Most power tools get binned long before they stop being fixable.
A budget cordless drill might give you two or three years of weekend use; a well-kept corded grinder can run for fifteen or more.
Below is how long your tools should realistically last, what gives out first, and what the trade does to get years more out of the same kit.
How long should a power tool last?
There's no single number, because lifespan depends on how the tool is built, how hard it's worked, and whether it's looked after.
As a rough guide, based on what we see come back for parts:
- Budget and DIY tools, occasional use: 2 to 5 years.
- Mid-range tools, regular home use: 5 to 10 years.
- Professional tools and good corded machines, looked after: 10 to 20 years or more.
Corded tools tend to outlast cordless ones, for a simple reason: there's no battery to wear out. With a cordless drill, the tool body often outlives several battery packs.
If you're buying new and want the years, a corded or higher-spec brushless tool from a trade brand will almost always last longer than the cheapest cordless on the shelf, because the build quality and the parts supply are both better.
What wears out first in a power tool?
Most tools that "stop working" have one worn part, not a failed motor.
On a brushed motor, the part that almost always goes first is the pair of carbon brushes: small carbon blocks that carry current to the spinning armature (the rotating core of the motor) and are designed to wear down so the motor doesn't.
As they get low you'll notice sparking through the vents, loss of power, or the tool cutting in and out. If the sparking is getting worse, our guide on how to stop motor brushes from sparking walks through what's normal and what isn't.
Other common wear points:
- Bearings, which start to whine or let the spindle wobble.
- The trigger switch, which can stick or stop making proper contact.
- Gears and the chuck on drills and drivers, after heavy use.
- The battery, on cordless tools (more on that below).
The important bit: a worn brush is a £5 to £10 fix. Left too long, though, the worn brush and its spring start scoring the commutator (the copper segments the brush runs against), and once the armature is damaged you're into a repair that often costs more than the tool is worth.
That's why catching it early matters, and why it's worth understanding how long carbon brushes last before they get to that point.
Brushed vs brushless: which lasts longer?
Brushless motors generally last longer than brushed ones, for a straightforward reason: they've no carbon brushes to wear out, and they run cooler and more efficiently. That's part of why the trade brands have moved their top tools to brushless.
Brushed tools aren't second-rate, though. They cost less up front, and when the brushes do wear, you replace them for a few pounds and the tool runs like new again. A brushless tool that fails usually needs electronics, which is rarely a home fix. We make and stock brushes for hundreds of brushed tools precisely because a worn brush is the easiest repair on the bench, not a reason to replace the tool.
If you use a tool daily and want it to last as long as possible, the higher price for brushless is worth it. If you reach for it now and then, a brushed tool you can keep alive with cheap parts is often the more sensible buy.
Why do cordless tools often stop working before corded ones?
Usually it's the battery that gives out, not the tool. A lithium-ion pack is only good for a set number of charges before it noticeably weakens. Battery University puts that at 300 to 500 full charge cycles before capacity drops below 80 percent, which for most people works out at three to five years of use.
Heat and storage habits make a big difference. Leaving a pack on charge at full all the time, or baking in a hot van, wears it faster: a fully charged battery kept warm loses far more capacity over a year than one stored part-charged and cool.
So before you write off a cordless tool that's lost power, test it with a battery you know is good. The tool body itself often outlives several packs, and a fresh battery costs far less than replacing a tool that still works.
How long do the big brands last - DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee?
Spend more on a trade brand and you're mostly paying for it to last longer. DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch and the other professional names build their tools for daily site use, with better bearings, better switches, and parts you can still get hold of in five years. Budget brands are fine for occasional jobs; they just tend to wear faster and are harder to find spares for.
It's less about the badge than the build quality and whether you can still get parts. A well-built brushed Makita with brushes you can buy will outlast a sealed budget tool you can't get into. Many of the trade brands also extend their warranty, often to three years, once you register the tool, which is worth doing on the day you buy it.
Whichever brand you own, matching the right replacement part to the exact model matters. A Dewalt Type 1 and a Type 4 can take different brushes, and fitting the wrong one can damage the tool. If you're not sure which you've got, our guide to finding your model number shows where to look on each brand.
How do trade pros make their tools last longer?
The trade gets years more out of the same tools, and it isn't luck. The habits that matter most:
- Keep the vents clear. Motors pull air through cooling vents to stay cool, and clogged vents trap heat that cooks the windings. Blow them out with compressed air, especially after cutting masonry or MDF.
- Don't force it. If the tool is labouring, you need a sharper blade or bit, not more push. Forcing it draws extra current and builds heat.
- Let it cool on long jobs. Heavy continuous use builds heat faster than the tool can shed it, and short rests prevent overheating shutdowns.
- Replace worn brushes early. A fresh set before they score the commutator is the cheapest way to add years to a brushed tool.
- Look after batteries. Store them cool and part-charged, not flat and not sitting in the sun.
None of it takes long. Five minutes clearing the vents and a brush change at the first sign of sparking will keep most tools running well past the point where they'd otherwise have been thrown out. We set out the full routine in our guide to maintaining your power tools, and when the brushes are due, how to change them step by step.
When should you repair a power tool instead of replacing it?
The rule the trade uses is simple: if the fault is a cheap wear part, fix it; if the motor is burnt out or the repair would cost more than about half a new tool, replace it.
Most faults fall on the fixable side. Carbon brushes, a switch, a bearing or a worn cord are all inexpensive parts, and fitting them is well within reach for anyone comfortable with a screwdriver. A burnt-out armature or a cracked gearbox is usually where it stops being worth it, and even then it's worth checking the part is still available before you decide.
Fixing it makes sense on both cost and waste. A pair of replacement brushes costs a few pounds against a tool that cost a couple of hundred, and a repair keeps a working tool out of landfill. If you want to know whether yours is a candidate, you'll find replacement carbon brushes for most makes and models in our store, and most of the time the tool you thought was finished has years left in it.