The Aussie Renovator’s Toolkit: Buyer’s Guide From Tradies

By the I Do It Yourself team — Mick, Cal, Steve and Jen.

Tools come up in nearly every job we write about, so we put together what’s actually worth your money. This isn’t a Bunnings catalogue — it’s the gear we’d buy if we were starting again tomorrow with a single ute and an empty toolbox, organised by the job type, with honest views on which battery platform to pick, when to upgrade, and what to skip entirely. Every product callout has been used in the field by one of the team and reflects what we’d actually hand a mate setting up their first toolbox.

This is a 2500-word read because tools are where most homeowners overspend on the wrong gear or underspend on the gear that matters. We’ll save you both ways. Across six phases we’ll cover the starter kit (Mick), the upgrade tools (Mick again), outdoor power equipment (Cal), painting gear (Jen), wet-area and flooring tools (Steve), and the ladder rules nobody wants to hear (Cal). Plus the most important decision of all — which battery platform to commit to, and why.

The battery platform decision — make this first

Before you buy any cordless tool, decide which battery platform you’re going to commit to. Every brand uses a proprietary battery system, and the moment you start mixing platforms you end up with five chargers, four batteries, and a tool that’s flat exactly when you need it. The three platforms an Aussie homeowner should genuinely consider are:

Ozito PXC (18V): Budget. Bunnings-exclusive. Excellent value for the casual homeowner doing two to four jobs a year. Brushless tools available now. Skin-only prices are 30–50% cheaper than the upper-tier brands. Battery quality has improved a lot in the last 3 years. Lifetime warranty registered through Ozito website.
Ryobi One+ (18V): Mid-tier. Bunnings-exclusive in Australia. Huge range — 280+ tools on the same battery platform. The right pick for an enthusiastic homeowner who’ll be doing 10+ jobs a year. Brushless options across the lineup. 6-year tool warranty, 3-year battery.
Makita LXT (18V) or XGT (40V): Trade-quality. Available everywhere. The right pick if you’re doing constant work or you’ve got real ambitions. Makita LXT has the deepest tool range on a single platform of any brand in Australia. More expensive on the skin, but the tools last 10+ years.

Honourable mentions: DeWalt FlexVolt (great if you also work with a tradie mate who runs DeWalt), Milwaukee M18 (top of the line, prices to match, lifetime tool warranty for registered users), Bosch Professional 18V (excellent quality, smaller range in Australia).

The mistake we see: somebody buys an Ozito drill, then a Ryobi sander on sale, then a Makita impact driver because someone gave them one for Christmas. Now they have three chargers and three battery packs that don’t mix. Pick one and stick with it — it’s the single most important kit decision you’ll make.

Phase 1: The starter kit — cordless drill, impact driver and hand tools

Mick here. Right, here’s the thing — most homeowners overspend on a single fancy tool and underspend on the basics. The starter kit is where the basics live. If I was outfitting a mate from scratch on a $400 budget, here’s exactly what would go in the toolbox:

Cordless drill + impact driver combo kit — about $180 from Ozito for the brushless 2-pack with two batteries and a charger, $280 from Ryobi, $450 from Makita. This single purchase covers 80% of what you’ll do.
Drill bit set — a 50-piece HSS set from Sutton Tools or Bosch ($45). Don’t waste money on the giant titanium-coated sets, you’ll never use the 25 mm ones.
Driver bit set — Phillips, Pozi, Torx, square ($25 — Stanley or DeWalt).
Stud finder — a Zircon Multi-Scanner i520 ($80) is the one worth buying — detects studs, AC wiring and metal. Skip the $20 plastic ones, they’re junk.
Hammer — a 16 oz Stanley FatMax ($35). Fibreglass handle, not timber.
Tape measure — an 8 m Stanley FatMax or Komelon ($25). Skip the 3 m budget ones, they’re never long enough.
Spirit level — a 600 mm Stabila or Empire level ($55). Get a real one once, not a $12 plastic level that lies.
Stanley knife — the classic 99E with retracting blade ($18) plus a 100-pack of blades ($15). Change the blade often.
Adjustable spanner — a 200 mm Bahco or Sidchrome ($35). Real ones don’t slip.
Pliers set — a 3-piece Knipex or Irwin combo ($50). Includes long-nose, side-cutters and combination.
Toolbox — anything 50–60 cm with a removable top tray ($35–$80). Steel or heavy plastic, not the flimsy stuff.

That’s about $400–$500 all up, and it’ll cover hanging shelves, mounting TVs, assembling flat-pack, basic repairs, picture hooks, simple plumbing replacements where unrestricted, and getting started on bigger jobs. Don’t be that bloke who buys a cordless circular saw before he owns a decent tape measure.

Phase 2: When to upgrade — multi-tool, sander and circular saw

Mick again. Once you’ve done five or six jobs with the starter kit, you’ll start noticing the limits. Three tools are worth adding next, in this order, as you actually need them:

Oscillating multi-tool — the genuine swiss army knife of power tools. Cuts plasterboard around fixings, trims architraves flush, scrapes old silicone out, sands tight corners, undercuts door frames for new flooring. Around $130 from Ozito, $200 Ryobi, $320 Makita. Definately get the brushless version if you can — they last twice as long on a charge.
Random orbital sander (125 mm) — for any timber or paint prep job over a square metre. Make sure it has a proper dust port that connects to your shop vac (most do — but check). Around $90 Ozito, $140 Ryobi, $250 Makita. The cheap orbital sanders are loud and shake your hand to bits — pay for the mid-tier minimum.
165 mm circular saw — when you start ripping sheet goods, cutting decking, or doing any framing work. Around $180 Ozito, $240 Ryobi, $420 Makita. With a 24-tooth blade for framing and a 60-tooth blade for finish cuts (about $25 each — Bosch or Freud).

The tools we’d skip in the upgrade phase: nail guns (expensive, dangerous, used three times a year — hire when you need one), router (too specialised for most homeowners), table saw (takes up the whole shed, hire one for the weekend instead), 18 V angle grinder (the corded version is half the price and twice as powerful — buy a $70 Makita corded 125 mm grinder if you need one).

The tool that comes up most in our blog comments is the cordless impact driver — and yes, it’s worth buying separately to the drill even though they look similar. The drill is for boring holes; the impact driver is for driving screws. Trying to drive a 75 mm batten screw with a drill snaps either the drill or your wrist. Trying to drill a 8 mm hole in steel with an impact driver chews the bit. Use the right one.

Phase 3: Outdoor power equipment — mower, blower, hedge trimmer

Cal here. No dramas — outdoor power equipment is where homeowners get the most fun-per-dollar, because the jobs are visible and the gear’s satisfying to run. The big decision before anything else is petrol versus battery, and honestly, in 2026, battery has caught up enough that for most homeowner-sized blocks (under 1000 m²) it’s the better pick. Quieter, no fuel storage, no carby issues at the start of spring, and you’re already on the platform from your drill purchase.

The outdoor starter kit, in priority order:

Lawn mower — for a block under 600 m² flat lawn, an 18 V or 36 V battery mower from your chosen platform (around $400–$600 with batteries). For anything bigger, sloping, or kikuyu, a petrol mower with a Briggs & Stratton or Honda engine ($550–$900). Honda HRU19 is the gold standard if you can find one — built to last 20 years if you maintain it.
Line trimmer (whipper snipper) — battery is fine for any homeowner. Around $130–$250. Bump-feed head, not the screw-on string heads.
Leaf blower — battery, brushless, around $150–$280. The cheap corded blowers are anaemic, the petrol blowers are massive overkill for a typical suburban block.
Hedge trimmer — battery, around $130–$240, with a 500–600 mm blade.
Pruning saw or pole saw — only if you’ve got mature trees. Around $200–$350.

Out west the wind takes care of the leaves most of the year, but in autumn the blower earns its keep — and my old man taught me a trick worth knowing: blow the leaves wet, not dry, because dry leaves scatter and wet leaves drag together into manageable piles. Worth doing once, worth doing right.

Maintenance gear you’ll need alongside: a sharpening file or mower blade sharpener ($35), 4-stroke engine oil for the mower ($18 for 1L of SAE 30), petrol can rated for current Australian fuel ($45), and a small spanner set for blade changes. The single most important maintenance task is sharpening the mower blade every 25 hours of run time — a dull blade tears the grass instead of cutting, which leaves the lawn looking brown at the tips and stresses the grass.

Phase 4: Painting tools — rollers, brushes and the gear that makes the finish

Jen here. Painting is where the difference between a $20 brush and a $50 brush shows up on the wall — and trust me on this, I’ve done a few of these now. The single biggest mistake homeowners make is buying the bulk-pack of cheap rollers and brushes from the bargain bin and wondering why the finish looks streaky. The gear matters more than the paint, within reason.

The painter’s kit I’d put together for a homeowner doing 2–3 rooms a year:

270 mm roller frame + sleeve — a Wooster, Purdy or Hamilton frame ($25) plus a 12 mm nap microfibre sleeve ($18) for low-sheen wall paint, or a 6 mm nap for semi-gloss/satin. Skip the 4 mm “smooth” sleeves unless you’re rolling on gloss to a perfectly prepped surface.
50 mm cutting-in brush — Wooster Silver Tip or Purdy Clearcut ($45). Synthetic bristles for water-based paint, real bristle for oil-based. Here’s where most people go wrong — they use the same brush for both and the finish is rough.
25 mm sash brush — for trim and skirting ($25). Wooster or Purdy again.
Cutting-in tool or paint shield — a metal edge shield ($15) or a Shur-Line edger ($30) for clean lines along ceilings.
Roller tray + liners — a quality tray ($25) plus a pack of 10 disposable liners ($12). The disposable liners save you 20 minutes of cleaning every time.
Drop sheets — canvas, not plastic ($35 for a 3.6×2.7 m). Canvas absorbs drips; plastic spreads them around.
Painter’s tape — 3M ScotchBlue or Frogtape ($12 per roll). Don’t buy the masking tape from the discount aisle — it lifts paint when you remove it.
Sugar soap + sander + filler — for prep. A box of sugar soap powder ($8), a sanding block ($12) with 120-grit and 240-grit paper, and a tub of premixed filler ($15 — Selleys Spakfilla).

The roller-sleeve advice: a 12 mm nap microfibre sleeve will give you a lovely finish on most plaster walls in low-sheen acrylic. If you’re rolling onto textured paint, go up to 18 mm or 22 mm nap. If you’re rolling onto gloss-prepped trim with a small mini-roller, use 4 mm or 6 mm nap. The nap is the single biggest determinant of how the finish looks — wrong nap, wrong finish, dont blame the paint.

My kelpie Toby has been with me on every job for nine years now and he’s seen alot of bad brush choices. Buy good gear once, clean it properly with water (for acrylic) or mineral turps (for oil), wrap it in cling film between coats, and the same brush will see you through 100 rooms.

Phase 5: Wet-area, tiling and flooring tools

Steve here. Twenty years on the tools and the wet-area kit hasn’t changed all that much — there are a few specialist items that you’ll either own or hire, and the rest is general gear from the starter kit. Hire is fine for the gear you’ll use twice; own is better for the gear you’ll use repeatedly.

The wet-area and flooring kit:

Notched trowel set — 6 mm square notch (wall tiles), 10 mm square notch (floor tiles up to 600 mm), 12 mm notch (large format up to 1200 mm). About $35 for a 3-pack from Trade Tools or DTA.
Margin trowel — for spreading adhesive in tight spots and around fixtures ($15).
Rubber grout float — for working grout into joints ($18 — DTA or Marshalltown).
Tile cutter — manual snap cutter for any straight cut up to 600 mm ($85 — Sigma or Rubi). Hire a wet saw ($80/day from Kennards) for any cut over 600 mm or any cut that’s not straight.
Tile spacers — 3 mm cross spacers for standard tiles, levelling clip system (DTA Levelling Twister) for large format. A bag of 500 spacers is $12.
Silicone gun — skeleton-style ($25), not the cheap plastic ones that buckle.
2 m spirit level — for setting out tile and floor work ($120 Stabila). Worth every cent.
Levelling laser — a self-levelling cross-line laser like a Bosch GLL2 ($180) is genuinely transformative for tiling, floating shelves, and any setting-out work.
Knee pads — gel-padded, not foam. $40. Your knees at 50 will thank you.

For flooring specifically — vinyl plank, laminate, engineered timber — you’ll need: a tapping block and pull bar (often supplied with the flooring), a flooring chisel ($20), a multi-tool with a flush-cut blade for undercutting door frames, and a measuring square. A jamb saw is a luxury but a multi-tool covers the same ground.

The tool I’d talk most homeowners into owning, that they almost never have, is the 2 m spirit level. It’s the difference between “near enough” and “actually level” on any setting-out job. Jacob, my apprentice, once forgot the bond breaker on a job and we had to pull tile off four corners — and the cause traced back to him not noticing a 4 mm fall in the slab that a 2 m level would have caught in 30 seconds. Do it once, do it properly.

Phase 6: Ladders, scaffolding and access gear

Cal again. Quick yarn on ladders before we wrap. Australian standard AS/NZS 1892 covers all ladder safety, and the rating you want for any reno work is “Industrial” at 120 kg minimum — the domestic 100 kg rating is fine for changing lightbulbs but it’s not enough when you’ve got tools and a paint tin in your hand.

The access gear most homeowners actually need:

Step ladder, 1.8 m, fibreglass — about $180 from Bunnings (Bailey, Gorilla or similar). Fibreglass is non-conductive and important if you’re near any electrical. Aluminium is cheaper but conducts.
Extension ladder, 3.6 m to 5.4 m, fibreglass — about $280–$450. Make sure it has the AS/NZS 1892 sticker.
Painter’s plank — for spanning between two ladders or trestles ($120 — only if you’re doing serious painting).
Mobile scaffold tower — HIRE, don’t buy. $80–$140 a day from Kennards or Coates for a 2 m tower with edge protection. Worth it for any job over 3 metres or any job that takes more than an hour at height.

The rule we drill into every weekend warrior: anything over 3 metres, you hire the scaffold. No exceptions. The ambulance fee for a fall from 4 metres is more than a week of scaffold hire.

The team’s verdict

The whole-of-life cost of a tool kit, done right, is around $1,200–$1,800 to cover everything a typical homeowner will ever need, spread over five or six years of buying-as-you-need. Buying it all at once is a mistake — you’ll end up with $400 of tools that gather dust because you never had a use for them.

Our recommendation order: pick the battery platform first (Ozito, Ryobi or Makita), buy the starter combo kit ($180–$450), add the hand tools and tape measure and stud finder, do five or six jobs to figure out what you actually use, then add the multi-tool and sander when you hit their need. Painting gear and outdoor gear are separate purchase streams — buy them when the season hits. And the wet-area gear comes out only when you’ve got a tile job actually scheduled.

The single most important kit principle: buy good tools once, look after them, and they’ll outlast the house you live in.

FAQs

Should I buy Bunnings-brand or trade-brand tools? Depends on usage. For 1–4 jobs a year, Ozito is genuinely fine. For 5–15 jobs a year, Ryobi is the sweet spot. For 15+ jobs or commercial use, Makita LXT or DeWalt 18V.

Cordless or corded? Cordless for everything except an angle grinder (the corded version is much more powerful for the money). Battery quality in 2026 is excellent — a brushless cordless drill will outlast most corded drills.

What’s the one tool people don’t have that they should? A 2 m spirit level. It’s $120 from Trade Tools and it transforms the quality of every setting-out job in the house.

How do I store tools properly? Indoors, dry, in a toolbox or on a wall-mounted French cleat system. Never in a damp shed — battery packs hate condensation and steel hand tools rust. A $35 toolbox plus a $80 wall-mount system covers most homeowners.

When should I hire instead of buy? Anything you’ll use less than twice a year: scaffold tower, wet tile saw, concrete mixer, jackhammer, floor sander. Hire is $80–$200 a day and saves both money and storage.

Got a tool question we should write up? Tell us.