I see no downside in going with 20v. I had a 14.4 V Rigid drill/driver combo with massive NiCd batteries.
I gave them away and bought a set of 20v Bosch 4 Ah batteries that are lightweight, last much longer, and have wayy more torque. Plus they charge faster. I feel the Bosch is every bit as good as the Dewalt line but tends to be slightly less expensive.
If money were no object my tools would all be Festool but I’m not a millionaire. 
I went with Ryobi partially because of the battery thing (I have both the old school NiCad and new LiOn chargers so that’s fine) but also because the tools are lighter and fit my hands better–I’m pretty burly for a woman but the hand size thing is a definite factor. If I were starting from scratch again I’d probably go DeWalt based on the fact that EVERY contractor I’ve ever met is either DeWalt or Milwaukee but DeWalt tools are easier to find because that bright yellow really stands out, as does the lime green of Ryobi. Milwaukee red gets a bit too close to workplace coloration over time. Don’t laugh, trying to spot your drill from across the room when a bunch of work is going on is definitely a factor!
For yard tools I’m Black & Decker all the way although the Greenworks mowers are looking pretty nice and the price on them is very attractive. My B&D mower is still plugging away but after near on ten years the battery is getting a little wimpy.
I’d be interested to hear what he doesn’t like about Ryobi. I’ve had an 18v Ryobi cordless drill for what seems forever, and I love it and have never had a problem with it. I like the one-handed chuck (I don’t know if that’s common or universal) – when stopped, the chuck is braked and can be loosened with one hand. (After a great many years, one of the two batteries it came with refused to charge, which is hardly unreasonable as it was well over a decade – I easily found a replacement, and all is well.)
In fact, I had originally bought a Black & Decker cordless, and then saw the Ryobi at Home Depot and wished I had bought that. I had long since lost the receipt, but took it back to Home Depot anyway and they were nice enough to credit the cost of the B&D towards the Ryobi.
That said, if I were buying another cordless drill today, I’d consider DeWalt because it seems to have become almost the de facto pro tool these days. But I’d still look at Ryobi because it’s been such a good tool. I’ve heard many good things about Milwaukee but I’m not sure how common they are here in Canada.
When I worked for the cable company, I used Dewalt tools. That’s what I’ve gone with ever since.
Haven’t really used much else, so as far as comparisons go, hard to say, but I will say that I’ve never been disappointed by them.
I do have two drills though, one battery, one plug in. Specifically because most of the time when I need to drill something, I didn’t plan on it ahead of time, and haven’t charged the battery.
If I am actually planning on a project and charge up ahead of time, the cordless work really well.
Interesting, thanks. I dislike Ni-Cads and my Ryobi drill itself is as good as new. I just looked at the 18v Li-ion batteries and physically they certainly look the same. Unfortunately it looks like a pair of high-capacity Li-ions plus a charger will cost about as much as a whole new drill kit – well over $200. As people who buy electric cars discover, batteries ain’t cheap!
ETA: … though I see that I can get a smaller, lower capacity Li-ion battery and low-end charger for much less than that.
When I hear battery powered tools, my first thought is drills. I used to love Panasonic. I had maybe 3 drills over 15 years, they took abuse, batteries lasted a long time. But they went down hill. I’ve since switched to Makita and Milwaukee.
I like the Milwaukee better for everyday use, they’re a little lighter and more comfortable, but the Makita is more versatile, I can use the batteries with my string trimmer, circ saw, impact driver, etc. I’ve got both 12 and 18v. In my shop I’ve generally got at least 3 different drills and drivers with various bits, counter sinks, and screw tips sitting around, depending on what I’m working on. (Changing bits slows production.)
At this point I think it’s a total of 3 Milwaukees and 6 Makitas.
I have a set of Ryobi cordless tools my father bought me when I moved out of the house about 25 years ago. Those tools worked, but they were not great quality, although for what it’s worth, I still have that set and everything in it still works, even the flashlight. Used the little circular saw just the other day.
I have bought other Ryobi tools much more recently and found the quality is vastly improved. While I’ll still never confuse them for a DeWalt (which they try very hard to make their stuff look like), it’s decent enough stuff for around the house repairs and projects. They are priced well, frequently on sale, and I’ve never felt like I got ripped off.
I’m just an occasional user, but I’m totally happy with the Ryobi One+ series. They’ve never given me any trouble, and they’re cheap. Home Depot frequently has sales on kits where you get something like three tools, two batteries, and a charger for $99ish. Or various buy-one-get-one-free deals. I have a pretty good collection now.
The default batteries aren’t that high capacity (something like 1.5 or 2.0 Ah), but you can get higher capacity ones for tools that need it (circular saw, router, etc.). They also seem to go for months without significant self-discharge.
My lawn tools are Ryobi and all the shop tools are Ridgid. Mainly because those were the brands that were on sale at Home Depot when we bought this house. 5 years hard use with no complaint.
Me too (for the most part), both battery and power tools. All the battery tools are 20v. Years ago I made the mistake of buying one of those sets of battery tools (I think it was Skil). At least it was an inexpensive mistake, but irritating that nearly all of the tools failed in short order.
The only DeWalt tool I’m not too crazy about is the corded router, as the switch is in a very awkward place. I don’t like taking my hand off something spinning that fast in order to shut it off. But the two battery drills, the battery reciprocating saw (which is a real killer), the corded sanders, corded circular saw, corded table saw, etc., are all tough tools that have given good service for years.
This is true. I have a couple of Milwaukee power tools (12V drill, impact driver). I don’t use them hardly at all right now (although I have some warm-weather projects coming up). I can put them away, charged, and six months later they’re still charged. Very handy.
I decided to go with Black and Decker’s 20V MAX system, because I liked the idea of using the same battery for all the tools. So I bought a leaf blower, a hedge trimmer, and a cordless drill combo kit. I never use all the tools at the same time, so I have three quick-change batteries ready to go at all times and rarely have to worry about having enough power. So far, it’s all worked flawlessly.
The cordless drill combo kit is awesome:
The drill body has interchangble heads, and can be used as a drill, oscillating cutter, a jigsaw, an impact driver, or a sander. All in one briefcase-sized case. I think Ryobi jas a system like that as well, and probably others.
I wouldn’t use this stuff professionally, but as a homeowner/hobbyist, it’s the perfect set of tools for any light or medium duty use.
I got one of those, basically because I wanted to cut up some old furniture to make it easier to take to the dump, and after using it, thought, “I can destroy the world with this!”
I’m fortunate to still have a home, it was tempting to start cutting everything thing in sight.
We have Ryobi. Mrs. L enjoys gardening and she liked the brand so we stuck with it.
In 18V we have string trimmer/edger, hedge trimmer, chainsaw on a pole. In 40V we have leaf blower, lawn mower. We also have 18V drill, inflator/deflator, circular saw.
They have a pretty big variety of tools available. That may be something OP wants to compare among different brands.
Works great for cutting the head off a rusted bolt/screw, too.
Does a 69 year old grey haired old lady count?
I have an Ego lawnmower and chain saw, and Makita drill, driver, reciprocating saw. I like them all; but haven’t really used comparison tools.
I tried an electric toothbrush once. Ran chills right up my spine. No thanks.
My hygienist tries to convince me to switch to one, twice a year. After more than a year of neglecting my gums because of isolation ennui I may have to get one and try again.
I bought DeWalt cordless tools because so many contractors use them, and my older corded Dewalt tools were good.
But I don’t actually know how they compare. I say so because, once I got the batteries then I was fully invested in that ‘family’ of tools.
I do think I understand from physical and electrical principles that the voltage can’t matter very much. The power of the motors, and the amount of energy held by the battery (as in joules or watt-seconds), would both be important. The choice of voltage just dictates what current they have to target in the design and shouldn’t be interesting. I think it’s a selling tactic because a number followed by “V” looks sort of cool, especially executed in black and yellow.
currently have ryobi drill and screwgun and a kobalt brand battery powered lawn mower. I like the mower pretty well, its a lot lighter and easier to use than my old toro. don’t ever use the drill, use the heck out of the screwgun and I sort of hate it. No work lamp (didn’t notice that when I bought them as a set) sorta heavy for what I use it for. Best I ever owned was a chicago electric 7.5v nicad screw gun. lightweight so when I’m taking apart 30 desks for an office move it doesn’t wear me out and tough, rebuilt a couple hundred feet of fence with it. I broke the charger for it, and a new one cost more than I paid for it originally.
Here is an old thread on this subject:
Note the date: 2013. But gives some good information.