Good set of home power tools?

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
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TopHatFox
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Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

I usually get hand tools at Harbor Freight since they're hard to mess up (no motors or electrical components), but I want to get some power tools to learn residential construction trades. I'm wondering if they should be wired or battery-driven, but most sellers seem to sell the battery-powered ones these days. I think a set from Dewalt with a battery charger + two 20v lithium batteries, a power drill, an impact wrench, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, and an oscillating saw would be good, coming in at $500 new:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-Cordless- ... 0858BQ9DK/

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I'd likely also get an oscillating polisher eventually too, good for body work on a car or even furniture, for $200:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWP849X-7 ... 004W1WGIC/

Maybe I'd get more specialized tools like a drywall screw gun and drywall cut-out tool eventually, for $379:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-Brushless ... 0BZ3VDDBL/

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Speaking of my other thread on buying used stuff, the used deals on eBay don't seem to be beating the $500 price for the stuff listed above, often selling beat-up tools years older for a similar price.
Last edited by TopHatFox on Wed May 31, 2023 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

theanimal
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by theanimal »

You really don't need all of that. Especially if you are not doing the work professionally. For perspective, Mrs. Animal and I built our house with just a circular saw, hammer and drill. I had no idea they made a specialty tool to cut drywall :lol: . You can do that with a utility knife.

Many home improvement and auto parts stores have tool rentals that are either low cost or free. It'd also be worthwhile to see if there is a tool library in your area. Most specialty power tools do not make sense to own with that in mind.

I think you'd be best off starting with what you have and if you don't have anything a very basic setup (ie circular saw and drill). See what you are able to do with that rather than buying everything up front with only ideas of what you'd do in the future.

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

Fair enough, maybe I'll start with the $500 set. Drills I've used all the time, the impact wrench I've needed for car stuff (getting a broken wheel stud off or a sway bar end link off quickly), circular saw for cutting 2x4's, angle grinder for sanding or cutting metal pieces, reciprocating saw for cutting just about anything (from plumbing tubes to branches), and the oscillating tool for precisely cutting sheetrock.

I use the rentals for rare tools, like a wheel bearing press kit, or a tie-rod end remover. These power tools seem pretty commonplace to pull out the tool library every time I need them. The equivalent rare tools for construction (rather than auto tools) might be a fence-post drill, a crazy-high PSI pressure washer, or a truck rental.

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I wonder how long tools tend to last. Let's say I live 50 more years. Will these power tools, as well as all my hand tools, last that long, assuming they're well stored and maintained? The other fun question is whether these specific tools will even be relevant in 50 years; it's interesting wandering around the barn of a late-1800s homestead museum with a bunch of tools that are totally obsolete, yet in good condition.

jacob
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by jacob »

*** I edited the OP post. URL shorterners are against forum rules.

I mostly use totally "obsolete" tools some of which are ~100 years old. They have neither batteries nor power. The only power tool I use for home repair is a battery powered drill. It'll probably last until they stop making that particular kind of battery. I do have a couple of others, which "seemed like a good idea at the time", but I never use them.

Power just makes it faster to cut. OTOH, power tools often weigh 10-20x more than the manual equivalent. It should be said that I have a workshop/bench, so I can actually rip a board with a saw and a plane (cf a table saw), cut a corner with a miter box (cf a chop saw), or clamp something to the work bench for squirrely cuts with a fret saw (cf a jig saw), a file and a hacksaw cuts metal (cf angle grinder).

The difference between the two is that non-powered work often requires using more than one tool in combination whereas in the powered approach each tool comes complete with its own motor, guides, blades, ... and is abstracting the underlying tools into a particular function like "turn screw", "drill hole", "make long straight cuts", "make short cuts at an angle", "vibrate abrasive", ...

sky
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by sky »

Battery powered:

3/8" Drill, driver, orbital sander, sawz-all

Plug in:

7-1/2" Circular saw, jigsaw, 1/2" drill

Occasional use:

Angle grinder, sander-polisher

Workshop tools:

Bench grinder, vise.

I have used high quality tools (Makita) and cheap Harbor Freight tools, they both wear out.

I would get a good quality circular saw and 1/2" drill, the rest can be standard household grade tools.

sky
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by sky »

Forgot to add:

Table saw

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

@sky, how did you determine which tools to get wired, and which to get lithium-powered? Also, why 7.5" for the circular saw? Most of the ones I see are 6.5"

Table saw looks scary, maybe miter saw, but later on.

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Looks like the $500 kit comes with a 1/2" drill, 1/4" impact wrench (too small for car, its main use), 6.5" circular saw (maybe too small?), and a 4.5" angle grinder (probably fine)

Scott 2
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by Scott 2 »

I wonder - could you volunteer with something like habitat for humanity, to learn the skills on someone else's tools, and gain better understanding of what you value?

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

@Scott, believe it or not, I actually did do that a few times! When I was in western Mass, I volunteered to build a highly-insulated house with super thick walls. I did stuff like insulation, sheetrock, trim, paint, and siding.

sky
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by sky »

Wired tools are more powerful. I have a battery powered 6-1/2" circular saw and it can cut a 2x4, but it is slow and if you push too hard the blade slows down. The wired 7-1/2" circular saw cuts right through because it has more power and the blade reaches further through the 2x4.

Battery powered tools are convenient and easy to use, but they have their limitations.

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

@sky, that makes sense, sounds like I may need to get the tools I want individually rather than as a set

So can you list each tool type you'd recommend to get wired or non-wired? (for example, is your angle grinder and sander wired)

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Jean
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by Jean »

no wire for the drill is much more practical, so i'de take a battery drill.
then you can take a saw, i'de say a table saw is the best compromise. no reason to have it on battery unless you intend to use it in the wood, but then, i'de use a handsaw or a chainsaw.

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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by jacob »

Use battery for tools you have to use on your hands and knees, upside down with your head stuck under a sink, or on a ladder.
Cord for everything else.

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

Interesting, it looks like corded tools aren't very common anymore. I looked up "wired power tool set" and got few results on Amazon

sky
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by sky »

Wired: circular saw, jigsaw, 1/2" drill. If you need a sander/polisher, that probably would be better as wired.

Everything else can be battery.

Except some things like an angle grinder may be much cheaper wired, so its up to you.

TopHatFox
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by TopHatFox »

OK, I see your arguments, wired + extension cord makes the most sense for the most of the power tools; they'll last much longer too as they're not dependent on the manufacturing of a fitting battery. I doubt tool companies are like Honda or Toyota, where they still make parts for a product from the 90's.

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Sclass
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by Sclass »

I stuck with a simple set of corded power tools when I started out. A drill, circular saw, jigsaw and a grinder. I inherited a bunch of stuff second hand later on like corded sawzall, a radial arm saw. Old but still useful.

I’ve recently bought a bunch of M18 brushless DC impact wrenches from Milwaukee. Four of them for different torques. I love them. But, they aren’t 100% necessary. They’re a luxury for an old mechanic. I can take things apart a lot faster than using hand wrenches. I don’t get sore arms. Up to this year I did everything with levers…but wow, the M18 impact wrenches work like air tools without the maintenance and hoses. The power is unbeatable too - by either corded or pneumatic tools. Lithium batteries + brushless dc motors are superior in terms of rate of energy transfer and peak torque. Great tech but soon to be obsolete.

I’d go with inexpensive corded harbor freight stuff starting out. Buy it as you need it.

I have inherited a bunch of power tools from the sixties. They are quite serviceable but I don’t think they stand up to modern tech.I wouldn’t go out of my way to track down and buy this stuff.

ETA - oh yeah, that little impact wrench in the $500 kit you want won’t take off wheel lugs or suspension parts. It’s good for M10 bolts. Wheel lugs torqued to 80ft.lbs won’t budge with that thing. That being said my goto impact wrench for car work is a little hex drive Milwaukee Fuel compact. It is good for taking off bolts up to about M10 which covers 75% of what you find in a car. I own a 1/2” drive compact for the suspension and wheel lugs.

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Ego
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Re: Good set of home power tools?

Post by Ego »

Tools are heavy and bulky. Moving them long distances can be a pain in the ass. It may be wise to wait until you are in a place where you have a pressing and regular need for a particular tool before buying it.

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