Gas powered or charged? Cordless or corded? Makita or Milwaukee? What is the real difference between them, and do you really need to know? Of course you need to know. Besides the fact that certain power tools are better for certain projects, it’s your money that’s being spent on these items. With that said, here are a few tips to picking the right power tools, either for the project or job at hand or for your collection.

First things first, you need to figure out how much you will be using a particular power tool. If you’re planning on building a house, you’ll probably be using an electric saw or power drill a bit more than if you’re building a small shed. In this case, it would be a good idea to invest a bit more of your hard earned money into a high grade, professional-quality power tool than to buy a new lower-end model several times during the duration of the project. After all, the lower end models simply aren’t to be used as often as the professional ones. On the flip side of that, if you have a relatively small project to complete and you don’t foresee many additional ones down the road, there’s not really a need to pay the price of a higher-end power tool.

When it comes to the flexibility of cordless power tools, there are both pros and cons to buying such a tool. The cordless tools have a battery pack to give the necessary power to the tool, but it needs to be charged when not in use. These battery packs can last anywhere from one to several hours, depending on the brand, model, and of course, the price. If your project needs require only a few hours of one power tool at a time, leaving enough time for the battery pack and tool to be recharged before it’s needed again, a cordless power tool will be an asset to your tool chest. But if the tool is something you’ll be using over and over again without time to recharge, you’re better off with a corded power tool and several extension cords. What good would the best power tool be to you and your project if you can’t use it because the battery pack is dead?

When the question arises about gas-powered tools, it would have to depend on your personal preferences. I personally don’t like to have extra gas lying around in my garage because I have a small child. Other than that, gas gives you a lot of the finer traits of the cordless tools, plus the longevity of the corded.