A few weeks ago I asked for some advice on Facebook. My old Ryobi tools were showing their age. They were heavy, and I had multiple bad experiences with the battery technology in them. I decided that it was time to step up a level and get something just a smidge better.

When I read through all of my friends comments it looked like it came down to Makita (7 votes), Milwaukee (5 votes), and DeWalt (4 votes). For the next few weeks, every time I was at Home Depot, I stopped by the tool aisle to evaluate these three brands. I pretty quickly eliminated DeWalt, as they just seemed bulkier than the others, and the 20v batteries felt heavier and more unwieldy.

That left me deciding between Makita and Milwaukee. I have a corded Milwaukee hammer drill, so I’m familiar with the quality of the build. However, as I handled the Makita’s I really liked the slimmer and lighter form factor. Tonight was the night I was going to pick one of them and despite multiple trips to the store, it still took me forever to make up my mind. In fact I had to make it up twice.

I had decided that whatever I got, it would be a two piece set with a drill and a driver. Both brands had a couple of options in these ranges, with different choices depending on battery size (2ah or 4ah). Makita has a 2ah set or a 4ah set that came with both tools and two batteries. Milwaukee had a set that came with one of each. Milwaukee also had a special going on right now where you could get a 3rd tool for free with the purchase of the set I was considering. I handled both sets and while the Milwaukee fit my hands way better, I decided to get the Makita because it was slightly lighter. I put the box under my arm to continue shopping.

My next stop was for a tool chest. I picked out a model and as I waited for them to bring the box down from the top of shelf storage I started to question my choice. After I had the tool chest loaded on my cart I walked back through the tool aisle, and looked at the sets again. I then completely changed my mind, put the Makita back and settled on Milwaukee. It simply had a better ergonomic feel in my hands, and the bonus of getting a third tool for free sealed the deal.

So that’s the story of how I decided on my new set of tools. I got to use the driver briefly to help put together the tool chest and it worked like a dream. I like the fact that I have both a 2ah and a 4ah battery and can swap between the two as needed. Plus, I now have a grinder/cut-off tool that I can use if I need.

I’m grateful to all my friends for helping me with suggestions, and hopefully, I’ll be happy with my choice for years to come.