DIY: What to know when buying and using a cordless drill

Don’t confuse acknowledging that you don’t know what you’re doing with the inability to do it, writes Kya deLongchamps

Your first experience with a drill and driver will increase your confidence in using a variety of small power tools around your home and garden. Direct drivers are a different tool; be advised. File picture 

Unholstering and putting the mechanical purr on a drill has a ridiculous influence on my fragile sense of self. Many readers are leery of power tools. That reticence is what has kept your walls from looking like they were sprayed by an AK47. 

Still, a modest drill and a jigsaw can get you through hundreds of decorating and maintenance jobs. Don’t confuse acknowledging that you don’t know what you’re doing with the inability to do it.