As a Hapless New Homeowner, I Wish I’d Been Gifted This Cheap Box of Power Tools | Reviews by Wirecutter

Nov 02, 2024

By Liam McCabe

Plants, food baskets, and artfully crafted serving trays all make great housewarming gifts, of course. But new homeowners realize soon enough that it’s not all dinner parties and hygge.

They ought to have some tools. Hand tools and a cordless drill are a great start and should be fine for basic projects and maintenance tasks such as hanging pictures, assembling furniture, or fixing a small leak.

A basic set of power tools, though, makes it easier for anyone to tackle bigger repairs, and even make improvements.

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You might give a power toolset to a spouse (or partner or co-homeowner, you get the idea), an adult child, or maybe a very good friend.

This isn’t an inexpensive gift, but it’s in the same ballpark as other splurge-y presents, such as a KitchenAid stand mixer or Le Creuset cookware. The tools can last a long time, and the giftee will probably think of you every time they need to fix or build something. It’s like an invitation to the DIY lifestyle, one that might save them some money, bring them a sense of satisfaction and self-reliance, and occasionally drive them insane. It’s never dull!

I’m suggesting this gift because I wish someone had given a set of power tools to me years before I finally bought one for myself. Maybe you know someone like me: hesitant to get started but stubborn enough to make the most of it once they have the gear.

When I was a kid, Home Improvement was the most popular show on TV for a few years, and the lasting lesson I took from Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor was that power tools were indulgent and buffoonish. Nobody I grew up around did much DIY home improvement, either, or at least they never invited me to watch and learn. Even after I bought a condo, I relied on my neighbor’s longtime handyman, who was affordable and always available.

Then the pandemic hit, I moved to a single-family house 15 miles away, and services became a lot more expensive. My to-do list got pretty long, and I realized I was wasting a lot of time and getting bad results by trying to fix everything with hand tools and an occasional tool rental.

I walked into Home Depot one afternoon, expecting to leave with a reciprocating saw, and I left with an entire kit.

This kit comes with a drill, driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, oscillating multitool, and standing flashlight, plus two batteries and a charger. If you’re up for DIY repairs and home improvements, you’ll use all of them regularly.

I’ve used every tool in the Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless 6-Tool Combo Kit at least a handful of times since I bought it a year and a half ago. It has already paid for itself many times over because I haven’t had to hire a handyman at all.

Plus, I have a new hobby and extra self-confidence—probably more than I’ve earned, honestly, but my wife is impressed, and that must count for something.

Don’t worry too much about the particulars. For a beginner, any reciprocating saw or impact driver is better than none, and at this point in a novice’s DIY journey, the performance and durability aren’t likely to matter.

The big home-improvement stores all sell a few different versions of these starter sets, but I suggest looking for a kit with the following:

That should cover the vast majority of repairs and some home-improvement projects, too. For a homeowner-quality kit, which is all your giftee really needs, you don’t need to spend more than $300. (Some kits swap in an orbital sander or blower in place of the multi-tool or one of the saws, and that’s fine.)

One way to make your giftee’s life easier is to figure out which home-improvement chain has a location closest to their new house, and buy the kit from that store’s homeowner-grade brand of choice. (If the store is Home Depot, it’s Ryobi. At Lowes, it’s Craftsman or Black+Decker. Harbor Freight has Bauer. Walmart has Hart.)

This way, if your gift recipient ever needs to run out mid-project for a spare battery—or a whole new tool that works with their batteries—it’ll be a short trip. It’s not that big of a deal, though, and most consumable parts like saw blades and drill bits are interchangeable between brands.

If we had to pick one brand and battery platform from the bunch, we’d lean toward Ryobi. I own the six-piece kit, and I have no complaints.

Wirecutter’s tool expert, senior staff writer Doug Mahoney, also thinks Ryobi is the best of the homeowner-grade brands, and it’s a popular recommendation on forums like Reddit. The quality is solid for the price, and tons of tools—and now even vacuums and speakers and fans—work with the 18-volt Ryobi One+ battery. It’s a sturdy base for a homeowner’s future tool collection.

There’s nothing wrong with stepping up to a higher-performance brand such as Ridgid or Kobalt, or even a pro-level line like DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Makita. But they’re probably overkill for somebody who won’t use the tools every day.

Whichever brand you pick, these tools will do just as much as any enameled cookware or felt coasters to make a new house feel like a home.

This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.

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Liam McCabe

Liam McCabe is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering appliances, HVAC, home improvement, and yard gear—the big stuff for your house. Previously, he was on staff at Consumer Reports and USA Today’s Reviewed and worked in the clean-energy industry for a bit. He has tested more than 50 robot vacuums and has mostly electrified his 100-year-old house.

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