How To Choose The Right Power Tools For You
Tools are Awesome! I love tools, go figure. I love buying tools, and probably have more tools than I need. Having the right tool for the job is important and can really make any project easier. Knowing how to choose the right power tools isn’t easy though. There is no shortage of tool types, brands, models, and different features. In this post I’ll give you my insight to help you choose the right power tools for you.
Over the next several sections I’ll discuss the some of the basic power tools that any DIY’er should have. Next, we’ll touch briefly on some other power tools that are nice additions to your arsenal. Then I’ll go over some key features and differences between classes of tools. This will include a discussion of corded vs cordless. Finally, I’ll provide a few recommendations for good starter kits to get you going. My goal is to give you the knowledge you need to choose the right power tools for you.
What Power Tools Do You Need?
Choosing power tools can be a difficult decision. Before you can choose the right power tools for you you need know what you need. I’m very familiar with power tools and I still have a hard time deciding which tool to buy. Buying power tools is like buying toothpaste. There are a lot of options and features listed but often you don’t know what is good, bad, or necessary. To start out I’m going to discuss the basic power tools that any DIY’er should have.
The Basic Tools: My Top 3 (+1)
The basic home DIY tool kit really only requires 3 tools. A Power Drill, a circular saw, and reciprocating saw. Now, you’re probably wonder why I have a +1. That tool would be an impact driver. I include it for two reasons. The first reason is it proves to be more effective at driving screws into materials than using a power drill. The second, most starter kits include an impact driver these days anyway. Let’s take more in depth look at each of these tools and why they’re a must.
Power Drill
The power drill is easily the most important power tool to have in your kit. The power drill dramatically increased the ease of drilling a hole in materials compared to hand crank ones. I mean would you want to drill pilot holes in a whole bunch of deck boards with one of these?
The power drill was a game changer. With one, drilling holes and driving in fasteners is a much quicker and less physically exhausting task. Power drills come in many sizes depending on the type of duty they’ll be used for, light to heavy, as well as corded and cordless varieties. For most DIY applications a good cordless drill will work just fine. However, corded drills typically will produce higher torque and won’t die when you’re getting into your routine on the job.
Circular Saw
A good circular saw is the next tool that is required for any DIYer to have in their tool kit. It is unmatched in its ability to cut through wood and other materials. Compact and easy to handle, with a little practice it works great to cut lumber and sheets of plywood to whatever size is needed. As battery technology has improved cordless models are becoming much more common and dependable. However, even with the larger batteries work time is still limited. I do own a cordless circular saw and use it regularly for the convivence. That said I will always have a corded model on hand for larger jobs.
Reciprocating Saw (Sawzall)
A reciprocating saw, commonly called a Sawzall (a trademark of Milwaukee), is a great addition to your starter tool kit. Like the circular saw, it is great for cutting materials but is harder to control and cut straight lines with. That said it is ideal for less detailed cutting, demo work, and thanks to the multitude of different types and sizes of blades it can be used to cut most any material you come across. Also like the circular saw it comes in corded and cordless varieties with the same pros and cons for each.
Impact Driver (The +1)
At a glance an impact driver looks very similar to a power drill but there are some key differences.
First, a power driver like a drill provides a rotational force, but also a forward hammering force when in operation. This results in a powerful force that quickly and easily drives screws into materials or loosens stuck screws or fasteners. The combination of rotational and forward hammering force also reduces the likelihood of stripping out the head of a screws.
Second, he bits an impact driver uses are different than those used in a drill. Impact driver bits are hex shaped and are inserted and locked into the driver. A drill’s bits are inserted and held in place by a clamping force applied by tightening the drill chuck.
It needs to be said driver bits can be used in drills and there are drill bits made for impact drivers, but an impact driver is primarily used to quickly drive in fasteners. However, if you’re drilling concrete or masonry, an impact driver with a masonry bit is very effective.
Additional Tools: That Make Life Much Easier!
We’ve all heard there’s the right tool for the job. This is 1000% true, and I meant to type 1000%. Can you do most home DIY jobs with the tools above? Yes you can, but there are some other power tools that make life much easier. Let’s talk about a few of those now.
Compound Miter Saw
A Compound Miter Saw is a great addition to your tool kit. This is the tool of choice to make fast and precise cuts. It allows you to make angle and beveled cuts with consistent results, that a circular saw can’t match. If you’re cutting trim or molding, you WILL need a compound miter saw. There are a lot of Miter Saws out there at many price points, but a basic 12-inch compound miter saw is probably all you need. If you’re serious about DIY projects you might want to get a sliding compound miter saw, which can cut larger and thicker lumber.
Multitool
A multitool is an amazing and versatile tool. It is my go-to tool when I need to cut in tight spaces where a saw can’t fit, cut holes in drywall, or to cut door trim molding to accommodate new flooring being laid. A multitool has way more applications than these. What makes a multitool so versatile is the easily interchangeable blades and attachments. Like a reciprocating saw, multitool blades come in many different types good for cutting wood, ceramic/masonry, and metal. This alone makes it a great tool, but other attachments like scrapers and sanding attachments make it even more useful. I assure you if you add a multitool to your kit bag you won’t regret it.
Jigsaw
A jigsaw is technically a reciprocating saw but is smaller more precise than its big cousin the Sawzall. A jigsaw, thanks to its narrow blade, is great for making straight and curved cuts in wood. With practice it can make very technical and detailed cuts.
Corded vs. Cordless: Depends On The Tool
There is little doubt that cordless tools provide increased flexibility and portability. Being free from a power source is by far the greatest advantage cordless power tools provide. That said there are some limitations. These limits come in the form of their batteries.
Know your Amp Hours (Ah)
The most important thing to know about cordless tool batteries is how many Amp Hours (Ah) the battery is. Currently batteries range from 1.5 to 12 Amp Hours. As the technology improves I wouldn’t be surprised to see even larger batteries. Amp Hours measure how long a battery can power a tool. Just because the battery is a certain number of Amp Hours doesn’t mean it will power a tool that long. Different tool require more amps than others, which translates to shorter battery life.
Size Matters
It probably comes as no surprise that the bigger the tool the more amps it draws. With that in mind the bigger the tool the bigger the battery you want to run it. A drill or impact driver can run on a 2 Ah battery just fine for a long period of time. If you throw on a 5 or 8 Ah battery you can use it all day long.
Conversely, a Sawzall or circular saw can run on a 2 Ah battery, but not to their full potential. For those tools I recommend nothing less than a 5Ah battery. That said even with an 8Ah or bigger battery, only expect about 30 to 40 minutes of work time. This is fine for smaller tasks, but for larger projects a corded version is a much better option. For this reason, I always have a corded Sawzall, circular saw, grinder, and even a drill in my tool kit. There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting for a battery to charge when you’re in the middle of a project.
So, the bottom-line cordless tools are great! That being said, if you have a big project that requires a lot or use of a circular or reciprocating saw you probably want to have a corded version on hand. Drills and drivers can hold their own.
Recommend Starter Kits
Now that we’ve covered the basic tools and good additions I’ll make a few recommendations for good combo kits. I’m only going to focus on kits that touch on the basic tools every DIY’er should have. Hopefully I give you a good starting point to choose the right power tools for you. If you want recommendations for other tools feel free to ask me either at my Ask Bob Page or email me directly at bobsmith@bobdiyblog.com
Dewalt 5 Piece Kit
This is a great starter kit, it includes all of My Top 3 + 1, and a multi-tool. It also includes 2Ah and 4Ah batteries and a quick charger. This combo will give you everything you need to tackle most any project. I would recommend purchasing additional batteries. If you think you’ll be using the circular saw a lot look into at least an 8Ah battery. At the time of writing this kit was selling for $479 on Amazon and slightly more at Home Depot. The below links will take you these kits to see current pricing.
Ryobi 6 Piece
The Ryobi 6 piece kit hits all the same points the Dewalt 5 piece kit does, with the addition of a flashlight. Whoooo!! This kit like the Dewalt kit will give you ever thing you need to tackle your projects at a lower price point, but you are trading some quality and durability. That said It’s a great kit to start out with. For batteries it comes with a 1.5 Ah and 4 Ah battery. I would make the same recommendation to purchase additional batteries if you’re planning to do a lot of projects. The links below will take to this kit on Amazon and Home Depot’s sites. At the time of writing the kit was selling for $195 on Amazon and $223 at Home Depot. The Home Depot kit also included a 60 piece drill and driver bit kit making either purchase option very reasonable.
Wrapping It Up
I started out this post saying that tools are awesome. Knowing how to choose the right power tools for you and your needs can be confusing. I hope I’ve given you a good idea where to start. My top 3 +1 is where I recommend any first-time tool buyer begins building their kit. As you grow as a DIYer you’ll find other tools may make your projects easier to do. There’s always the right tool for the job. If you need any additional recommendations to tips please ask me.
Until the next time, Happy Building!
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