Workshop-Tested
Tool & Appliance Reviews
Real tools, tested results. Honest home improvement and power tool reviews by a licensed contractor with 14 years of hands-on experience. No sponsored picks. No filler.
14+
Years Experience
100%
Independent
7+
Products per Guide
0
Sponsored Picks
Expert Reviews
Browse by Category
Hands-on buying guides across 9 home improvement categories.
Laundry & Appliances
Washers, dryers, dishwashers, and stackable units
Vacuums & Floor Care
Cordless vacuums, robot vacuums, shop vacs, and steam mops
Outdoor Power Equipment
Pressure washers, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and chainsaws
Kitchen Tools & Fixtures
Knife sets, electric kettles, faucets, and kitchen essentials
Power Tools & Workshop
Drills, saws, oscillating tools, and workshop essentials
Home Air & Filtration
Air purifiers, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and space heaters
Grooming & Personal Care
Electric toothbrushes, razors, clippers, and trimmers
Lighting & Electrical
LED shop lights, work lights, garage lighting, and electrical fixtures
Painting Supplies
Paint sprayers, rollers, brushes, drop cloths, and prep equipment
Free for DIYers
Free Tools by Jake
Interactive calculators and estimators built by a licensed contractor. No signup, no ads.
Concrete Block Calculator
Blocks, courses, mortar bags, sand, core fill grout and joint reinforcement for any CMU wall — with doors and windows taken out, and a check on whether the wall lands on the 16 in by 8 in block module at all, which is the question every other block calculator skips. Printable material list, embeddable widget.
Open tool Lawn & gardenGrass Seed Calculator
Pounds and bags of grass seed for your lawn, using the published extension seeding rate for your actual species, new lawn or overseeding, and the purity and germination printed on your bag's tag — the pure-live-seed step every other calculator skips. Printable seeding plan, embeddable widget.
Open tool Framing & layoutJoist Spacing Chart
Maximum allowable span for any joist size, spacing, species and grade, floor or deck, straight from the 2021 IRC tables, including 19.2 in o.c., deck cantilevers, and the spacing cap the decking itself imposes. Enter the span you need and every cell gets scored. Printable PDF, embeddable widget.
Open toolLatest Guides
Recently Published
Our newest product reviews and buying guides.
7 Best Top Load Washers of 2026
Jake Morrison reviews the best top load washers of 2026. Compare agitator vs impeller, capacity, smart features, and price to find your ideal washing machine.
7 Best Washers and Dryers of 2026
Jake Morrison reviews the best washer and dryer solutions of 2026 — combos, stacked laundry centers, and all-in-ones. Includes 120V vs 240V, vented vs ventless, and GC installation guidance.
8 Best Cordless Hammer Drills of 2026
Licensed GC Jake Morrison reviews the 8 best cordless hammer drills of 2026 for concrete, brick and block, plus the rotary hammer difference that matters.
8 Best Smart Thermostats of 2026: A Contractor's Honest Picks
Licensed GC Jake Morrison reviews the 8 best smart thermostats for 2026 — ecobee, Nest, Sensi, Amazon, and Mysa picks with real C-wire, heat pump, and electric baseboard install guidance.
7 Best Workbenches of 2026
Jake Morrison, a licensed general contractor, reviews the 7 best workbenches of 2026 — folding, fixed, and adjustable benches tested for garage DIY, woodworking, and mechanic work.
7 Best Cordless Leaf Blowers of 2026
Jake Morrison reviews the best cordless leaf blowers of 2026. Compare CFM, battery platform, runtime, weight, and noise to find the right blower for your yard, jobsite, or HOA neighborhood.
Your Reviewer
Jake Morrison, Licensed General Contractor
Jake Morrison has spent 14 years in residential construction and home renovation before founding DIYRated in 2026. After helping hundreds of homeowners choose the right tools and materials for their projects, he started writing the product guides he wished existed when he was starting out. Jake tests every major product recommendation in his workshop in Indianapolis and focuses on real-world performance over spec-sheet marketing.
Full bio & methodology