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Expert Q&A Sessions, Tools, Part 2: Which power tool family should I join if I want the best value to price ratio?
May 29, 2026 at
10:59 AM
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Question: Which power tool family should I join if I want the best value to price ratio? Are there any other considerations people should think about when committing to a platform long term?
Iconian: If I'm starting from scratch, I'd go with Ryobi. It's hard to beat the value. Stepping up to a prosumer or pro level, DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Bosch are all solid choices. My personal preference is Milwaukee M12 for most use cases, and Milwaukee M18 when I need maximum power.
When you're making your decision, it comes down to three things. First, are you optimizing for "best" or for value? If the goal is to buy the best and invest long-term, that immediately narrows your choices since you're paying for top-tier performance, durability, and ecosystem depth. But if you're optimizing for cost vs. performance, the equation changes. Ryobi is a great example: roughly half the price of DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Bosch, yet delivers about 80-90% of the performance in real-world use. For most people, especially weekend users, that gap is barely noticeable.
Second, does a brand clearly win in a specific tool category? Sometimes one brand is simply better at something specific, and if a tool is meaningfully above the competition, that alone can justify stepping outside your usual ecosystem.
Third, are you already invested in an ecosystem? This is often the deciding factor. Once you own batteries and chargers, switching brands becomes expensive, and that lock-in is real and often rational.
Question: What's a tool that almost everyone underinvests in, and one that people routinely overspend on?
Iconian: "Underinvesting" vs. "overspending" is hard to define in general because it really comes down to the specific tool and how critical it is to your use case. There's also the question of having the right tool for the job. A good example is when I had to cut about two feet of thick soapstone. I didn't have a reciprocating saw at the time, but I had other tools on hand, so I figured I could make it work. Technically, I wasn't wrong. They did work. But after cutting just a few inches, it became obvious it was slow, inefficient, and turning into a multi-day effort. What should have been a quick task was becoming a frustrating, time-consuming grind. So I stopped, went out, bought the right tool, and came back. The entire cut took two to three minutes.
Iconian: If I'm starting from scratch, I'd go with Ryobi. It's hard to beat the value. Stepping up to a prosumer or pro level, DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Bosch are all solid choices. My personal preference is Milwaukee M12 for most use cases, and Milwaukee M18 when I need maximum power.
When you're making your decision, it comes down to three things. First, are you optimizing for "best" or for value? If the goal is to buy the best and invest long-term, that immediately narrows your choices since you're paying for top-tier performance, durability, and ecosystem depth. But if you're optimizing for cost vs. performance, the equation changes. Ryobi is a great example: roughly half the price of DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Bosch, yet delivers about 80-90% of the performance in real-world use. For most people, especially weekend users, that gap is barely noticeable.
Second, does a brand clearly win in a specific tool category? Sometimes one brand is simply better at something specific, and if a tool is meaningfully above the competition, that alone can justify stepping outside your usual ecosystem.
Third, are you already invested in an ecosystem? This is often the deciding factor. Once you own batteries and chargers, switching brands becomes expensive, and that lock-in is real and often rational.
Question: What's a tool that almost everyone underinvests in, and one that people routinely overspend on?
Iconian: "Underinvesting" vs. "overspending" is hard to define in general because it really comes down to the specific tool and how critical it is to your use case. There's also the question of having the right tool for the job. A good example is when I had to cut about two feet of thick soapstone. I didn't have a reciprocating saw at the time, but I had other tools on hand, so I figured I could make it work. Technically, I wasn't wrong. They did work. But after cutting just a few inches, it became obvious it was slow, inefficient, and turning into a multi-day effort. What should have been a quick task was becoming a frustrating, time-consuming grind. So I stopped, went out, bought the right tool, and came back. The entire cut took two to three minutes.
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Keep in mind that battery technology is ever changing and adds considerable expense to the cordless brands.
Corded precision tools are a different matter. Usually you get what you pay for and when it come to precision tools like Table Saws, portable compound miter saws, etc, get the best you can afford.
I have bought 2 compound miter saws in my life. The 1st one was like - its a saw, whats the big deal? Plus, it was $100 and that was a weeks paycheck back then.
My 2nd saw would be what I refer to as the Cadillac of miter saws. It was over $500 but it cuts like a dream. Precise bevels, smooth, laser line, instant blade brake.
As expensive as would has become, pretty sure the tool has paid for itself in no botched cuts.
Another tool is a router. Buy a cheap one, buy good bits for safety's sake, and practice, practice, practice because there is a learning curve when it comes to using a router. Then, buy better bits and a better plunge router.
Keep in mind that battery technology is ever changing and adds considerable expense to the cordless brands.
Corded precision tools are a different matter. Usually you get what you pay for and when it come to precision tools like Table Saws, portable compound miter saws, etc, get the best you can afford.
I have bought 2 compound miter saws in my life. The 1st one was like - its a saw, whats the big deal? Plus, it was $100 and that was a weeks paycheck back then.
My 2nd saw would be what I refer to as the Cadillac of miter saws. It was over $500 but it cuts like a dream. Precise bevels, smooth, laser line, instant blade brake.
As expensive as would has become, pretty sure the tool has paid for itself in no botched cuts.
Another tool is a router. Buy a cheap one, buy good bits for safety's sake, and practice, practice, practice because there is a learning curve when it comes to using a router. Then, buy better bits and a better plunge router.