Best-Rated DIY Tools

Compare DIY Tools in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Stanley, Black & Decker, Bosch, DeWalt, Jobmate, Makita, Ozito and Ryobi were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Ease of Use, Quality/Durability, Reliability & Performance and Value for Money.

See our Ratings Methodology.

Most Satisfied Customers | Stanley & Makita

For the best tools for your next home-improvement project, choose Stanley and Makita: rated No.1 for customer satisfaction by the country’s legions of DIYers.

How we rate DIY tools

Our review compares DIY tool brands on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared DIY tool brands before you make your next purchase. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends and family members which tool brands deliver the best quality and value for money!


Canstar Blue surveyed 691 Kiwis who had purchased and used a new DIY tool (i.e. hand tools/power tools) in the past two  years, and asked them for their feedback on their choice of tool brand.

  • The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.

Respondents rate their satisfaction with their DIY tools from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:

  • Overall Satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a DIY tool brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria.
  • Ease of Use: the tool is easy to operate and comfortable to handle.
  • Quality/Durability: the tool is of good quality and is sturdy enough to take the wear and tear a DIY tool experiences when in use.
  • Reliability & Performance: the tool continues to work reliably and to the same performance levels as when it was first purchased.
  • Value for Money: the tool brand offers great value for money.

The winning DIY tool is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

  • Overall Satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
  • When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the Overall Satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
    • The provider with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The DIY tool brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

  • Stanley & Makita
  • Ozito
  • Ryobi
  • DeWalt
  • Bosch
  • Black & Decker
  • Jobmate

Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.

Best DIY tool brands in New Zealand

  1. Stanley & Makita
  2. Ozito
  3. Ryobi
  4. DeWalt
  5. Bosch
  6. Black & Decker
  7. Jobmate

Stanley logo

Joint Winner: Stanley

Editor’s Notes

This is the second year in a row that Stanley has taken home a Canstar Blue Most Satisfied Customers | DIY Tools Award. And, again, it does so by securing a great set of ratings from its many contented customers. As a joint winner, along with Makita, it’s one of only two brands in this year’s award to score a top 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction.

Across other categories it earns further 5-Star ratings for Reliability & Performance and Quality/Durability , plus 4-Stars for both Ease of Use and Value for Money.

Ratings Results

Stanley is a global tool company that is known for its distinctive yellow branding. Founded in 1843 and headquartered in the US, Stanley merged with other iconic US tool manufacturer Black & Decker in 2010, to form Stanley Black & Decker.

In New Zealand, Stanley retails a huge range of hand and power tools, storage products and accessories. Suitable for professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, Stanley’s range of DIY tools offers quality construction at affordable prices.

All of Stanley’s FatMax power tools come with a one-year warranty as standard. But if you register your tool for free within four weeks of purchase, Stanley extends that warranty for a further two years.

This means that in the unlikely event that your power tool becomes defective due to faulty materials or workmanship, Stanley guarantees to either replace the tool, or repair all defective parts, free of charge.


Joint Winner: Makita

Ratings Results

This is the second time that Makita has taken home our top award; the last time was back in 2021. This year, along with Stanley, it scores a superb 5-Star Overall Satisfaction rating. It’s a rating Makita also earns for Reliability & Performance and Ease of Use.

For Quality/Durability and Value for Money, it earns excellent 4-Star ratings.

Editor’s Notes

Makita is one of the most well-known and well-established names in DIY. The Japanese manufacturer started in the early 1900s and has been selling tools in New Zealand since the 1960s. Its range of DIY tools includes: drills, saws, grinders, sanders, chainsaws, corded and cordless tools. Makita’s interchangeable batteries are designed for use across its wide range of power tools, making it quick and easy to swap from one tool to the next.

Makita also has a huge network of dealers and authorised Makita Service Centres throughout the country, providing expert advice and support.


Ozito logo DIY tools

Ozito

Ratings Results

Alongside its great 4-Star Overall Satisfaction rating, Ozito scores highly in one other field: a 5-Star rating in the important category of Value for Money.

Notably, Ozito is the only DIY brand in this year’s rating to earn a top rating for value from consumers.

Editor’s Notes

Ozito’s range of affordable power tools and garden supplies can be found for sale at Bunnings Warehouse stores.

Ozito’s PXC cordless system spans a wide range of over 90 tools – from lawn mowers to rotary hammers and circular saws – that all use the same battery pack. This means you can share one, or two (for 36V tools), battery packs across multiple tools.


ryobi logo

Ryobi

Ratings Results

In this year’s rating, Ryobi earns predominantly great 4-Star ratings: for Reliability & Performance, Quality/Durability and Value for Money. For Ease of Use it has a 3-Star rating.

Editor’s Notes

Ryobi has been making power tools since the 1960s. Its wide range of power tools all use the same interchangeable and rechargeable 18V battery, making for a convenient and optimised family of over 100 products. Similarly, its 36V battery powers its family of large outdoor tools, including chainsaws, lawnmowers and pressure washers.


DeWalt

Ratings Results

DeWalt, too, earns predominantly high praise from its contented customers. Great 4-Star ratings for Reliability & Performance, Quality/Durability and Value for Money, plus a 3-Star rating For Ease of Use.

Editor’s Notes

DeWalt manufactures a huge range of tools, from small hand tools through to grunty power tools for DIYers and professional builders.

Compatible with all of DeWalt’s 18V range of tools and chargers, its Powerstack batteries deliver next-level power, efficiency and lifespan. While for serious tradies, DeWalt also has a range of 54V battery-powered tools for unrivalled runtime and performance.


bosch_logo

Bosch

Ratings Results

Placing sixth on our awards table, Bosch earns two 4-Star ratings, for Overall Satisfaction and Quality/Durability. Across all other categories it has 3-Star ratings.

Editor’s Notes

Founded in the late 1800s in Germany, Bosch originally specialised in precision mechanical and electrical engineering. In 1927, it created a hair trimmer that contained an electric motor in its handle, which inspired the Bosch team to utilise the concept in the company’s first power tools.

Today Bosch produces a wide range of power tools designed for professional and home use, both corded and battery powered. Like many of the other tool brands in our award ratings, Bosch’s power tools all share one interchangeable battery pack.


Black & Decker Logo

Black & Decker

Ratings Results

Black & Decker earns predominantly 3-Star ratings from its customers. While not a glowing recommendation from the brand’s customers of their satisfaction levels with its products, it is by no means a reflection of dissatisfaction. Rather 3-Star ratings reveal that Black & Decker’s customers are happy with the products they purchased.

Editor’s Notes

Since producing the world’s first portable electric drill for consumers in 1946, Black & Decker has grown into a leading manufacturer of DIY tools.

In NZ, its products include the Reviva range of cheap, cordless power tools, for small jobs around the home, in addition to battery operated and cordless power tools and DIY equipment for bigger jobs, all retailing at economical price points.


Jobmate

Ratings Results

Rounding out our DIY Tools Award table for 2023, Jobmate clearly gets the job done: it earns 3-Star ratings across all categories, except for an excellent 4-Star rating for Value for Money. This is a reflection of the brand’s no-frills focus and value-packed products.

Editor’s Notes

An exclusive range of Mitre 10 tools, Jobmate is designed to deliver quality at a great price. Jobmate offers plenty of outdoor tools, drill bits and accessories, and hand tools such as screwdrivers and hammers. However, its range of power tools (cordless drills, saws, etc) is limited.


 

Other DIY tools

Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.

  • AEG
  • Milwaukee
  • Number 8

AEG

Editor’s Notes

Originally a German company, AEG is now part of the Swedish multinational Electrolux. It retails a large range of quality power tools and gardening equipment in New Zealand designed for serious home DIYers and professional use. In addition to individual products, AEG also sells great value combo kits. Each of its corded and cordless power tools comes with a standard three-year warranty.


Milwaukee

Editor’s Notes

As its name suggests, Milwaukee was founded in the US. It manufactures a wide range of powered and hand tools designed primarily for professional use across all building trades. However if you’re a serious DIYer who doesn’t mind paying for a quality tool that is designed to last, then Milwaukee’s products are a great option to add your tool box.


Number 8 tools logo

Number 8

Editor’s Notes

Number 8 is another brand of tools and hardware that is exclusive to Mitre 10. It delivers super-cheap products that are perfect for occasional use on small jobs around the home. Its range includes basic hand tools and gardening equipment.


 

Choosing the Right DIY Tools for You

The old adage is correct: a good DIYer should never blame their tools. But a good DIYer does need to be able to rely on their tools to get the job done right.

This is reflected in how the consumers in our award survey rate their chosen brands of DIY tools. The overwhelming majority (30%) say that Reliability & Performance is their No.1 consideration when rating their tool brand. This sits well ahead of Value for Money, which was the biggest concern for just 20% of respondents.

Durability is also less of a concern for consumers, which is reflected in the fact most brands score highly in that category on our awards table.

Here’s how those in our survey rate their top concerns when assessing their choice of DIY tools:

  • Reliability & Performance: 30% 
  • Ease of Use: 28%
  • Quality/Durability: 22%
  • Value for Money: 20%


About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.

More Information

Key statistics

Take pride in tool collection: 44%

Happy to lend tools to friends and family: 42%

Regard DIY as part of the No.8 wire mentality: 36%

Purchase high-quality tools: 30%

Have tools only used a couple of times: 30%

Loyal to one tool brand: 27%

For one-off jobs, buy cheap tools and treat them as disposable: 20%

Buy the most powerful tool, regardless of job: 11%

Types of tools bought

Power tool: 50%

Hand tool: 40%

Top tools bought

Cordless Drill: 29%

Hammer / Wrecking Tool: 10%

Cutting Tool: 7%

Screwdriver/Allen Key: 6%

Sander: 6%

Power Saw: 4%

Clamps/Pliers/Vices: 3%

Corded Drill: 3%

Socket/Spanner/Toolkit: 3%

Grinding Power Tools: 2%

Measuring/Marking: 2%

Canstar Blue surveyed 2505 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who had bought a new DIY in the past two years. In this case, 691 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.

The past winners from Canstar Blue’s DIY Tools ratings:

  • 2022: Stanley
  • 2021: Makita

 

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