Best Pro Cordless Tool Combo Kits: What Two Test Teams Found

From the workshop: I build with my teeth. It has worked for three dams, one lodge and a spice rack that leans a bit. Then I met Wendell, the woodpecker who frames barns for a living. He cut a board in four seconds. It took me the whole afternoon and I had to lie down after. He said a pro kit costs more because it works all day, every day, and then he let me hold the drill. I didn’t give it back for a while.

The kits at a glance

Kit	What’s in the bag	Who it’s for	Tester verdict
DeWalt DCK695P2 20V MAX XR · Check on Amazon	Hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, grinder, light, 2 × 5Ah	Contractor, big-project DIYer	Bob Vila Best Brushless; Pro Tool Reviews best for contractors
Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5-Tool (3697-25) · Check on Amazon	Hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, Sawzall, light, 2 × 5Ah	Pro who wants the newest tools	Pro Tool Reviews Best Overall
Makita 18V LXT 6-Piece (XT614SX1) · Check on Amazon	Drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, light, vacuum, 2 × 3Ah	All-day use, cleanest cuts	Bob Vila Best Battery Life
Skil PWRCore 20 Brushless 6-Tool · Check on Amazon	Drill, reciprocating saw, multi-tool, sander, spotlight, speaker, 2Ah + 4Ah	Serious DIYer	Pro Tool Reviews best for DIY
Craftsman V20 2-Tool · Check on Amazon	Drill/driver, impact driver, 2 × 1.5Ah	Just the two tools everyone needs	Bob Vila Best Drill Set

1. Best pro kit: DeWalt DCK695P2 20V MAX XR 6-Tool

Bob Vila’s team put six kits through the same jobs: holes in wood with a spade bit, holes in concrete with a masonry bit, ripping plywood, trimming a 4×4 post. The DeWalt hammer drill “opened more holes faster than any of the other drills we tested,” and its circular saw was the only one in the lineup that could trim a 6×6 post with opposing cuts (Bob Vila).

Pro Tool Reviews, which writes for tradespeople, reached the same place from the other side. The reviewer calls DeWalt’s ergonomics hard to beat and likes that the kit includes a grinder “every Pro should have.” He also points out why DeWalt is a good platform to grow on: the company sells nearly every tool bare, so adding a router or a jigsaw later is cheap (Pro Tool Reviews).

The catch: both the hammer drill and the circular saw are heavier than the competition, and the saw has its blade on the right, which some people never get used to. Good for: decks, sheds, framing, a renovation that goes on for months. Not for: someone who hangs a shelf twice a year. That’s Barnaby’s drill guide, not this one.

2. The best tools, full stop: Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5-Tool (3697-25)

Pro Tool Reviews’ Best Overall. The reviewer has used every tool in this kit “extensively,” and the drill is the newest-generation hammer drill with an auto-stop that cuts power if the tool binds and tries to twist your wrist. The kit comes with two 5Ah batteries and a five-year warranty, the longest in this group (Pro Tool Reviews).

Bob Vila tested an older six-piece M18 kit and gave it Best Overall too, with the Sawzall scoring highest in “tough cutting ability” of every reciprocating saw they tried (Bob Vila).

The catch: the price. The Pro Tool Reviews writer puts it plainly: it isn’t the cheapest kit, “but you didn’t ask for that, you wanted the best.” Good for: anyone who will use these daily. Not for: a budget. Note: Amazon lists this kit under several sellers, so check that the listing says 3697-25 and includes two XC5.0 batteries before you buy.

3. Runs all day: Makita 18V LXT 6-Piece (XT614SX1)

Bob Vila’s Best Battery Life, and that came from a real work day: they ran one battery while the other charged, and “the second battery was always fully charged before we depleted the one we were using.” The rapid charger refilled a 3Ah pack in 31 minutes. The tools felt “more comfortable and more substantially constructed” than other mid-weight kits, and the circular saw made cleaner cuts than similar-sized competition (Bob Vila).

The catch: brushed motors, and it didn’t cut as aggressively as the DeWalt or Milwaukee. Good for: long days of medium-duty work, and anyone who likes a vacuum in the kit for cleanup. Not for: demolition.

4. Pro feel, DIY price: Skil PWRCore 20 Brushless 6-Tool

This is the one Wendell tells his non-pro friends to buy

Pro Tool Reviews’ pick for DIYers. The reviewer recommends Skil “to anyone riding that line between DIY and Pro” and says their brushless tools “punch way above their weight class” in testing. You get a 2Ah and a 4Ah battery, so you can run the drill light and give the saw the big pack, and the batteries charge a phone over USB-C (Pro Tool Reviews).

The catch: oddly, no impact driver and no circular saw. You’ll want to add both. It does come with a Bluetooth speaker, which Wendell finds hard to explain. Good for: a first real set that won’t need replacing. Not for: a job site.

5. Just the two that matter: Craftsman V20 2-Tool

Bob Vila’s Best Drill Set. A drill/driver and an impact driver, two small batteries, a bag. In their test the drill “performed well in wood and concrete drilling” and the impact driver “drove dozens of lag bolts smoothly into treated lumber.” Both scored mid-pack for weight and power, but the kit price “falls at the low end of the group” (Bob Vila).

The catch: no heavy-duty torque, no saws. Good for: fences, garden beds, furniture, and a gift that won’t be wrong. Not for: cutting anything.

Wendell’s 3 rules before you spend this much

• You’re buying a battery, not a drill. Every tool you add for the next ten years will have to fit this battery. Pick the brand you’ll want to keep buying, then pick the kit.
• Count the core four. Pro Tool Reviews’ list: hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw. A kit missing one isn’t bad, but budget for the missing piece before you compare prices.
• Two batteries, or don’t bother. One charging while one works. Every kit above comes with two. Some cheaper ones don’t.

FAQ

Is a pro kit worth it for a homeowner?
Usually not. Bob Vila’s budget winner was a four-tool Ryobi set at about half the price of the next cheapest kit, and they say so: there’s “no need to spend a small fortune on professional-grade tools if they will be used infrequently.” The pro kits earn their price on long days and hard materials.

Brushed or brushless?
Brushless motors run cooler, last longer and stretch a battery further. On a kit you’ll use all day, it matters. On a kit for the odd weekend, Bob Vila found a brushed drill “nearly identical” to brushless ones in the same class.

Do these go on sale for Black Friday?
Combo kits are one of the categories where the holiday discounts are real, because the brands use them to pull people onto their battery platform. We can’t promise a price. We can say it’s worth waiting a few weeks if you can.

18V or 20V MAX?
Same thing. “20V MAX” is the battery’s peak voltage with no load. Compare test results, not the number on the box.

Read next

• Best cordless drills for beginners (and as a gift)
• Meet Wendell, the woodpecker who frames barns
• Black Friday watch list: tested picks worth waiting for

Sources

• Pro Tool Reviews — Best Power Tool Combo Kits
• Bob Vila — The Best Power Tool Sets for Your Needs and Budget, Tested (Mark Wolfe, Timothy Dale, updated Jan 2024)