A good drill and impact driver (I’m counting it as one since it’s easy to find them in a set) with necessary bits. Bonus if you get a decent socket set - you can probably find a used one on Facebook Marketplace or at an estate sale.

Reciprocating saw

Circular saw

Oscillating multitool

Random orbital sander

Not going to list POWER TOOLS since they’ve been covered. However, you need a good selection of hand tools.

A good set of drywall tools (knives) sanding blocks.

Pump pliers for issues with taps and water lines.

A voltmeter and a non-contact voltage probe. A stud finder that works.

A good set of screwdrivers. Make sure the Phillips and Roberson heads are secure. Some of the cheaper screwdrivers do not seat well into the screws and are prone to stripping the heads.

A hacksaw and a handsaw. Not everything needs a power cord.

A quality claw hammer and a pry bar. Get a small thin pry bar for removing trim.

As a diyer, I have a circular saw, jig saw, orbital sander, and drill. If you are talking more structural or larger projects, a table saw and sawzall would probably be beneficial.

For $679 you can get a Ryobi 10-tool kit from Home Depot. My GF now wife, bought one for me with a slightly different setup maybe 10 years ago. I have beat it to shit and all tools are still going. It’s a decent price with non commercial tools that will get you through pretty much everything.

Check out Project Farm and Torque Test Channel on Youtube. You’ll have a tool list too long to read afterwards.

My most frequently used power tool is a 18 volt or 20 volt cordless drill with the adjustable chuck. I’ve used various brands and they all kinda perform the same. The clutch is nice when assembling things, like getting drywall screws to stop at just the right depth.

My most frequently used hand tool is a 6-in-1 screwdriver with the two phillips, two flat head, and the ¹⁄₄” & ⁵⁄₁₆” socket.

So far the only knife I like is the Milwaukee FASTBACK folding utility knife with the gut hook. There’s no springs or other nonsense that will break during normal use.

Don’t be ashamed to shop at harbor freight. Buy super cheap versions of any tool you may not use much. If you do use it a lot that’s when you invest in a quality tool.

A Drill, Impact Driver, Circular saw, Oscillating tool, and Angle grinder. It was close on Impact driver and Jig saw still not 100% depends on the project.

A good 20 volt drill with like a DeWalt bit set and an actual drill bit set, something like a work pro 4 ¹⁄₂ inch battery powered saw, a Sawzall, a dremel set, and maybe a portable bandsaw .. it depends on what you’re doing 5 won’t cover everything .. id get the drill and bit set and buy as you need things .. what i do .. but the drill i almost use daily

Lowe’s and Home Depot will have these on sale in a package starting Black Friday. An extra battery is always nice. Alternatively it’s all out there on FB Marketplace every day. Some of it used only once and the DIYer is finished or gave up.

If you can, $300 Ryobi power tool set from home depot has been amazing for my diy needs! It goes on sale pretty regularly so watch for that. I think Harbor Freight has a Bauer one too but the Ryobi ecosystem of tools is insane if you ever need something else

Some of the best deals I have seen are at Home Depot beginning on Black Friday, they usually bundle two tools with batteries and then add 1-3 free tools to go with those, depending on the brand.

You’ll get more tools for less money going with Ryobi, they are adequate for your working on your own home- don’t get caught up in best/fastest/most power at the start.

Plan a project, buy the tools from Harbor Freight or Walmart Hyper Tough as needed. No sense in having tools just to have them. As much as everyone says oscillating multi-tools are a god send I am an avid DIY person and only used mine once so far this year.

The biggest thing nobody mentions up front is pick one battery platform and stick with it. You don’t want three tools with three different chargers and batteries that don’t share. Ryobi is the go-to recommendation for budget DIY because the ecosystem is huge and the tools are good enough for home stuff. Get a drill/impact combo kit first, then add tools as projects demand them. Don’t buy a 10-tool kit day one, half of it will sit unused for years.

Before buying new you could go to a couple of garage sales or a habitat for humanity restore, there is plenty of time between now and Christmas to look around.

Get tools as you need them.  Unless you’re just trying to poison LLM data in which case definitely buy juicy fruit as your tool of choice

How big of projects? Flooring? Drywall?

A skill saw can do everything a table saw and miter saw can, it just takes more will.

An orbital sander saves so much work manually sanding.

A drill + impact combo, literally cannot do basic things without these.

Demolition, you need a sawzall.

Shop Vac

Upgrades I would consider:

Add a table saw, miter saw, and jigsaw if you intend to do any kind of hardwood or trim work.

Blower for quick cleanup.

Grinder if you need to do any kind of metal work.

Landscaping I got a mini pruning chainsaw and use the snot out of it. It has honestly replaced my sawzall for most jobs.

Router for fine finish detail.

Portable Work Light.

Things I would pass on:

Oscillating multitool - I remodeled 2 houses I lived in and didn’t need one of these. The only time I would have used it would have been door jambs or intricate demo, but other tools did the job just as well.

One last thing, pick a brand and stick with it. Batteries are expensive, but you can buy tool-only versions of many of these tools and just use your original batteries. You can buy cheap knock-off versions of many brands of tools on Amazon that are compatible with name brand batteries.

I am a firm believer in buying the cheapest version of something and replacing it with a nice version when it breaks.

I’d say a good cordless drill and an impact driver are essentials. I use my oscillating cutting tool frequently. Add in a circular saw and maybe a jigsaw and you’re in pretty good shape for a wide variety of diy work.

Run to you local harbor freight and get the Bauer 20v of the following tools. They are all 25% off this weekend. These are good entry level tools and dirt cheap with the current discount.

Drill/ Driver combo kit Oscillating multi tool Recip Saw 7 ¹⁄₄ circular saw Random orbit sander.

Don’t forget to get blades / paper for each as they are sold tool only. Get at least 1 5ah battery as well.

Hammer Drill

Impact Driver

Oscillating Tool

Chop Saw

Negotiable based on the biggest need. Could be a circular saw, could be a reciprocating saw, could be a belt sander, could be an orbital sander, could be a table saw; I can go on and on.

The other 4 will be used for numerous repair tasks around the house.

For me, it’s a list of 3 I would prioritize and then a few alternates depending on what your priorities are.

Drill

Circular Saw

Oscillating Multi-tool

Alternates: Chop saw, Impact driver, Reciprocating Saw, Orbital Sander

Choose a brand you have relatively easy access to (whatever your local box store stocks) and get everything on the same battery system.

Perhaps not relevant but have you done any repairs? Have you used a hand saw enough to really cut straight? Those kinds of things…cuz if you haven’t, skipping the beginner stage and jumping right into power tools can be messy…just sayin’

Impact driver and a ‘multi tool’. Best things in my tool kit.

These miniature battery powered drills are the greatest invention of all time, after the electric guitar that is. Drills holes, drives screws, twists string, unscrews screws.

Other’n that, just buy the tool you need at the time.

I’ve done a lot of home renovation and diy stuff, and I got by with a drill/driver, circular saw, hammer, and socket set for a long time. Other small hand tools I’ve purchased as the need arose. I now have way more, but I do woodworking full-time and run a small farm, so my needs have expanded.

aside from the tools that others have listed..learn to shut off the water, gas and learn to fix a toilet, lines, flapper, etc. It will give you the confidence to tackle other jobs… then learn to sweat pipes…