Cordless tools are a must for any home DIY tool kit, allowing you to take on a range of projects, from furniture assembly to small building projects and home repairs, without worrying about being chained to an outlet. I regularly use my own Milwaukee cordless tools for everything from replacing cabinet hardware to trimming my shrubs, and consider them an essential.

But when you’re just getting started, you may be reluctant to drop a fortune on a bunch of different tools at once. That’s where preassembled tool kits can be a real money-saver. Right now at Home Depot, you can save 45% on an eight-tool combo set of some of Milwaukee’s best 18-volt cordless tools, so you can assemble a solid cordless tool set for a price that will leave room in your budget for lumber.

For around $700, marked down from nearly $1,300, this set includes all of the foundational tools you’ll need for your home repair and DIY projects—plus a few game-changing bonus tools that will make your life easier. In addition to basic drills, drivers, and saws, this set comes with an oscillating multitool and an angle grinder, which will allow you to use your tools for metalworking and finishing as well as building and repairing. (I used my oscillating multitool to make an emergency drain repair to my 100-year-old craftsman home, and it cut my project time in half.)

The range of tools that this kit includes lets you tackle more challenging projects, and it comes with all the bits and blades you’ll need to get started.

What’s included

The set comes with the essential tools you’ll need for simple DIY projects, and it also has a few of my favorite tools to make your set more versatile. 

The ½-inch drill and the ¼-inch impact driver will allow you to drill holes and drive screws and bolts into wood and light metal. The ½-inch impact nut driver is a high-powered bonus that allows you to drive larger fasteners into tougher, thicker materials, making it useful for vehicle maintenance, like changing tires.

The 6-½-inch circular saw is good for making longer, straight cuts on sheet goods like plywood, but you can also use it to make quick cuts on dimensional lumber like two-by-fours. (To make really straight rips with this saw, you can add a saw guide called a track.) The reciprocating saw is good for making rough cuts and trimming smaller diameter lumber and branches. The oscillating multitool is a versatile cutting and trimming tool that could easily become the hardest working tool in your set—it can make plunge cuts, trim drywall, and cut metal and PVC, and can also be used for buffing and sanding.

The set also includes an angle grinder you can use for cutting metal and grinding down protruding nail and screw tips. You can use this tool if you want to do some light metal work, but it’s also useful for rust removal and tile cutting.

You’ll also get a variety of blades for your saw and oscillating multitool that will allow you to cut wood, metal, PVC, and combination materials—all the attachments you’ll need are included.

Milwaukee tools have a good reputation for durability, and their batteries are compatible with a wide range of tools. The brand’s electric tools were first used in the Ford manufacturing plants as a lighter and more portable version of its existing power drills. Milwaukee began making consumer-level cordless tools in the 1990s, as battery technology improved. Because of Milwaukee’s history of producing contractor-grade tools, they have earned a reputation for quality.

Once you have the Milwaukee 18-volt batteries and charger tin this tool set, you can use the batteries with over 300 other cordless tools. This versatility allows you to build out your DIY tool set as you discover new interests and learn new skills.

I’ve had an 18-volt Milwaukee tool set for over a decade, and the batteries have lasted an average of 10 years, even when I use them outdoors in the rain and heat. Their reputation has definitely proven true for me, and I recommend them to any budding DIY-er.