A few thoughts:
- I have
this Makita 18v drill/driver set. Great tools and tons of power, but overkill for most household projects. Nice big batteries. I’ve added a tire inflator for my car too, and maybe I’ll add an impact wrench sometime, so it’s nice to have a battery system with lots of other tools.
- I then bought
this Milwaukee 12v Screwriver (on a HD glitch for less than $50) and was blown away by it. I use it for 95% of projects, and rarely take out the 18v anymore. It can easily drive screws, drill holes in wood, etc. I tried the Bosch 12v that was constantly on sale on DDMS, but found that I liked the Milwaukee seems much more powerful and much more solid.
- For household projects, I’d strongly recommend a drill with a quick-release chuck like the Milwaukee 12v above. It’s much more convenient and quicker to swap bits with just a simple click, as opposed to tightening a real chuck. You can get a set of drill bits with quick-release hex-shaped bottoms (
like this one that I have) so you can drill holes with the same
-Invest in good drill bits and screw bits. You absolutely get what you pay for in that area- a cheap Ryobi set was practically disposable for me, and lasted maybe a few months before rounding or cracking, whereas good Milwaukee shockwave sets have lasted me years so far. i'm sure all the big brands have good sets, but I've found that the Milwaukee ones are priced well sometimes. (At one point Milwaukee even gave them away for free on a deal
like this.)
-I’m fine with off-brands for tools with no moving parts like a hammer, but sometimes things with moving parts like pliers can break or loosen if they’re really junky. I go for something in the mid range at HD.
-I have something like
this simple tool bag for day-to-day items. The fact that it’s open means I can always find things, and if I’m going somewhere I can throw other tools or supplies in and not worry about it not being able to close it.
-As others have mentioned, start with the essentials and then buy as needed. You might be able to buy better-suited tools once you have a specific project's needs in mind.