Some time ago I got the advice to buy twice ... first, get the cheapest option that is available (within reason). This allows you to get familiar with whatever you are getting into (be it new tools, new hobby equipment, cars ... basically everything). Then, once the cheapest option breaks or just is not good enough anymore, spend the money and get the best thing you can afford.
Often times I found that the cheap option is perfectly reasonable (e.g. a 500€ cordless screwdriver is not 5x as good as a 100€ one), saving me money in the long run. Other times I quickly outgrow the cheap option, but the experience on the cheap model makes me appreciate the expensive option more (e.g. going from a 150€ Ender 3 to a 2000€ Voron 2.1).
Buy twice, once cheap, then good ... I'll just repeat this advice here :-)
The adage I've heard is that if you care enough that you want to spend money on a nicer one you probably want a corded tool, rather than cordless. Which makes sense to me -- a corded tool is always going to be more powerful.
My rule of thumb for tools is to always first buy the cheapo Harbor Freight special (I'll get something a little better for precision tools) and if that tool breaks then that means I use the tool enough to justify getting something better.
Spoiler alert: most of my tools are the cheapest I could find.
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.
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.
I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.
The best recommendation I’ve ever heard was to buy as cheap as you can, and then pay attention to what you actually use. Whatever tools in the “regular use” category break first should be replaced with the nicest tool in that category you can afford.
Of course if you’re a professional carpenter or similar, chances are you’re already aware about what you need to spend more on.
When you're buying tools, buy the cheapest one that will do the job. After you use that tool for a while and it breaks (because it's cheap) then go out and buy the best one you can afford, because you're already justified that you use the tool enough to break a cheap one.
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.
When my SO and I were renovating our home we followed some advice like the ones in this thread. First we had relatively cheap power tools. One the one hand early on we could not easily afford to invest more and also we wanted to learn what we really needed.
After the first ones broke we asked around and received only three recommended brands. DeWalt, Makita or the Blue Bosch line (in Germany). We went for DeWalt and never looked back. The power cells haven't changed in form or fitting in the years since and we could not be happier with performance and durability.
It is like deciding on a DSLR system. Once you are invested into Canon, Nikon, Sony or the likes with lenses and accessories you are locked in but also you learn to really know your tools and imho receive a productivity boost.
For example - whenever I am with other people and need to use their tools, I have to look at them and see how they work, what buttons/knobs are where and so on. With my DeWalt tools this is already muscle memory and the work as an extension of my arm - my brain uses them as if they were a part of me. This let's me focus more on the task I want to perform, not on the tool.
I have heard the advice to ‘buy twice’. The first time you buy a tool (e.g. boots), you’re really just trying it out, so buy a reasonably priced type. If you end up using the tool so often that you want a better one, then go ahead and buy the best type you can afford.
You must choose your tools before you can master using them, it's not an either or.
As an amateur woodworker, I can tell you that the quality of tools can make all the difference in your enjoyment. You absolutely will notice a difference in the quality of your tools. Quality tools feel better in your hand, almost like an extension of your body. They cut cleaner and with greater accuracy. They are less likely to strip screws. They are less likely to break causing you frustration and an unwanted extra trip to the store.
There is a point of vanishing returns. You definitely have to determine what level of quality you actually need, but Makita 18V cordless tools are a massive step up from their no name Walmart equivalents.
I still wouldn't go for HF tools (or any store brand... Tool Shop, Master Mechanic, take your pick) for anything I want to keep forever. You just can't get parts for most of that stuff. I only get HF or MM if I'm buying the tool for one job and need to fit in the budget, otherwise pretty much everything else I've got is pre-owned DeWalt et al. (The warranty-period breakdown is no joke, but a lot of times if they survive much past that they can be good for a while.)
I'm also still not totally sold on cordless tools. I've found corded tools generally much easier to repair. Extension cords are cheaper than batteries, and for my typical applications they're essentially interchangable.
> I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools.
Overall, it's not a bad philosophy. But I can think of a couple of complications here:
- For battery-operated tools, standardizing on one system means you can buy a handful of pricy batteries and share them among many tools. Batteries wear out, and eventually need repeated replacement. And only needing to replace, say, 3 batteries from a single brand is convenient.
- A lot of times, it's possible to buy medium-quality tool sets (say, hex wrenches) for less than $100. I'm literally going to use many of them as long as I live. Why not spend $70 and get something halfway decent, instead of the $30 junk?
- If you're doing a big project (refinishing kitchen cabinets, building a deck, etc), that can easily justify spending a few hundred dollars on a quality key tool. A quality drill/hammer driver pair is game changing, for example. Saves countless hours compared to my old gear.
I had Craftsman power tools until battery replacements were only available from fly-by-night companies and a couple of the tools started failing (after 20 years). I wound up buying a couple of DeWalt tools on sale and they've been rock-solid. So I added a couple more as needed. I tried a Ryobi line trimmer a few years ago, and the battery system failed within two weeks. So I took it back and paid $50 extra for a DeWalt version that has run flawlessly. I could save some money by buying less-used tools from a second, cheaper brand. But that would double my battery replacement costs over the next 20 years, and I'd need to do more research for each purchase.
So sometimes a set of "79 auto tools for one low price!" is a good move. And sometimes, mid-to-high end homeowner gear or even a contractor tool is worth the money.
1) Buy the second cheapest one (Don't get the shittiest no-brand one, but just above it)
2) If you reach the limits of the tool or it breaks down from using it so much, get the best
The only things I've reached step 2 is my hammer drill and circular saw. Both went from corded to cordless.
Still on step 1 with my 3D Printer, for example =)
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