This Power Tool Brand Ranked As No. 1 In New Study (And Milwaukee Wasn't Even Top 3)

Lifestory Research's annual study on America's most trusted power tools is here, and DeWalt has taken the top spot for 2026. In this national consumer study measuring everything from trust to reliability to performance across the industry, more than 14,000 opinions from across the U.S. put DeWalt as their number one. With a Net Trust Quotient Score of 119.7, DeWalt earned the highest overall trust rating among 13 major brands evaluated. Surprisingly, Milwaukee didn't even crack the top three.

These 2026 results mark the fifth consecutive year DeWalt has been crowned as favorite. (They are the most popular power tool brand in the country, after all.) Craftsman placed second with a score of 114.0, followed by Bosch at 112.3. Milwaukee ranked fourth at 112.2, narrowly missing the top three despite being loved by so many tool enthusiasts. Makita, Stanley, Black+Decker, and Ryobi rounded out the middle of the list, while Husky and Irwin came in at 12th and 13th, respectively.

The study focused exclusively on feedback from consumers who reported actively shopping for power tools within the past 12 months. Participants were first asked to identify brands they recognized, then to evaluate trustworthiness based on their experiences. The resulting Net Trust Quotient Score weighs advocates, neutral respondents, and skeptics alike using standardized statistical methods so they can make direct comparisons across brands. As a result, the rankings are based entirely on consumer sentiment, not expert panels or third-party reviews.

You already know DeWalt's top dog in 2026 (and for much of the 2020s), but how else do things compare to 2025? Well, for one, DeWalt earned a slightly higher Net Trust Quotient Score in last year's study compared to this year: 120.2 over 119.7. So, while it still came out on top, it's with a lower score overall. Craftsman, Bosch, and Milwaukee all followed in the same general order last year, too, but Stanley and Makita traded places behind them. But, just like DeWalt, all mentioned brands's scores were also down for 2026 over 2025.

It's a troubling trend for tool manufacturers out there: People's loyalty to one brand over another hasn't changed, per se, but there's a dip in trustworthiness scores that suggests the rankings could change in years to come. After all, as Lifestory Research notes, trust plays an enormous role in purchasing decisions, while durability, safety, and performance all follow. Brands that maintain trust are more likely to see repeat purchases and recommendations, while those that lose credibility face serious harm to their brand loyalty. A win's a win, but if trust falls further, the 2027 rankings could be a real shake-up among the major power tool brands.