tool hire - buyer's guide
Best power tools to buy in 2026
The single decision that matters more than any individual tool is which battery platform you commit to, because after the first few purchases the platform chooses the rest for you. Everything else - brand loyalty, corded against cordless, the specification of any one machine - is secondary to that. Decide the platform deliberately rather than by accident, and the next five years of buying gets easier.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026. Written for buyers planning a purchase in 2026.
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Which make, by what you need
The right make depends on the job rather than on a ranking. These are the ones worth shortlisting for each.
A trade cordless platform you will build a van around
The two platforms most British trades have already committed to, which matters for battery availability, breadth of range and what a colleague can lend you on site. Once your van is full of one makers batteries, bare-tool prices are your real prices.
Breaking, coring and heavy fixing
Hilti sells direct with fleet management and repair built in, which is why contractors choose it where downtime costs more than the tool. For occasional use this is firmly hire rather than buy territory.
Cutting concrete, masonry and timber outdoors
Both are dealer-networked rather than sold over a merchant counter, which makes servicing easy to find. Husqvarna is the stronger choice specifically for concrete cutting and floor sawing.
Mixing, compacting and site light equipment
These are the machines on every UK hire counter, which tells you what the trade actually uses. For anything below weekly use they remain a better hire than a purchase.
New or used?
- •Used cordless tools are a gamble on the batteries, which are the expensive half and wear on a schedule of their own. Price a used kit as if the batteries are dead and see whether it still looks good.
- •Used corded tools and site equipment are much safer second hand, because there is far less to degrade invisibly.
- •Ex-hire equipment is worth looking at. It has been worked hard but it has usually been serviced to a schedule, which is more than most privately owned kit.
- •Buy bare tools rather than kits once you are on a platform. Paying again for batteries and a charger you already own is the most common way to overspend.
Before you buy
- Decide your battery platform before buying any cordless tool, and stay on it.
- Compare bare-tool prices against your existing batteries, not kit prices against each other.
- Count the actual days of use per year. Most people overestimate substantially and buy what they should have hired.
- For anything with a dust or vibration exposure limit, check what the machine requires before committing.
- Check what consumables cost. On some tools these outrun the machine within a year.
- Think about where tools live overnight. Van tool theft is endemic and insurers increasingly ask.
What is changing
- •Higher-voltage and dual-battery platforms keep displacing corded tools in categories that used to need mains power.
- •Dust and vibration control continue to move from good practice towards expectation on commercial sites.
- •Battery ranges keep broadening, which strengthens the case for committing to one platform rather than mixing.
Should you buy at all?
Worth settling before you shortlist anything. Our hire-or-buy guide works the break-even out using your own quotes.
Hire or buy power tools?Common questions
What should I look for when buying power tools in 2026?
The single decision that matters more than any individual tool is which battery platform you commit to, because after the first few purchases the platform chooses the rest for you. Everything else - brand loyalty, corded against cordless, the specification of any one machine - is secondary to that. Decide the platform deliberately rather than by accident, and the next five years of buying gets easier.
Is it better to buy new or used?
Used cordless tools are a gamble on the batteries, which are the expensive half and wear on a schedule of their own. Price a used kit as if the batteries are dead and see whether it still looks good. Used corded tools and site equipment are much safer second hand, because there is far less to degrade invisibly. Ex-hire equipment is worth looking at. It has been worked hard but it has usually been serviced to a schedule, which is more than most privately owned kit. Buy bare tools rather than kits once you are on a platform. Paying again for batteries and a charger you already own is the most common way to overspend.
Should I buy at all, or hire?
Depends entirely on how often you will use it. We have a separate guide that works the break-even out with your own quotes rather than our guesses.