An assortment of hand tools laid out on a green workbench: open-ended and ring spanners, a mallet, a hammer, a drill bit, a file and a chisel.

Start from the job. Then read the numbers properly.

The right tool is a job first and a specification second.

Pick what you are trying to do and we will tell you which single number actually decides it — and which ones are noise. We are researchers and hobbyists, not tradespeople, and we have not tested these tools.

Photo by Shixart1985, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 — cropped.

Start here

What are you trying to do?

Six jobs cover most of a home workshop, a garage and a garden shed. Each one hangs on a different specification — which is why a single “best tool” answer never survives contact with an actual task.

Cut itsaws, blades, and the cut you are actually makingthe spec that decides it: blade tooth count, not motor watts Make a holedrills, bits, and what the material decidesthe spec that decides it: chuck size and torque, not voltage Join itscrews, bolts, glue and the fixing that suitsthe spec that decides it: impact rate, not raw torque Shape itplanes, routers, files and taking material awaythe spec that decides it: base flatness, not power Measure itsquares, gauges and getting it right firstthe spec that decides it: repeatability, not resolution Maintain itsharpening, rust, batteries and what wears outthe spec that decides it: how it is stored, not how it is cleaned

The decoder

What each specification actually tells you

Every number on a tool box is true, and most are close to useless alone. The third column is the one nobody prints.

Specification

What it tells you

What it does not

Voltage (18V, 20V MAX)

Nothing about power on its own — it is the battery pack’s nominal voltage.

How long it runs, how hard it pulls, or whether it suits your work. 18V and 20V MAX are the same pack measured two ways.

Amp-hours (Ah)

Battery capacity — roughly how long it runs before a recharge.

Power. A bigger Ah pack is heavier and slower to charge; it does not drive screws harder.

Torque (Nm / ft-lbs)

The twisting force the tool can apply at its maximum setting.

Whether it was measured the same way as the tool you are comparing it with. Manufacturers do not agree on the test.

No-load speed (RPM)

How fast it spins with nothing touching the workpiece.

How fast it spins while actually cutting — the number that matters, and is rarely published.

Drive size (1/4, 3/8, 1/2 in)

Which sockets fit, and roughly how much torque the square drive is built to take.

Whether it suits the fastener. A bigger drive is stronger and clumsier in tight spaces.

Brushless

The motor has no carbon brushes to wear out or shed dust.

That it is the right tool. Brushless is a real gain in runtime and life, not a guarantee of quality.

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Everything, by subject

Where things live

AutomotiveSpanners, sockets, jacks and what a garage job actually needs.Buying & ComparingWhat to compare, and which numbers are marketing.Comparisons8 articles.Garden & OutdoorSpades, secateurs, mowers and everything that lives outside.Hand ToolsThe tools that do not plug in, and why they still earn bench space.Measuring & PrecisionGetting it right before anything gets cut.Power ToolsWhat each one is for, and what it is genuinely bad at.Safety & PPEGuards, dust, noise and the protection each job needs.Tool CareSharpening, rust, batteries, and when to repair.WoodworkingCutting, shaping and joining timber.Workshop & StorageBenches, vices, dust, and where things live.

Where this site stops

We explain how tools work and what their specifications mean. We never describe removing or working around a guard, we do not publish speeds, feeds or torque settings — those belong to the manual for your machine — and anything involving fixed wiring, gas or structural work is a job for a qualified tradesperson.

Guards stay onBlade guards, riving knives, interlocks and anti-kickback pawls. No exceptions, no workarounds.
The manual outranks usSpeeds, torque and depth of cut are specific to your machine. We explain what they do, not what to set.
No fixed wiringWorkshop circuits, sub-panels and anything behind a cover are a licensed electrician’s work.
No ranked picksWe do not publish “best of” lists and we have not tested these tools.