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Even if consider yourself an experienced do-it-yourselfer and own a shed filled with power tools, chances are good you’re only scratching the surface of what’s out there to help you tackle projects around the house. In fact, if any particular aspect of a DIY project annoys, chances are decent someone has already designed a power tool that solves the problem—provided you know what to look for.
These nine power tools might not be found in every tool cabinet, but all of them can all make your DIY life a whole lot easier.
A brushless drywall sander
If you’re like me, doing any sort of drywall work is a frustrating experience—especially the sanding part, which is a sweaty, dusty mess (unless you wet sand, which can really reduce the dust). If you’re tired of sanding and sanding and sanding, rejoice, because you can buy yourself a power drywall sander like this one from Dewalt. Cordless and extendable, this makes sanding down drywall a breeze, using hook-and-loop sandpaper pads that you can buy at just about any hardware store. It’s important to note that while the sander has a vacuum hose, you’ll need to hook up a separate vacuum to capture the dust. Dewalt sells a range of dust extractors, but you can use any shop vac with a HEPA filter—but you might need a vacuum connector to make it work. Fire up the vac, pop in a battery, and suddenly sanding your drywall is a cleaner and simpler experience. (You can see it in action here.)
A cordless caulking gun
Caulking should be easy. Load a cartridge into even the cheapest caulk gun, squeeze the trigger, caulk comes out. But getting a clean, consistent bead of caulk with an old-school manual gun is a challenge, and if you’re doing a lot of caulking your future most likely includes hand cramps. That’s why a powered caulking gun is the kind of mind-blowingly obvious power tool to add to your kit. Load up your caulk, press a button, and an absolutely perfect bead of caulk comes out for as long as you need it to (or as long as the cartridge holds out). Most models have adjustable speeds so you can find the sweet spot for the job.
Power scissors
If you’re cutting stuff with manual scissors, stop—especially if you’re cutting awkward, thick stuff like sheets of plastic, or that deadly clamshell plastic packaging that quickly becomes a dangerous weapon as you struggle to get it open. A cordless power scissor will slice through that stuff easily—a blessing if you’re going to be cutting up a lot of stuff and you don’t want to have to ice your forearm later.
An auto hammer
Still swinging a hammer like a caveman? Still mangling your thumbs and denting everything within a few inches of your intended nail? Once you use an auto hammer you will never go back. Just load a nail onto the magnetic strike plate, position it, and press the trigger. The auto hammer will drive a wide range of nails with little effort, saving you time and sweat—not to mention your thumbs.
A track saw kit
Anyone who regularly does projects around the house probably has a circular saw in their tool collection. But even with careful measuring a circular saw can betray you when it comes to straight lines—especially if you need to cut a very long piece. This can be especially frustrating when you’re ripping down a piece of wood and need a very straight, level edge. Not everyone has space for—or can afford—a table saw, but with a track saw kit you can get perfectly straight cuts without the bulk of a table saw. The track can be affixed horizontally or vertically, to walls or other surfaces—anywhere that requires a perfectly straight cut.
What do you think so far?
A finger sander
Most casual DIYers have sandpaper in their toolbox. Some might even have a power sander tucked away somewhere. But if you need to sand narrow or difficult-to-reach surfaces, conventional sandpaper can be a frustrating experience and most power sanders will be way too large and inflexible. Having a finger sander (aka a detailing or file sander) will give you the ability to reach those difficult spaces and sand with a fine amount of control.
An air snake for cleaning drains
If you’re like me, you’ve come to regard that mechanical snake you bought years ago as a crock: Every time the drain slows down you jam that cable down into your drain, turn the crank, and…nothing happens. You end up having to take your plumbing apart in order to locate and clear the clog. Unless you have an air snake kit like this. Without removing anything, the air gun uses a shot of high-pressure air to clear traps and pipes, turning an hour of sweaty work into about three minutes.
A power wheelbarrow
Getting your garden together? Dealing with landscaping headaches? Hauling pebbles to your driveway? Whatever you’re using a wheelbarrow for, you know they were designed for medieval peasants who never expected to live past the age of thirty and will leave your back feeling like a pretzel. This is why a power-assisted wheelbarrow like this one is a must if you use a wheelbarrow more than…well, ever. The motor adds just enough thrust to make pushing it a breeze, even on inclines.
A 4-in-1 Drill
Power drills are standard in any toolkit, and make both easy and complex projects a lot simpler. There are even specialty drill bits that can make drilling and driving screws around corners and in tight spaces much easier. But none of those solutions can compare to a 4-in-1 drill like this one from Milwaukee. The attachments can be fitted to each other, so you can come up with solutions on the fly without sacrificing torque—even drilling around pipes or other obstacles that block your bits and make even a flexible drill bit difficult to use.
