18V Kits- DeWalt vs. Milwaukee vs. Ridgid?

My 18V Ryobi combo kit has been AMAZING over the past 6 years. That was back when the set cost like 350 bucks- they weren't giving them away like they are now. I have beat the sh*t out of all of the tools and used them to remodel and build almost every room in my house as well as outside projects, etc. THOUSANDS of deck screws, drywall screws, subfloor screws, dozens of big hole-saw projects, etc. and the drill is still going like new. Circ saw has been through hundreds of board feet of plywood, etc, still rocking. Recip saw has cut through everything and everything reliably for years. The tools look like they have been through war. The batteries still hold a charge for hours of use and I'm completely amazed by how well this "cheap" set of tools has held up over the years. I finally somewhat killed my 18V recip saw with a huge cutting job last fall, and then I proceeded to leave it out in heavy rain. The sucker is still going but I think it may may let the smoke out soon.

I think it's time to graduate to the "big boy" tools and go with a top of the line combo kit. Who makes the best stuff these days? Are all the big brands made by some huge Chinese conglomerate now? Is it all crap or does anybody still make a good tool? I'm leaning toward DeWalt quite frankly because they look so cool. Love the yellow. My Dad's nearly-new Ridgid 18V drill is already flaking out so I'm leaning away from that brand as my Ryobi outgunned it by far in assembling my dock last weekend. I'm neutral on Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Electric Tool is a subsidiary of Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. (TTI), ttigroup.com.

Founded in 1985, TTI is a leading marketer, manufacturer and supplier of home improvement and floor care products, employing over 20,000 people worldwide. TTI's global brand portfolio includes Ryobi®, Milwaukee® and AEG® power tools, DreBo® carbide drill bits, Homelite® and Ryobi® outdoor power equipment and Royal®, Dirt Devil®, Regina® and VAX® floor care appliances. The acquisition takes advantage of TTI and Milwaukee’s marketing and distribution networks and enhances Milwaukee’s ability to expand its markets and product portfolio worldwide.

Looks like Milwaukees are just more expensive Ryobis now.

So you've gotten your use out of this combo kit, time to focus on the individual tools. Get the best recip saw, best drill, best circ saw for how you use them. Sawzalls seem to last forever. I'd also look into what kind of service/repair each tool MFG offers.

I am a DeWalt guy. Have a bunch of them, and have worked the ever-loving crap out of them in a similar fashion to what you described in your original post. Total remodel of house, horsebarn, outbuildings, work shop, cars, boats, fencing, and more. Dewalt has a really good service center in Mpls, and have a flat rate repair fee on all of the tools. I have not burned any out, but have broken a couple.
I really want one of the little 1/4" impact driver. My brother has one and they are awesome. Once a year or so, Home Depot has the 2x 18v battery pack for a good price too. How many do you get in the big kit? Four ?

I think B&D has owned DeWalt for quite a while.   That said, I have not had to buy a new power tool in years. The exception being batteries for them, but that is to be expected with the use I put them through.
I even have a Dewalt clock on the wall in my shop.

My current power tool line up,
Makita 18v LXT impact driver and hammer drill set
Milwaukee 12v subcompact driver (awesome little tool)
Skil corded wormdrive circ saw
Makita corded variable speed random orbit sander
Milwaukee corded recip saw
DeWalt angle griner

Of your three choices, I'd go with Milwaukee, then DeWalt.
Joel, just do what you do best and research everthing.
I am not a fan of the kits, build your collection 1 piece at a time.

Here's my 2 cents, MAKITA!!! all the way. 18 years in the trades now and I started off with Dewalt, they were good 15 years ago but have since been bought out by black and decker. Currently crap. The thing I never liked about Dewalt was if you had a tool with a lot of torque the plastic would twist, just felt real cheap and like it would break if I wasn't careful. Then I switched over to Milwaukee since I seen so much of their older tools still being used 20 years later. The cordless stuff was heavy at first and have since gotten lighter. Still durable and a Contractor grade tool. Then I switched to Makita after noticing that their 100 dollar table saws could handle any neglect thrown at it. Their cordless tools at the time were real torquey and light. Just about all of my power tools are Makita now and I'm not dissapointed at all. The only thing that I've ever had a problem with was a narrow crown staple gun that would shear the drive pin if PSI was over 90 other than that their stuff is rugged. One of the best tools is the 1/4" cordless impact, this tool is "king" for lag bolts or tapcons or even long screws. We were building a 5 story condo and were setting span crete. I accidently kicked it off the edge and it fell to the dirt. When it was brought back up to me it was fine and still works fine 3 years later. Just remember with Makita white tools are for the home owner and blue is for contractor.

Just bought the Dewalt Lith-Ion 18V multi pack. I'm amazed! Hands down the best for us local boys.

I've got a bunch of ridgid tools I love them, so far only one failure, a reciprocating saw I overheated and then got stuck, it let the magic smoke out...

The drills on the other hand have been indestructible, although all the tools are at least 4 years old, 18v batteries are heavy, the tools are heavy without the batteries, the chucks are all metal jacobs. I don't think the stuff made today is as well made. You have to look closely at the tools in the kits, compare them to the ones that are sold stand alone, often the drill chucks are inferior even the "snout" length of the tool will vary, some of them are obviously better made. Just my .02 and I tend to abuse my tools.

I am a flooring contractor and own a lot of dewalt tools, I think their cordless products are the strenght of thier line. I also like their contractors table saw. They are not considered a top of the line tool but are contractor grade and provide a very good value for the money. I do not use my cordless tools as heavily as you. I run a makita 10.? volt lithium drill and driver. I like their compactness and amazing power for the size (the hammer drill drives 3.5 inch screws with ease) but battery life would be an issue for you. Any contractor grade lithium 18 volt will likely serve you well. I have not personally been impressed by ryobi, but if they held up for you I think you would be very happy with dewalt, ridgid, makita, milwauke or hilti. All would be an upgrade. Cordless tools are like cell phones, the technology advances so rapidly I am not sure it is worth spending big dollars on something that will last 10 years when you will likely want to replace it in two or three with the latest and greatest.

I have a makita and its a blast!! I also like dewalt, which I have non.

FWIW I think my Ryobi set has been so good because 6 years ago they were breaking into the market and probably put more into the tools at that time. The set was like 350 (instead of the 99.00 it is now) and the newer versions of the tools seem a lot more cheaply made than the set I have. That's my theory on how this set has lasted so long and taken so much abuse, anyway.

Looking hard at the DeWalt XRP stuff. It's a lot more expensive than non-XRP but based on my research people really like it. Waiting desperately for Home Depot gift cards to arrive from my credit card points...

Carefull, its a disease.

New nail gun, made by DeWALT.
It can drive a 16-D nail through a 2 X 4 at 200 yards. This makes construction a breeze, you can sit in your lawn chair and build a fence. Just get your wife to hold the fence boards in place while you sit back, relax with a cold drink and when she has the board in the right place, just fire away. With the hundred round magazine you can build the fence with a minimum of reloading. After a day of fence building with the new DeWalt Rapid fire nail gun the wife will not ask you to build or fix anything else, probably, ever again.

I've gone through just about every kind of tool dewalt makes. I've killed 3 drills, 2 circ saws, a light, and a reciprocating saw. My older Ryobis are still holding strong with the exception of the batteries, which have been quite abused.

I started with a Craftsman 19.2v drill Professional series, that thing was a tank and outlasted my friends Mikita when building his deck...but in the end, the batteries stopped charging at around year 3 :( I also purchased one of the first BD 18v circ saw...complete garbage. It could barely cut a 2x4.

Finally bought a Dewalt 18v Li-Ion Driver/Drill combo and is still going strong 9 years later. Over the years ended up getting the 18v xrp circ saw, jig, rotary, flashlight, and radio (for the extra charger). The xrp batteries are finally giving out (6 ish years maybe?) . I really like the driver, but only got the other tools to match the batteries.

All my corded tools are PC (I'll never give up my 690 router).

Now if $$ was no object...I'd be seriously considering Festool. But overall I've been happy with Dewalt for Cordless and PC for corded stuff.