Power tools for a 1st time home owner?

[GothamNYC]

Hello, co-worker just bought his 1st house! We thought it would be kind of cool to put together a registry for him. Huge family all over the country so we were thinking something like Milwaukee that has a diverse line and is available pretty much everywhere would be a good starting point.
Long Story short, early 30s, lived in an apartment his whole life, getting married soon with plans for a family, likes cars etc...
I guess you really can't have too many tools, but any advice on must have or things that look good but get little to no use ever?

 

[dodge610]

You opened up a box of hornets there lol. I myself have Ryobi platform affordable and they do the job. Are they the coveted millwaukee but they do the job and leave money in your pocket.

 

[drtyler]

Cordless drill is a must have, then a small set of drill and screwdriver bits.

For small stuff around the house, the old cheapie Black and Deckers always worked fine. I'm sure a new Ryobi or Milwaukee would be way more than adequate.

The bonus for either the Ryobi or Milwaukee is the availability of battery string trimmers, which can be useful if they have much of a yard to keep up.

Ryobi tools are fine, and do leave extra $$ in the pocket.

 

[anavrinIV]

Let the guy figure out what he needs and wants. Personally I would not want someone else picking out tools for me, and you did not say if this guy is even handy enough to need more than a small hammer and a multi-bit screwdriver

 

[subroc]

Old house? New house? Big yard? Small yard? Long driveway in a state that sees snow? Is he crafty or an accident waiting to happen? Does he do any of that kind of stuff now or does he always pay someone else? Does e want to do this kind of home repair stuff? Is there a garage?

snowblower
ladders, at least one that can get you on the roof, a step ladder, a 2 step for inside the house and maybe a 6 footer. Multi position ladders are worth a look. I use Werner, but there are a lot of good ones. Professionals seem to hate them. I always hear they weigh too much. Maybe so. I expect for a homeowner the versatility trumps the downside of the weight.
lawn mower
string trimmer
hedge trimmer if he has hedges
drill with bits and driver bits
circular saw
reciprocating saw
claw hammer
wonder bar or flat bar
tape measure
bench vice
Full array of hand-tools including ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers and pliers.

I could go on listing 30 or 40 more things a homeowner could use. That is probably a good start.

 

[cmandp]

If he has no tools or not great quality ones then I think a Drill/driver with drill bits, screwdriver bits is the best place to start. A hammer, torpedo level and stud finder would be good too. Your always hanging curtain rods and the like when you move to a new place. Maybe a wall anchor assortment would be good too.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Drill and impact driver with changeable bits to get him started. The drill is the only power tool I’ve ever needed at home so I have a drill at home and a drill in my mechanics box. The worse one is at home lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[CN Spots]

I have several cordless Ryobi drivers, a small circular saw, jigsaw and one of those little inflaters that came in a kit my father passed on to me. Their products are more than adequate for the home DIYer. They also have the largest selection of tools using the same battery of anybody so he can add other stuff later as he needs them.

 

[niget2002]

Is he handy? Does he intend on actually doing anything? Has he ever talked about working on the house or making changes to things?

I have friends of mine that are recent homeowners that I wouldn't trust with a screwdriver, much less an entire cordless toolset.

Get him a gift card to HomeDepot or Lowes and provide guidance. Part of the fun I had when first starting out was figuring out what tools I wanted as I progressed my skills.

 

[M635_Guy]

I personally recommend an impact driver over a drill. A drill obviously makes a fantastic drill, but is a pretty poor driver of screws and fasteners. An impact driver (or at least my Milwaukee M12 Surge) is a fantastic driver of screws and fasteners, something I find myself doing a lot as a homeowner, and a decent drill in light applications.

My spawn just moved into a first-apartment, and the Surge I gave as a house-warming present was a huge help as we were putting furniture together/etc.

A dedicated drill is a great thing to have, and over the years I've found myself using the drill and impact driver side-by-side a lot (e.g. installing shelves, etc.)

Also agree a good level, a decent set of screwdrivers, a good tape measure, good pliers/wrenches and a good set of Allen wrenches are key pieces of the kit for a homeowner.

 

[GothamNYC]

To be honest, I know him but not really well lol. Just kind of helping out with this. Co workers wanted Milwaukee not 100% other than the perception of quality. I know our boss chipped in already and bought him a huge 400 piece Husky tool set along with large rollaway and top cabinet...

Houses is in CT, so a snow blower and maybe a leaf blower isn't a bad idea!!! 3 car garage guessing about 4,000 sq ft house half acre maybe of land...

I am going to try put together some sort of a master list with plenty of price point options. I am really the wrong person for this, as I have never really needed more than a jig and circular saw along with a drill and basic hand tools..
Hopefully this makes sense without sounding obnoxious, I think for most of the people in our office its more about handing someone a tool that costs a few hundred dollars much more so than if they will every use it or not. I just have a hard time with that thought process lol

 

[NUTTSGT]

To be honest, I know him but not really well lol. Just kind of helping out with this. Co workers wanted Milwaukee not 100% other than the perception of quality. I know our boss chipped in already and bought him a huge 400 piece Husky tool set along with large rollaway and top cabinet...

Either this dude is an awesome employee or the boss has some vehicles that need worked on.

As far as cordless power tools, a drill and driver would be a decent starter set. The rest of the power tools can be corded to get him started. It looks like mechanic style of tools has been covered. So maybe basic carpentry/home owner style tools would be a good buy.

Claw hammer, level, prybar, framing/speed square, pipe wrench or channellocks.

 

[subroc]

Stereotyping...4000 foot house with a 3 car garage on a 1/2 acre in Connecticut? Is he even going to mow his own lawn or snow blow his own yard? Phone numbers to handy men, mowing and plowing services would go a lot further than any tool list. You looking for this list, instead of him, makes me question if the list or responses will be needed or acted upon.

Good luck

 

[GothamNYC]

Without getting into too much details, our boss is a total rockstar, self made and insanely generous to say the least. Not unheard of him to pick up the tab on some amazing things..
Subroc, I am new here so I will not read into your tone too deeply...So thanks for you help and contribution. I am guessing at some point a landscaper and a snow removal service is in the cards. Yet I remember my 1st house, first mortgage and serious bills and those were luxuries that were far from possible. Heck 20 years latter I still shovel my own snow, and mow my own lawn...but I do call a contractor or professional for just about everything of any real importance..

To everyone else who took the time to offer some suggestion or advice, thanks it is greatly appreciated!

 

[oldcpecdr]

Not the only things needed but a Combo 2fer Drill and Impact Driver are the two of my most used home tool list.... Makita is my go to brand. 300.00 will get you a nice package.

Add a miter saw or a slider and there isn't much you can't fix or build except fine furniture.

Mike B

 

[bob15]

I like I would rather have a gift card to HD, Lowes or the local hardware store over someone buying me a drill or other tool. This way, they can pick-out exactly what they want or need; and not what you or anyone on this site thinks they want. You can be creative and stick the gift card onto a snow shovel or rake or even something basic like a shop vac.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

For a diy ryobi or kobalt. Milwaukee and dewalt are professional brands but dewalt is the lower priced of the 2. I do quite a bit of auto repair and work on the house some to and i run dewalt. Milwaukee and dewalt can bo found most any place. Ryobi is Home Depot and kobalt is lowes

 

[anavrinIV]

For a diy ryobi or kobalt. Milwaukee and dewalt are professional brands but dewalt is the lower priced of the 2. I do quite a bit of auto repair and work on the house some to and i run dewalt. Milwaukee and dewalt can bo found most any place. Ryobi is Home Depot and kobalt is lowes

Milwaukee and Makita are only at HD of those locations, and Ridgid is HD only. Lowes carries Dewalt, Hitachi, Craftsman, Porter Cable, and Bosch. IMO if you think he's after any cordless tools I would lean HD as long as there is a store near him. Of the non-pro brands I would lean toward Ryobi purely out of tool selection (over any of the non-big 3)

 

[GarageGuy89]

To be honest, I know him but not really well lol. Just kind of helping out with this. Co workers wanted Milwaukee not 100% other than the perception of quality. I know our boss chipped in already and bought him a huge 400 piece Husky tool set along with large rollaway and top cabinet...

Houses is in CT, so a snow blower and maybe a leaf blower isn't a bad idea!!! 3 car garage guessing about 4,000 sq ft house half acre maybe of land...

I am going to try put together some sort of a master list with plenty of price point options. I am really the wrong person for this, as I have never really needed more than a jig and circular saw along with a drill and basic hand tools..
Hopefully this makes sense without sounding obnoxious, I think for most of the people in our office its more about handing someone a tool that costs a few hundred dollars much more so than if they will every use it or not. I just have a hard time with that thought process lol

Hmmm...something about this is just off. Apartment man buys first house and it's 4k SF. Employer is spending what sounds like a good chunk of money to buy him tools for said house, because he's a nice guy.

Whatever the reason is, I wish he was my boss. I think a gift card will go a lot further and suite the situation better then a specific tool. I mean...if the guy came into work everyday for a year and couldn't stop talk about how he wishes he had XXXX tool, then sure...buy that for him. If this is just a 'nice' house warming gift, then a gift card goes along ways.

my 2 cents...

 

[GothamNYC]

Like I said I don't know him much beyond a work relationship, his team works closely with my guys and we interact but dont BS much ...
I thought I was clear I was estimating but also in our part if the country and with interest rates as insanely low as they are an $800,000 or so (again a guess I didn't buy his house) In a suburban to rural area isn't out of the norm. If his bride to be is making close to what he is making combined income makes it possible...Maybe he is taking on a monster debt load too but I doubt it.

I get the whole gift card thing, however its frowned upon in our work culture. Just the way it is.

I suggested Ryobi as it seems like a bit more bang for the buck and a lot easier to just go down the list and let people pick and choose, home depot apparently has a registry service too that makes it even easier

 

[bob15]

I get the whole gift card thing, however its frowned upon in our work culture. Just the way it is.

I kinda lost at this one.......gift card ~ work culture

What does one have to do with the other?

 

[GothamNYC]

I don't really understand why it is the case but it is viewed as thoughtless and insulting. No clue when it started or why it started but I know for sure it is frowned upon and joked about.

 

[M6erfan]

IMO, a drill driver combo kit would be uber useful. M12, sure why not. Or Bosch, Ryobi, Makita, Rigid. . . Pick your poison.

Not power tools, but a nice hammer and level are pretty much priceless for a first time home owner. Just sayin'.

 

[Gunfixr]

Does this person have any prior experience using tools?
If not, I would say to limit getting much in the way of power tools until he puts in some time with hand tools. This will give him experience and knowledge of what the tools do, before adding power to them.