UTUsed Tool Index
Tool TypesPlatformsValue retentionMethodology
Original research · Updated Aug 16, 2026

Used tool value retention by brand

Across 189 cordless power tool models measured on Aug 16, 2026, a used tool asks a median of 74% of what the same part number asks new on eBay. By brand, Makita is lowest at 58% across 9 models and DeWalt highest at 80% across 49 models. Every figure is the median of live asking prices, not sold prices, and each model behind it carries at least 8 verified used and 8 verified new listings.

By brand

Lowest share of new first — that is the brand where buying used saves the most.

BrandModelsMedian % of newMiddle half
Makita958%47–64%
Milwaukee6871%64–77%
Craftsman1474%69–79%
Ridgid2475%69–86%
Ryobi2178%74–89%
DeWalt4980%73–89%

Brands with fewer than 8 qualifying models are not listed. A median over four models reads as authoritative as one over sixty and is not.

Bare tools only, like for like

The table above mixes bare tools with kits, and brands differ in how much of each they sell under a single part number. Restricting to part numbers that are unambiguously the bare tool removes that difference — and widens the gap rather than closing it.

Brand (bare tools)ModelsMedian % of newMiddle half
Milwaukee6771%64–77%
DeWalt1485%76–92%

By tool type

Pooled across brands. The spread here is narrower than the brand spread, which is itself the finding: what a tool is matters less than where it sits in the market.

Tool typeModelsMedian % of newMiddle half
Drills3368%63–80%
Impact Wrenches973%65–83%
Reciprocating Saws2273%66–77%
Oscillating Tools1273%68–78%
Impact Drivers3374%69–79%
Hammer Drills1976%64–87%
Sanders977%72–80%
Circular Saws1578%69–91%
Nailers886%80–87%

What this measures, and what it does not

This is a price gap, not a depreciation rate. Both halves of the ratio are asking prices on eBay today: the median used listing over the median new listing for the same part number. It answers “how much do I save buying this used right now”. It does not track one tool’s value over time, and it is not a percentage of the manufacturer’s list price.

A low percentage is not proof a brand loses value quickly. Three different things pull it down, and this data cannot separate them: the tool genuinely holding value poorly, a cheap and heavily-discounted new market on eBay raising the denominator, or a deep and competitive used market lowering the numerator. Milwaukee carries several times more used listings per part number than the other brands here, so the third applies to it far more than to anything else. Read Makita’s 58% as “the used market for these is competitive”, not as “these depreciate fastest”.

Asking prices, not sold prices. eBay stopped exposing completed sales to anonymous requests, so no honest free source of sold data exists. Some listings here are priced optimistically and will never sell, which is why every row shows the middle half of its range beside the median rather than a bare point estimate.

“New” means new on eBay. That pool includes open-box and grey-market stock, so it is a street price rather than list. It is the right denominator for the question a buyer is actually asking, and it is a lower one than MSRP would be — which means these percentages are higher than a percentage-of-MSRP would show. Full detail on the methodology page.

Common questions

Which power tool brands hold their value best?
Measured across 189 cordless models on Aug 16, 2026, used tools ask a median of 74% of what the same part number asks new on eBay. By brand, lowest share of new first: Makita 58%, Milwaukee 71%, Craftsman 74%, Ridgid 75%, Ryobi 78%, DeWalt 80%. Read this as how much you save buying used, not as a depreciation rate — both halves are live asking prices, so a low figure can mean a deep, competitive used market as easily as a tool that loses value.
How much cheaper is a used power tool than a new one?
About 26% cheaper on average: the median used listing asks 74% of the median new-condition listing for the same part number on eBay, across 189 models. The saving varies more by brand than by tool type — from 58% of new for Makita to 80% for DeWalt.
Does Milwaukee hold its value better than DeWalt?
Not in the way the question usually assumes. Used Milwaukee asks 71% of its new-on-eBay price across 68 models, against 80% for DeWalt across 49 — and restricting both to bare tools widens the gap to 71% against 85%. That means used Milwaukee is the better bargain relative to new, which is the opposite of the usual claim. It is not evidence that Milwaukee depreciates faster: Milwaukee has several times more used listings per part number than any other brand here, and a deeper used market prices more competitively.
Which used tools save the most against buying new?
Drills save the most: they ask a median 68% of their new-on-eBay price across 33 models. Nailers save the least at 86% across 8 models. The spread across tool types is narrower than the spread across brands, so which brand you buy matters more than which tool.
Is this based on sold prices or asking prices?
Asking prices. eBay stopped exposing completed sales to anonymous requests, so there is no honest free source of sold data, and this site never claims one. Every figure is the median of what sellers are asking across listings live at the time of measurement — Aug 16, 2026 for these — with the middle half of the range published beside it so the spread is visible rather than hidden in a point estimate.

Citing this

These figures are free to quote with attribution to Used Tool Index. They are recomputed daily from live listings, so please cite the date you read them — Aug 16, 2026 for this version. Per-model figures are on each tool’s page, and the full dataset is available as a single plain-text table.