4 Affordable DeWalt Tools That Won't Overwhelm First-Time Users

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Starting a tool collection can be a rather intimidating prospect. If someone with little to no handwork experience comes into contact with a giant circular saw or a grinder, they may not know where to start learning to use them, and, quite frankly, there are plenty of people who do not need these tools in their homes. Beyond that, amassing a bunch of tools can be an incredibly costly endeavor, as some of these pieces of equipment can cost hundreds of dollars, if not more. While some newbies may see these barriers as an excuse to completely forgo getting any tools at all, it is good to have at least a few tools in your arsenal for standard household work. DeWalt, one of the highest-ranked tool brands, is here to help out those with little experience who are on a budget.

Here, we are going to spotlight four different DeWalt tools that can act as great starting points for someone needing to get their first household tools. Not only are these tools relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of the tool market, but they are also rather simple pieces of equipment that most novices should be able to pick up and use with some ease without a ton of experience. These tools will range from battery-operated power tools that are toolbox essentials to handheld conveniences that can help you speed up your work in certain situations.

Few tools are as easy to use as a glue gun. All you have to do is load up a stick of glue into the back of the gun, wait for it to heat up and start melting, and then pull the trigger to apply glue to whatever project you need. For those looking for a glue gun, you can get yourself the DeWalt Rapid Heat Ceramic Glue Gun. This is a corded tool that you have to plug directly into an outlet. While the cord's length limits where you can go with the gun, you save money by not needing a battery or charger to accompany the tool. Just plug it in, and you are good to go.

The DeWalt glue gun is available on Amazon for just $17.99. Glue is sold separately by third-party companies, but you can get hundreds of glue sticks for less than the price of the gun itself. Customers are rather pleased with this glue gun as well. Amazon customers have given it an overall satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on well over 1,800 individual reviews. Reviews frequently cite the ease of use and quality build as its strengths, along with how quickly it heats up. DeWalt states that the gun can handle up to 50 glue sticks per hour, so high-volume glueing should not be an issue. The DeWalt Rapid Heat Ceramic Glue Gun may seem like a specialty tool, but it's an affordable piece that may come in handy when you least expect it.

Some power tools exist because there is simply no other way to complete a certain complicated task. There are also plenty of tools out there that are mainly to expedite tasks that could take you an awfully long time if done manually. One of those tools would have to be the DeWalt Cordless Screwdriver with FlexDrive Control. Whether you are fixing a light switch or fixing a screw in a tight area, you will most assuredly need a screwdriver at some point. Instead of having an array of differently sized Phillips-head and flathead screwdrivers in a drawer, this electric screwdriver that experts say is among the best on the market gives you all of that optionality in one device and can tighten or loosen screws much faster than by hand.

The DeWalt electric screwdriver runs on a rechargeable battery that can be charged with an included USB cable. Along with the screwdriver and cable, you receive 12 different bits to affix to the end of the screwdriver, letting you get exactly the right bit for what you need. This whole set is available on Amazon for $83.55. That may seem like a lot when you see the word "screwdriver," but when you consider that this is actually a dozen screwdrivers in one (plus the added convenience factor), it's a rather reasonable asking price. Based on over 9,500 customer ratings on Amazon, it has an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars, indicating that very few people regret spending the money. In terms of being a beginner's first power tool, you can't really ask for something easier to use.

If there is one power tool any person should have, it's a drill/driver. From mounting a television on your wall to putting together furniture, having a drill/driver is a vital piece of equipment to have at home, and, by and large, it is pretty easy to use as well. A great starter drill/driver is the DeWalt Atomic 20V Cordless Half-Inch Drill/Driver. This is a pretty basic and rather compact drill/driver that should not be too intimidating for a first timer. DeWalt also packages this drill/driver with everything a newbie needs, namely a 20V Max 2.0 Ah battery and a charger. While there are bigger 20V batteries available, a newcomer to drilling should be perfectly fine with a 2.0 Ah, a battery size perfect for a number of DeWalt tools.

The Home Depot sells this DeWalt drill/driver kit for $119. Keep in mind, this also includes the battery and charger. Making this an even more enticing offer is that the 20V Max battery can be used with a plethora of other DeWalt tools if you choose to expand your arsenal in the future, once you become more comfortable with handiwork. Customers who purchased this from The Home Depot are almost universally thrilled with it, earning an overall customer satisfaction average of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Reviews frequently cite the ease of use as one of its top benefits, which is great news for newbies. For beginners in need of a must-have tool, this DeWalt drill/driver is about as must-have as it gets.

The last tool on this list some may not even think of as a tool, as it is such a common household item. That tool is the DeWalt 20V Max Half-Gallon Wet/Dry Portable Vacuum. This handheld vacuum weighs less than 4 pounds and can handle cleanup in just about any situation you can think of. Whether you spill a bunch of soil while potting a plant or need to suck up a puddle of dirty water off your bathroom floor, this DeWalt vacuum should be more than capable of handling the task. You can use either the built-in mouth on the vacuum for general cleanup or the detachable hose to get into every nook and cranny you can imagine.

With a price tag of $129 at The Home Depot, this is the most expensive tool on this list, but when you consider that something like the Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum costs $299.99, the price for the DeWalt model is certainly a lot more appetizing for those on a budget. Importantly, this vacuum requires a DeWalt 20V battery to operate, much like the aforementioned drill/driver, and the $129 price does not include the battery or a charger. While those can be costly, it is important to remember that this 20V battery can be used with many different DeWalt power tools, not just the vacuum. The Home Depot customers have given it an overall satisfaction average of 4.3 out of 5 stars, with a particular focus on its efficiency and ease of use. The DeWalt portable wet/dry vacuum may not be an obvious choice, but it's a good tool to have.

Several factors were considered when selecting a DeWalt tool for this list. First, the tool needed to be relatively easy to use, as this list is designed for beginners. This was determined through a combination of actual functionality — such as the number of buttons and settings on the tool — and personal experience with its use. Secondly, they needed to be relatively inexpensive. As power tools can be incredibly expensive, a $150 budget cap was set, and anything over that wasn't considered.

Although they are both simple to use and typically inexpensive, manual hand tools were also not taken into consideration. Their simplicity seemed fairly self-evident, and a beginner would most likely start with them anyway. Making this list exclusively of power tools gives beginners good entry points into the broader world of tools they can explore further once they have quickly learned to use these simpler power tools. Lastly, these tools needed to be highly rated by actual customers. Every tool needed to exceed a 4 out of 5-star rating from actual customers from a retailer, and a minimum rating count of 500, was also set to get the best possible sense of a true consensus of positivity. Once all these factors were taken into account, these four DeWalt tools rose to the top of the pile.