I find that the Wirecutter is awesome for things I will never go into stupendous depth for on my own — like spatulas. For anything more serious than that, it has increasingly been on the decline for years.
I thought a big part of it was simply that many Wirecutter picks aren't very good. They are great for areas you aren't knowledgeable enough to assess on your own (and where it would be prohibitive to learn), or where you just need something that's not total junk.
But "not total junk" is a pretty low bar to clear, and that illustrates the fundamental problem of the Wirecutter: it's never going to be for the professionals, the ones who use objects day after day, long enough to form real opinions. Anyone who knows their field will always laugh at the Wirecutter's recommendations, if not the what then certainly the why.
Regardless of the manufacturer, battery technology has increased so incredibly that even the "crappiest" cordless tools are better than those from the early 2000s.
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Src: retired electrician that has used (and broken) a lot of tools
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My primary tool of choice is Stanley's upscale brand, DeWalt.
Were I considering to "buy a cheaper tool," perhaps esoteric items intended for single use: instead of Ryobi, I'd settle on Harbor Freight.
Where I spent most of my wiring days [IBEW], the "top tool" was always a competition of Yellow -vs- Red.
After purchasing the top two Wirecutter picks for electric kettles (Cuisinart and some gooseneck kettle) both died within a year. The gooseneck one was rusted on arrival, clearly awful build quality.
I decided to try paying much more for a Fellow Stagg EKG, and it was a great decision. It’s lasted over 3 years and has been an absolute joy to use compared to the prior mass market garbage.
I often wish for a Wirecutter-like site that prioritizes quality and especially longevity above all else. Wirecutter always focused too much on cost, and even their “upgrade picks” tend to suffer awful quality issues. For years their top blender pick was an Oster that had hundreds of angry reviews about dying within months. Wirecutter ignored the feedback for years despite so many people streaming into their own comments section to vent about it.
The usual advice is to figure out which tool you need the most, and pick the brand that has one of the best, then buy other devices in that line as you need them, to reuse the batteries and chargers. For me it was drills, and maybe circular saws, and Milwaukee was top on the former and top three on the latter at the time, so that’s what I went with. If I’d been more into saws or hand routers, I might have gone with Makita.
Mind you, this was around when their second or third generation M18 line came out, which was quite a bit better than the other things on offer. Today that has likely all shifted around two or three times.
My wire cutter disagreement is their flashlight recommendation. They recommend a AA battery flashlight from Amazon that in my opinion is terrible (https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-flashlight/). This article indicates that maybe the referral money is a factor. I wonder how much influence that has.
I tend to look for yesteryear's best tools, not today's. Proven track record, initial flaws have been documented or corrected, and usually only half the price of this year's new thing.
I follow a completely opposite model. I research and learn as much as I can about something before committing to it and get the best equipment I can afford. Consequently, I’ve enjoyed all my hobbies over the years and find myself going back to things often.
I have never regretted investing in quality tools. It’s not necessary to buy the most expensive option, but prioritizing quality and ergonomics over price is the right play (at least for me).
There is no "best tool" for the job. Used to be that you've had one tool for the job 50 years ago, now you have 50 tools for the same job. And 500 more, And 5000 coming...
If you can find the cheapest ones that are just as durable, accurate, and fast you can replace the market leader amongst pros and serious hobbyists. That's worth a lot of money.
Get the right influencer/review site on your side and it's all downhill from there.
ETA: the thermapen isn't the Wirecutter recommendation. They recommend the entry level, $35 thermoworks option. So that's the price point to compete with and the $100 thermapen is the quality mark to hit.
I mostly stick with corded tools. Over the past 17 years I've managed to collect:
- A Milwaukee right angle drill. I don't use it much, but when I need it, it's invaluable
- A Porter Cable circular saw. I get a bit more use out of this. Circular saws are so versatile.
- A hand-held power planer. I used this a lot fitting doors to irregular door jams. I've loaned it out quite a bit too. Like the right angle drill, I don't reach for it often now, but when I need it, I'm damn glad to have it.
- Just purchased a Makita track saw. I'm anticipating a lot of long rip cuts in the next few months. I could do this with a circular saw, but I really like the simplicity of the track saw.
- Power drill. I've had it forever. I rarely reach for it, but it's nice to know it's there.
For battery powered tools I have:
- Power drill. This is a must-have for battery. The convenience is worth having to get a new one every so often. I'm on my second one now. I started with a Craftsman a long time ago. I replaced the batteries once and now I can't get new ones.
- I'm considering a jig saw. I'm not sure. It feels like this would be more convenient w/o a cord, and they're cheap enough that I wouldn't worry about replacing it. Still undecided.
For yard tools, I can totally see going with battery powered as well. I'm considering an edger. I hate dealing with two-stroke engines, and a cord would be a huge PITA. I'll probably get a battery powered one and try to stay in the same brand for leaf blower and chainsaw.
I usually buy the best tool that I can afford, my reasoing is:
- This forces me to research first, if I am dropping €500 on a new piece of woodworking equiment I want to make sure that's not going to be wasted.
- There is a better market for used expensive tools and they can sell for a even higher price than a new one (I am looking at you Festool Domino)
- I pet my expensive tools. The cheap stuff just get throw around and get lost.
- There is a argument about buying a cheap one first and then once it breaks you get a better one. That doesn't really work for me, several of these cheap tools can last for ages.
- Good tools requires less skill to use; they just do their job. With cheap tools you have to account not only your lack of skill but also deviations introduced by the tool.
For the tool conundrum, I’ve found that the best course of action is to buy the cheapest option (within reason) to start with. If you don’t use it, no sweat, it was cheap. On the other hand, if you use it soo much that it breaks it you outgrow it then you get to buy the best version of that tool. At that point you know what you like and don’t like, as well as what’s worth paying extra for, so you end up with the perfect tool for you.
I chose Makita for the same reason and I've loved the stuff. The tools are solid and well thought-out, the batteries have lasted for years, and I've been able to get away with far fewer batteries than I have tools which saves a bunch of money.
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