New tools you've bought recently?

[DeeRanger]

New to me because I forgot I had it. Bought yr's ago and still works well. Coleman 1 watt solar battery charger.

 

[pacstud]

I would probably look at Hercules if I was starting over and on a real budget. From what I have seen they are pretty good quality and the price is OK. 5 year warranty is nice but I don't trust Harbor Freight for that, they have a reputation for discontinuing things and then you're just out of luck.

That said if you watch for deals (SlickDeals is what I use) then you can get mega good deals on Milwaukee. Usually Home Depot, Acme Tools, Factory Authorized Outlet on eBay are the ones that have the best deals. I have deal alerts for DeWalt too but really good deals on those are much less frequent. Pawn shops are pretty good for deals too... be patient there and shop often.

Here's my latest, I definitely did NOT need this saw but the deal was right. Bomgaar's had a blower, chainsaw, 12.0 battery, and rapid charger kit on clearance for $330 after tax. I don't need most of it so here's the breakdown:
Blower - sold that for $130
12.0 battery - sold that for $140
Rapid charger - have a sale pending today on that for $40
So assuming that works out I will have $20 into the saw

I like Hercules > Bauer...though it isn't cheap

I like the idea of selling the pieces I don't want. I think just being patient is big. It's gone now, but home depot had an 8 piece Ridgid $800 for $300 (brushed). Then today I found a nice Skil set on Menards for $280. That Skil set is brushless and I like the case. I honestly don't know how big a deal the brushed/brushless is, but the internet says it's a jump. The Skil set is also their "smart" battery line, similar to the HP for Ryobi.

I also just like the thought of not needing the hose for everything lol.

 

[pacstud]

Pulled the trigger. The brushless, "smart" battery, and tool quantity selection was just too good to pass up. Ended up $320 with tax and shipping. 5 year warranty, and if I want, a good supply of cheap aftermarket batteries, though the OE batteries are not terribly priced. I also liked the aux tools (sander, air pump, fan, light) relative to what some kits have. I really like all three saws (circular, osc, recip). Only minor knock is the drill isn't a hammer drill, but none of the combo kits have that for this price range (hercules had a hammer drill&driver combo kit with 2 massive 5a batteries, but that was $250 just for the two tools/batteries).

The case is not terrible either, though it is just a plastic box. This doesn't have it, but they do sell batteries with the USB port (I didn't know about these). So I could charge the battery with a USB port or use the battery to charge my phone/CPU etc. That's pretty cool I thought.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

View attachment 139045
Pulled the trigger. The brushless, "smart" battery, and tool quantity selection was just too good to pass up. Ended up $320 with tax and shipping. 5 year warranty, and if I want, a good supply of cheap aftermarket batteries, though the OE batteries are not terribly priced. I also liked the aux tools (sander, air pump, fan, light) relative to what some kits have. I really like all three saws (circular, osc, recip). Only minor knock is the drill isn't a hammer drill, but none of the combo kits have that for this price range (hercules had a hammer drill&driver combo kit with 2 massive 5a batteries, but that was $250 just for the two tools/batteries).

The case is not terrible either, though it is just a plastic box. This doesn't have it, but they do sell batteries with the USB port (I didn't know about these). So I could charge the battery with a USB port or use the battery to charge my phone/CPU etc. That's pretty cool I thought.

Nice kit for the price!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I like Hercules > Bauer...though it isn't cheap

I really wish they would pull it out and make the batteries interchangable.

Bauer does fine for me but there are some things I like better with Hercules... but I don't want a second battery system.

 

[Shran]

I like Hercules > Bauer...though it isn't cheap

I like the idea of selling the pieces I don't want. I think just being patient is big. It's gone now, but home depot had an 8 piece Ridgid $800 for $300 (brushed). Then today I found a nice Skil set on Menards for $280. That Skil set is brushless and I like the case. I honestly don't know how big a deal the brushed/brushless is, but the internet says it's a jump. The Skil set is also their "smart" battery line, similar to the HP for Ryobi.

I also just like the thought of not needing the hose for everything lol.

Supposedly Skil is one of the hidden gems right now. I think it was Torque Test Channel or maybe Project Farm tested them out and found that they perform as well as more expensive brands and the price is pretty good.

I don't think brushed matters much for a full size 18/20v drill, impact driver, sawzall, maybe a couple other tools. My old 18v DeWalt brushed drill has just as much power as my M18 brushless drill. However for some others like a grinder or high torque impact or smaller tools (12v or less) you gain a LOT of power with brushless. So it depends on the tool.

Main reason I like DeWalt/Milwaukee/Hercules or even Ryobi is the selection of tools. I don't think most of the off brands have something like a band file or a ratchet or a die grinder. I could get by with corded or air tools but I really like the cordless ones. If you don't care about the selection of tools, then it doesn't really matter.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Main reason I like DeWalt/Milwaukee/Hercules or even Ryobi is the selection of tools. I don't think most of the off brands have something like a band file or a ratchet or a die grinder.

I don't have them yet but Bauer has both ratchets and die grinder.

I dont know what a band file is so I have never missed it if they don't make one.

 

[SenorNoob]

Having used lots of Dewalt 20v tools in brushed and brushless at work, I wouldn't buy anything brushed. The brushless manage better power and reliability. No idea if the same is true of other brands.

 

[Shran]

I don't have them yet but Bauer has both ratchets and die grinder.

I dont know what a band file is so I have never missed it if they don't make one.

Mini belt sander. You can get an air powered one, that's what I started with, cordless one just has a lot more finesse. It's one of those tools that you don't think you'll ever need until you have it and then can't live without it.

 

[pacstud]

Main reason I like DeWalt/Milwaukee/Hercules or even Ryobi is the selection of tools. I don't think most of the off brands have something like a band file or a ratchet or a die grinder. I could get by with corded or air tools but I really like the cordless ones. If you don't care about the selection of tools, then it doesn't really matter.

I would say skil is "mid". Not as low as some, but those you listed are better.