What are the best and worst power tool brands available?

Posted on December 18th, 2009 by admin

Maybe a like a top ten(Or More) from best to worst. Brands like Dewalt, Porter Cable, Skil, Craftsmen, Black and Decker, etc.

I am looking for mainly hand held tools such as saws, drills, etc.

Maybe even your additional thoughts on each one too.

We sell contractors and a lot of other tradesman tools. We like DeWalt for a few reasons. Their tools are not overdesigned. Their tools are basic yellow and black with no wild grooves and colors in them.
The are engineered by the best in the industry. Sometimes slower to come out with new flashy models because the models they have out went through a lot of testing and modifications before their final production started – hence they don’t change them much. DeWalt also has a primary responsiblility to cordless tool buyers to not change batteries/chargers every 6 months. Milwaukee has so many different batteries and chargers that we almost refuse to try to stock them.
Milwaukee does have the #1 rated Portaband saw. Bosch has the top Rotary Hammers and demolition hammers, DeWalt has the best cordless lineup, mitre saws and their new Portaband is as good as milwaukee it just has not caught on as much.
Black and Decker (who now owns DeWalt,Delta,Porter Cable) bought the DeWalt name and made it their heavy duty line. DeWalt also makes compact cordless tools mainly for the big box stores (except menards). DeWalt and Menards had a big falling out several years ago – so you won’t see any DeWalt at Menards- unless they get it through a distributor. Craftsman has other people make their tools, Black and Decker used to make the craftsman electric impact, sawzall. Emerson Electric makes their other power tools.
The problem with sears is they have no customer support for quick parts and repairs.
Watch out for these no-name brands that the big box stores have, you cannot get parts for them. Remember the name Pro-Tech? CNC?Even popular names like Coleman, Panasonic,Hitachi,Ryobi – Parts are forever trying to get. We quit working on Ryobi tools because customers would get irate at us waiting on parts for 4-5 months.
We like DeWalt,Milwaukee,Bosch,Porter Cable. That’s my 2 cents worth.

5 Responses

  1. Blink Says:

    I found website on my source area about Power Tools. I recomended you check this
    References :
    http://www.howtoyou.com/category/power-tool

  2. sensible_man Says:

    "Best or worse" is not a proper term since it relies on an opinion. A lot depends on how much you use a tool. Fatigue can make a tool seem like a bad tool, when it is actually a heavy duty tool. You need to pick up the tool in the store and see how it feels in your hand. I have a couple of name brand (and expensive) tools that I hate.
    References :

  3. Dr. Strangelove Says:

    Porter Cable, Dewalt, Bosch, and Makita are good brands. I personally don’t care for Craftsman. Sears doesn’t make these, they just warranty them which is the big selling point. I never see Craftsman tools on my jobs.
    References :
    I’m a builder

  4. BOBBER Says:

    Dewalt is a top brand. Look at what the pro’s use. We use dewalt on the job site. We cut and drill sewer pipe. We are in mud and dirt using dewalt tools and they out perform the others in tough conditions.
    References :

  5. Tedruski Says:

    We sell contractors and a lot of other tradesman tools. We like DeWalt for a few reasons. Their tools are not overdesigned. Their tools are basic yellow and black with no wild grooves and colors in them.
    The are engineered by the best in the industry. Sometimes slower to come out with new flashy models because the models they have out went through a lot of testing and modifications before their final production started – hence they don’t change them much. DeWalt also has a primary responsiblility to cordless tool buyers to not change batteries/chargers every 6 months. Milwaukee has so many different batteries and chargers that we almost refuse to try to stock them.
    Milwaukee does have the #1 rated Portaband saw. Bosch has the top Rotary Hammers and demolition hammers, DeWalt has the best cordless lineup, mitre saws and their new Portaband is as good as milwaukee it just has not caught on as much.
    Black and Decker (who now owns DeWalt,Delta,Porter Cable) bought the DeWalt name and made it their heavy duty line. DeWalt also makes compact cordless tools mainly for the big box stores (except menards). DeWalt and Menards had a big falling out several years ago – so you won’t see any DeWalt at Menards- unless they get it through a distributor. Craftsman has other people make their tools, Black and Decker used to make the craftsman electric impact, sawzall. Emerson Electric makes their other power tools.
    The problem with sears is they have no customer support for quick parts and repairs.
    Watch out for these no-name brands that the big box stores have, you cannot get parts for them. Remember the name Pro-Tech? CNC?Even popular names like Coleman, Panasonic,Hitachi,Ryobi – Parts are forever trying to get. We quit working on Ryobi tools because customers would get irate at us waiting on parts for 4-5 months.
    We like DeWalt,Milwaukee,Bosch,Porter Cable. That’s my 2 cents worth.
    References :
    Professional Tool Store Repairs/Sales/Service

Leave a Comment

Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.

Filed under power tool | 5 Comments »

|
  • Categories

  • Pages

  • Tags

  • Archives

  • Meta

  •