Comments on: Best Power Tool Brands

By: James

James — Sat, 15 May 2021 17:55:05 +0000

It is really hard to find out what type of user you are, special for a person with no prior experience. As far as I have experienced Makita works best for home tasks.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 15:10:10 +0000

Bosh should be added to the list as it’s a big enough brand above most DIY brands.

KajunFramer is right Makita lasts longer, Bosch is great mostly for their angle grinders tough.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 00:02:47 +0000

In reply to Eric. I should add that Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita do offer a 20 oz sausage pack power caulk gun, but Ryobi doesn't. There are two specialty auto glass tool companies (Equalizer, GT Tool). They make modified Milwaukee and Dewalt sawzalls that are called express cutters. They are used to cut out windshields that are attached with urethane. There is a battery powered version for both that use the same batteries as those companies other cordless tools. Hart, Bosch, Ridgid, Skil, Porter Cable, Craftsman, and Kobalt don't have a 10 oz power caulk gun, so they are pretty much useless to anyone who does auto glass, or auto body. If they would make a 10 oz power caulk gun at a good price a lot of glass and auto body techs would probably consider them.

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 18:48:50 +0000

I’ve been doing auto glass for almost 2 and a half years. Most of our techs use Ryobi. We need a 10 oz power caulk gun for shooting urethane. The Ryobi is available in the store for $49.99. The Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee power caulk guns are not available in the store and range for $209.00 to $225.00 in price. They may last a little longer, but when you go to buy that second one you have now spend over $400 on caulk guns. You’ll get about 2 years out of a Ryobi. We’ve had techs only get 2 years out of their Milwaukee though.

We also need a drill for occasionally drilling a hole, using a wire wheel to remove rust, or screwing/unscrewing bolts/screws. The Ryobi works fine since it doesn’t get abused too much.

I have the Ryobi dirt devil style hand vacuum. That works great for vacuuming up a little glass dust on a car seat, or dash. You’ll still need a real vacuum that plugs in and has a long hose for vacuuming up tempered glass when it covers the entire inside of the vehicle.

I have the Ryobi cordless heat gun because I do a lot of work on semi trucks. Most of them have cameras that attach to windshields that can’t be removed from the vehicle since they are connected to a cord. Sometimes the 3M tape that is used to attach them won’t stick under certain weather conditions. Melting it with a heat gun will cause it to stick to the windshield. It was worth the $89 because I hate dragging out my cord just to plug in my hotter and more powerful Wagner ($24) for 30 seconds. It does take longer to melt the tape with the Ryobi, but it is convenient.

My conclusion is if you are looking to do auto glass for a career then go with Ryobi for your power tool needs. Their tools work great for the few seconds you’ll need them each day. Plus their power caulk gun is available in the store.

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 14:28:51 +0000

Just a note of clarification: Ryobi is NOT a house-brand. They’re an HD exclusive, which is different. They’re sold elsewhere around the world. However, Kobalt IS a house-brand since they’re made only for Lowe’s.

By: Eric Jopp

Eric Jopp — Wed, 06 May 2020 15:53:27 +0000

In reply to KajunFramer. Good points and well taken. Makita is awesome, I am a huge fan of them. Yes with Hilti fastening solutions and systems.

By: KajunFramer

KajunFramer — Sun, 03 May 2020 13:36:05 +0000

I must disagree. After 30 years in both light and heavy construction, and having extensively used both Bosch and Makita, I can say that Makita regularly outlast Bosch. And while Hilti offers the best fastening solutions, their other tools are no better that what’s offered by other professional brands.