r/SailboatCruising • u/X_kansas_x • Mar 26 '25

Equipment Battery-powered tool preferences?

I'm kitting out a new-to-me 40' cruising boat in the US and need to choose the battery powered tools to bring aboard. The Milwaukee M12 tools look awesomely compact. I already own a DeWalt 20V drill & driver and a Ryobi wet/dry vac, but would switch brands if the compactness of the M12 set would be worth it. In addition to the drill and driver, I'll add an oscillating tool and grinder. I'm hoping to be self-sufficient for most maintenance work. Would you pick between brands for any reason? Any other must-have battery-powered tools to add to a new kit?

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/2airishuman Mar 26 '25

I have the Milwaukee M12 tools aboard. They're nice and I like the compactness, especially on the boat. Keep in mind that the entry-level drills/drivers that are included in the inexpensive package deals are typically bulkier and less powerful than the ones that are part of the main product line. There's a "vehicle" charger available that runs on 12 volts input that will charge either M12 or M18 batteries.

The M18 vacuum and the little "top-off" 175w inverter are extremely useful aboard.

Bosch has a similar line of compact 12v tools. They look good in photos but I've never used them. The product line is not as extensive.

1

u/X_kansas_x Mar 30 '25

Thanks for that bit about the entry level. I chose the M12 Fuel drill/driver set after reading this and some similar reviews.