Thinking about buying red---worth it?

I just wanted to add to some of my other posts.

Buying into Red does not mean that I abandon Orange--certainly not completely.  In fact, there are a handful of Orange tools that Orange does very well, better even than Red.

Probably the best example would be my flashlight/blinder.  That is one of the most-used orange tools that I use.  It is just incredibly bright and I see no alternative in Red without paying a fortune.

I also use a little USB connector that slides on top of the battery, and I use that every day.  I don't know how that one could be improved.  And there are a couple other odds and ends that work just fine in Orange.

But I like the vast array of tools that are available in Red so that is a real draw for me.



Eric

I had not heard of a oil impulse driver.
Now I'm interested!
The lower vibration would be good for these old hands of mine.
The lower noise would be good letting me work later in the night and earlier in the mornings.

To me an oscillating saw is more akin to a angle grinder than it is a substitute for a sawzall.
It's about precision cuts and grinding/sanding.
A sawzall is more akin to a chainsaw.
It's about deconstruction and dismantling.

I can make fine clean cuts with a sawzall, with the right blade, enough time and some difficulty.
I have not found an oscillating saw/blade  that can cut down a tree, but I'm open to the possibility!

William,

I actually have an oil impulse driver from the Ridgid line.  It was called the Stealth Force, though that was a touch misleading.  It was quieter than a typical impact driver, but that's not hard to do.  That oil impulse driver delivers some seriously strong torque.  While the peak torque is not as high, the average torque is much, much higher.

For reasons I never understood, Ridgid did not produce or sell the Stealth Force for very long and I was only able to acquire one from eBay.  Its a good driver, but it is a bit big.

But take a look at the Milwaukee version HERE:

https://www.northerntool.com/products/milwaukee-m18-fuel-surge-18v-lithium-ion-brushless-cordless-1-4-hex-hydraulic-driver-model-2761-20-6706910?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Power%20Tools%20%3E%20Impact%20Tools%20%2B%20Accessories%20%3E%20Impact%20Drivers&utm_campaign=Milwaukee&utm_content=6706910&ogmap=SHP|PLA|GOOG|STND|c|SITEWIDE|OOT|PowerTools|{adgroup}||168639116|8715915356&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=168639116&gbraid=0AAAAADpPfbM7xVODxqFL89qQn_jngWWHo&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImtbk7uLjkgMVvlN_AB03YyHREAQYAiABEgIHmvD_BwE

I like that compact size for the size alone!



Eric

Just remember, you're not buying a tool, you're getting married to a battery.  Milwaukee is my fav, I have a LOT of them.  

I like the M18 tools.
Solved the battery price problem at the hazardous waste recycling place.
I've been going there for free paint and chemicals.
One time they showed me their lithium bin.
Full of dewalt and milwaukee battery packs. Also 18650s.
I grabbed a few packs.

The ones that looked the nicest were the junk ones.
Someone bought a drill for dad that just hung on the wall and never got charged. The batteries went bad.

But I got several ugly 9amp and 5 amp, 18volt battery packs that work great.
So many I had to share them with friends.

Eric Thomas wrote:Just remember, you're not buying a tool, you're getting married to a battery

Isn't there a Permie thread about using adapters between batteries and tools of different brands? Just now, I didn't find it.

I have started to switch to RED.
One strategy that I am using, if I want to try a new tool out before sinking the money into the Milwaukee brand, I buy a knockoff red brand on Amazon that uses the Milwaukee batteries.
I have kids, and once I see how I like the tool, then I get the legit one a year or so later. Then I can do projects with my kids (3,5,14) or even my wife. I've only done w
This with the pruner, which comes with a 2 meter extension pole, and the 6" chainsaw. 18V versions. I'll get Milwaukee brand next year for both.
I still have a few neon green tools, and will use them until they die. Also great for the kids joining on projects.

I gotta say that I love lots of what I am reading.  My initial thoughts about buying into Red is basically for four tools—Compact Drill (m18), Oil Impulse Driver, Circular Saw and Sawzall.

But beyond those, there are just so many specialty tools that could be very useful that Orange pretends doesn’t even exist.  I like the idea of one of the light towers.  Maybe a torque wrench.

And yes, I will be marrying into a battery system, but I have a partial workaround there too.  I have found that third party batteries from Amazon to be very well worth the puny cost.  In some instances I pay almost 1/10 the name brand cost!  There are a couple of limitations, but for the price, I don’t care!!

I haven’t committed yet, at the moment I am still window shopping for specific models of drills and impulse drivers.



Eric

Ned Harr wrote:In my experience an oscillating saw is way more useful & effective, and adaptable to different situations, than a sawzall (reciprocating saw). I’d recommend that instead, unless maybe you have some good reason to the contrary.

Another important point on one of these tools too is... they are incredibly safe. In fact, that was what they were invented for. Years ago when they had hard casts for people who broke limbs, after the plaster cast did its job and needed to be removed, they used these saws.

Why?

Because the saw moves fast, but not very far. It is so short of a throw that if the doctor ever hit skin, it would not cut it. The skin is too loose and slides with the saw blade so it can only cut hard things like plaster or wood. Today we put different blades on them that can cut skin, but of all the saws to have, this saw would be one of the safest to ever use.

And darn are they not vertistile!

I have the compact drill - I love that thing! It's hands-down my most-used tool.

Edit to add: I have the M12 2 drill/2 battery set - LOVE it!!

I thought I would add something about the battery converters.

I did buy a Orange to Red converter (Orange batteries on a Red tool).  Generally they work, but there might be a few limitations.  If the tool is one that talks to the battery to get every bit of power out a battery so that there is no lag or drop in power when drilling long, deep holes or cutting thick stock.  In those circumstances, the orange battery simply acts like a normal battery and does not talk the way that a dedicated Red battery would.

But there are a whole lot of applications where I don't care in the slightest about the tool and battery talking to each other.  Flashlights or lighting in general is a perfect application for one of these adapters.  Also, every single day I use one of my Orange batteries (actually a generic Orange) to slide a little 18v to USB converter to use the battery as a power supply that lasts many recharge cycles.  Again, I can't imagine that a converter matters in the slightest.

I will get a Red to Orange converter sometime in the near future and give more feedback.



Eric

FWIW: In the USA, Ace Hardware has a sale starting today on at least some of its red stuff.

I run the other red brand. Bauer from Harbor Freight. I've heard a rumor that it's 8 year old designs from Milwaukee but haven't been able to confirm. None of the work I do is professional and sometimes tools end up getting left outside, that's my reasoning. Lost a 1/4" impact around November last year. It got left in the rain a few times and kept working but eventually too much rain got inside. The replacement was $40 instead of $140.

I'm running:

1/2" Drill
1/4" Impact
1/2" Impact
Chainsaw
6 1/2" circular saw
Reciprocating saw
5A, 3A, and 1.5A batteries

Have built two hog houses, a chicken coop, goat house, rabbit hutch, and some gates.

A word of warning on using other batteries on red tools, whether an adapter or a knockoff battery—some tools are fine but the bigger Milwaukee tools draw more amps out of the batteries than the others are designed for. I only use real red batteries on the high demand tools. I learned the hard way