by bgsengine » Fri May 07, 2021 8:16 pm
I'd suggest Makita 18V LXT .. or check with dewalt about possibly trading in your 18v batteries for 20v stuff - They might be interested in retaining a customer.. They also make stanley black & decker, craftsman so you might find 18v tools in those that might possibly use the dewalt batteries? But if it was me, I'd pick Makita - Ive been using them for years and they have been enormously reliable - I still have my 30-plus years old corded electric drill and it has never needed repairs, and still runs strong (Although it could probably do with a new keyless chuck, old one is starting to come apart..) and I like the 18V LXT series as they use the same batteries in their X2 (2 18v batteries to make 36v tools) and they have a massive selection of tools that all use the same batteries...
That said, same advice I would give anyone else - when you go cordless, try to plan on picking just ONE brand or system, research them to see if they are always "upgrading" batteries (and discontinuing old ones) as in the long term, if you pick wrong, or make an unlucky bet on an otherwise great brand (as you've found with Dewalt going to 20v and dropping the 18v) your biggest expense long term is gonna be batteries if they stop making the tools for the older systems.. (wouldn't surprise me if Makita eventually drops 18v / 36v in favor of 20v/40v too, so I keep an eye out for any "blowout sales" .. if they start to happen, I plan on buying a bunch of duplicates and some extra batteries... )
How poor are they who have not patience. What wound did ever heal, but by degrees? - Iago (Othello Act II, Scene 3)