SideQuest 27: Kiss, Marry, Eliminate: POWER TOOL EDITION 🛠️
Welcome back to another Side Quest episode of How To Handyma'am!
This week, we settled one of the most important debates in the trades...by forcing ourselves to choose between our favorite tools.
Using the classic "Kiss, Marry, Eliminate" game, we pitted power tools and shop essentials against each other to decide which ones we'd keep forever, which we'd use every now and then, and which we'd gladly send packing.
As you can probably imagine, not everyone agreed—and a few of these decisions nearly started a civil war.
Tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts now!
Here is a breakdown of what we discussed this week:
Miter Saw Wins Our Hearts 🪚
The very first matchup featured three workshop staples:
Table saw
Miter saw
Circular saw
After plenty of debate, we unanimously agreed that the miter saw earned the "marry" spot thanks to its accuracy, reliability, and how often we reach for it on the job.
The circular saw earned a quick "kiss," while the table saw was the unfortunate first tool to be eliminated—mostly because not everyone enjoys working with it.
The Great Drill Debate
Next came one of the toughest choices of the episode:
Impact driver
Drill/driver
Brad nailer
While we all agreed the impact driver deserved the lifelong commitment, deciding what to eliminate turned into a surprisingly passionate discussion.
Some of us argued that an impact driver can handle almost everything.
Others insisted there's still no substitute for a traditional drill.
It's safe to say this debate isn't ending anytime soon.
Apparently, We Have Strong Feelings About Demolition Tools
As the game continued, we compared everything from demolition tools to hand tools.
One thing became very clear:
Contractors get surprisingly attached to the tools they use every day.
Whether it was pry bars, oscillating multi-tools, caulk guns, or utility knives, every decision came with a story—and usually someone defending their favorite tool with their whole heart.
The Fastback Controversy 😅
No SideQuest would be complete without one opinion that completely divided the room.
This time?
The Milwaukee Fastback utility knife.
When one of us suggested it deserved to be eliminated, the reactions ranged from disbelief to outright betrayal.
By the end of the conversation, we were joking that the next podcast episode would have to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the hosts.
Needless to say...not everyone agreed with that verdict.
There Are No Wrong Answers... Except Maybe That One
One of the funniest parts of this episode was realizing how personal tool preferences really are.
The "best" tool often depends on:
The type of work you do.
The projects you build most often.
Your experience level.
Sometimes...just pure personal preference.
What one contractor refuses to work without is another contractor's least favorite tool.
And that's okay.
Help Us Settle the Next Debate!
By the end of the episode, we realized we could probably play this game forever.
Power tools, hand tools, fasteners, paint products—you name it, we'd happily argue about it.
That's why we're turning it over to you!
Tell us which three tools you'd like us to compare next, and maybe your matchup will make it into a future SideQuest episode.
Our Biggest Takeaway
One of the best parts of working in the trades is that every contractor develops their own favorite tools over time.
There's rarely one "correct" answer. Instead, experience shapes what you reach for first, what earns a permanent place in your toolbox, and what you'd gladly leave behind.
Whether you agreed with every one of our choices or were yelling at your speakers the entire time, we hope this episode gave you a few laughs and maybe even sparked some friendly debate of your own.
As always, thanks for listening! Keep sending us your questions, hot takes, and tool matchups—we can't wait to see what you'll have us arguing about next.
