E-bay. I think they all have problems but the Dewalt has a
good feel to them.

[Jim Dwight]

I used to use a DeWalt but it was a Ni Cd. I went to Ryobi because they were cheaper and then they came out with Lithium Ion batteries that fit the old Ni Cd tools. The drills always were useful but now the saws are too. I just used my cordless Ryobi compressor today to drive a little upholstrey stapler. I am a hobbiest but I've been using these tools for 20 years or so. I've broken one drill, putting a 2 1/8 hole in a solid core door. It was the second or third I did that day. For me they have been durable and it you break one it is not a tragedy.

More recently I bought a Bosch flexi click 12V set. I like it better and it is more versatile but I haven't used it a lot yet. Mostly I like it is much smaller and lighter. But it still has power. I drilled some 13/16 holes through multiple studs running wiring with it.

[Jeff Bartley]

i'm glad so many have chimed in! So to sort-of summarize we have Milwaukees that have switch/electronic issues, Makitas with battery issues, and no issues with Dewalts yet.

It's interesting that Steve reported not seeing any Milwaukee tools on jobsites, around here they're pretty popular with most of the carpenters/contractors that I know. I certainly don't want to get this discussion into a which-tool-is-better contest and will say that i have in my arsenal tools from all three of the aforementioned brands. I wish I could love one brand exclusively just for the battery-compatibility issue.

It'll be good to hear that nobody else is reporting switch failure with the Milwaukee 18v tools!

[Jeff Bartley]

I used to use a DeWalt but it was a Ni Cd. I went to Ryobi because they were cheaper and then they came out with Lithium Ion batteries that fit the old Ni Cd tools. The drills always were useful but now the saws are too. I just used my cordless Ryobi compressor today to drive a little upholstrey stapler. I am a hobbiest but I've been using these tools for 20 years or so. I've broken one drill, putting a 2 1/8 hole in a solid core door. It was the second or third I did that day. For me they have been durable and it you break one it is not a tragedy.

More recently I bought a Bosch flexi click 12V set. I like it better and it is more versatile but I haven't used it a lot yet. Mostly I like it is much smaller and lighter. But it still has power. I drilled some 13/16 holes through multiple studs running wiring with it.

Jim, I also have a lot of the old Dewalt NiCad tools and actually bought the adapter to run the lithium ion batteries.....unfortunately that adapter doesn't work with my cordless 16 guage nailer. After returning the adapter I bought a couple no-name batteries and it's as good as new.

[Warren Lake]

have milwaukee and Makita. One Makita Battery went dead, likely it saw some cold, called the sales guy got no response. Last makita was a small battery power planer working where i had to hold it out in front of me the big corded one was a bother. Still ill likely go more to Milwuakee, thought I read somewhere the Makita batteries cant take cold. Agree with Jeff on Battery compatibility would make it much easier.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

It's interesting that Steve reported not seeing any Milwaukee tools on jobsites, around here they're pretty popular with most of the carpenters/contractors that I know.

I'm sure it's the same elsewhere, what happens is a retailer promotes a certain brand, so you end up seeing a bunch show up. Fastenal did it with Milwaukee several years back here, there were a lot sold. After the sale, they got replaced with Dewalt as they died. My beef with the Milwaukee tools we had was the batteries. I also prefer the plastic used on the Dewalts, but Milwaukee has gotten better. Milwaukee batteries didn't last when we went that way. Their new fuel batteries are better, but Dewalts FlexVolt lasts much longer, is better in the cold, and I still don't have any dead ones after a couple years of using them.

[Rich Engelhardt]

One of my main tools is a Makita cordless track saw.
I've switched my main set of cordless tools over to Makita so I can have continuity with tools/batteries.

Makita changed their LiIon battery technology some time in the last few years so, any problems in the past may have been corrected.

The only real drawback to Makita is - - they are pricey....very nice & a huge selection of available tools - - but - you do pay a pretty penny for them.

[Jim Becker]

The only cordless tools I currently use are my drill/drivers and they have generally been stellar for years. The older DeWalt 14.4v has had the batteries replaced a few times as did my original Festool 12v (original was niCad, but now LiOn). The other two Festool D/D (CSX and T15) have current battery technology. While I don't actually need anything else to be cordless, I wouldn't not consider it should that need come up in the future. Battery power has come a long, long way, especially lately.

Cold is always going to affect battery powered "anything", including vehicles.

[Brian Holcombe]

Anyone using Metabo?

[Ray Frederick]

I've had consistent trouble with the Milwaukee M12 volt line of impact drivers and drills. Chuck, trigger, and speed selection issues.

My Dewalt 18v stuff has been bulletproof, it works so well despite being old that I bought the adapter to use 20v batteries and have kept using the old drill and impact. One of the drills got left outside for a year seeing all kinds of weather inadvertently behind the barn and after a kinks the first use is back to working perfectly.

[Jerome Stanek]

When I owned my construction company I used Dewalt. I had 12 Dewalt 14.4 volt 8 Dewalt 12 volt and a couple 18 volt drills and saws. I liked the Dewalt service as if I took one in to get repaired they would loan me one.

[Joel Wesseling]

Have 2 Dewalt 20V drills. Batteries are excellent. I put these drill to hard use, the transmission went in one of them last week, I hope to replace the tranny.

Meantime I purchased the newer Dewalt compact drill with the Brushless motor. Brushless is fantastic in use. it also has a metal chuck - Potential for mosfet and/or controller failure. I guess this happened to your Milwaukee!

[Jeff Bartley]

Steve, your right on the mark about promotion: you should see the wall of Milwaukee tools at the hardware store! And all over the store they have stacks and stacks of tools.

I'd actually like to try the Dewalt flexvolt stuff, specifically the big cordless circ saw. But I don't really need it at this point, I just want it! Or the Makita cordless circ saw. Entrance price on those is just too much for a non-necessity item.

Brian, I don't know anyone who uses the Metabo drills or drivers but I have spent some time with one of their diamond-disk polishers. Did some concrete counters a few years ago and borrowed it from a friend. Really nice piece of kit!

That same friend has a Fein drill/driver set and swears by it. I haven't seen it in person but I know they're at another price point than all the previously mentioned drill/drivers.

[Jim Andrew]

Retired now, but Makita was very good years ago, but the batteries were too expensive to replace, bought some of the ebay batteries, but they were no good, and started buying Dewalt, because Ace Hardware sold them so cheap on sale, a new drill was cheaper than buying batteries. I have several and still have NIcad batteries that are good. Have a adapter and new Lithium batteries, but have not got them out of the box. The old 18 volt drills are very good, the sawzall is good and the 6 1/2" skilsaw is good as well.

[phil harold]

Anyone using Metabo?

you mean the new hitachi?
https://www.protoolreviews.com/news/hitachi-power-tools-become-metabo-hpt/36030/

[Wayne Cannon]

Jim,

It took DeWalt long enough, but they now have an adapter that allows you to run your NiCad tools with LiIon batteries -- a game-changer for me with a lot of NiCad DeWalt tools. I have not seen such an adapter for any other brand.

[Wayne Cannon]

I don't have any experience with the new brushless DC motors, but they have created the greatest breakthrough in so-called "battery life" for cars and other heavy-duty battery applications (as opposed to improvements in batteries, themselves), in addition to having more torque. Apparently, the friction from the brushes is a lot more significant than I imagined. I'll definitely be replacing my current tools with brushless tools when they wear out next.

[Pat Barry]

I love my 18V Makita drill driver hammer drill and palm router. No issues.

[Jeff Bartley]

Jim,

It took DeWalt long enough, but they now have an adapter that allows you to run your NiCad tools with LiIon batteries -- a game-changer for me with a lot of NiCad DeWalt tools. I have not seen such an adapter for any other brand.

As mentioned upthread I too bought that adapter kit to run (among other 18volt tools) a 16 gauge finish nailer. No dice, the adapter has some sort of electronic issue with the nailers and isn't compatible.

I was really bummed, had it worked I probably would have been steered back to an all Dewalt kit!

[Jeff Bartley]

I love my 18V Makita drill driver hammer drill and palm router. No issues.

I'd love to try that cordless palm router!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

As mentioned upthread I too bought that adapter kit to run (among other 18volt tools) a 16 gauge finish nailer. No dice, the adapter has some sort of electronic issue with the nailers and isn't compatible.

I was really bummed, had it worked I probably would have been steered back to an all Dewalt kit!

I use one on an 18 volt sawzall. Putting a 20 volt on it results in noticeably more power than what the 18 volt batteries provide. Possibly there is enough extra in a 20 volt that it'd harm the nailer? I modified my adapter so it'd accept the FlexVolts, just needed a plastic wing thing removed. I bet someone has figured out a way to use one on your nailer.

[Jeff Bartley]

I use one on an 18 volt sawzall. Putting a 20 volt on it results in noticeably more power than what the 18 volt batteries provide. Possibly there is enough extra in a 20 volt that it'd harm the nailer? I modified my adapter so it'd accept the FlexVolts, just needed a plastic wing thing removed. I bet someone has figured out a way to use one on your nailer.

I researched a little and everything I read said there was something in the electronics that disables it after the first nail fire. But I'm sure there's a way to do it!

Honestly, the replacement batteries were something like $20/each and even though they're NiCad they work great. It would be cool to run the sawzall on a 20 volt!

[Ronald Blue]

Interesting reading. I have no complaint with Dewalt. My cordless 18 volt drill is 18 years old. It doesn't get used heavily but when it does it is worked hard. However when it comes to cordless 3/8" and 1/2" drive impacts. It's not even a horse race. The Milwaukee impacts are the hands down champions. The 3/8" is a hundred foot lbs better that the Dewalt and the 1/2" is even worse. 700 ft lbs versus 330 ft lbs. That's a major difference in performance. In my job it makes all the difference between dragging an air line in and running pneumatic assuming you can get a service truck close enough for that luxury or getting the appropriate hand tools to do the job. We use what works well for us. In my job there is only one choice at this time. In the construction trades it sounds different. I will say that Milwaukee was replacing bad batteries back around 2010 because I think they were warrantied for 5 years. I know if you contacted them directly they did at least. Carry on.

[Mike Henderson]

Most all of my cordless tools are Dewalt and they have all worked flawlessly. I have one Bosch cordless. I don't use it much but I've had no problems with it.

Mosts of mine are DeWalt (20 volt), also, and no problems. Of course, I don't use them as hard as the OP probably does.

Mike

[The reason I went to the 20V tools was weight. The 18V tools with the old batteries were just getting too heavy.]

[Ron Selzer]

DeWalt has had Lithium Ion batteries for 18 volt, no adaptor needed for at least 8 years. All I use at work
At home I use NiMh bought off of ebay, definitely better than the NiCad's
Would like to find 14.4 Lithium Ion DeWalt batteries, however than would have to buy a new charger.
Originally had the Skill Boar Gun as that was the best on the ,market back then. Makita had a circuit breaker that tripped as soon as you loaded them down

[Darcy Warner]

I am a makita user, but only use a couple drills, impact driver and two 3/8" impact wrenches.

[Joel Wesseling]

I have the EGO 56V cordless string trimmer and chainsaw. They are both amazing, high torque and about 30 minutes of weed trimming before a charge is needed.. I did a lot of research before I took the plunge to purchase them. I'm now thinking about buying the EGO lawnmower, this will supply me with two extra batteries.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Interesting reading. I have no complaint with Dewalt. My cordless 18 volt drill is 18 years old. It doesn't get used heavily but when it does it is worked hard. However when it comes to cordless 3/8" and 1/2" drive impacts. It's not even a horse race. The Milwaukee impacts are the hands down champions. The 3/8" is a hundred foot lbs better that the Dewalt and the 1/2" is even worse. 700 ft lbs versus 330 ft lbs. That's a major difference in performance. In my job it makes all the difference between dragging an air line in and running pneumatic assuming you can get a service truck close enough for that luxury or getting the appropriate hand tools to do the job. We use what works well for us. In my job there is only one choice at this time. In the construction trades it sounds different. I will say that Milwaukee was replacing bad batteries back around 2010 because I think they were warrantied for 5 years. I know if you contacted them directly they did at least. Carry on.

I just used my 1/2" Dewalt 18 volt to change a tire, you are right, it could use some more ompf. Took some rattling and time but it got the job done eventually. I'm going to put a 20 volt adapter on it one of these days and see if it preforms the same horsepower upgrade that it did for the sawzall I mentioned.

[Greg R Bradley]

I just used my 1/2" Dewalt 18 volt to change a tire, you are right, it could use some more ompf. Took some rattling and time but it got the job done eventually. I'm going to put a 20 volt adapter on it one of these days and see if it preforms the same horsepower upgrade that it did for the sawzall I mentioned.
18V Dewalt and 20v DeWalt are both 18v. 20v is basically a marketing term as 5 Lithium cells is 18v: 5 x 3.6v = 18v. They are calling them 20v "max". Just like the 12v Lithium tools are really 10.8v as 3 x 3.6v = 10.8v.

Dewalt is calling a 5 cells in series tool 20v max while Makita, Milwaukee, etc. are calling them correctly as 18v.

It is possible that the 20v Max may be able to supply more current to the tool so does provide more actual power. New batteries might help a bit too.

The main point is to not assume that a 20v Dewalt tool is providing more power due to a higher voltage than the others.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

18V Dewalt and 20v DeWalt are both 18v. 20v is basically a marketing term as 5 Lithium cells is 18v: 5 x 3.6v = 18v. They are calling them 20v "max". Just like the 12v Lithium tools are really 10.8v as 3 x 3.6v = 10.8v.

Dewalt is calling a 5 cells in series tool 20v max while Makita, Milwaukee, etc. are calling them correctly as 18v.

It is possible that the 20v Max may be able to supply more current to the tool so does provide more actual power. New batteries might help a bit too.

The main point is to not assume that a 20v Dewalt tool is providing more power due to a higher voltage than the others.

I'm sure you're right Greg, I'm just comparing real world results with the tools I use the adapter on. They run with noticable power increase. Could definitely just be better battery tech.

[Greg R Bradley]

I'm sure you're right Greg, I'm just comparing real world results with the tools I use the adapter on. They run with noticable power increase. Could definitely just be better battery tech.
I have a bunch of different cordless tools in various businesses and personal. There are some interesting quirks.
Makita pretty much was the first to market 18v Lithium tools. All the early tools were 3ah. Then they came up with the 1.5ah compacts and had an extra tab so that you could use a 3ah on a 1.5 tool for extra run time, but not the other way around so that big tools couldn't end up with too small a battery. Later they came out with 4,5, and now 6ah batteries.
Some of the early 3ah tools will go faster with the bigger batteries. They are supposed to all have an interlock so that you can't hook up a big battery on a tool that shouldn't have it. Many 3ah tools are completely fine with the 6ah batteries. Hook a 5ah onto the early blower that was really just for blowing off workbenches, and you could use it for a yard blower. I have to believe it would last about an hour if you actually tried to do that. It screams loud enough you need ear protection. Somehow, they didn't get the interlock completely right.

[Steve Demuth]

My Dewalt 18v stuff has been bulletproof, it works so well despite being old that I bought the adapter to use 20v batteries and have kept using the old drill and impact. One of the drills got left outside for a year seeing all kinds of weather inadvertently behind the barn and after a kinks the first use is back to working perfectly.

Same here, although I do have issues with the newer 20V packs that I bought to extend the life of my 18V tools being rather more fussy about charging in low temps. Seems like anything below 50F and they check out on the charger.

[Jim Dwight]

I got rid of my DeWalt tools after getting some Ryobis. I see no need to go back. For "big", 18V tools (and some yard tools) I will stick with 18V Ryobi. But I will probably add more Bosch 12V. Their little jig saw is tempting. I like by corded Bosch, I think they are the go-to brand for jig saws. I also think my Bosch 1250DEVS is good enough I need no Festool sander (but it is corded, not the subject of this thread). Anyway, I plan to stay Ryobi/Bosch. (I also have one 40V Ryobi yard tool) I have 6 of the Ryobi 18V lithium ion batteries. Those batteries make it harder to switch and the tools work fine.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I bought the Makita 18v brushless "subcompact" drill and impact driver last year and really like it. They are powerful but very compact, perfect for getting in tight spaces inside a cabinet for example. Battery life has been excellent. I was somewhat skeptical about the brushless and lithium ion craze but these have been a clear improvement over my old 18v NiMH set.

[Lars Sternberg]

I wanted to get away from gas mowers and researched my way into an EGO purchase. You will never look back if you get one! My mower cuts like a six horse gas mower and is so quiet I would regularly mow with my infant daughter sleeping in a chest carrier. I have since gotten the trimmer and smaller leaf blower, both excellent. Batteries are spendy but after three years of use none have weakened.

As for cordless shop tools I have always had great experiences with my dewalt tools. On one project I used one drill motor for the sole purpose of drilling hundreds of holes in 1/4" steel everyday for 2 years straight. Not one battery failure and the drill still works just as well 15 years later!

[Tim M Tuttle]

I'll use a cordless tool over corded any time it's available (assuming equal performance). I don't care if I have to buy new batteries every year. I hate cords.

[peter gagliardi]

I started with the Dewalts back in the mid 80’s. Worked well, but clunky, and batteries didn’t last long. Moved into Panasonic drill/drivers after that with the NMH batteries, much, much better machine, and I STILL have working batteries from the early 90’s. My favorite drills still.
I moved away from them early 2000’s for the wider product offerings from Makita- bought one of their 6-7 tool kit offerings- HUGE mistake- batteries crapped in less than a year, batteries were probably the most expensive of the available makers, drill gearcase died, etc....
Sometime in the early 20’teens, I started buying some of the festool drills, and impacts once they moved to Lithium batteries in the 15v , 18v and 10.5 v lineups. The 15v impacts and drills are gutless wonders. The 18v is a real decent drill.
The little CXS is fantastic for tight work and cabinet assembly.
Bought a couple Bosch 18v and 10.5v about 6 years ago, but the 10.5 crapped out in about 2 years.
About 4 years ago, I started buying the Milwaulkee 18v lineup in Li-Ion, and brushless. Battery life is excellent during workdays, and every other 18v tool I have added has been very good to excellent. Their 6 1/4” non brushless skilsaw has poor visual ergonomics, but cuts very well.
Unless the batteries don’t last over the years, or the tool quality goes downhill, they will be the only “Tool Platform” I will invest in for my shop and sitework crews.
I still use and have a soft spot for my Panasonic though-
Hands down, the best battery technology and longevity of ANY brand offered. Just a very limited lineup of offerings in their platform.