Veteran-built.
Your manual and warranty win. Brands change battery lines and warranty terms; check the brand site before you buy a fleet of packs.
Pick the platform first, then the tools
Batteries and chargers are the expensive, long-lived part of a cordless kit. A bare tool is cheap once you own packs; a new platform means buying packs and chargers all over again. If your crew already runs one brand, the money-saving move is almost always to stay with it and buy bare tools on deal days.
Mixing platforms on one truck costs more than it looks: two sets of chargers, packs that never fit the tool in your hand, and helpers who grab the wrong battery. Our rule is one main platform per truck, with a second platform only for a specialty tool the main brand does not make.
Starting fresh: what to compare
| Question | Why it matters for a crew |
|---|---|
| Does it make the specialty tools your trade needs? | A press tool, a pipe threader, a compactor, a cut-off saw or a rotary hammer in the right class can decide the brand by itself. |
| What does each amp-hour cost? | Divide the pack price by its amp-hours, using kit prices on deal days. That number tells you more than any spec sheet. |
| Where can you buy it on short notice? | Some lines are sold mainly through one store. If a pack dies on a Tuesday, you want a store near the job that carries it. |
| What does the warranty require? | Several brands extend coverage only if you register within a set time. Register the day you buy. |
| Is there a high-output or heavy-equipment line? | Bigger packs and heavy-equipment platforms let one brand cover demolition, concrete and site work. |
The platforms most crews choose between
- Milwaukee M12 and M18, plus the MX FUEL heavy-equipment line. We run M12 and M18 every day and own an MX FUEL plate compactor. Sold at Home Depot, Acme Tools and other dealers.
- DeWalt 20V MAX and FLEXVOLT 60V, with the compact ATOMIC tools. FLEXVOLT packs also run 20V tools. Sold at Lowe's, Home Depot, Acme Tools and others.
- Makita 18V LXT and 40V XGT. A deep 18V line, including many outdoor tools.
- Ryobi ONE+ 18V and 40V. The lowest entry price; sold through Home Depot. Common on maintenance and turnover crews.
How to buy a platform on deal days
- Buy kits with two batteries during free-tool or free-battery events; the kit often costs close to the batteries alone.
- Use the free tool slot on something you would have bought anyway. See the free-tool playbook.
- Buy high-output packs for saws, grinders and anything that bogs; keep compact packs for drills and impacts.
- Engrave and log every pack the day it arrives. See engrave against theft.
Check today's battery prices
Milwaukee M18 batteries
AmazonHome DepotLowe'sAcmeWalmart
DeWalt 20V MAX batteries
AmazonHome DepotLowe'sAcmeWalmart
Makita 18V LXT batteries
AmazonHome DepotLowe'sAcmeWalmart
Ryobi ONE+ 18V batteries
AmazonHome DepotLowe'sAcmeWalmart
For volts, amp-hours and charging rules, read batteries: how they work and how to make them last.