Power Tools

I am not brand loyal, each company consistently makes one product better than the next guy, after 25 yrs collecting and replacing tools I follow these rules of thumb.

Worm drive Saw - Skill
7 1/4 Circ. Saw - Porter Cable.
Cordless Drill / Impact Driver - Makita Lith-Ion
Sawz-All - Milwaukee
Jig Saw - Bosch
Framing Nailer - Paslode
Spray Guns - Binks
Hammer Drills - Hilti
Laser Levels - PLS
Palm Sanders, 3/8 corded drill, 4in grinders - Dewalt
Wrenches / Sockets - Craftsman (I do own $5K worth of Snap-On, but I wouldn't suggest most people invest in em unless you wrench all day every day)

They can be hard to find, but the best tape measure you can buy ishttp://www.amazon.com/Komelon-525C-M.../dp/B001VU7ZAG, pass on any other model by this brand with fancy cases or extra doo-hickeys, the base model rocks and is small and compact for how large a tape it is (2/3 the size of a Stanley). Never buy a 16' tape, always get a 25' or 30' with a 1" wide blade

I can get into pneumatic brands but no one here will care I am sure.

i don't do much in the yard but bought a fixer upper a few years back, great deal, owners did a short sale, gov't was giving $8k to 1st time home buyers, etc.

don't buy a power paint roller. w/ cleanup and setup, trays and rollers are faster. i never tried a sprayer but i imagine it'll go where you don't want it w/o a lot of prep

get a good cordless drill and a good drill bit set. always handy for when you need to stick a hole or screw something.

i had to replace all the carpet downstairs in my place and went w/ tile. found a good deal on natural stone. it was a ton of work and tools i probably won't ever use again, hopefully. wet saw and uber 1/2" drill. if i ever get around to building a swing set for the kids, i've got the power to drill through 4x6's no prob.

as others said. look at the jobs and buy tools as you need. we put in new base boards after the tile, so got a good miter saw, convinced the wife i'd someday put in crown molding too so i could get the upgraded saw. someday. bought a compressor and nail gun kit for doing the base boards. got a caulk gun for the compressor too, but haven't used it yet.

i ripped out a fake electric fireplace when we moved in. so few tools for cutting drywall and pulling romex (sp?) to install a power outlet there. i didn't think i'd be able to match the drywall texture so hired someone for the cosmetic part.


if you're starting out, get a shelf for whatever tools you want and a good tool box to hold the other tools you plan on getting.

100 piece plus (craftsman) mechanics toolset and a cordless kit (drill, recip saw, flash light, and sander) and you're well on your way. The cordless circular saws i've used are pretty worthless so i usually just break out of the corded one.
After that its just buying all the random shit when you need it. I have taken the position that i'm going to need it eventually so i dont bother trying to squeeze by half assing something.

As far as brands go i usually just try to buy american (which is really possible with hand tools and some outdoor stuff). Home depot seems to have outdone lowes recently in this department. I've bought cheap cordless sets (firestorm & skil) and they've worked fine but if i had to do it over again i'd probably get 1 quality set.

I bought a honda lawnmower after a lot of research and love it. My craftsman blower and weedeater are OK but i'd eventually like to go Stihl. Husqvarna has been disappointing.

Nothing wrong with budget tools if you are a casual user, just stay away from Ryobi and Kobalt. Craftsman power tools are so-so but if you grab em on sale you'll get your moneys worth.

For gas yard tools Stihl rocks but Shindaiwa makes the best weed eaters. Dewalt = Black & Decker, same company. Also most all hand tools are made by one company Cooper Tools sold under many many different brands names.

I got this on Black Friday. Got the drill, 3 attachments and the xtended battery that adds something stupid like 400lbs of torque to the drill for $100.
It has a handful of very useful attachments, like a saw, scraper, sander and my favorite the impact driver.
Perfect tool for say.. redoing your kitchen or bathrooms. It's prefect for pretty much anything.
8 hours hanging drywall, laying sub-floors and cabinets and didn't need recharged.

Best damn power tool I've owned to date.

This is the drill set you want. It may seem like too much to get both of these, but I did it, and I'm so glad I did.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/DW-D...130128164235:s

Really good battery life, excellent control, very comfortable in the hand.

If you're just getting started collecting tools, there are a few you have to have, especially if you're planning to do home renovation.

Reciprocating saw- Dewalt makes a good one, so does just about any major tool company. Get one that is reasonably priced that you like the feel/weight of.
Compound Miter Saw- This is something you don't want to skimp on. Precision comes with better saws. I recommend the upper priced Craftsman saws. I managed to score one with a 12" blade, rather than the standard 10", and it is glorious.
Table Saw- Again, I'd recommend Craftsman
Compressor- These make your life so much easier. Trim, flooring, finishing, shelving, anything with wood, so much easier with a compressor. You don't need a big one, unless you're planning to run any rotary tools, but most schmoes like us don't need that. Get a good one, as the cheapies have crap guns. Bosch, Craftsman, or Porter Cable.
Angle Grinder- It's amazing how much you end up using these once you're used to having one. Plus, they're a very inexpensive tool. Craftsman or PorterCable.

That's my $0.02

lurkingdirk_sl said:

This is the drill set you want. It may seem like too much to get both of these, but I did it, and I'm so glad I did.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/DW-D...130128164235:s

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I have that set as well and I love it. I buy all DeWalt stuff, because once you start with any brand buying the same type usually means that they all take the same battery.

What's nice is that DW sells the bare tools, so if you already have a handful of them you can save a bunch of money buy not buying another complete set with battery & charger each time. I have maybe ~10 different single DW tools now (sawsall, hammer drill, vaccum, that awesome flexi-light thing, etc) and 5 batteries. Two stay in tools most of the time, and 3 are on chargers. It's worked out great.

For example, here's the sawsall. $109 for the bare tool:

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Tool-DEWA...cating+saw+18v

vs. $199 for the kit with the battery/case:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DC385K-...cating+saw+18v

The first few you buy you'll (obviously) want to get the full monte with the chargers and batteries, but after that you save money every time.

Also, while not a power tool, this welder is a great little unit for $100 and pretty cool to fuck around with. You can't do crazy big jobs with it, but for small basic automotive stuff and around the house, it's pretty solid, especially if you're just looking to up your man-cred and learn to weld.

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding...8887-8494.html

BrutulTM_sl said:

Dewalt is just Black and Decker with a higher price tag. I'm telling you, either go Makita or go cheap.

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I'm not disagreeing with you, I just have had better luck with the DW tools than any B&D I've owned. Maybe they're just rebranded with fancy yellow shells, but my experience with their stuff has always been great. Simple things like the keyless chucks and the sawsall blade retainers on the DeWalts seem to work a shitload better than low end B&D stuff. I use the hell out of my drill, recip and hammer drill (working on my house, and I have a project truck that's an offroader) and have had great luck with the battery life and the overall durability of them. I've put in floors, helped two different friends build garages, built a couple of motorcycle sheds and in general just use the shit out of them and they don't break. YMMV of course but I like their stuff.

I've used lots of Makita and lots of DeWalt, both at home, and on job sites. I'll take DeWalt tools over Makita every single day. I've simply had better luck with them, I like how they feel in the hand better, and their batteries are better.

Also, I buy seasonal equipment during the off season. Buy your lawnmower and weedeater during the winter, and if you are getting a snowblower get it in the summer. Try to buy gardening/lawn shit in the fall/winter, etc. A little planning ahead can save a lot of money, you'll get charged a premium for that stuff during peak season