one man's trash is another man's treasure

[EdgewaterWW]

So I found out today in the forum that everyone doesn't LOVE Dewalt. So I went out to the workshop and took this pic.

On the Left is My 18 year old 14.4 drill, 10+ year old Cir saw, 8+ year old biscuit joiner, 12+ year old 1/4 sheet sander, other tools 2-3 years old. None have been repaired/parts replaced or have any problems, but Batt. life on the 14.4 is getting shorter. I use My tools for DIY, construction (have been a carpenter) and woodworking.  I clean the tools very well after every use, I worked at a British Motorcycle shop and the head mechanic's motto was " a clean tool is a happy tool" and I still live by this. So sorry if You had a bad experience with Dewalt, I have not.

 

[jimmykx250]

I like dewalt as well. I have an 18 volt drill/saw combo that is 15+ years old along with an 18v biscuit joiinter that is 10 + years old. Love the tools and have recently bought a impact driver to add to the group. I also think the batteries are good quality but you have yo get the xrp's.

[Levi Rathje]

Their cordless jig saw is the best I have ever used. I had totally given up on jig saws until my dad got this for me. I have used a lot of their tools and have almost always been happy. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of the yellow if they make a tool that I need.

[Tpt life]

Dewalt worm gear circ saw that has cut literally millions of feet of ridge vent open, nails and all. 25ish years old. Bearings are started to grind for the first time.

[duckkisser]

i like my dewalt sander and planer the 735 is easy to operate, and it easy to fix if it does break. only thing i dont like is how noisy it is.

[G S Haydon]

Hey Doug, sorry if I seemed down on DeWalt and it was nothing personal. I might of been un-lucky and ended up with Lemons when I bought DeWalt. Great to hear they work well for you, at the end of the day that's all that's important.

[Eric.]

Geez, Doug...a little defensive about your Dewalts?   

 

I have a few corded Dewalts left over from the old days that are champs.  But I've found Makita's cordless tools (and batteries) to be fairly superior to Dewalt's.  For some reason at a certain point, Dewalt became the go-to brand for contractors, and it seems they have become (unjustifiably, IMO) the default brand for a lot of people...I drank the Kool-Aid, too...a long time ago.  But then I awoke from my coma after going through a number of cordless Dewalts and their batteries.

 

When you make the switch to Li-ion, try the Makitas...I bet you'll agree. 

[Trip]

It's hard to paint a broad brush on a particular brand of portable tools.

 

The impact of BORG retailers is huge. The impact of value-engineering to keep price-point over the past two decades is also huge.  One person could be perfectly happy with a 3/8" DeWalt drill and another might think the same drill is crap -- that may be because they are entirely different products.

 

You can purchase a DeWalt/Makita/Milwaukee/whatever from a BORG and compare it to a seemingly exact tool from a specialty retailer --- they look identical, but internally they are not.

 

I've been through this dance with most of my DIY kit over the past 20 years.  I couldn't understand why I was burning-up sawzalls, drills, etc for simple DIY jobs, while a contractor-friend of mine was using the 'exact same tools' and never had a problem -- even on a job site.  In comparing his 3/8 DeWalt drill to my 'identical' drill -- they looked the same, but mine was from the BORG and had nylon gears (and an extra letter after the model number) while his was an all-metal-construction drive train -- his was also about 6oz heaver.  The large tool guys make multiple grades of tools -- e.x. contractor grade and BORG.  In many cases, you can't tell them apart unless you compare model numbers or look very closely at the tool itself.

 

That's not to say every tool purchased at a BORG is crap -- it's just that you should use the web to get model numbers prior to purchasing in a BORG -- the web is your friend.

 

One other trend -- for the most part, portable tools are lower quality now then 20 years ago -- the price point is the same, but value-engineering has crept into the process.  You can't compare a Milwaukee drill purchased in 1990 to one purchased today.  They are different animals.  I know, I've had both...

 

Today, if a contractor wants a industrial-grade tool, then he/she buys Hilti.

 

A few years ago I finally got so fed-up (I burned-up a DeWalt sander and a DeWalt drill on the same day) that I did a complete tool overhaul -- I donated all my kit to friends/relatives and just replaced everything -- yes it was an expensive exercise fueled by frustration, but it sure felt good.  At this point, my shop tools are FT (with some PC routers thrown-in for good measure).  My DIY kit is either Bosch or Hilti.  I no longer shop at the BORG and I no longer have problems with shop or DIY tools.

 

There's an old saying with tools -- you get what you pay for.  Was as true in my Grandfather's shop as it is now.

[bgreenb]

Sorry for the dumb question but what is a BORG?

[Trip]

Traditional web pejorative: Big Orange Retail Giant -- now a days it refers to the entire constellation of large box stores.

[G S Haydon]

Thanks HHH,

 

I will keep an eye on those serial numbers (kinda links in with what my tool hire guy said regarding internals)! Just for the record my comments about DeWalt were not meant to be disrespectful to anyone who uses and enjoys using DeWalt or their work. Just sharing some problems we had.

[TerryMcK]

I have a nice corded Dewalt DW670 Laminate Trimmer and a equally nice, very quiet Dewalt DW738 bandsaw and never had any problems with either.

[EdgewaterWW]

Thanks You all for the replys. Sorry if I sounded mad/piss-off. Writing is not My thing, Computer systems is. 

In a way I was trying to say take care of your tools (no matter the cost of the tools) and hopefully they will keep running  for you,

 

I do have a lot of Dewalt, Milwaukee, Porter-Cable Craftsman and others, also a $5.00 Delta Table Saw (i really do). 

There is a lot of good tools brands out there and some great and some bad.

 

And then there is the Lemon factor with any brand of tools.