What Tools Do You Need to Start?

The Bare Minimum Tool Kit

Sometimes you need to assemble furniture, hang a picture, replace a cabinet door handle, or tighten that pesky little screw on the loose faucet handle. A bare minimum tool kit will help you with your daily life.

Headlamp

Drill (corded or 12V cordless)

DIY 12V Drill (with charger and battery)
Pro 20V Drill (with charger and battery)
Complete Beginner Drill Bit Set

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Beginner DIY Power Tool Kit

Whichever power tool brand you choose, their starter kits usually include the same basic power tools. But one essential power tool is most often missing (the jigsaw).

Would you like to play a game? How much cutting will you really be doing?

Even a basic amount of cutting for DIY projects requires a lot of battery power (likely hundreds of dollars more than comes with your typical power tool starter kit).

The choice to go all in on cordless tools seems obvious these days. And if you’re a contractor I agree, go all in on cordless tools. But if you’re a homeowner there’s a ton of value in buying the corded version of the cutting tools below. The corded tools themselves are often slightly cheaper than their cordless versions and more powerful.

This being said I can’t imagine DIY projects with a corded drill. If you plan on cutting anything, a cordless 18V+ drill and driver combo is an essential tool that is fairly effective with just the battery power supplied in a kit. You absolutely want both the drill and the driver as separate tools. The drill is used for pilot holes and can accept larger and longer drill bits than the impact driver which is used to deliver extra torque when needed.

Drill & Impact Driver Combo

DIY 18V+ Drill & Driver Combo
Pro 18V+ Drill & Impact Driver Combo

Circular Saw (4-1/2″ to 7-1/4″)

Best Budget Circular Saw
DIY Cordless Circular Saw
Best Value Pro Circular Saw
Pro Cordless Circular Saw

Reciprocating Saw (“Sawzall”)

DIY Reciprocating Saw
Pro Reciprocating Saw

Oscillating Tool (“Multi-Tool”)

DIY Multi-Tool
Pro Multi-Tool

Jigsaw

DIY Jigsaw
Pro Jigsaw

How to Pick a Power Tool Brand?

One More Tool to Consider

Compressors & Nailers

Are you ready to frame up a wall for a closet or replace baseboards and trim? You’ll need a variety of nailers. These can be powered by a compressor or battery operated.

For most DIY projects a 1 or 2 gallon compressor and air nailers are the best value. The larger the tank volume, the longer the nailers will work without the compressor running. It’s worth mentioning that “quiet” compressors are in fact much quieter than larger compressors. If using them indoors in occupied homes, choose the quiet ones.