OSU_Matthew posted:

If you're interested, there's about 118 pages worth of cordless tool chat earlier in this thread

Nah, only thing I'd add is that 12v is probably adequate for most homeowner type stuff, but really, when's the last time you bought a tool that was just ~adequate~.

Go 18v or go home. You've got a much bigger selection of tools, bigger and better batteries, and the size/weight difference ain't all that much, especially with the new brushless stuff. I'd spend a couple hundred and get a 5-6 tool set, with a cordless circular saw, sawzall, impact driver, drill, and build out from there. Makita has the biggest selection, though Milwaukee (which is now wholly Chinese owned) is catching up, and Dewalt is also pretty good, though they're less focused on random stuff like grass trimmers. Ryobi is adequate for most things, and the most affordable. Bosch has better selection and market share in Europe, it's not very competitive in the states.

I will say, I've been nothing but impressed with all the Makita poo poo I've bought over the last couple of years. The impact wrench zips off axle nuts without a hiccup, the circular saw is freaking awesome for everything from sheet goods to old growth hardwood in my attic, the oscillating multi tool absolutely chews through plaster, lath, and studs no problem, I use the battery led workshop floodlight like every other day for instant portable daylight, the impact driver is hands down my favorite tool ever made. I use the drill with 4" hole saws and footlong 1" wood augers without even a slowdown, and I've abused the sawzall in ways that can only be described as criminal. I can't even tell you how many sawzall bits I've accidentally bent at 90° angles mid cut, and that thing just keeps on trucking like nobody's business. The angle grinder is my only disappointment, because I don't have any 5 amp hour batteries, so the grinder didn't last as long, but I've never run out on a project with twp 3 amp hour batteries in my arsenal. Good stuff, really good stuff