Slightly Above Average Podcast

DeWalt vs. Milwaukee: Ranking Every Power Tool Brand

• John Malecki, Sam Poola, and Joe Meinert • Episode 11

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DeWalt vs. Milwaukee: Ranking Every Power Tool Brand
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We built the Mount Rushmore of power tools, ran every brand through a full tier list, and drafted our ultimate tool kits. DeWalt fans, Milwaukee loyalists, and yes — someone defended Ryobi with a straight face.

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Cold Open & Tease: Tool Show Season

SPEAKER_00

Festival smoked healthy. Their specs were higher than any other brand.

SPEAKER_01

Ryobi covers the bases of everything for homeowners.

Mount Rushmore Of Power Tool Brands

Snack Time: French Pastries Debate

SPEAKER_03

Alright, so my Instagram feed has been flooded with all kinds of wild new tools from the world of concrete, which was last month. So this week we're doing the Mount Rushmore of Power Tool brands. And yes, somebody puts Ryobi on that mountain. We're gonna figure out who actually belongs there. Each one of us are gonna draft a team of four power tool brands, and we're gonna fight them to the death. This should be a fun one, and I do think the opinions are gonna be fine. Now, last week none of us were hungry. So we didn't jump into Sam's snack segment. This week, though, we like to listen to you guys. At least these guys like to listen to you guys. So uh we are going to do a little bit of uh snack a snack a I don't even know where I'm going with this. Snack teas. We're gonna snack Sam's favorite French pastry segment. And we're gonna do it with Sam's favorite French pastries. Why? You can't question why that man makes any of the decisions he makes in his life. So, Sam, French pastries, what do you got for us?

SPEAKER_00

We have uh some fine pastries from the the folks at Paris Baguette, which I just learned this morning is only a Pittsburgh local pastry, but it's set up so well. And telling you, if you walked in there, you're like, this is a national chain. It's so you know what's so nice about it? I'll tell you right now what's so nice about it. You ever go into a bakery and you get that anxiety when you get there, there's like 10 people behind you, you're at the counter, and they're like, What do you want? And you don't know what anything behind the counter is, so you're you have to rush to order it. Here, you can graze, it's all open. There's tongs and a tray, and you could just, oh, maybe I like that. I don't know. Let me take a look.

SPEAKER_01

Been there on McKnight. Exactly. He has the open I've been there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Anything you want sweet, savory, cakes, meat, yeah, croissants.

SPEAKER_01

Then you take your tray up and you pay for what you got. I have been there. I lied. I I totally slipped my mind when he brought that in this morning. All right.

SPEAKER_00

I've never heard of this place. It's it's there's one in on McKnight Road, one in Shady Side.

SPEAKER_01

It's right next to the Dave and Busters on McKnight.

SPEAKER_00

There's a Dave and Busters. It's across from the Dunhams. It's by the Skecher store.

SPEAKER_01

We typically avoid French things.

SPEAKER_03

What do we got?

SPEAKER_01

One of these is foul, by the way. I don't know why you picked it up.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, these are some of my favorite items there. They were a bit limited. They have more on the weekend.

SPEAKER_01

You want me to hold it up? I can hold up the camera.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, so you got we yeah, we we have a uh French bullshit, French bullshit, chocolate dip French bullshit. Yeah, and a hot dog French.

SPEAKER_03

You guys remember, like I wasn't kidding when I did that short. Croissants suck, dude.

SPEAKER_00

No, well, there's not a true croissant in here except for that chocolate one filled with accent. You have to say it like that. The croissant.

SPEAKER_03

All right, so you got what? Six pastries in there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we got a cream-filled donut, we have a raspberry uh pastry, we have a tiramisu tart, we have that chocolate croissant. Who thought of that? I don't know, but isn't that the classiest hot dog you've ever seen in your life?

SPEAKER_03

All right, we'll try one for the good people on the show, and then we'll do the rest in the bunkers. That's a lot of pastries.

SPEAKER_00

That is a lot of pastries. We we could just start with a we'll save the wild ones for the bunker. If you want to see us eat the hot dog pastry, the unnamed one, you have to go to the bunker. But we'll start with a beloved one that everyone will enjoy the triple chocolate cylindrical croissant.

SPEAKER_01

Is that a croissant? What's in it?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. Chocolate. Chocolate worst. It's chocolate filling dipped in chocolate. Some chocolate filling. Really?

SPEAKER_01

You're into chocolate-filled stuff? I've had a sweet tooth lately. I've been burning so many calories working out. I've just been like eating like shit.

SPEAKER_03

I'm not into, I'm much more of like a I'm taking, I've I've said this before, I'm taking custard-filled donuts over cream. I like jelly-filled donuts. Never, never get that away from me. Really? I personally like the gallon. I also grew up in a family. Like, we didn't do PBJs. Like, we did not eat peanut butter and jelly. We ate peanut butter on toast. I would eat gallons of chunky peanut butter. Probably why I just gained weight at exponential weight. Uh exponential. Chunky peanut butter? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Dude, that looks shit. I should have got a napkin. Hold on.

SPEAKER_03

Did you see how he cut- you cut it like a complete terrorist.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that was some wild shit how you can't. It was a butter knife, it didn't have a pain. It's a circle, though.

SPEAKER_03

You didn't cut the blade I needed. You cut it like a pie if it's a circle. That's a universal rule for cutting circles.

SPEAKER_00

You would have hated my great uncle Joe. That dude, he'd take a spoonful out of the center of a pie. He'd ruin a pie for everything.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I punch him right in the face with a selfish prick. You see how he cut this blade? I told you I wasn't eating it. You could have cut it straight in half. Oh. Well, in case you make it attempt at the end, it looks like a rabbit pooped on a French baguette or croissant.

SPEAKER_00

Make sure you get some cream in there. Joe and I found out Joe and I both have an affinity for cream-filled pastries.

SPEAKER_03

Well, that's something I think you two should keep to yourselves. I don't like cream-filled pastries. I like jelly-filled pastries. So I like fruit desserts. Like I'm adamant on like a fruity dessert over like a very decadent chocolate dessert. This guy also doesn't like chocolate.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I don't like just this is the thing. I don't like just plain chocolate. It's got to be like a chocolate-flavored something.

SPEAKER_03

You make no sense.

SPEAKER_00

Like, I don't in any context. You just threw down a chocolate bar.

SPEAKER_02

Chocolate is a flavor.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I don't want just a chocolate bar. I want like a chocolate filling, chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream. Sure. Even a cafe mocha from time to time. But not just plain chocolate.

SPEAKER_01

Well, how else do you consume chocolate?

SPEAKER_00

I'm doing it right now.

SPEAKER_01

There's not many other ways to consume the flavor of chocolate outside of the ways provided, which would be chocolate bars, ice cream. Well, no, I like ice cream and everything but everything but a chocolate bar. What? What the hell would you do for Halloween for years on your birthday?

SPEAKER_00

That is the most insane shit. I like I like a lot of like hard candies, like sour candies.

SPEAKER_03

I don't know how you can like chocolate flavored things or chocolate accented things, but not the chocolate bar. I think it's just it's just too boring.

SPEAKER_00

This is phenomenal. I also think it I think the thing is too, at least in my mind, when it's like something like this, where it's like a chocolate pastry, I'm like, enough work has been put into it, where in my mind it's like, enjoy that.

SPEAKER_03

But a chocolate bar, I'm like, basically degrading the entire profession of being a chocolatier. You're saying that there's it's too boring. Have you seen that dude build shit out of chocolate? Yeah, he's incredible.

SPEAKER_00

You wouldn't eat that? No, I would eat. Well, I mean, I would stop. But wait, but that's a total. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, that's a man actually taking all the time and effort to make it into something, but you're asking me to just have one that the machine pumped out off a line. There's no love in it.

SPEAKER_01

Oh that I just want to acknowledge you just took a bite out of that and then dipped it back into the custard. There might be only three of us, but no one else saw that. He took a bite and he's dipping it in the custard.

SPEAKER_00

John said, What if I wanted more? Well, John said he didn't want any.

SPEAKER_01

I don't I just said it was phenomenal. I was eyeing up a trick and dose.

SPEAKER_00

We've worked together for three years now.

SPEAKER_03

So don't forget this man's theory on double dipping. Don't stick his whole fing tongue in that thing and then think other people should do the same.

SPEAKER_01

Only if, though, if you don't know anyone there. Jeez. And you're so you're drunk, right?

SPEAKER_00

I can wait for the segment after a channel.

Back To Tools: Why This Topic Now

Makita Kicks Off The Lists

SPEAKER_03

Golly, dude. Well, now that we're distracted completely from important topics like power tools, and you're over here finger banging a chocolate of Claire. The internet has been buzzing because some of the biggest tool shows of the year are in season. Tool show season is here. Now, a lot of you followed me for the year over the years because I excessively use tools or I talk about tools, buy tools, make things with tools from time to time. You get you either hate me, love me, whatever. Tools are a big part of my life. So we haven't done a show like that's very tool centric. And being that this is a show about arguing over dude shit for the most part, it's about time. So we wanted to get started by picking our own individual Mount Rushmores of tool brands. Excellent. You go first. Yeah, I've got my four. My four come from a long life of experience. And and I and I do think that all of us should just agree that my four is superior before we even start. What do you guys think? I'll never concede to that. I won't concede, but you know, I'm open to hearing what your four is. Starting out, we'll go with the bottom, the lowest, but I do think it's a massively impactful brand. A brand that I would spend my hard-earned money on before I would potentially consider other brands. Now, this one barely squeaked out over another brand, but my first brand is Makita. Going on my mouth. Really? It's a good brand. So I've just been a Makita fan for a long time. They have a great variety of tools. The battery platform's solid, and they make a overall a good tool. There's no there's no bullshit lines, there's none of this like absurdities on uh more battery power or more larger tools or smaller tools, nothing. They just do what they do and they get the job done. And they have a wide array of stuff. Now I literally own like three Makita tools, right? It's gotten there because the three Makita tools that I own have like withstood dozens of other brands' attempts to knock them off and just can't they just can't do it. So my four number four is Makita.

SPEAKER_00

What do you got? My we were going an order for our least favorite, our number four? Does it have to be? I'm gonna do my first one.

SPEAKER_01

You don't have to do the one.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna do my number one first. My number one, I'm an avid Bosch tool fan. I'll tell you why I love Bosch. I'll tell you why I love Bosch. Bosch, like pretty much any other German company, like automotives, appliances, power tools. This is what you get with a German-engineered piece of equipment. It's number one, the design and everything, it's subtle. It's very, very subtle.

SPEAKER_03

There's a German brand that is superior to Bosch.

SPEAKER_00

I know what you're gonna say. Yeah, but this is the thing. I'm taught the I'll get to that. There, I know what you're gonna say. You're gonna have Festal, right? You don't know what the f I'm gonna say. It's probably Festal, but Bosch is something, it's it's not it's not Milwaukee level expensive. It's in the middle. Like, you know, it's a little pricier than some of the lower tier tools, but nice middle ground in pricing, subtle design, solid, dependable performance. I'm not saying it's the best in any any category. Same with like German cars or anything. It's not necessarily the best in every category, but you know exactly what you're gonna get. You know it's gonna be dependable, you know it's well built, it's an older brand, it's got legacy color scheme, fantastic, arguably one of the best.

SPEAKER_03

I do like the blue, one of the best.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, I've uh I've I've got to use Bosch tools since I was a wee young lad in my dad's shop, and I'm just that's the only drill I'll ever buy. Bosch drills, I'm just I love them. They're they're my favorite. Objectively, I do not think they are the best, but you know exactly what you're getting, and there's something beautiful about that. I can give that credit where it's due.

SPEAKER_03

The fact that you said it's not the best and it's just your favorite is the only reason that has credo. They are good. Bosch makes a good tool. They do, they do. Like you can't put them in top four.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, they're in my top four.

Milwaukee’s Innovation And Batteries

SPEAKER_01

They're my forever. I'll go with the layup. I think first and foremost, the best brand of them all, but one that needs to be on everybody's list, Milwaukee. Best in class, if you have the money to splurge and get it, you're gonna get a tool that lasts you for years. I feel like all of us is probably you using their tools, you've owned them for years, you have tools that you've had for decades. Your dad probably pull has one or two tools. My dad has a few Milwaukee. You guys saw the Milwaukee tools my dad has. Yeah, yeah, I brought in that just cool sitting in the attic that still work to this day. So I think they're you know, next level, so they're going number one on my list. Yep.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, well, I'm up. Milwaukee's also on my list, so we'll just throw that one in there next. And it they're they're in there because of everything that you said, but I I think the um thing I love the most about Milwaukee is that Milwaukee consistently pushes the limit, not only in like what they're trying to do with the power tools, but where they're trying to create new tools for industry. And I think that that is so important, like in the world in today's day and age, and like there's mega specific, you know, applications for trades that Milwaukee, I think, is constantly trying to innovate and push a limit on. Do I have any of those? No, like I'm not gonna. Yeah, the MX line. I'm not like a linesman or like a freaking I'm not doing any uh plumbing in a different way.

SPEAKER_01

But those tools though, though those nicer ones are super elite.

SPEAKER_03

When you when you hear someone in the trades talk about it, like that's why Milwaukee stands above. Is there like they give a shit about the trades person, yeah? And I just I just think that puts them above. Now, a lot of the other brands are starting to play catch up in that facet. I think Milwaukee's pushed that limit for a good decade plus with how they've adapted. So that's that's why they're in mind. They also make a really good quality tool, yeah. And their uh their battery platform is is probably the best one out there, right?

SPEAKER_01

Most reliable, longest lasting, most expensive.

SPEAKER_03

They're the least battery. We haven't we don't have any Milwaukee batteries that have kicked shit or needed replaced. I've replaced every single other battery.

SPEAKER_01

Even off the return pallets that that we've got. Those those batteries, for context of viewers, like we'll buy those, and then we actually use those in the workflows. You guys are using them every day. Nothing's wrong with them. It's just always the toys.

SPEAKER_03

And we've cooked batteries from other brands.

SPEAKER_01

Cooked them. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I've I suppose I'll just follow suit because it was also on mine, so we'll just continue. We'll continue glazing Milwaukee. Is this our first? This is the first time we've ever agreed on something.

SPEAKER_03

We're just glazing them.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_03

We are glazing them crazy right now.

SPEAKER_00

I view Milwaukee as like the Apple computer of like power tools in a number of ways. Like they set the standard, and they also are very similar with like how they'll come out with products where like Apple won't be the first uh many things, but they'll like study all the things that are out and be like, okay, now we're gonna make ours the best. Like I was shocked, and I'm sorry to talk bad about you, Festool, but the cabinet installation driver, Festool came out with theirs first, and then Milwaukee made one, and I own it. I love it more so in like every single regard. I wasn't the only even Jason agreed with me. It's smaller.

SPEAKER_02

He's such a fanboy, though. I know, but it's it's smaller, more compact.

SPEAKER_00

You get to use that battery platform that will work on like 250 other. Oh, and then even the attachments, you could attach more of the things together than the festal one, and you don't have that weird proprietary bit that goes in there where it's like, oh, you gotta put the proprietary bit holder in first, then you could use your conventional bits. But they do this with other tools too. I mean, I know their track saw got mixed reviews, their their router, it was a while before we got that cordless Milwaukee router. I still don't think it's as good as DeWalt's, though. But it's not. But but very nice performance overall. Yeah. I wouldn't Carpentry is their biggest gap. Yeah, that's where DeWalt definitely has a leg up on it.

SPEAKER_03

They get beat by a lot of other brands. Like Makita kind of cooks them too there. Yeah. But um, I think their emphasis in you know, in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, like they they they're just so much far further ahead there. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Even like even their workwear and stuff, like all their heated stuff, like there's no one that can and every surprisingly every other brand makes heated work where the storage and they set the standard. They literally created such a good modular storage system that every other tool brand's like, well, I guess we have to copy that one regard or another. Like, and you look at them, all they're like nearly direct copies. The fastback, like they just they'll create things that'll set industry standards for all the other brands to follow. Yeah, but it's just so damn expensive.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it is very back to Joe then, since you threw the you th you threw the big girl out there first.

DeWalt’s Carpentry Edge And Value

SPEAKER_01

Uh I'm gonna throw another big girl out there next. I think this is my favorite brand of tools, the tried and true DeWalt. I love DeWalt. I own a bunch of DeWalt tools. My dad owns a ton of DeWalt tools. You were just talking about your dad owning a bunch of Milwaukee. He owns a lot of different tools in general, different applications. What's your dad got a conjunction company? He has hammers. He he uses only drills and drivers that are DeWalt, and he owns a bunch of random Bosch tools. But I don't know. I think DeWalt is a little bit less priced. It also is for me, I'm I'm not like your guys' level of needing certain tools. Yeah, so like when I do like DIY stuff or Yeah, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just keep move on past the keep it moving on that one.

SPEAKER_01

I think DeWalt's like a relatively they offer good combo kit deals, but also like even their atomic line, I think those tools are way better than other brands, you know, but like bottom of the barrel tools. So you can do a lot more with them. I think there's just better, you know, barrier to entry in the DeWalt. I think it's expensive, but their battery platform's pretty solid for the price. The power stack's really good nowadays. I just really like DeWalt. I don't know if it's the color or if the actual performance is.

SPEAKER_00

Ultimate everyman's tool. Yeah. They sell it at both big big box home improvement stores you get at Lowe's or the Depot.

SPEAKER_01

I think pros can use it. I think you know DIYers can use it.

SPEAKER_03

I think it's I mean, I it's on my list too. I I I love DeWalt. I think for me, the type of work that I do and have done, DeWalt has a much more applicable product line. Right? Nothing is like revolutionary or incredible, but it's always really damn good. Like like the router, for instance, like that palm router, that's one thing that like the walt just smokes everyone. Like no one touches that thing. Their saws are superior to I would say almost every other brand out there, except except for maybe one. And like I'm talking circular saws and and miter saws. Like you can you can't really get close. Nobody else does carpentry like DeWalt does, and then DeWalt also has all the other product lines. Now that's why they're in my Mount Rushmore. They do lack in a lot of places, and that's where I think they're playing catch up. I also think that DeWalt has just lacked longevity because of their ownership in regards to like they're still trying to figure out this craftsman thing with Stanley Blackendecker, right? Like they're dropping uh they're dropping cobalt, right? Yeah. Um, and they got rid of Black Decker as a brand. They got rid of Porter Cable as a brand, right? When it's just in then you look at Milwaukee and you have TTI, and it's literally just been rigid Ryobi Milwaukee for 30 years. Yeah, I think since they bought Ryobi and launched Rigid, they've just stayed the course. That's where I think DeWalt's is struggling, is that they're they're playing catch up in that that facet. But batteries, I mean, Milwaukee's barely better. I will say DeWalt since I think what is it? No, yeah. Milwaukee's the only one that's forward and backwards compatible since the launch of their 18 volt battery. You have the the old school stick batteries in DeWalt, like a lot of people still running those tools because you can beat the living shit out of them. Those are solid, their quartered power tools are solid. Um, I do love DeWalt, they're they're definitely on my mount rushmore. I wish I I I just wish DeWalt had a little bit more innovation in mind in their RD and like design stuff. But besides that, like I'm a big fan.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I agree with you. It's the only reason I put them on mine, and not that all of mine have this, but like TTI is just so nice because they have like really solid mid-tier and lower tier tool brands. And I think uh because Craftsman's own by Dwalt, you said, right? It was Stanley Blackendecker. Stanley Blackendecker. Yeah, they just don't like like Ryobi, that's a solid budget tool brand. Unfortunately, I'm sorry, we tested them all. Craftsman's just not up there. It's not, it's not, you know, and you don't get that same versatility as like a TTI platform where it's like I could use this battery on my drill or my my lawnmower. There's no comparison.

SPEAKER_01

Craftsman's very inconsistent. Like we when we were testing those tools, there were a few tools that you guys were like, holy shit, this is actually decent. And there wouldn't be another tool that was decent for 20 tools. Yes.

SPEAKER_00

I feel like there's like a boardroom right now where all the people at Craftsman are like, they're just hedging their bet on the fact that it's like, they remember us. We we were the guys back in the day. Like we don't have to try that hard on the tools, they'll see the name.

SPEAKER_03

Three people were alive on that board when when they were in their heyday, everyone else is not, they're super young. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I think there's so many better brands probably that you can get into for that lower cost point. Even like any brand at Harbor Freight.

Budget Battles: Hercules And Warranty Talk

SPEAKER_00

I wouldn't say any, but most of them think of one. Maybe, maybe. I can think of I was gonna save this for so DeWalt was your third? Yeah, DeWalt's my DeWalt's my third. Okay, yeah. I was gonna save this for my last one, but I think I'll bring it up now. I'm gonna put Hercules on my Mount Rushmore, and I'll I'll tell I'll tell I'll tell you why. Like you have to have all ends, at least on my Mount Rushmore. I want like all ends of the spectrum. Mount Rushmore is supposed to be like the goats. I'm trying to think which president Hercules would be. You know what? I'm gonna say Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt would be Hercules. You know, he's a he was a man of the people. He'd just go off into the woods and do some shit for a couple of days, come back and be like, Teddy, where were you? And he's like, Don't worry about it. That's Hercules. That's Hercules' tool. It's I mean, the thing is, like, Ryobi was close, it was so close to making mine, but Hercules is a brand you go to when you need a tool that you know you either A are gonna beat the living shit out of it. It's gonna come out as a shell of what it once was in its box. You can take it right back to the Harbor Freight. They'll say, What happened to this? He's a thermonuclear warhead hit it. They said, No problem, go grab another one off the shelf, free of charge. Have a nice day, sir. And you're not gonna get that with Ryobi. Also, specialty tools, or not even specialty, just things that maybe you aren't gonna use that often, and you want to save a little bit m a little bit of money compared to the Iobi, I needed an angle grinder one time that I was just gonna use for demo. I was like cutting out, it was like a bathroom that was tiled floor to ceiling. So I was like cutting out these like chunks of like tile and uh plaster and there's metal lath. I'm like, I want a grinder that I could just beat the shit out of and feel no guilt whatsoever. Corded Hercules angle grinder,$59.99, it won't die. I've tried I use it on my worst jobs, it will not die. However, I know that whenever it does die, do you know where I'm gonna go, Joe? I'm gonna go down to the Harbor Freight and I'm gonna ask for a new one, and they're gonna say, No problem, take one off the shelf. Have a lovely day, sir. There's no other brand where that happens on that list. There's not one.

SPEAKER_01

There's not a I'm not even mad about that. I I I understand where he's coming from. I I do.

SPEAKER_00

I've asked them before. I said I could do anything that I could run it over. They said, Yeah, you can run it over.

SPEAKER_03

That brand is like five years old.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It's like uh you just added a baby to your Mount Rush board.

SPEAKER_00

No, you know why? They evade things because like because it's a Chinese company, they could just they could just take clones of tools that's like, uh, you know what? DeWalt made this a couple years ago, just clone it, send it to market, no one's gonna bother us. So you're just getting you're just getting cheaper versions of of the tools that are already out there.

Hilti vs. Festool: Pro-Grade Showdown

SPEAKER_03

I really like Hercules, but they're not Mount Rushmore worthy. Oh yeah, that's Teddy Roosevelt, man. This man's Mount Rushmore Teddy is is it's it's just the most you The only reason I would disagree with Hercules is their battery platform sucks.

SPEAKER_01

But they're like it's so much brand new. All the batteries we've had, like normally we'll leave batteries sit and they'll hold at least three of four bars or whatever their threshold for bars are. Those batteries just die over time.

SPEAKER_00

I agree with you, but once again, you know what you do when it dies, I'll reiterate this for the third time. You take it to the Harbor Freight and they give you another one and say, have a lovely day, sir. That's that's all you need to do. They're not gonna last you more than a year. That's fine. You take it back, get that warranty. I'm not much more worthy thing. What do you think? It's like the M1A. It was was that the tank in World War II, the M1 uh Abrams, the one where they were like, we were just churning them off the uh the like the fun tank ever. That's Hercules, man. They're like, we can just keep making these faster and faster. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if the other ones might be engineered better. We'll bombard them with volume. That's Hercules.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know if you'll agree with this brand, but I I do think this brand deserves to be on Mount Rushmore. I think our audience will agree with it more than you will. Don't do it, Joe. I have Hilti on my list.

unknown

What?

SPEAKER_01

Hilti, hear me out. Hilti tools have you used the bud, too. A bunch. What are we doing right now? My father owns a bunch of Hilti tools. What does he own? He owns Impact Drill and Driver. I don't even think they make an Impact Drill and Driver. Yes, they make an Impact. They make everything.

SPEAKER_00

They make everything very, very expensive.

SPEAKER_01

He has a uh Hilti um jackhammer. That I've seen. Lasted for years. Years. He's put that thing through the thick of it, and it worked. I I my limited experience, but also going off of reviews I've read, people commenting on videos and looking more into them, the price point is very high to enter into Hilti. But you order a Hilti tool, it shows up the next day. I mean, it's here, and that thing they can't. No one's buying them. There's probably someone just sitting outside waiting to be able to do that. I will argue Hilti probably like is up there with like quality for like longevity. Those tools lack elite tools. That's what I'm saying. It's like I'm putting it on my list. I'm a little blind in this one. Like my like I said, very limited. I've limited, you know, I've sat in the room. I prefer Ferraris over Lambert. Which one have you driven either? I just for you know, Ferrari. I mean, what's the you know, we technically all haven't owned every one of these tools. You don't need every one of them. So I'm going off of just research and researching these tools and unscrewed videos. That's okay. I'm going off of research. I'm going off our audience always yelling at us for not having Hilti tools because they're far superior. And I'm going off of my limited use of them. And I'm telling you, that drill we had, you know, two years ago we tested on Unscrewed, even though we weren't able to use it. That drill was crazy. It was elite. Their battery platform, elite.

SPEAKER_00

Like they're they are amazing. However, I feel like I don't know, I've you have to be doing like commercial construction. But that's something I guess as long as you're doing that. I would never, as like a homeowner, no one's telling you as a homeowner, even as a contractor, like a Hilti. Most of the Hilti tools I have, they're like weird hand-me-down. Like, where do you get this from? It's like I was stolen from the electrical company, and it's like, oh and they all work phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01

But like I'm not putting it in any category. My my last one will be, but I'm saying for this one, I think just as far as a brand goes, Hilti is a great brand. It should be on the Mount Rushmore. I unless you put there's another brand that I my I probably have it. And so we'll we'll circle back to it.

SPEAKER_00

But I yeah, I think for some reason in my mind, I don't know why, even though they're probably on the same tier of price point, like Festal, I'm like, okay, that's that's more attainable, like it's more usable, but Hilti, I'm like, unless you are like I said, working on a skyscraper. But but Festel Festel is so much more catered to the woodworker. They're less craftsmen probably than industrial. But they have proprietary tools that Hilti doesn't even make. Like the domino, no one else makes it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's a great tool for a certain set of people.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, for the people.

SPEAKER_01

Anyone can wrench with a drill.

SPEAKER_00

I well not everyone can wrench with the certain domino machine. You know another problem I have with Hilti? They look kind of evil. Like it looks like a color scheme is their logo alone. It looks like a dystopian company that just takes over the world. Like Hilti has made another declaration.

SPEAKER_01

Your batteries are called like the Nitro series or something. Look at these, man. Come on, look at this.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you just gotta take out a HELOC on your house to get one of those things. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

Hilti does nothing innovative. They don't need to do that. No, they make they make things that already exist better with better parts and better, like.

SPEAKER_01

Have you ever used uh an SDS Hilti drill? Yes, and they're amazing.

SPEAKER_03

It's not changing the world in regards to like the innovation of the tool. It's just a better SDS. Yeah. That's all you can do. It's elite. Yeah. Right? But like I feel like they just copy other people and make it better. Like, they're not I I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

That sounds like the ideal situation. They take it. It doesn't make them a mount. I that's like doing what Milwaukee does.

SPEAKER_03

I I will also say that that is I mean, we won't get into basketball. Look, they connect to Wi-Fi where basketball comes from. So does every Milwaukee tool now.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I want my tool to connect to an app. Like you know, they all do connect to the apps, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03

Dude, I I Hilti's great. Don't get me wrong.

SPEAKER_01

It is not top four. Like, you know what? I know one person that might agree with me, and I'm going down the limb. I think Jason would agree with me.

SPEAKER_00

I maybe, yeah. I think Jason would agree with me. He does like that.

SPEAKER_03

Jason's a GC who loves heavy construction. Yeah, which is why I think he might agree with me. I still think he's not taking Hilty top four. I can only hope. I mean I could hope.

SPEAKER_00

It is hard because all of all these brands, if we were to compare like a single tool, it would probably be in the top four in terms of performance, but I don't know why.

SPEAKER_03

I guess it's just my feeling towards the because it's completely inaccessible and it has nothing revolutionary. Like I'm my fourth is Festal, and it festal takes the cake over Hilti all day because of the innovation, because of the features. The price point is justified. That tracks are the copy of Festel's track. But it looks way cooler than Festel's direct. It looks way cooler than Fest little mean. Absolutely not. I don't know if it would be a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02

I love it. Look at this, John.

SPEAKER_01

It just copied Festal! But look, it looks cooler though.

SPEAKER_03

It looks like Mount Red Simity right now. It looks like the color red.

SPEAKER_01

Look at this.

SPEAKER_03

That's insane. That is way better. Festal takes the cake over Hilti all day. It's not even a question.

unknown

Okay?

SPEAKER_03

If you're going into that top-tier price point power tool, like Festal smokes Hilti. Hilti makes good shit. But they it's nothing innovative. I can't justify. Like you look if you use a festal tool after using whatever counterpart you want across the board to pick a brand, the features on the festal are so much more thought out and improved. It's incredible. Every time, every single tool. You were bitching about the the the the multi-head cabinet. Yeah. Right? Who came out first though?

SPEAKER_00

Festal.

SPEAKER_01

That's what I'm talking about. Okay, but you're talking about, I'll just go back to what you said about the tool brand Hilti. You have to, for their innovative shit, leverage your first board to get something. But it's the same with Hilti, but not to even get the innovation. What do you that exco skeleton? Festel invented the exoskeleton. Exactly. But guess what? It's probably a thousand dollars more than Hilti's. No, it's the same price. I we're gonna look at this.

SPEAKER_00

Something I'll say about both brands. I feel like like Festal, I appreciate them for all of their like innovation, their proprietary stuff, the domino. I mean, everyone makes a track saw now, but they make the best one. But I will say where I feel like they struggle a little bit, that I feel like Hilti's a little bit better, are like the simple tools. Because from like the drills and drivers we've got to test for different videos, I'm like, I feel like you guys almost over-engineered this. Like, I just want it to be like a little more simple and straightforward. I would argue that they look goofy as shit, too. They look like the old school stick batteries, they're not, but it just looks cumbersome, weird to use. Oh, I couldn't disagree more. I think they look I think they look great.

Sponsor Break: 1stPhorm Offer

SPEAKER_03

I'll take I like that blue all day over. I mean, we you talk about the blue at the Bosch, and over here you're saying maybe Hilti is more. I know it's more.

SPEAKER_00

I don't even know what it said.

SPEAKER_03

This is the same thing. One of us tried to buy Hilti and then said f that noise because it's it's not necessary. I'm not trying to do that.

SPEAKER_01

And I'm the I'm the only one here that's purchased Hilti with your That battery.

SPEAKER_03

They make great stuff, but it I can't I can't in a world say that they take the cake for me over five.

SPEAKER_01

I think Festel's a great brand. Let me just put that out there.

Festool’s Design Philosophy And Influence

SPEAKER_03

I don't think I just like the color of Hilti. It's cool, man. It's I'll give you that. Like if you like the color, and though they do look cool. Hey, real quick, this episode of Slightly Above Average is brought to you once again by First Form, a brand that I personally absolutely love. If you pay any attention to literally anything I'm doing right now, you probably noticed that I've been trying to take better care of myself. Uh, waking up early, eating better, working out, and that's why I love brands that make amazing products like First Form. Whether it's supplementing my protein intake or getting recovery dialed in, they have the best products on the planet. Everything's third-party tested and certified. So you know it's of super high quality, which is super important to me. I've got four kids now. I'm looking to stick around for as long as I possibly can. So I don't need to be eating junk or random things that I can't read or pronounce. Not to mention the flavors are awesome and the accessibility is awesome. You can get this stuff all over the place nowadays. So, even more awesome, right now, if you want to try something from First Form, you get a free five pack of their protein sticks, which I absolutely love. I'm snacking on them all the time. Just go to the link down below, firstform.com forward slash slightly above average, and grab yourself some of the Formula One protein or any other supplement that you want, and you'll automatically have that free five pack added to your order. Not to mention, if you don't like it, first form will actually give you 110% money back guarantee within the first 30 days of your order. You literally can't beat it, you have nothing to lose. So if you're trying to take a better care of yourself like me, check out first form. Really appreciate you guys supporting the show. Now, let's get back into it. I don't know. Festival for me is like that, like there's not anything above it. That's why it's why it's on the rushmore, and they're all constantly innovating, constantly pushing the limits. They add features that I think are actually necessary instead of a lot of brands that add dumb shit. Yeah. Right? Like, like Festal listens to the consumer where the problems and the pain points are. They engineer against the pain points to make improvements. They just engineer shit for no reason. You're like, why? Yeah, right? Yeah. That's why they haven't released something. That's why they don't have like an airless nailer. They're just like, we don't need to get into any nailers. Why? They just don't need to. Like, they don't play that game. And if you look at it, you're like, but think about it. Like, they don't make tools that just to have them out there. Now they're not for everyone. So I get that. Neither is Hilti. You know, even Milwaukee and DeWalt aren't for everybody, right? But Mount Rushmore to me is like creme de la creme top tier.

SPEAKER_00

You need fest tool nowadays too, because a lot of those brands that used to make like like high performance routers or bigger woodworking tools, they don't do it anymore. So if you want like, I want like a really nice half-inch plunge router or something, you gotta go fest tool because there's no one else you could get that from off like the shelves at a Home Depot or a Lowe's. Correct.

SPEAKER_03

So they kind of corner that market, but then like you used you're like, I don't ever want to touch another one, right? And it's kind of the same thing, like their track saw, the ergonomics of it compared to everyone else, just on that alone. Yeah, their track saw is like I hate the movement of the the the Walt. I hate the movement of the of the Milwaukee. The only close track saw we've ever tested, I think, the Matabo one's. The Matabo one is nice. But it doesn't compare still it it it feels junky compared to the festival one. Yeah like the parts and the movements in the so like it's not that it's not a good tool. And Matabo makes great stuff. I like a lot of their stuff. But then you even then you get into like why did Milwaukee come out with the pack out? It's because Festal pushed the market on storage. Why is everyone hyper obsessed right now with dust collection? Because Festal was ahead of the curve with dust collection and and and uh extraction, right? Right. So like they they don't make tools for every trade, they don't make tools for every industry, but the ones that they do that they excel at them and they can't and I feel like that's why they're a rushmore, Mount Rushmore, like a top four for me. I feel like if you're on Mount Rushmore, it's gotta be something uh close to unattainable. Like there has to be that element to it, right? Yeah. If you think about it in like sports, you know, that you're like, we're probably never gonna see one of those again. I agree. And like that's where that's where festival is for you.

SPEAKER_01

That's the top news my list off of. It's just the top. Is it? Yeah, it's where Hercules is for you. What do you have last?

SPEAKER_00

I have number four. Hercules I don't even know who Hercules would be as a football player. Um yeah, probably my number four, my number four is gonna be Makita. Um, I just I for a number of reasons. Number one, like I'm gonna lean more towards like the carpentry side of things, and all of their carpentry tools are just so spot on. Like they're just perfect, and they're like relatively affordable. Like my favorite, I have a rear-handled circular saw from them. I got it for like, it was on sale, but still like 250 bucks, two batteries, that sweet Makita double charger, and it's like the best, most durable rear-handled circular saw.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, nothing about it's changed for eight years since I launched it.

SPEAKER_00

It's so good, it's just amazing. And I feel like there's also like a level of mysticism with uh with Makita, where like there's only so much sold in the actual like Home Depot or like these stores, and then you start going online and then you go deeper online, you find like the purple Makita stuff, you find the dark green Makita stuff, like they're camping things that I don't know if the bike is real or not. I'm almost certain they make a bike. They've got that Roomba for the shop. I might I may have been sweating.

SPEAKER_01

We need to buy that, it's just too expensive.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but they just like I love how there's so much out there that like we're not even fully aware of, and you have to go to weird sites.

Makita’s Mystique And Jobsite Practicality

SPEAKER_03

I didn't add that when I added them, but I I'm also an ingredients. The mysticism does add them to they're like inaccessible but accessible, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

And it's kind of like it's almost like look but don't touch. Yeah, coffee maker, make portable micro.

SPEAKER_03

They're another brand that just thinks about like the job site work and then you know engineers for them. Yeah, which I think is awesome. I kind of like my list, I kind of like cherry-picked because I was like, they're all fing easy. You know, one thing I'll say about Makita.

SPEAKER_00

One thing I'll say about Makita too, their battery, for whatever reason, we've tested a shitload of like random like Timu drills drivers. They work on Makita.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, they all take that Makita battery. It's a simple ass battery. They didn't go wild, they don't give a shit. No. They just like you want to use your Chinese knockoff Makita? Like, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00

I have that little uh the screaming eagle. So Jeff was like, I'm gonna throw this away. You want it? And I was like, sure. And it runs off my Makita batteries. I've used that thing for like a year straight now. I haven't even and the batteries last forever. I don't think I've charged it once, it just retains it.

SPEAKER_03

They do hold good power. I feel like the Gen 1 Bosch batteries did too. Yeah. They used to hold a lot of a lot of length on them.

SPEAKER_00

They've got those new ones now that have the amp share with Fine. That like the Fine and Bosch batteries use the same one now. Yeah. Really.

SPEAKER_03

Joe's got a fourth.

SPEAKER_01

Uh my fourth. Um I think when I think of Mount Rushmore, I'm including the best brands that is accessible to everybody. Don't even go there. So I think like, you know, Hilti is expensive. These brands I mentioned are expensive, but anyone can buy them. So when I think of a brand that anyone can buy, but also create- Everyone can buy Hilti. Anyone could buy Hilty.

SPEAKER_00

Sell your car and you get yourself a Hilti. Yeah, yeah. In theory, I mean, obviously.

SPEAKER_01

Go get a drill bit. But on the other end of the spectrum, a brand that might not create everything super elite, but they create everything. I think I have to put Ryobi on my list. I think Ryobi, Ryobi covers the basis of everything for homeowners. Yeah, they do. I think if you're a homeowner and you want to start getting into DIY, they make it approachable. It's a fun green color. It's inviting. The brand is just it's open. It's, hey, you want to do something? Come grab some Ryobi tools. We'll help you out. It might not be to the quality of other tools, but we'll at least get you started and through something.

SPEAKER_03

You two are just demeaning what a Mount Rushmore is. It's not demeaning everything.

SPEAKER_01

I'm thinking of it full circle here. My Mount Rushmore is the best brand. Ryobi covers every base. They make everything speakers, tools. They make outdoor lawn and garden. I mean, they make everything. You could have a Ryobi tool for everything at your home if you own a home.

SPEAKER_00

And talk about backwards compatibility. They even got rid of that stick battery in these last 25 years. Since they converted from the blue.

SPEAKER_03

I love Ryobi. They've won me over in the last two and a half years.

SPEAKER_01

I think what did it for me, John, is when we bought every one of those tools, and like they had genuinely a little bit more expensive, but they had some really great tools. And then they also had some bottom-of-the-barrel ones that you might not need that great tool.

The Brand Draft: Picks And Strategy

SPEAKER_03

I mean, they're not the dog shit they used to be. I'm definitely taking Ryobi over Hercules. So like you can go sit in the corner by yourself. I mean, but like I just can't put them top four. Your reasoning's sound, though. I can't argue that they are the most accessible, widest variety of tool availability, of power, whatever availability. Like you could you could get them in pretty much anywhere.

SPEAKER_01

They're not going to be better than the other brands on my list. Exactly. You could wash your dishes with the Ryobi scrubber. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know, so they're not better than any brand. That's what keeps it off my mount rushmore. It's like they've they've degraded themselves to like dishwashing.

SPEAKER_00

They're so cool too, because they use uh Ryobi as like a like an RD for like a Milwaukee product. So whenever like a new Ryobi product comes out, it's like it's kind of weird and interesting. And then Milwaukee will drop it like six months later. I have their little their heater, it's so nice, their propane heater, the little torpedo one. It's beautiful. Milwaukee makes one now. Rigid makes one now.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's like a it just doesn't put it rushmore for me. I mean, it I I can't argue with your reasoning though. It's it's it's sound. It's sound reasoning. It's sad, but it's sound. Well, I guess the only thing that we can do now is since we've all picked a Mount Rushmore, since I we have too much crossover. I was gonna say we should let leave it up to the people to vote on who has the best Mount Rushmore, but like we all have Milwaukee on there, so that's not fair, because we will probably get considerable like all the votes. Yeah. Like whatever. So here's what I'm thinking. From the list of available tools, we're we're gonna go with a draft. You two rock, paper, scissors, okay? So see who goes first. We'll do it snake. So one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. And we'll let the people vote on who's got the best team of tools. Are you two ready? Sam, do you know how to rock paper scissors?

SPEAKER_02

I've I've been practicing, I think. Yeah, here we go. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

SPEAKER_03

Alright, Joe wins. Joe, Joe's on Joe gets the first pick, which we obviously know what he's gonna take. And then Sam's three, four.

SPEAKER_02

Alright, give me Milwaukee first. Milwaukee first.

SPEAKER_01

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_02

What the fuck wouldn't you take Milwaukee first? I'm gonna take Festival first. Fest you.

SPEAKER_03

Oh man, okay, so I'm at three and four. Yep. So I'm gonna go with the voter focus here. I'm taking DeWalt and Ryobi. I'm going for voter bias. Wow. That's a smart one. I have to. You took Festival. Yeah, that was a good one. I was gonna you both went fanboy hard early. Yeah, yeah. You're gonna pull the fanboys, you're gonna pull the fanboys. I gotta go for the gen pop now.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, go ahead, Sam. You're up again. I get two or one. One. One.

SPEAKER_00

Give me Bosch or give me death. After Festival, obviously. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Alright. There I get two then. There's um Go get your healthy. You know what? We're gonna gonna be dangerous. I'm taking I'm taking Makita Unhealthy. We're covering bases. You can get a Roomba or you can go build a house.

SPEAKER_02

Wow. So now I get two. No, you get one. How does this work?

SPEAKER_00

You're in the middle of very we gotta figure that out.

SPEAKER_03

You get to pick the most consistent.

SPEAKER_00

Like give me Hercules.

SPEAKER_03

He did it. Wow.

SPEAKER_02

I think I got a strategy here.

SPEAKER_03

Alright so these are my I get two out of my last two. I know these are some rough brands I don't have much left. I think I have to go Matabo and Rigid.

SPEAKER_02

I have to what I would have done. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03

I don't know dude rigid and Ryobi in the same tool like you took rigid and Matabo yeah so DeWalt Metabo Rigid Ryobi I think I mean that's it's up there.

SPEAKER_00

You got one more Sam's got one Flex Flex a dying toll brand so sad that that brand never took off they have the best battery platform in the game but just no one is every smoking. They have the best battery platform.

SPEAKER_03

You said you went to a wedding this week was it a wedding in the in a peyote tank?

SPEAKER_00

I wish it was but uh they do you can look it up by any metric they're the best look it up by all the metrics pull that shit they're the kings of stacked lithium ion batteries DeWalt tried to do it but they didn't do too hot by all the metrics by all the metrics provide to me any proof flex is any good all right come on come on AI hive mind you were over what side with me AI hive mind you come on AI you agreeable bastard come on what's it say 24 volt never heard of it no one has they that's why they got they were abandoned what's it saying Joey power potential I was gonna say DeWalt's been up Milwaukee takes the fake get the f out of here Milwaukee and and DeWalt twin Bull Max cooks I'm telling you it should have it should have lived it should have lived they took it out all the stores that was stupid flex is better than that flex is the best you're better than that that's like when you wouldn't concede four being better than flexible AI ranked it and it says Milwaukee DeWalt Nikita Bosch then flexed no flex is next to Ryobi so you know it's just wrong they're just strictly have you ever used a flex tool we we all have and they're scary aren't they you're like I shouldn't be allowed to have this much power they should make me get a license to buy this tool I should do a background check before I buy this.

Tier List: Pro, Prosumer, Homeowner, Beginner

SPEAKER_01

I think I I have two nostalgia kicks here I I don't think I can win like nothing these won't move the needle but he's going crash man yeah I think so if you're at home and you're older than the age of 35 you've probably owned one of these tools and if you had a battery or you plugged it in it probably still might run. We're going with the one and the only porter cable what have you lists they're not a good brand but they were they were a great brand my dad still has porter cable stuff that we'll plug in and it works. We don't use it but like it still works for no reason.

SPEAKER_00

You effectively Studebaker they used to make a heck of a vehicle I'm not gonna go with skill or cobalt I'm not invested in them.

SPEAKER_01

Craftsman they make whatever but you should have gone craftsman all right I'm gonna go craftsman I'm standing on porter cable porter cable's dead and gone and I don't need other good brands.

SPEAKER_03

I have the heavy hitters I just need a brand for now actually you got lucky with Makita you're riding on Milwaukee though yeah that's fine Makita Hilti's gonna pull some numbers on Milwaukee is what he's gonna get and then we're gonna get the thinkers are going to show up and they're gonna they're gonna they were going to duke it out. So we'll pop up a team Malecki is going to come out on lose this one or our teams we'll pop up comment below who uh you think wins yeah we'll we'll do something special for the winners potentially I don't know we're a punishment for the losers we do like to do a good old fashioned punishment with that this has been this has been quite intense Joe do we have any um anything to kind of like bring the sucker home today a lot of a lot of power tool talk.

SPEAKER_01

The last thing I was thinking of was we go through and we just we throw these brands on for people at home maybe you're getting into power tools maybe you're not we'll throw them on a list for you for pro sumer homeowner and beginner we do I get this question like probably five times a day in my DMs and sorry if I don't answer you but like I probably get 200 this would be a great resource to send to people 200 300 DMs a day.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah and I think we'll just rank them we'll go through Walgreen on a a spot they should live in the give us a split screen if you don't mind Joe on the on the list of actually they're below. I can uh well and they're not all accurate I'm gonna have to pull some loads so you know you can now in Google here's a little thing for you right click on the tab that's in Safari. You're in Safari? Yeah what are you trying to split it split the screen?

SPEAKER_01

You can just write shut up you're not in Chrome go go on the little go I I was in Safari by accident this morning so I stayed in it. Alright S or Pro Tier Pro we'll start with we'll go in order Milwaukee.

SPEAKER_00

Oh it's so close to pro. It's so so close I I think I want to give it to pros.

SPEAKER_03

I think it's pro? I think it's prosumer pro is like only pros. Like you shouldn't buy these tools if you're not a pro. That's how we I'd argue but like part of the pro quality tools yeah but I do think that they're also phenomenally approachable if you are a person trying to invest into tools for your and you're a home consumer.

SPEAKER_01

If you have the cash to blow and you only want to blow it once blow it on Milwaukee.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah pro well I'll throw like like Festal is in pro. Yeah don't buy that shit unless you make money with those tools or you're rich and you just like to push your money away on stuff that you enjoy. That's it. Like that's what pro should be in my opinion. So we can go with that definition.

SPEAKER_00

So then Dewalt also pro Sumer yeah we'll go Hilti pro Makita Pro Sumer Pro Sumer Ryobi homeowner I'm gonna I'd say beginner I'd say beginner I'm already even pro Sumer what here's where mom going with it if you are just getting into building or you want to start your business or you're like getting you have hand me downs Ryobi makes enough good stuff nowadays that you can get fully into the Ryobi line of tools and and and make a living like they're not the dog shit they used to be Hercules that's in the fing you're not wrong but I feel like it's very similar to Milwaukee in the sense that Milwaukee does make some tools especially in their like commercial lines which are pro-grade tools but collectively you'd go pro Sumer just like Ryobi does make some tools that I agree you could make a living off of and they're more pro tools but I would consider them more so like the suburban dad like hey like it's I'm a beginner homeowner.

SPEAKER_03

I want to those days are gone when like you would be you would be a homeowner and you just needed a cheap tool to get a job done and you'd go buy Ryobi like I think those days are gone. That's what I'm thinking about the just the beginner the beginner's like your first first time you're ever doing this what are you buying?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like our beginner category is going to be empty then because the remaining ones I feel like are just going to be like like no skills skills 100% beginner black inductors a hundred percent beginner no no beginner but I'm saying we're gonna have nothing for homeowner then what would be we'll concede then Ryobi is a homeowner tool we'll go homeowner shout out to the production team fancying it up over here.

SPEAKER_03

I get yelled at every week scream yeah like Bauer beginner so now rigid is a homeowner brand as well unless you go into the plumbing so let's just go in order we got you're not wrong that's a that one's a tweenerity of what the brand step step back hold on let's just go in order we have black and decker trash throw that in the trash beginner stop should we should we do another tier that's like do not buy this uh I would yeah we'll add one unfortunately of dumpster just that call it the dumpster dumpster fire don't buy we can get real wild with the don't buy because we've been testing some absolute fing garbage on unscrewed yeah I mean we got Javin we got thaterskaerska what is what is that was that huskadiner or whatever the hell we have Heimerdinger Heimerdinger don't buy that shit the Javin wouldn't die though the Javin's still alive somewhere in this building so uh cobalt I'm gonna put that and stay away just because they're discontinuing it like I don't want you to get into a power platform that you can't get down the line if it yeah if it if it was before the days of craftsmen taking over but the their tools are solid the ones that are still out solid.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah yeah yeah um just hey they're they're going bye byes yeah craftsmen they've they've degraded themselves to a beginner I'd say beginner yeah the price is fine I think some of their like you get a leaf blower for like$30.

SPEAKER_03

Also you not not it's not a little bit power tools like they do have a lot.

SPEAKER_00

It's just that the only yeah I mean I'll concede to beginner the only reason I'm in my gut wants to say stay away is there's like very few very few craftsman tools you can't get the Ryobi one for the exact same price if not less and then you actually get something that's gonna last you as something that's where family struggling is because like they're just not pushing it with those lower tier tools like the other brands are uh rigid homeowner.

Hot Takes: Rigid, Ryobi, Hercules, Metabo

SPEAKER_03

Yeah I guess homeowner I'd say homeowner I do I well I will say rigid Sam brought up a good point they have a commercial line that is like pro level do they for plumbing oh yeah I didn't know that like a pro yeah pro sumer like plumbing line but you gotta go with like what their majority just overall power tools king of shop facts I'm actually a big fan of of I wish Rigid wasn't so bulky like they don't actually care about ergonomics and they also stopped I feel like they don't get the emphasis it did six seven years ago like Ryobi does right and so like Ryobi's kind of like you know taken over I wouldn't be surprised if in five years rigid's gone. No I'm just saying from a standpoint of like the brand necessity for TTI I don't know if it needs to be there. I guess if they have like your entry's Ryobi then you're going to the mobile Ryobi has HP now and they're pushing the limit with that and they have way more product like they they have a third of the rigid product line available.

SPEAKER_00

Rigid has that sort of there's the only ones in the TTI lineup that have that that sweet lifetime warranty though aren't they? Correct.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah so then Husky Husky's a big brand they don't have power tools but they have hand tools they have a power tool list get the shit out of here.

SPEAKER_03

It was on there I don't know GPT's stupid it's not GPT it's just this list is stupid list. Festal pro already Jinx uh Hercules homeowner beginner I'd say homeowner bullshit homeowner that's in the DIY I'm not suggesting any homeowner to buy you out of your mind it'll stand toe to toe it'll honestly stand toe to toe if not surpass most of the tools on that Ryope rigid lineup.

SPEAKER_00

Whoa no it won't Hercules named after the demigod himself yes sir big fan of him not the f you tools I remember I remember if it wasn't for the battery whenever I thought I had you think it matters I thought I had you guys on that drill battle because we had all those drills their specs were higher than any other brand he wasn't out there. What about that the vacuum we waited eight months to get no that was all of us were disappointed once to buy a Hercules vacuum we will sell it to it was it was a pretty bold move saying we can make like a$300 dust extractor but they still did you know I'll give them credit for even trying to do it.

SPEAKER_03

You know what I've no one else we forgot about shut your mouth you know what we forgot I forgot about I'm gonna I'm gonna I keep thinking like the hand tools Hercules does jump up a category when you get into like that miter saw is great.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah that giant SDS that portable table saw is great the giant SDS is great the metal working tools are great you're right all right we'll leave it at uh homeowner and that leaves us to our favorite Matado uh but it's a presser if you could find it if you could find it they make great shit that triple head that we have triple yeah the yeah the the uh it's a great impact their batteries need some love like they need to figure that out because I I feel like they just they're always dead well they have those two different types of batteries too well they bought Hitachi yeah right and then they rolled it in and then they became atabo HP or whatever it is now and since that the battery stuff has just gotten a little bit yeah goofy weird I think they bought Hitachi right yeah yeah they did and then there's this other brand Haikoki I don't know and they they run off this I think they bought them too because I printed a thing it just shit got weird um got real weird over there beginner I'd say beginner stay away away beginner mango beginner you would take a bower over a craftsman wouldn't you sorry you can't see this one this is skill the only black logo unless it's that one drill drive you are so non-committal well and Stanley's a toy a hand toy any other any other skill tool stay away the two that go for it that sweet half inch router from Lowe's like 70 bucks and you get a plunge base any day of the burn up in your hand no essentially catch your work on fire drop the colour no like they weird stuff with their batteries you could charge off USB C are interesting you were interesting no one wants that innovate USB commit to something damn it I will commit any other skill tool no those two buy them it's 99% of the tools are no which means it's a hundred percent no man but I I So this is our this is he likes one tool and he's willing to he's willing to tell the good people of the internet to go buy anything in that tool line because of one tool two to double that a hundred percent more than what you initially is junk no it was junk oh I think it's a workhorse it was junk where's it at now I think we gave it a door shelf my dad has two of them yeah and they won't shelf oh yeah they won't collect no they won't die man bullshit he did a max 17 year old quarter cable with a port on it massive corian job with those things ate through it like butter like butter I did a 72 and even he knows how to use the LCD screen on there. It's a friendly LCD screen anyone could do it.

SPEAKER_03

I haven't seen any other routers with LCD screens despicable you are leading the people down a dark beside the point terrible path they look at you for leadership and they they look at you for your your expertise and you're over here just spitting nonsense absolute nonsense it's a lovely piece of machinery with that that's gonna be a wrap on this episode it got a little bit heated today and yeah we stayed into the uh the tool zone where I would say that we do have a little bit more expertise in um if you guys like the show topic please let us know if you've got any suggestions leave those down below don't forget to subscribe share with your uh worst enemy your mom your dad your cousin your aunt Steve and uh who else did I miss there? Uncle Phil. Uncle Phil uh we love you guys and we'll see you on next week's episode peace

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John Malecki

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Joe Meinert

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Sam Poola

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