Which is the best Power Tool brand?

[Jason19 10+ year member]

I used black and decker I know its not the greatest but they have always worked great for me and for the price you cant beat it.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

It looks like Dewalt is the favorite so far. Lets keep them votes coming!

 

[grassroots 10+ year member]

i work for the 3rd largest electrical company in georgia and every power tool we buy (besides specialty tools ie: hilti, greenlee, ect. ) is dewalt xrp series...

they get used and abused and hold up very well considering what they go through in our field... we used to have milwaukee tools but i guess they dropped them from the inventory...

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

DeWalt: drills, cricular saws

Makita: circular saws, framing nail guns

Milwaukee: saw-zalls

Porter: brad nailers, framing nail guns, routers

 

[tyler_fitz 10+ year member]

I have always liked PorterCable, when you can get them on sale......Battery life sucks on them though.
DeWalt is trash IMO, too overpriced, and junk today. 10 years ago, they were the best.

Black and Decker Firestorm FTW, reasonably priced, very dependable tools. I have a few 110v tools from the firestorm line, and I love them. I know that B&D had some quality issues in the past, but they are now resolved.

And here is why: PorterCable lost their *** in foreign sales. B&D bought them out in or around 2002, a hidden aquisition it was called. Black and Decker tools are now assembled on the same line as the PorterCable tools, and have the same QC guys to inspect them. My sister-in-law works at the PortCable/B&D plant in Jackson, TN. We get some seconds sometime.....at no cost.

But go to your local power tool sales center, and ask them if this story is true. When I worked at Lowe's, I was told to keep my effing mouth shut by my department head about this.

PorterCable $100 saw = B&D $49 saw //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

tis true, lowe's doesn't even carry the firestorm brand anymore, its all porter cable now. personally i hated the firestorm brand, now i can't help but think every porter cable tool i see is now just firestorm quality and not the old porter cable quality.

dewalt, however, is still some good shit imo, having personally used them mon-fri for the past two years. their xrp line is the shit, even their compact 18v drills are pretty nice. but at home i use bosch, my 18v drill feels solid as a rock in my hand, my router is the shit, came with a fixed and plunge base, has 1/4 and 1/2 collets, and my lil 1/4 sheet sander does some good work.