I'm currently renovating my apartment and need a new cordless drill-driver. My old Makita finally gave up the ghost. What would you recommend - should I stick with Makita, go for DeWalt, or maybe Festool? Good battery performance is important to me, and I need it to be lightweight since I'm doing a lot of work overhead on the ceiling.
For ceiling work, I'd really recommend getting the lightest model you can get your hands on - that makes the biggest difference in the end. I picked up an 18V Makita recently and the thing weighs almost two kilos less than my old 20V drill, and you really notice that when you're working overhead for hours. The battery power is absolutely enough for normal renovation work, and these things last forever. DeWalt is good too, but in my experience, Makita just offers better value for money when it comes to the lighter models. You really don't need Festool for apartment renovations - with that one you're basically just paying for the brand name.
That's less a question of finding the "right" cordless drill and more about your budget and priorities, to be honest. Festool is excellent, but also noticeably more expensive - whether it's worth it for renovation work in your own apartment is debatable. With Makita and DeWalt you get solid quality for less money, and both brands last forever.
If you're working a lot on the ceiling, I'd really pay attention to the weight. Look at the smaller 18V models, not the big 20V variants. Makita has some good lightweight drills, and the batteries are really reliable these days - your old tool doesn't even know this better generation. DeWalt is similarly good, but often a bit heavier. The most important thing though is that you're already coming from Makita and probably still have batteries lying around. In that case it makes huge sense to go with Makita again instead of switching to a completely new system.
As for battery performance: with modern tools you don't need to worry about that. Just get two batteries, then you always have one charged when the other runs out. That's more practical than betting on a single battery lasting the whole day. Especially for renovation work, which often happens in spurts anyway, that's completely sufficient.
Makita and DeWalt are both solid and cheaper than Festool if you don't have a pro budget 😊 For ceiling work I'd go for a lighter 18V model rather than a 20V beast - it's just easier on your shoulder. Most people swear by Makita because of the batteries, they last forever, but DeWalt often has better deals on bundles with multiple batteries. Festool is just a different price league and overkill for apartment renovations, if you ask me.
You really need the lightest tool you can find - that's more important than the brand. The others are right that Makita and DeWalt offer better value for money than Festool, but they're underestimating how much a heavy tool will wear you out when you're working overhead. Look at 18V models (not 20V) - they often weigh 300-400g less. If your budget allows, the newer Makita tools with the more compact batteries are a solid choice - they're lightweight and still hold up well.
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