The Tool Brand Showdown: Who Really Owns the Site?

Every tradie has a tool brand they’ll defend like family. Some will argue it over smoko. Some will argue it over beers. Some will argue it even when their gear is clearly on its last legs. So we asked the Intrade crew a simple question: which brand actually owns the site right now? No ads. No hype. Just tradies picking the gear they trust with their own hands. One brand didn’t just win. It stood out. But on site, nothing keeps the crown forever.

Brands don’t win on posters. They win in dust, sweat and broken knuckles.

When it comes to tools, opinions aren’t quiet. They’re loud, loyal and usually bloody proud. Some swear by what their old man used. Some stick with whatever’s never let them down. Some just won’t admit they picked wrong ten years ago. So we put it straight to the Intrade community. One question. One vote. Which brand do you trust most when the job’s on the line?

The results didn’t whisper. They spoke clearly.

Milwaukee: why red is running the site

With 40% of the vote, Milwaukee didn’t edge ahead. It belted the field. Tradies back red for one main reason: power that doesn’t quit. Torque, grunt, and gear that keeps working when the job turns ugly.

Milwaukee isn’t loved because it’s pretty. It’s loved because it survives. Drops, dust, rain, long days and worse habits than the manual ever imagined. When a brand gets that kind of loyalty, it’s not marketing. It’s memory. People remember the day their tool didn’t fail — and they don’t forget it.

Right now, red owns the site. But owning the site means defending it every single day.

Makita: the quiet pressure behind the leader

Makita came in strong with 31%, and that number tells a story. It’s the brand of balance. Smooth tools. Reliable feel. Gear that doesn’t fight you when you’re already fighting the job.

Makita isn’t loud about itself. Tradies who run it don’t usually shout either. They just get on with it. That quiet consistency is exactly why Makita never really drops out of the conversation. It doesn’t need to chase trends. It just keeps showing up and doing the work.

Milwaukee leads, but Makita sits close enough to smell its dust.

DeWalt: still solid, but feeling the heat

DeWalt took 20%, which is nothing to sneeze at. Black and yellow still has history, toughness and a reputation built on years of work. But the numbers show something shifting.

Some tradies feel DeWalt hasn’t moved as fast as the others. The tools still work. They still last. But when new tech, batteries and performance keep jumping forward, staying still starts to look like falling behind.

DeWalt isn’t weak. But right now, it’s under pressure to prove it still belongs in the top fight.

“On site, loyalty is built job by job — not ad by ad.”

What this actually says about tradies

This isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a risk test. Tradies choose what feels safe. What’s proven. What won’t let them down when the job is already going bad.

Milwaukee wins because people trust it with heavy work and ugly days. Makita stays strong because it feels right in the hand and steady over time. DeWalt holds on because history still matters, but history alone doesn’t win future jobs.

The smaller brands don’t disappear. They survive by serving their own kind of tradie. The sparkie. The shed bloke. The precision nut. But owning the whole site? That takes more than niche love. It takes daily survival.