[JohnR]

What are your absolute favorite power tools for home renovations?

Could be generally a particular type of tool, or a specific brand/model of tool?

Cordless or corded?

What could you simply NOT live without??

[rodge827]

Sawzall, pneumatic nail gun, cordless drill/screw gun, wonder bar, chop saw, table saw, and a 24oz framing hammer.

The same as naming a specific brand of audio gear will get many different responses, as will power tools.
My advice is to stay away from the big box stores for power tools. Tools are cheaper there for a reason, and are made to a price point. If at all possible purchase your power tools from a smaller authorized retailer. They will cost you more, but in the end you will have the tool much longer. 

[decal]

This is one tool I can't do without.......................

Rockwell RK5102K SoniCrafter Deluxe

[MaxCast]

Cordless drill and AC drill, preferably 1/2" hammer drill if you need to drill concrete. 
Chop/miter saw and/or skill saw. 
I am of the mind if you stay away from the cheapest Dewalt, craftsmen, Milwaukee, etc you should be fine with either of those.

Others:
Saw horses. 
Power strip. 
Carpenters angle. 
Tool belt.
Two identical tape measures.
A go-fer and a female for interior design.

[BobM]

Sawsall - top of the list

Cordless Drill/Screw gun - invaluable everywhere, but get one that has battery packs that hold a charge and don't die out quickly

The usual go to's like tape measures, pencils, 16" square, and corded lights (you need to see what you are doing above all else).

[Bizarroterl]

I don't have room for a table saw but I needed to be able to cut plywood in a straight line.  I ended up buying a track saw.  It works great for plywood & MDF (speakers).

The other day I needed to shim a wall.  It wasn't vertical and had a front door in it.  The door had to be vertical, but that meant I had to shim the top ~3/4" and 0" at the bottom.  Bought a couple pieces of 2x6.  Fired up the track saw and made the 8' tapered shims I needed.  Perfect. 

[Chromisdesigns]

This is one tool I can't do without.......................

Rockwell RK5102K SoniCrafter Deluxe

I finally broke down last year and bought a Fein Multitool -- now I don't know how I did without it all those years!  It seems I am getting it out all the time to do those otherwise nasty, little, hard to reach jobs.

[Mike B.]

10" blade chop saw.  Reciprocating saw, battery powered drill/screw driver, hammer, and ointment.

[strider]

Sawzall, pneumatic nail gun, cordless drill/screw gun, wonder bar, chop saw, table saw, and a 24oz framing hammer.

The same as naming a specific brand of audio gear will get many different responses, as will power tools.
My advice is to stay away from the big box stores for power tools. Tools are cheaper there for a reason, and are made to a price point. If at all possible purchase your power tools from a smaller authorized retailer. They will cost you more, but in the end you will have the tool much longer.

In addition to this list, I'd say sawhorses and some type of circuit tester would be a great start. Even though I have a multimeter, I always carry a small circuit tester to double check that whatever wiring or device I come across is turned off before cutting.

[Devil Doc]

Anyone serious about woodworking or carpentry needs a table saw. The bigger the better.
Then a joiner and a thickness planer. With those tools you can process rough cut lumber from the sawmill and save yourself a bunch of money, not to mention getting it done four square, which ain't necessarily so with dimensioned lumber from your local lumber yard.

Doc

[mcgsxr]

Closing in on completing a basement finishing project (although I did not do all the work), I am still 100% in love with my DeWalt cordless drill.  Hammer option, removable handle, 2 batteries.  This thing is a horse, it plows through joists with a 1 1/2 bit, and will not quit.

It is heavy, and sometimes awkward to fit in where a smaller drill/driver would, but the torque is addictive.

I have an LED flashlight that comes in handy too.

[Don_S]

Twin Makita cordless drill/screwdrivers. I could not get anything done without them.

And then there is my old faithful 40+ year old Craftsman Commercial circular saw. With the right blade I never found any wood it would not cut--even ancient oak. 

[mcgsxr]

I forgot to mention my favourite tool EVER - the gas powered 2 stroke concrete saw.

Not so useful for work around the house, but if you ever need to remove a pool, cut out a driveway, or saw up stone, this thing is a BEAST. 

The 2 stroke fumes are nice too...

[jneutron]

Don't forget the roto-zip.

Oh, black pvc electrical tape and paper towels.

Cut the paper towel into 3 inch squares.

When needed, fold it over three times, apply directly to wound.

Wrap it with three full wraps of electrical tape, first two turns taut.

When the tip of the offended digit turns purple, back off on the tape tension, redo.

After the job is done for the day, get a real bandaid.

Well, ok...it's not a power tool per se, but tis a tool nonetheless..

jn

[Carlman]

I bought the Ryobi One+ system at Home Depot in 18v and have been very pleased with it for the past 10 years.  I got it on clearance.. Nothing has broken.  However, I recently bought the Li-Ion drill because it came with 2 new battery packs.  I'm on my 3rd set of batteries in over 10 years of fairly regular use.  The clutch on the drill is only semi-reliable but otherwise I have no complaints.   The jig saw, sawzall, and circular saw are all 'adequate' for general home use. 

I do wish I had a table saw but I have nowhere to put it.  I was thinking of a tabletop version on a workstand that folds.  All of my tools are stored so tightly that it's kind of a big deal just to setup and do stuff.

So, my favorite tool?  A clean, open workspace with lots of room.

[doorman]

Now retired, but as a building contractor for many years, I've worn out a dumpster full of tools.
Don't buy tools on the basis of price alone, especially if your income depends on them.
Hold your nose if necessary, and go for tools that'll be around for a while, (hopefully) tools that can be/are worth servicing.
A bit of research will pay off in helping to recognize quality equipment.
Don

[JohnR]

The same as naming a specific brand of audio gear will get many different responses, as will power tools.

Many different responses here!

This is one tool I can't do without.......................

I finally broke down last year and bought a Fein Multitool --

I resisted but did just buy a multitool, I got the Bosch version -

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-MX30EK-33-Multi-X-Oscillating-Accessories/dp/B007EO8ITK

(BTW gee I wish I could get tools for the same price as in the US... I paid well over 50% more than that...)

So far, the right blade and patience seem to be the key ingredients for success... I was trying to get this repair work done with a reciprocating saw (Sawzall) but the inside corner stumped me. Hammer and chisel worked but apart from taking forever, knocked off tiles on the inside of the wall I'm trying to repair.

I forgot to mention my favourite tool EVER - the gas powered 2 stroke concrete saw.

Hi Mark, I could use one of those to cut a path behind the house, but I will probably hire one or more likely hire someone to do it, that's a bit more than I feel comfortable with at present. Although... maybe it's not that hard. Can you use these saws to cut an angle - like say cut off a 30 degree (from vertical) edge on a path 4-8" thick?

I do wish I had a table saw but I have nowhere to put it. 

Same boat here. Would a track saw (as mentioned by Bizzaroteri) substitute? Hope so 

Don't buy tools on the basis of price alone, especially if your income depends on them.
Hold your nose if necessary, and go for tools that'll be around for a while, (hopefully) tools that can be/are worth servicing.

No income dependence here but I need to make sure I can keep this house solid with a minimum of external contractors. There are so many variants of tools now! I get the impression that the cordless market is where it's at, you can get almost anything cordless now and sometimes I wonder why. I've decided to get corded tools that will last unless they absolutely have to be untethered. So the drill and impact driver, a couple of torches, maybe a vac for quick cleanups. For the rest, dealing with cords isn't that much of a hassle.

[Don_S]

I do not get cordless for most tools. Yes I love it for my drill/screw drivers. Great for attic work or mending fences as well as jobs that a corded drill could do.

The problem is I can't grab my cordless for a quick job because the battery is always dead. I have to anticipate by an hour. I refuse to buy more batteries. I already have three for two matching drills. If I used them more buying new batteries would make sense. If I have a big project then recharging them before I start works just fine because I have a spare and can always have one fully charged and ready to go when one needs to be swapped out. They do work well when fully charged, they just don't hold a charge for months.

My neighbor helped me install a 5'x4' window and 6' sliding door. He brought his small, cordless saw to cut out the siding to remove the old door and window. The small size was great but all three of his batteries sucked.  When they got low they would not cut and we had to wait to recharge. Give me 110V constant from the wall when I have serious work to do. Some tasks like grinding and cutting take more current and take longer.

[TomS]

John,

I also have limited space, so table saws and big stuff are out. I've used a Festool TS55 plunge cut track saw for several years for this reason and the underlying safety reasons. I haven't found much that it can't do and it's very precise. There are other TS brands available now, which maybe aren't so pricey in oz. Festool does get you hooked on their "system" approach, which I've just added a little to each year, and it works well. Their HEPA vacuum/dust collectors are great, and most tools are wisely built around that feature. Once you've done sanding with proper dust collection it's really hard to go back. Every one of their tools I've bought over the years still functions perfectly, so to some extent you do get what you pay for. I easily recovered the cost of these tools several times over, doing 2 kitchen reno's myself with them.

Tom

[Bizarroterl]

There are things a table saw can do that a track saw cannot, cutting dados for example.  For cutting plywood I find it better than a table saw.  If you're ripping a 4x8 sheet with a table saw you're moving the entire sheet.  With a track saw you're moving just the saw.  Both will do a good cut, but the track saw makes it easier.  If you ever have to do a long angle cut the track saw is really the best tool there is.

I have a few pieces of 3" styrofoam I use as a base.  Throw down the styro, lay the plywood on it, mark, align the track w/the marks, and cut.