Battery-powered drill a must

If you can afford only one power tool, it should be a battery-operated drill/driver. It’s a good thing to have around whether you live in an apartment or a house, whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or prefer to have someone do it for you. You’ll want a drill/driver that is easy to use right out of the box, will not tax your hand or arm muscles, and can recharge quickly.

Need to know: The power of the battery. Look for drill/drivers with batteries of 12, 14.4 or 18 volts, which are appropriate for typical jobs around the house. But be sure you can handle the tool you buy; the greater the battery power, the heavier a drill/driver tends to be. Lift a few in the store; hold them up for a while. You’ll want to be able to use the tool for prolonged periods without muscle strain.

Operating manual: Why does weight make a difference? Say you’re drilling holes so you can hang a window shade. If you can’t hold the drill/driver steady, the hole may end up being larger than the screw that holds the hardware, and the shade will be loose because of it.

Then you’ll have to adjust the location, or maybe even drill another hole in the hardware to match a new, better hole in the wood.

Avoiding such extra effort is important, whether you’ll be using the tool a lot or just occasionally.