How to compare a power tool

Kit or body only

The usual trap is a bare tool priced against a kit that includes a battery, a charger, and a case. A lower price is often the body only. You then buy a battery that can cost as much as the gap. Read the contents before you sort by price.

Match the kit code with the same kit code. A case follows the same rule: named in the title, or not in the box. Bits and blades are often extra. A saw without a blade does not cut, and the title has to say if a blade is included.

We do not rate cutting speed or drilling speed. Performance claims on the box are the maker’s. Match the specification, then the shop.

Battery platform and corded tools

Voltage and battery platform matter if you already own a brand’s packs. An 18 volt tool from one system does not take another brand’s battery unless the title says so. We do not guess the fit.

Corded and cordless are different purchases. A cheaper corded drill is not a discount on a cordless kit. Confirm a UK plug on a corded tool. A 110 volt site tool is a different product from a 240 volt domestic one. The title or the shop page has to say which.

A spare battery is its own row. Do not treat it as the tool. A charger alone is not a drill.

The hand-tools heading is a different shop

Hand tools, as filed on this site, are often repair adhesives for loose flooring: a tub, a bottle, syringes. They are not a spanner aisle. A 300 millilitre bottle and a 5 litre tub are different amounts. Do not compare them with a drill.

If you wanted a hammer or a screwdriver set, search those words. If you wanted a plunge saw or a mixer, read the object. Bosch rows, for example, can include both a kitchen mixer and a saw. The brand is not the product.

Coverage claims on an adhesive are the maker’s. We do not test bonds. Applicators are included only when the title names them.

When to leave

Leave a tool with no clue whether a battery is in the box. Leave a voltage that will not match the packs you own. Leave a title you cannot read. Leave an adhesive when you searched for a drill.

The feed price excludes postage. A heavy kit costs money to send. Read delivery. One shop is one offer. Visit retailer is an affiliate link. You pay the shop. Commission does not choose the tool. You can stop.

One battery family

If you already own packs, write down the brand and the voltage before you open the list. A kit that includes two batteries is a different offer from a body-only tool on the same platform. A cheaper body that needs a battery you do not own is often the expensive route.

Brushes, a garden tool, and a drill can share a voltage number and still be different platforms. The title has to name the system. We do not try batteries in tools. A charger from one brand on another brand’s pack is a guess, and the guess is yours to avoid.

Blades, bits, and site voltage

A plunge saw and a drill are different tools. A blade for one saw is not included because a photo shows a cut in timber. Bits in a case are included only when the case is in the title. Count them if the title gives a number.

Site tools at 110 volts need a transformer you may not have at home. A 240 volt domestic tool is the other product. Read the voltage. A cordless tool avoids that question and adds the battery question instead. Pick the question you can answer.

Adhesives are not this decision

The hand-tools department is currently full of floor-repair adhesive, syringes, and tubs. That is a fair product and a different guide question: volume, not voltage. Do not let a cheap bottle set the low price on a drill search.

Leave a kit with no contents list. Leave a corded tool if you needed cordless, or the reverse. Postage on a heavy case is real. Read it on the shop. One offer is one shop. You can stop.

Before you click

Write battery platform or corded, and 240 volt or cordless, before you sort. A body-only price is not the kit price. Bits, blades, and a case are in the box only when named. The hand-tools heading is currently adhesive. Do not let a bottle of floor repair set the cheapest tool.

If you already own packs, the cheapest tool on another platform is the expensive one. We do not try the fit. Leave a title that hides the contents. Read delivery on a heavy case. One shop is one offer, and stopping is allowed.

A brushless claim, a torque figure, and a weight in kilograms are the maker’s. Use them to tell two listings of one model apart, not as a score from this site. A kit with two batteries is for a day’s work without stopping to charge. A kit with one battery is a different offer. The case, if it is soft or hard, is worth noticing only when it is named, because a heavy bare tool is awkward to store. Corded tools avoid the battery and add a lead length. If the lead length is missing, check the shop. A 110 volt tool for a site is the wrong plug for a domestic socket unless you already own the transformer.

Dust extraction, a side handle, and a depth stop are features for a particular tool and they count only when the title lists them. A garden trimmer on the same battery platform is not the drill. Keep the search on the tool you named. A kit code that includes the charger should be compared with the same kit code, not with a bare body that assumes you already own the charger. If you do not own it, price the kit.