12 Home Depot Tools Under $150 Worth Adding To Your Collection

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Filling out your tool collection on a budget can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. If you wanted to fill a shopping cart with several thousand dollars worth of high-end tools, you could certainly do that, and we've got some recommendations. But it's also possible to find useful, high-quality tools at more affordable prices.

Whether you're looking to add something to your own tool collection, shopping for the DIY or tool enthusiast in your life, or just looking for a specific tool for a specific job, you can probably find what you're looking for without breaking the bank.

We combed through Home Depot's offerings to find quality tools at a reasonable price. These tools aren't just affordable, they're also highly rated by consumers and professional reviewers. Your mileage may vary, and these specific tools might not be suitable for your individual needs, but you can confidently consider adding them to your collection. Each tool costs less than $150.

Oscillating multi-tools can be useful in the workshop because of their versatility. Tiny back-and-forth motions of just a few degrees jiggle a blade, and depending on the blade attachment, the tool can cut, sand, scrape, and otherwise modify a variety of materials.

Coming in just under the wire at $149 (at the time of writing), there are certainly more affordable multi-tools on the market, but Milwaukee's M18 oscillating multi-tool has longer run time and faster cutting than many of its competitors. It can deliver between 11,000 and 18,000 oscillations per minute (OPM) and features tool-free blade changing and an all-metal gear case.

The Milwaukee M18 is a top-rated multi-tool among both reviewers and consumers. It's described as ideal for contractors, repair techs, remodelers, and electricians, so it can probably handle most of what the average DIYer throws at it. The tool comes with a wood-cutting blade, sanding pad, and five assorted sanding sheets. With the right collection of blades, this could become one of the most useful tools in your collection.

Ryobi's ONE+ 18V cordless jig saw is essentially a handheld reciprocating saw that you can use to make custom cuts in wood, drywall, and other materials. While a circular saw or table saw might be useful for making straight cuts, this lets you cut out complex shapes. There are plenty of jig saws to choose from, but at just $79, this one made our list of Ryobi tools that are no-brainers at their price.

A variable-speed trigger lets you control the rate of reciprocation, up to 3,000 strokes per minute (SPM), according to your needs. The base adjusts up to 45 degrees left or right for making angled cuts, and battery power from the ONE+ 18V battery means you can easily take it on the go without worrying about cord-length limitations or tripping hazards.

You can swap out the blades without any tools, and an onboard LED work light helps illuminate your workspace. It also comes with a non-marring shoe to protect your work surface, a T-shank wood-cutting blade, and a hex wrench. The tool is sold on its own, without a battery or charger. However, it is part of Ryobi's ONE+ platform, so if you already have other Ryobi ONE+ tools, it will work with the batteries and charger you already have.

SlashGear's own Varun Mirchandani called rotary tools "the Swiss Army knives of the DIY world," citing their compact size and versatility. You can choose from a wide range of accessory attachments to do a variety of jobs, from removing grout between tiles to polishing metal and more.

Milwaukee's M12TM cordless rotary tool is lightweight and powerful, weighing just 1.4 pounds without the battery and spinning at tens of thousands of RPM. It measures just nine inches long and features a rubber-overmolded handle for comfortable long-term use.

The M12TM boasts 40% longer runtime than competitors in its class. It has a universal collet compatible with all 1/32-inch to 1/8-inch accessories. A battery gauge on the surface displays remaining charge, and you can choose from six different speed settings between 5,000 and 37,000 RPM. It comes in a kit with five cutting wheels, a mandrel, and a wrench. A charger and battery are not included, but it's compatible with all batteries and chargers in Milwaukee's M12 line. Milwaukee rotary tools ranked highly (fourth out of 14) on our ranked list of rotary tool brands, and the M12TM retails for $119.

Sanders come in many shapes and sizes. There are handheld or table-mounted sanders, oscillating sanders, rotating belt sanders, and more. No matter how they're made, sanding machines all have the same primary goal: removing small pieces of material and smoothing the surface of work materials.

One of the major benefits of the Milwaukee M18 random orbit sander is its random movements, which reduce the likelihood of leaving swirl marks on your finished product. It has a 5-inch sanding surface, a filtered dust canister, and a variable-speed dial that lets you set the orbital speed between 7,000 and 12,000 orbits per minute (OPM). The tool retails for $149 at the time of writing.

Its lightweight construction and cordless design make it a promising portable sanding option. We recommended it as one of five Milwaukee sanders that could help with home woodworking projects. As part of Milwaukee's M18 lineup, it outpaces its M12 counterparts, offering up to 35 minutes of run time with an M18 REDLITHIUM 3Ah battery (sold separately).

Pretty much every tool collection needs a good power drill. It's often the first (and sometimes only) power tool in the average person's tool collection. With a basic collection of bits, you can use a power drill to both drill holes and fasten or remove a wide variety of fasteners.

The DeWalt 20V MAX cordless 1/2-inch drill/driver features a dual-speed motor, delivering up to 450 RPM on the lower setting and up to 1,500 RPM on the higher setting. It has a 1/2-inch chuck that accepts a wide range of common drill bits.

For $129, users get the drill, two 1.3Ah 20V MAX batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. It could serve as the foundation of your tool collection, and consumers love it. It also made our list of five Home Depot tools you'll want for your next yard project because of its high-performance 300-watt motor and lightweight construction.

An angle grinder is a common tool among folks who work with metal, but its applications are much broader. Angle grinders can be used to remove corrosion or old, chipped paint. You can use an angle grinder to cut wood, tile, stone, or metal.

Angle grinders can be used to grind, sand, smooth, or sharpen a variety of materials. If you're looking for an angle grinder, the DeWalt DCG412B 20V MAX cordless 4.5-inch to 5-inch angle grinder is a good place to start at just $137.52. It has a two-position side handle, a protective guard, and a motor that offers up to 8,000 RPM. It comes with a 5-inch T27 metal grinding wheel and is capable of tool-free wheel changes.

If you want a battery and charger, you'll have to buy those separately. However, if you already use other DeWalt 20V MAX tools, their batteries and chargers will work with this one.

A plane or planer can be an invaluable tool when working with wood. It typically consists of a housing with a blade held at a slight angle. When pulled across the surface, the blade shaves off a thin layer of wood.

The ability to remove thin slices from a material's surface can be useful if you accidentally cut a piece of wood a little too large and need to shave it down. It can also be useful if you want to remove surface imperfections or make the exterior more even. Ryobi's ONE+ 18V cordless 3-1/4-inch planer has a blade 3.25 inches wide, which shaves off up to 1/16 inch with each pass.

While our ancestors had to use hand planes and muscle to shave the surface of their materials, this tool uses battery power to make the process a little easier. It comes in a kit with two double-edged blades, a blade wrench, edge guide, and dust bag, currently available at a discounted price of $41.95. There's also an automatic kickstand and a clip-on valve that attaches to either side of the tool to redirect dust away from the user. Those features and the affordable price point are why the Ryobi ONE+ cordless 3-1/4-inch planer is one of the top-rated Ryobi tools to come out in the last few years.

A cordless reciprocating saw is similar to a jigsaw, but quite a bit more portable. It works by rapidly moving a saw blade back and forth. The DeWalt DCS380B 20-Volt Max Lithium-Ion reciprocating saw delivers up to 3,000 strokes per minute with a 1.125-inch stroke length.

A portable reciprocating saw can be used to cut or trim materials in tighter spaces than some other saws can accommodate. The DCS380B weighs just 6.43 pounds, and it runs on DeWalt's 20V MAX battery platform, so there aren't any cords to get in the way or keep you tethered to a wall. A rubber-overmolded grip provides improved comfort and balance, letting you cut through wood and metal with confidence and relative ease. Its versatility makes it an all-purpose tool capable of handling materials ranging from drywall to wood and metal, so you can complete projects without unnecessary tool changes. At $129, the DCS380B combines power, comfort, convenience, and affordability.

Measuring standards and methods have changed and evolved quite a bit over the last several centuries. Until relatively recently in human history, units of measurement often changed from one culture to another, sometimes even from one town to the next. Many modern standards of measurement were only defined in the last couple of centuries; the metric system wasn't even introduced until the 1790s.

As units of measurement evolved, so did the tools we use to measure things. A long time ago, things were literally measured in hands and feet. A good tape measure was about the best measuring tool your granddad could hope for, but today you can use lasers. The Bosch BLAZE laser measure can measure distances up to 100 feet, in increments as small as 1/32 inch, at literally the speed of light (minus processing time).

A rubber-overmolded housing protects the tool and makes it more comfortable in the hand. A high-contrast digital display shows you the distance reading, and measurements are accurate to within 1/16 inch at distances up to 100 feet. It runs on ordinary AAA batteries, has made several of our lists in the past, and retails for just $64.97.

If you only have to drive a few nails every now and again, you can probably get by with an ordinary hammer. If you drive nails more often than that, you might benefit from a mechanical nailer. The Ryobi P321 ONE+ 18V 18-gauge cordless AirStrike brad nailer can drive up to 1,900 nails on a single charged battery, and it has a smaller snout than previous models, so it can get into tighter locations.

Ryobi's AirStrike line provides the driving power of an air-fed nailer, but it doesn't need an air compressor to work. With battery packs for power and without attached lines, you can easily take the P321 on the go. That's part of why we selected it as a "Need" on our list of five Ryobi products you need and five to avoid. It's billed as the lightest cordless brad nailer in its class, and it can sink nails up to two inches long into hardwood. It's a compact and powerful nailer for $169.

If you spend any time working more than a couple of feet off the ground, a ladder not only makes those jobs easier, it also makes them safer. Especially if the alternative is climbing a tree or jumping from a shed to a roof.

The Werner 16-foot 6-in-1 multi-position ladder offers plenty of bang for your buck. It can hold up to 375 pounds (per side) and can be configured in six different ways depending on your needs: a safe-leaning ladder, a double-sided twin step ladder, a stairway ladder, a 90-degree wall ladder, an extension ladder, or two scaffold bases.

Coming in at just under $150 at the time of writing, it's as comfortable in a homeowner's tool shed as it is in the back of a contractor's truck. It extends up to 16 feet long in extension mode, folds down for storage, and you can change the ladder's position with relative ease using a one-handed lever. Reddit users on r/Tools generally agree that these ladders are incredibly useful but heavy and hard to transport from one place to the next.

If you have trees near your home, you've probably noticed they aren't just pretty to look at. They're also living things that grow and change. Left to their own devices, the limbs of a tree could continue to grow until they punch a hole through your wall. If you don't want that to happen, you'll probably need to trim some tree branches every now and then.

It sounds simple enough, but trimming trees can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you have lots of limbs that need pruning or if the branches are out of reach. Unless you want to climb out onto a high branch holding a handsaw like some sort of ill-fated cartoon character, you might want to consider something like the Ryobi ONE+ 18V 8-inch cordless oil-free pole saw. Users of Reddit's r/Tools generally agree that it's not for professionals, but it's perfectly good for the average homeowner trying to tame their yard.

It features an 8-inch saw attached to the end of a telescoping pole that extends up to 9.5 feet. It can cut through branches up to 6 inches thick, and it can make up to 16 cuts on a charge using an 18V ONE+ 1.5Ah battery. If that's not enough cutting power, you can extend the runtime with a larger Ryobi ONE+ 18V battery. No matter what, this tool helps you cut high branches with relative ease.

Narrowing down a list like this is largely an exercise in elimination. The headline makes a few promises. You know you're going to see tools that are available at Home Depot, you know those tools will each cost under $150, and you know they're worth considering for your personal tool collection.

The first step in identifying the tools for this list was to gather all of Home Depot's offerings and eliminate anything over the $150 threshold and anything with a rating under 4 stars on the Home Depot website. From there, we identified the types of tools we wanted represented on the list (drills, planers, sanders, etc.) and compared their specifications, reviews, and ratings to select the strongest option in each category.

In addition, each item on this list, with the exception of the multi-position ladder, has at least 1,000 reviews and a rating of 4.3 stars or higher. Beyond broad consumer consensus from Home Depot customers, the value of these items is also supported by a combination of reviews from SlashGear, general consensus within the online community of tool enthusiasts, and personal experience. You should only buy tools that make sense for your skill level and needs, but you can be confident that these options are worth considering.