I noticed at the most recent Milwaukee power tools event that they’re really going all in on specialist tools. This is a strong signal that they’re going to continue to cream the competition because irrational or not, people end up preferring a single battery platform, it’s not guaranteed they’ll stick to one brand for future power tool purchases but it’s extremely sticky. The Milwaukee battery power tool ecosystem s…
Why is it irrational to prefer a single battery platform? I try to keep all my tools Milwaukee because I know I have batteries for them, the tool-only package is cheaper, and I don't have to find the right charger. I got a few tools that I needed before there was a Milwaukee version and now I'm slowly swapping them for the Milwaukee version. The latest was a Metabo pin nailer. The Metabo one is slow (it needs to buil…
Cost and accessory compatability. Here's a real world example: if your 18v tools are Bosch and you want to add a track saw to your arsenal, then the Bosch track saw is excellent (it's made by Mafell) and it has the best rail system - specifically the joiners are more reliable than the Festool/Makita/others style. It'd seem a no-brainer to buy the bosch 18v track saw then?
Rationally, the Festool track saw is the better purchase: it's cheaper (even allowing for purchasing 2 festool batteries + a dual charger), it has a deeper straight and bevel cut depth, and Festool tracks are a defacto standard for track accessories - accessories that would not be available to you on Bosch/Mafell style tracks.