The Battle of the Power Tools: My power tool ranking

As someone who owns and operates a handyman, small engine and trailer repair, and mobile welding and fabrication business, the tools that I use on a daily basis are crucial to me getting the job done quickly and efficiently. Throughout the years in my personal and professional life I have relied on three brands of power tools to help me get the job done. I have used and tested many, but there are only three that I will spend my hard earned money on. Below is a list of my top three, brands to avoid, and brands that I know nothing about.

To start things out and get it out of the way fast, there are some major brands that I know nothing about, I have never used their power tools and therefore cannot in all good consciousness write reviews about them. Those brands are Makita, Bosch, Craftsman, Rigid and Kobalt. If you like them and think that they are great then by all means continue to purchase them, if you are in the market for some power tools do your own research.

My top 3:

3) DeWalt: I have owned and used two DeWalt tools in my lifetime, a twenty volt half inch impact, a twenty volt drill, and a twenty volt cordless fan that we mostly used to keep our dog cool while camping and overlanding. My DeWalt tools are always reliable and always get the job done, they are durable and can take the abuse that the life of a hardcore DIYer and a handyman put on them. The downside to Dewalt is that they can tend to be expensive and so are the batteries. My recommendation to anyone considering Dewalt would be to buy the off-brand batteries. I have been using them in my Dewalt products for a few years now and have yet to notice any flaws in their performance or battery life.

2) Milwaukee: My Milwaukee tools are some of my favorites, which is why I have chosen them as my second best. I actually think that they are the best but have listed them as my second choice for one reason- the cost! They are expensive! But for a good reason, because they are the best. I have had an M-18 quarter inch impact that I have used and abused for the past seven years and the thing is still going strong. My M-12 grease gun was probably one of the best purchases I made in my automotive and heavy-duty wrenching days. I would recommend Milwaukee for anyone who uses their tools all-day every-day. Buy once, cry once, because these things are worth the cost.

1) Bauer: Yeah, bet you didn’t see that coming. This is the brand that I drive around in my truck and use for conducting business on a daily basis. Why? Because I own many of the cordless tools and many of the batteries, it is just easier than having multiple tool brands with multiple different batteries (because none of them fit the other). Now be careful when you’re purchasing Bauer power tools because there seems to be a lot of different price points, but that is because there are a lot of different options. Brushless, non-brushless, multi-speed, single speed. I own all of the above and find them all very useful and very durable. I used the twenty volt half-inch multi-speed brushless impact daily as an automotive and heavy truck technician and it is still going strong today. I use Bauer power tools full time as a handyman and extreme DIYer and have yet to have a failure, this is why I have listed Bauer as my number one dollar for dollar, best power tools that you can buy.

Tools to Avoid:

Once again, these are only the tools that I have experience with!

Hercules: Not that they are bad, in fact I only own one Hercules power tool and my only real complaint is that the 2 amp hour battery doesn’t last very long. But rather because of the price point, with the value and options you get, why not just buy the Bauer?

Ryobi: Every Ryobi tool that I have ever owned has broken with minimal use, the corded drill I bought from them had more value in the cord that it came with than the tool itself, the Jig-Saw I bought from them never locked in at any angle. If you’re someone who does very light home DIY I would still recommend buying Bauer over Ryobi.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day buy one brand and stick with it! Don’t do what I did and buy from four brands with four different batteries and chargers. If you’re doing this professionally, spend the money on quality tools and buy the expensive stuff because you will use them a lot, But if you’re getting started as a handyman or just a home DIYer then going with the budget options is not always a bad thing.