5 Power Tools At Home Depot You Should Steer Clear Of (According To User Reviews)

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Home Depot is a consistent presence in the lives of DIYers, home renovators, and just about anyone else who needs a tool or two to get a job done. The home improvement retailer operates over 2,000 stores across nearly 1,500 U.S. cities, spanning 50 states and several territories. Home Depot features all kinds of tools and materials to support your projects, including a range of in-house brands such as Husky and exclusives like Ryobi. Many great tools line the shelves, but buyers have noted that some might be better left there in favor of alternative solutions. In some cases, the tool is a quality asset, but a different purchasing channel is warranted to take advantage of a steep discount.

These five tools are prime examples of good intentions but bad execution. Owners have found that something is missing in the final product to deliver on the value promised by the brand's marketing team and spec sheet. In all fairness, many users still give each of these power tools good reviews, but there are just too many 1-star ratings and a few common themes that continue to crop up for a buyer to write the highlighted problems off as a fluke. 

The Ryobi 15 Amp 10-Inch Corded Table Saw with Rolling Stand offers a solid choice for those working in limited shop spaces or frequently needing to cart gear to jobsites. The tool features a folding stand with wheels integrated into the back end for easy mobility and storage. The table saw is a corded solution with a 15-amp motor. It generates a no-load speed of 5,000 RPM. It can handle a rip capacity up to 27 inches, allowing you to slice a full-sized sheet of plywood or OSB down the middle without resorting to quirky or creative work-holding solutions. The table saw also includes a push stick, miter gauge, rip fence, and a blade guard assembly. It comes with a 10-inch blade and mounting hardware for assembly. The unit weighs just under 51 pounds, making it relatively compact and ready to support mobile cutting in more ways than one.

Buyers give it a 4.2-star average rating. However, even with plenty of great features, including a 3-inch cut depth at 90 degrees and up to a 45-degree tilt in either direction, a few key limitations keep this table saw from reaching its full potential. Reviewers point to an abundance of plastic components in the tool's build. This makes it easy to break, as plenty of reviewers have noted. It also features a single miter slot, which stops you from installing a sled or using other lineup or push tools to improve the quality of your cut.

Unlike the other tools on this list, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Oscillating Multitool with 5.0Ah Battery gets rave reviews from Home Depot customers. The tool has received over 3,600 reviews, producing a 4.7-star average rating. However, this tool suffers from a different problem, and one that's entirely avoidable. At Home Depot, you'll pay $409 for the multitool and a 5.0 battery. At Amazon, the bare tool (including a blade and other accessories but no battery) costs $160, and the battery on its own is listed for $67. That's nearly $200 cheaper than the same bundle at Home Depot, and even less if you're already a Milwaukee tool user and don't need an additional power source. Put another way, you could buy almost four batteries alongside the tool at Amazon for the same price as Home Depot's listing. 

The tool itself is a solid partner for those working on renovation tasks of all sorts. It weighs just over 2.5 pounds and is part of Milwaukee's vaunted M18 Fuel range, featuring a brushless motor and other functional enhancements. It runs with a 4.2-degree oscillation angle and a 10-speed dial ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 OPM. The tool is a quality option for making critical plunge cuts in any setting, but buying it from Home Depot is a costly mistake.

The Ryobi USB Lithium 3/8-Inch Ratchet Kit is a compact turning tool designed to complement toolkits lacking smaller components. The Ryobi USB Lithium lineup features numerous additions that can support similar work requirements to the brand's full-sized, 18-volt tools. This ratchet is rated to deliver up to 10 ft.-lbs. of torque and can handle up to 50 ft.-lbs. of manual turning power. It's augmented by a bright LED light and other helpful additions, alongside the obviously scaled-down tool body. The result is a piece of equipment that's well-suited to small-scale repairs and can handle more demanding needs in tight spaces, too.

Reviewers note that the tool's torque rating doesn't align with the actual performance, though. The tool, it seems, can't deliver enough force for nut turning beyond the simple needs in your garage or home. This may not be a problem for some users, but anyone hoping to replace a larger unit with something small yet powerful will likely want to look elsewhere. This tool has racked up over 100 1-star ratings, with an average of 3.8 stars across the board.

The Bosch 7.5 Amp Corded 4-1/2-Inch Angle Grinder features all the functional hallmarks of a great angle grinder. Compact and maneuverable, the tool weighs just 4.2 pounds and is useful for many tasks and settings. The 7.5 amp motor delivers a no-load speed up to 11,000 RPM. Standard inclusions like an adjustable side handle and wheel guard round out a classic solution for cutting and shaping concrete, metal, and more. 

The tool creates a directed airflow during its natural use, pushing debris away from the internal components of the unit to support longevity. It also includes an integrated carbon brush maintenance process that shuts off the grinder when attention is required. This is designed to help save your grinder from damage that might be caused by overuse issues.

Unfortunately, the tool's 4.3-star average rating at Home Depot places it lower than the typical grinder, with shut-off issues being a common complaint. The tool overheats quickly, and many buyers have noted that the grinder is unreliable in power output because it has trouble remaining functional when called upon. This problem may be due to an issue in the integrated shut-off function, or it could stem from something else. Unwanted shutoffs remain a problem, either way. Other users note this tool vibrates at a notably high rate, making it harder to use in precision work and potentially less safe as well.

DeWalt's XR 20V Max Screw Gun is a technically inspiring piece of equipment. The tool is designed to drive screws in a variety of modes that go beyond the premise of a cordless drill. The mode selector is located on the top of the tool, allowing for one-handed operation. The tool weighs 2.6 pounds, and in many instances, its most useful function is the lock-on mode. This allows the tool to seat a screw with the motor engaged but not spinning. Then, when you press the screw against a workpiece, the tool will kick into gear and drive the fastener. These functions should make fastening jobs more efficient. 

However, in practice, this DeWalt tool doesn't deliver. Users give it a 4.0-star average rating, noting that it doesn't always engage the screw when pressing against a workpiece. Sadly, this means that the tool's value is diminished because it fails to deliver its main function reliably. To make matters worse, many users have noted that the tool doesn't maintain its power very well and has trouble consistently delivering torque even when switching batteries.

Aside from the Milwaukee multitool, each of these tools has earned good, but notably lower ratings on the Home Depot website than competitive alternatives. User feedback notes issues with power output, specialized function, or durability. In the case of the Milwaukee tool, buyers can get the same two-piece package at Amazon for significantly cheaper, making Home Depot a bad place to buy the equipment.