Dewalt or Milwaukee

[techtownmayor]

Honestly, nowadays I don’t think there is much difference between the top brands (Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita). Most of them use the same quality battery cells and the same quality motors. The bigger differences are when you get to the top brands like Festool.

I like Milwaukee and Bosch because of their 12V line of tools, which are great if you need some lighter-duty tools. I’ve also got a bag of Dewalt 20V tools since they were one of the first to launch those higher power battery packs.

The choice mostly comes down to price and the type of tools you need; Milwaukee has a massive assortment of tools, including some really handy things like cable cutters/strippers, PVC tube cutters, and more.

But since both brands compete with each other, I suspect you’ll find they both have the same tools, quality and prices… (FWIW; Milwaukee is now owned by Techtronic Industries, the same company that makes Ryobi).

Personally, I’ve got tools from all brands; Bosch 18V since they have a wireless charging system, Dewalt since they were the first with 20V batteries, and Milwaukee since they were the first with a cordless soldering iron which I needed at the time.

Don’t do what I did; stick to one brand 🙂

[fixbear]

It all comes down to the tool your talking about. Like port-a-band saws I have 2 Portacables, Power drills I like Milwaukee. Especially the Hole Hog and the right angle plumbers drill. Different gearing than the electrician’s. Power saw’s, I own a Dewalt 7 1/2. To replace my Milwuakee 8 in SDS Hammer drills AEG. 5 inch angle grinders, 9005 Makita. Electric die grinder, Metabo. Light battery powered screw drivers or impact, Bosch. Heavy driving a like my 18 V Panasonic. But it will break your wrist if you use it wrong. Drove a lot of lag’s into the ceiling beams of a 1900 building.

I was very fortunate to have a tool supply company in the port of Albany. The NYS Thruway authority Would buy one of each brand for testing. Rotate them across each district and get feedback on each tool. When they found the best and most reliable they then bought a hundred or two to equip their crews. This information was returned to the seller. Who would relay it to a buyer that asked.

Prior to using this supplier, I bought what was easily available. My productivity increased with the better tools. They also lasted much longer.

Oh, Scott, You should have a Snap-On Iso-Butane soldering torch. I’ve had one for years, and it can’t be beat in the field. Solder, Braze, Heat shrink, Direct flame, or cut and weld plastics.

[nafets47]

This specific topic was covered VERY well in the following article from protoolreviews.com

https://www.protoolreviews.com/milwaukee-vs-dewalt/

[nafets47]

Personally I am a Milwaukee power tool guy. I don’t really delve into anything above the 12v line and Milwaukee is the best with that battery platform. They also have the most variety with their smaller battery line than any other company I have seen.

But brand preference is brand preference. Same conversation could be had about Coke vs Pepsi or Ford vs Chevy.

[fixbear]

You nailed it there.

[chanlui]

Between the 2 brands I say I would have to pick Dewalt. Most of you will disagree with my reasons.

I pick DeWalt because it’s part of Stanley Black&Deckers which is an American company. They do make many of their tools overseas but in recent times they made an effort to at least assembling some of their power tools in the USA.

Milwaukee now belongs to a Hong Kong based company and is no longer an American company. Milwaukee don’t make any of their power tools in the USA that I know of.

[nafets47]

Read the above article.

[chanlui]

Thanks! The article told me that Milwaukee doesn’t make cordless power tools in the USA. I guess when one compare Dewalt and Milwaukee they are talking about power tools and not saw blades.

[ronniejordan]

I use to be a huge Dewalt fan but milwaukee definitely steped up their game I think they are the best in the construction field now days

[nafets47]

For sure. They have a new line specifically for construction which IMO cannot be beat by ANY brand.

[jonathanmcdaniel]

I have bought and used most of the DeWalt 60 v and 20 v told. They impress me with the durability and battery life . I can work for two or three days off one 60 v battery if using it alone. I’m very interested in Milwaukee but haven’t been able to compare. I do use their hole saws and blades alot and they are great as far as how long they last and cut

[T-rev]

I work for a facilities department and we buy all Milwaukee tools. I’m also the guy who deals with the warranty issues if tools break. Dewalt power tools have 3 year warranties. Milwaukee power tools have 5 year warranties (I think the M12 air compressor is a 3 year and batteries I believe are 3 year). I have not utilized the dewalt warranty process since we don’t have the DeWalt tools but Milwaukee will cover shipping to and from the repair center and will cover the cost of the repair if it’s within the 5 years. I’ve sent in 6 to 8 tools over the past 2 years and get them returned fixed within 2 weeks. I think it’s on average a 10 day turn around once FedEx picks the package up. I realize no one wants to hear about tools breaking but if you are buying a tool with a warranty, I would want to buy one that takes care of me. Milwaukee has done that.

[Preach]

110% Milwaukee no question