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If you’d like to make 2023 your best year for DIY work around the house or cottage, then having the right tools can double the amount or work you get done in a given time. And of all the tools out there, three kinds of cordless tools make the most difference.
Impact driver
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These look like drills but are specially made to drive screws. And while you could certainly use a drill for this job, impact drivers are much more effective in two ways, one minor and one major.
All else being equal, an impact driver propels screws into wood faster than a drill. That’s the minor advantage. Driving them more easily is the major one. Impact drivers are much better at keep the tip of a screwdriver but engaged with the screw head because of the way this tools spins. Instead of an ordinary circular movement, the rotation of an impact driver happens in pulses that occur many times a second. This delivers a kind of reset action that does wonders to stop that annoying tendency for screw heads to get stripped out by a driver bit that jumps off the screw and rounds out the recess in the head.
Reciprocating saw
These tools move a straight blade back and forth, and were originally designed for rough cutting of wood during the tear-down phase of renovations. Recip saws certainly are good for this, but an explosion in blade variety and quality has expanded the use of this tool a lot. Got a chunk of old exhaust pipe you need to cut out for a DIY auto repair? Hacksaw blades for recip saws make it easy to cut through steel. Want to remove old deck boards to replace them on a deck that’s otherwise sound? The easiest way to get those old boards off is to simply slip a recip saw blade into the place between the deck boards and joists, cutting the nails or screws so the wood can simply be lifted off. Today’s best recip saw blades for wood have no trouble going through pipes, spikes or old, non-live wiring.
Circular saw
This is a mainstay tool for cutting wood for renovations and home improvements. Cordless versions are now powerful enough and long running enough to completely replace the use of corded saws. As you buy you’ll find two types of cordless saws available – 6 1/2” and 7 1/4”. This refers to the diameter of blade the saw is made to take, and it relates to how thick of wood the saw can cut. That little bit of extra blade diameter won’t matter for cutting regular construction lumber, but I assure you that times will come up where you’ll want to cut thicker material or multiple layers of plywood at once. 7 1/4” is the standard size of blade that’s been found on plug-in saws for years, and it’s still the best diameter for cordless saws in my experience.
Choosing voltage & amp-hour capacity
Cordless tool voltage roughly equates to tool power, and most homeowners do just fine with 18- or 20-volt cordless tools. You can find higher voltages (for a lot more money), and most tool companies also offer a line of compact 12-volt tools. These compact designs are great as supplemental tools that fit easily in a tool pouch, but for general use they’re somewhat under powered. But voltage is not the only parameter you need to pay attention to.
Amp-hour battery ratings describe how long a battery will keep a tool running before needing a recharge, with the bigger the amp-hour rating the longer the run time. For more information on choosing cordless tools than I have room to cover here, visit baileylineroad.com/cordless-tool-combo-kit.
Steve Maxwell uses cordless tools all the time. Visit him at BaileyLineRoad.com for thousands of articles and videos on home improvement and workshop skills for the Canadian scene.