10 Essential Power Tools Every DIYer Should Own (and How to Buy Them for Less)
A good kit does not need to be big. Most home jobs come down to the same handful of tools, and once you own them you can tackle flat-pack, shelving, decking, a leaking cupboard hinge or a full room repaint without hiring anyone. The trick is buying sensibly. Power tools are one of the categories where ex-display, ex-demo and graded stock saves the most, because a drill that has been sat on a shop shelf or used briefly for a demo is, for all practical purposes, new. Below are the ten tools I would build a kit around, what each is for, and what to watch when buying used or clearance stock. You can browse current listings over on the tools section.
1. Cordless drill/driver
If you buy one power tool, buy this. A drill/driver bores holes and drives screws, so it covers the bulk of everyday jobs: putting up shelves, assembling furniture, fixing curtain poles. Look for a model with a decent battery platform, since you will want to add more tools to the same batteries later. Two batteries and an 18V rating is the sweet spot for most people.
Buying tip: ex-display drills often come without the retail box or with a scuffed case. That has no bearing on how it drills. Check the battery holds charge and you are away.
2. Impact driver
People often think a drill and an impact driver are the same thing. They are not. An impact driver delivers short rotational bursts, so it drives long screws and stubborn fixings into hardwood or joists without wearing out your wrist or stripping the screw head. Once you have used one for decking or a garden fence, you will not go back.
Many are sold as a twin pack with a drill/driver. A graded twin kit is one of the best-value buys in the whole category.
3. Circular saw
For straight cuts through timber, sheet ply or MDF, nothing beats a circular saw for speed. It is the tool for building anything with boards: shelving, a workbench, garden planters. Pair it with a straightedge or guide rail and your cuts will be clean and square.
Check the blade and the guard action when buying used. Blades are cheap to replace, so a worn one is not a dealbreaker on an otherwise sound ex-demo saw.
4. Jigsaw
Where the circular saw does straight lines, the jigsaw does curves and cut-outs. Think worktop sink holes, rounded shelf ends, or trimming a door to fit. It is forgiving to learn on and safer for a beginner than most saws. A mid-range jigsaw bought graded will outlast a cheap new one every time.
5. Random orbital sander
Sanding by hand is slow and gives an uneven finish. A random orbital sander flattens filler, strips old paint and preps timber for a topcoat in a fraction of the time, and its random action avoids the swirl marks a cheap disc sander leaves behind. Buy a bag of assorted grit discs at the same time.
These get dusty in use, so a slightly grubby ex-display unit is completely normal and nothing to worry about.
6. Oscillating multi-tool
The one tool that quietly earns its place. A multi-tool cuts, sands, scrapes and plunges into awkward corners where nothing else fits. It trims door frames for new flooring, cuts out old sealant, removes grout and gets into spots a full-size saw cannot reach. It will not be the tool you use most often, but when you need it there is no substitute.
7. Angle grinder
For metal, tile, masonry and cutting through old bolts, an angle grinder is the workhorse. Fit the right disc and it will slice paving slabs, sharpen a mower blade or cut a rusted fixing free. Treat it with respect, wear eye protection and use both hands. A graded grinder is easy money saved, since the motor is simple and hard to wear out.
8. Router
A router shapes edges, cuts grooves and joins timber neatly. It is the step up from basic carpentry into proper joinery: rounded worktop edges, rebates for hinges, decorative mouldings. If you are getting into furniture or fitted storage, this is where a router pays for itself. Ex-demo routers from a workshop clearance are common and worth watching for.
9. Nail gun or brad nailer
Skirting, architrave, beading and picture frames all go up faster and neater with a brad nailer than with a hammer and pins. A cordless nailer removes the hose and compressor faff of older models. For anyone doing trim work around the house, it turns a fiddly afternoon into a quick job.
10. Wet and dry vacuum
Not glamorous, but the tool that makes every other job better. A wet and dry vac clears sawdust, sucks up a flooded utility room, empties a blocked gutter and connects to your sander to keep the air clear. Many power tools have a dust port designed to plug straight into one. Buy the biggest drum you have room to store.
Why buy these ex-display, ex-demo or graded
Power tools hold up well to being ex-display for a simple reason: the wear that matters is motor hours and battery cycles, and a tool that has sat in a showroom or been briefly demonstrated has almost none of either. What you are usually paying less for is cosmetic. A marked case, a missing manual you can download anyway, or retail packaging that has been opened.
A few things worth checking before you buy:
- Batteries and charger. On cordless tools, the battery is the expensive part. Confirm it is included and holds a charge, or factor a replacement into the price.
- Stick to one battery platform. Buy your cordless tools from the same brand family so batteries swap between them. It saves a fortune over time.
- Graded means graded, not broken. Graded stock is usually sorted by cosmetic condition, so a lower grade often just means more scuffs, not a fault. Read the description.
- Blades, discs and bits are consumables. A worn blade or pad is cheap to replace and should not put you off an otherwise good tool.
Start with a drill/driver and impact driver twin pack, add a saw and a sander, and build out from there as jobs demand. Buying each one graded or ex-display rather than new can easily halve the cost of a full kit. Have a look through the tools listings to see what is going, or browse the wider garden and outdoor section for the rest of your outdoor kit.
