I never thought about it until this thread. It is a bit of a mind game for me picturing the power tools in my head. Using my brain from time to time is supposed to be good for warding off dementia so I try to think at least once a day.
Long long ago in a land far away I always bought Porter Cable (gray), before they were bought out--now I wouldn't buy one, or Delta (several different colors but usually just metal) for anything important and Black & Decker (Black), also before the buyouts, for occasional or throw-away use. For hobby and detail work I have a bunch of Dremel (also gray). I also have a few Dewalt (yellow) and Bosch (blue). But when I wanted some small cordless tools I went with the Bosch 10.8v (now 12v but same system just different way of spec'ing batteries) system because I felt they were, at the time, the highest quality light-use cordless system with the largest range. If I were to do it again today I'd go with Milwaukee (red). They have really expanded and improved their line. For standard duty I'd probably go Milwaukee as well but Dewalt is a close contender. Hitachi (Hibachi??--anyway green) and Rigid (orange) both make tools I'd consider. The truth is that so many of the better brands from years ago have been bought up and outsourced that there are few really quality tools built for the home, casual market any longer.
--edit-- somehow I dropped the last paragraph (R2R still seems a bit wonky from time to time)
For real, honest to goodness work tools I'd buy Milwaukee, DeWalt or Bosch for almost everything.
