The whole 20V vs 18V makes me laugh. Its simply marketing. 20V is simply measuring maximum voltage. 18V is simply measuring nominal voltage. Dewalt even mentions that fact (its the * after 20V MAX). A Ryobi/Makita/milwaukee battery could also be considered 20V at max charge but instead it is advertised as the 18V nominal rating.

Also look at who owns each company. The parent company of milwaukee also owns Ryobi. So sort of like a Lexus and Toyota deal things trickle down from the higher end models to the lower end.

Ive been more than happy with my ryobi tools. They have done plenty of work. Automotive, home repairs, building a fence, building a shed, ect. For cordless tools for a bit more than a "homeowner" use they have hed up great. Sure I'd love to get the milwaukee fuel but its just to much money for me.

For 12v stuff i do have a simple craftsmen drill and hex driver. Love that set for low torque stuff.

For corded stuff its mostly all dewalt.

I only say 20v because the batteries are smaller and lighter. At least with my dewalt since the 18v are nicd batteries and the 20v are lithium. Other brands might have 18v lithium batteries.

Batteries should be measured in Wh or Watt Hours.

12V @ 3Ah or 20V @ 1.8Ah

Which one is better?

I have to laugh! There are allot of folks that will spend THOUSANDS on a gun that sits in their safe and gets used a couple times a year, but will spend $120 on a crappy set of tools they use regularly because they "cant justify" spending $200 on good quality stuff!!

I chuckle out loud!

Cheap tools ALWAYS disappoint. I won't have them.

The only reason to have crappy ol Nicad batteries is if you spent $49 on a drill set.

I would not even consider buying ANYTHING without LIon batts nowadays.

The lifespan of a nicad is crappy. That money you saved by buying a crappy set of tools with cheap shitty batteries is wasted once you either, A-buy new EXPENSIVE replacement batts, OR, B-realize that the crappy tools you need batts for can almost buy another complete set of crappy tools with new batts for just the same cost as 2 new batts by themselves!

The walmart disease will cost you more money in the long run. Buy QUALITY, buy it less often.

I must say the cells used by Dewalt are robust. I am guilty of abuse. But my original 20V pack still charges and discharges as new.

The ni cad's in my 18V Dewalt 1/2" hammer drill are dying.
Do the 20V Li-on packs work in it? Think I need a different charger too.

Ni-Mh batteries to replace the Ni-Cd are ~$35 for 2 on Amazon. Yes, you'll need a diff. charger if you go Li-Ion. Ni-Mh technically charge different, but are close enough to use a Ni-Cd charger without issue.

I've got M12. Have a Drill, driver, and scope. Light home use. They work great, but I've had two batteries fail on me. One after just a year of use.

Anyone else have a problem like this?

No the 20v DeWalt slide on and the 18 nicad have the little stick deal. I think an adapter is available but not sure. A guy I worked with said that batteries+ or one of those places will rebuild the nicads for around $30 but never tried it myself. I don't think they rebuild lithium though.

I have the m12 but don't use it a ton so haven't had to replace batteries. Lithium get about 500 or so full charge and discharges so if you use it a TON a year might be all you'll get. Also to help prolong the life of batteries do not let them fully discharge. Lithium batteries should never be fully discharged. Nicads should only be fully discharge one in about 30 charges to keep from a memory build up.

20v vs 12v
.45 vs 9mm?

Pretty much. 7rds vs 17 rds.

I think I'm going with the ryobi 18v (brushless), and get the circular saw later.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vo ... /304193488