Handheld power tools
The tools and products found here are those that I use and recommend.  Most of these have been purchased for use in my shop.  Usually, extensive research has occurred before a purchase.  Quality, value, as well as my intended use on current projects come into consideration before purchase.  Each picture here is a link to an Amazon.com detail page for that particular tool. 
Festool Domino DF 500
This is a big one - not because of the size (it's small), it's the capability and cost that make it so.  Being a traditional mortise and tenon woodworker, I never thought this purchase would be made.  What put me over the edge was the amount of dust I was breathing while cutting mortise/tenon joints via my router based machines.  Using those machines outside is fine, but in lousy weather, it's not possible.  In the end, I didn't want to sacrifice my health any longer, so I made the decision to convert over to this tool. 

For me, there are other benefits as well, especially in reclaiming some shop square footage.  I no longer have to dedicate a footprint on the shop floor to store my mortise/tenon station.  Those machines are now going on shelves.  They are available if needed, but only if needed as I don't see any major benefits of traditional mortise/tenon joints over domino joints - not saying there aren't any benefits, just no major ones.

Yes, it's expensive and I waited a long time to get one.  It's a joy to use and I'm glad I have it in the Shigshop!

More Festool stuff in the Benchtop tool section.
Milwaukee circular saw
Being left handed, this type of saw works very well for me as it's very easy for lefties to follow the cut. For that reason, righties sometimes prefer the blade on the other side of the handle. This is my second circular saw after using an inexpensive Black and Decker for a few years. I still have the B&D as a backup, but never use it because the Milwaukee has never let me down.

Replacement circular saw blades.
Milwaukee worm gear saw
This is a worm drive style cicular saw. I don't own this saw as they are better for righties with the handle being on the right side of the blade. They are heavier than standard circular saws, but with that, they are very robust - you see many professional carpenters use these saws.

Replacement blades.
Milwaukee Sawzall reciprocating saw
Cordless recip saws are available, I have one (see below). Trouble is, recip saws use lots of juice which puts extra strain and drain on batteries.  The Milwaukee Sawzall draws much more amperage than my cordless, which translates to being able to attack a demolition task much more aggressively. This is not to say the cordless never gets used. Once in awhile I take it outside to cut up some small branches that shears can't handle, but I don't expect to get much time from the battery. For me, the Milwaukee Sawzall recip is the standard and lots of pros seem to agree.

Extra recip saw blades.
Milwaukee M18 cordless drill
Back when we built our house in 2005, I bought a set of Craftsman 19.2v cordless tools. That set eventually wore out and I because of what's happened to Craftsman and Sears, I replaced it with a set of Milwaukee M18 cordless tools.  For drills, Milwaukee has several different models.  I opted for the brush motors as my usage isn't everyday and they are much less expensive than brushless. 

These drills have 2 speeds, a task light, and an adjustable clutch. High speed is used most often, but higher torque operations can require the low speed. The clutch mechanism is intuitive, predictable, and easy to adjust.
 
The chuck locks when the drill is not on, making bit changes simple and easy.  

The drill here has quickly become my "go to" drill.  With a Li-ion battery, it's small, light weight, agile and powerful enough for most of my shop work.
Once in awhile, this drill saves me by providing the ability to reach a screw or drill a hole that otherwise would be very difficult. It uses the same M18 batteries as all of my other cordless tools.

A battery and charger are essential.  The charger is mounted in a convenient location on a wall.  I've converted to Lithium-Ion batts.
See my review above regarding the Milwaukee Sawzall.  This cordless version is used once in awhile out of convenience, and it's quick, spring loaded blade changing system is a time saver.  It's nice having something that doesn't need an extension cord getting dragged around  - especially if you're out working in the yard.

All of my Milwaukee M18 cordless tools use the same batteries, and I try to keep at least 3 available.
Makita portable power planer
This tool was needed back when we built our house.  Working alone much of the time, I was always trying to find ways to be as efficient as possible - at times, this definitely helped.  Recently,  a friend needed a new door installed and I grabbed this to help him out - we used it to shave 3/16" off one side.  It's more like a portable jointer than planer and being a Makita, it has always been reliable.

Replacement blades for the Makita portable planer.
Dremel rotary tool
These things come in handy so often...  I don't use it much for general woodworking - usually it comes into play when I do some metal work such as: building a new tool; working on a machine; fixing a bicycle, etc...  Growing up, my dad had a old Craftsman rotary tool that got lots of use.  I somehow ended up with that tool which only has one speed.  These newer Dremel tools have variable speeds, which provides much more control.
Rotozip
Rotozips are used for sheetrock work - I got this one when helping a friend remodel their bathroom.  Detailed cutouts such as for electrical or plumbing openings are easily managed with one of these.  The basic model fulfills my needs and the bits are inexpensive.  Typical bits for this tool has no flutes or cutting edges near the tip - sort of like a flush trim router bit, but without a sealed bearing on the tip. It allows the bit to do such things as go around an electrical box without cutting into it.

Years ago, I bought a bulk pack of rotozip sheetrock bits.
Pneumatic 18 gauge brad nailer
Pneumatic nailers are handy, especially if you don't have lots of clamps.  Since my clamp collection has grown, I don't use this nailer as much, but I used to use it to add trim to furniture - and sometimes still use it if the project is simple enough and I'm not concerned about a few brads in it.  

This nailer uses 18 gauge brads - I keep a few lengths handy.
Pneumatic 15 gauge nailer
A 15 gauge nailer is slightly larger than a brad nailer - it's is a great tool for putting up trim on a house - anything from door and window casings to floor moldings.  The Hitachi nailer is well used by many pros, which is where the recommendation came to me, so I bought one  and never regretted it.  It's a good tool that is used often on house projects.

Here are some 15 gauge nails.
Pneumatic framing nailer
If you're framing a house, barn, or shed - or - building a trellis, or deck, these tools are awesome and are practically required.  10 gauge nails are sufficient for most work, and they usually come galvanized..

Framing nails.

With any pneumatic nailer - use oil before use - and I always put a few drops in before storing.
This is the second one of these I bought.  The first one is attached to my CNC machine.  When my old porter cable pancake compressor went south, I purchased another one of these CAT compressors.  I like them because they are quieter and a little easier to move around than the old pancake style compressor.

Mine is a 6.3 gallon version, but I don't see them available any longer.  Had I seen this 8 gallon version, I would have purchased it instead.  Same motor as the 6.3 gallon, just a larger tank.
This compressor in the hand tools category because it's required for the pneumatic power tools I have.  It was used while we built our house back on 2005.  Sometimes, we would have 2 framing nailers being run off it - like when we were roofing.  At times, it had a hard time keeping up, but it never failed - we just had to wait a few seconds once in awhile for it to catch up.

After about 20 years, it finally died.  I replaced it with one of these California Air Tools compressor.
This is a good value leaf blower which I purchased in the fall of 2014.  It had received some great reviews and I can see why. The blower is lightweight, simple, and has ample power. A 2 stroke motor, finger throttle, priming pump, manual choke, and rope pull make it very simple tool. Sometimes, tools like these can sit around for a few months without being used. For all my small engine tool, I always use a fuel stabilizer - it's simple to just add a bit of stabil in a gas can and use that for these engines. This has more or less eliminated the need for me to clean out carbs - every once in awhile though, I still need to... ;)

I also purchased a couple of these as gifts. 
Add this to your fuel used in small engines such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed wackers, chainsaws, etc. Sometimes, tools such as these can sit around for a few months without being used. Fuel stabilizers will help prevent gunk from clogging up the carbs. Another method to prevent that is to drain your tanks and run the engine to empty the carb - fuel stabilizers are just easier and work well.
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