5 Power Tools On Amazon You Should Steer Clear Of (According To User Reviews)

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Whether you're looking for hand tools on Amazon or power tools, the online retailer's sprawling range means you should always be able to find what you're looking for. However, browsing through such a large range can get confusing — many power tools on Amazon receive strong reviews, and many can be priced similarly, and there are plenty of knock-off tools listed alongside tools from big-name brands. If you're not careful, it can be easy to end up buying a tool that isn't quite what you expected.

Buying tools from major brands like Milwaukee on Amazon comes with its own risks, but the tools themselves benefit from a brand-wide reputation for power and reliability. However, if you take a chance and buy a temptingly priced tool from a lesser-known brand, you might end up with a bargain, or you might receive a tool that's disappointing or even unsafe to use. Scanning through reviews left by previous buyers can help give you an idea of what's worth avoiding, with these five tools all receiving a particularly concerning amount of negative reviews from Amazon customers.

Many buyers who purchase tools from unknown brands on Amazon will be aware that they're taking a gamble on how capable the tool will be. Quality control standards from these brands may be below the level of a major manufacturer, but there are a few basics you'd expect from any top-selling power tool. For example, you wouldn't expect the tool to start emitting smoke during its first few uses, or for a prong to come loose from its charger and then get stuck in your wall outlet.

Unfortunately, reviewers report both of those things happening with the Comoware 20V Cordless Drill Set. The drill's average review score on Amazon isn't especially low, with a current average score of 4.3 out of five stars from over 7,600 reviews at the time of writing. However, with over 400 one-star reviews, it's clear that there are serious variations in quality between individual examples of the tool.

More than a dozen reviewers allege that their tools started smoking during use, while others reported that the drill produced a worrying amount of heat. Many more said it lacked power or stopped working after a few uses. It might be cheap, at a retail price of $31.99, but given the significant number of users reporting alarming quality control defects with the drill, it's still advisable to steer clear of it.

The Saminvor Cordless Reciprocating Saw is just one of many power tools on Amazon that's listed in a way that could confuse buyers. The listing title is stuffed with keywords including "for DeWalt 20V Battery," and the product description lists a number of DeWalt batteries that the tool is supposedly compatible with, including DCB200, DCB201, and DCB203. Combine that with the yellow and black color scheme of the tool, and it might be easy to assume at first glance that this tool is affiliated in some way with DeWalt.

However, the $46.99 Saminvor reciprocating saw is a knock-off tool, and is not in any way a DeWalt affiliated product. The saw has received just over 100 reviews from buyers at the time of writing, with an average rating of 4.2 stars. The most negative reviews mostly allege that the tool either didn't work out of the box or stopped working after a very short period.

Even reviewers who left five-star scores weren't unanimously positive about the tool, with one reviewer noting that "build quality may not quite be up to an actual DeWalt tool," and another saying that the "saw itself is not the quickest or strongest." Given the tool's murky origins, questionable advertising, and unconvincing feedback, it's probably best to pay a little extra for a saw from a more reputable brand — or, if your budget allows, from DeWalt itself.

Even many power tools with some concerning quality control issues tend to receive an average rating of at least four stars overall on Amazon, so when a tool gets a sub-four star average, it's definitely worth proceeding with caution. The Shop Fox W1840 Variable-Speed Grinder has racked up around 110 reviews at the time of writing, but across all of them it has only been given an average rating of 3.8 out of five stars.

Like many other poorly-reviewed power tools, a common complaint about the Shop Fox grinder was variable quality control. One reviewer who left a three-star review said that their first tool was so poorly manufactured that they had to return it, but then the second tool they received had far fewer defects. However, some buyers were even more unlucky. A reviewer who left a two-star score also returned their first grinder, only to receive a second example that had "one of the wheels [...] so far out of true on the sides [that] it is useless."

Multiple one-star reviews also allege various other issues, with one reviewer claiming that the tool "overheated so badly that it burned the label on the case." If that wasn't already enough to make the tool worth avoiding, it's far from cheap to boot, with a retail price of $295.

Much like the Saminvor reciprocating saw, the Natbeesy Cordless Jig Saw is another DeWalt knock-off that's designed to look similar to the American brand's tools and runs using its 20V Max batteries. It's also cheaper than the equivalent DeWalt tool, retailing for $59.99. However, unlike the Saminvor, the Natbeesy saw listing also highlights the tool as being "Amazon's Choice." At a glance, buyers might assume that this label means Amazon is specifically endorsing the tool, but that isn't the case.

In reality, badges like "Overall Pick" and "Amazon's Choice" don't mean much. The labels are applied by an algorithm rather than being picked by a human, and according to Amazon, they're given to "highly rated, well-priced products." Despite that, the "Amazon's Choice" Natbeesy saw actually has a lower average rating than most other jig saws on the platform, with a score of four out of five stars from around 150 reviews.

A common theme among negative reviews for the Natbeesy saw is that the tool either didn't last or didn't work at all, with one reviewer claiming that "after using it maybe four times it started smoking and it was dead." Even some reviewers who left more positive scores overall weren't convinced about its build quality or its expected longevity. There are plenty of more consistently well reviewed budget jig saws out there, so this one is worth a miss.

There's no getting around the fact that cordless power tool batteries are expensive, but batteries from big brands like DeWalt and Milwaukee are designed to last for hundreds of charge cycles and multiple years of hard use. Buying cheap power tool batteries comes with no such guarantees.

The Novorik Cordless Angle Grinder is a cheaper tool than an equivalent from a big-name brand, and it comes with a pair of its own 2Ah batteries. It might initially sound like a good deal for $39.99, but a number of reviewers highlight issues with the tool's batteries. Multiple reviewers who left four or five-star ratings say that its battery life is relatively short, while others point out that the tool isn't suitable for heavy use.

Most concerningly, a string of negative reviews allege that the tool is prone to overheating, with two reviews even alleging that the battery began to melt during normal use. Others say that the batteries fail after a few uses or after being stored for a short period of time. Overall, the tool has received an average rating of 4.1 out of five stars from around 280 reviews, making it one of the lowest rated tools in its segment.

Each of our selected tools had at least 100 reviews, and an average score that was among the lowest in their respective segments. Our picks were based solely on the feedback left through user reviews on Amazon. All prices listed in the article refer to the list price as displayed by Amazon at the time of writing, and do not account for temporary discounts or promotional prices.

These power tools are just a small snapshot of the many tools available on Amazon that have racked up plenty of concerning reviews from buyers. As such, our intention is to spotlight a selection of poorly reviewed tools while drawing attention to a non-exhaustive set of common issues that Amazon power tool buyers might encounter.