6 Tools With Surprising One-Star Reviews, Put to the Test

Introduction

One-star reviews can be some of the most entertaining writing on the internet, but they can also hide genuinely useful buying advice. We picked six tools with famously harsh one-star reviews from a major home improvement retailer, bought them, and put each one through real use. Some deserved every word of the criticism. Others turned out far better than their ratings suggested.

Milwaukee M18 Cordless Heat Gun

The Milwaukee M18 heat gun is the puzzling one of the group. Milwaukee makes some excellent tools, so the volume of one-star reviews was baffling at first, until common themes emerged: “no heat,” “not enough heat,” and a battery that dies before the job is done. One reviewer memorably compared the heat output to the breath of someone whispering sweet nothings in your ear, adding that it can barely melt shrink wrap.

At roughly $150 without a battery, expectations are high. In practice, our experience matched the older reviews: it struggled with heat-shrink on electrical work and was useless for thawing a frozen lock. Testing it against a piece of Corian heat-shrink material, the surface peaked around 135 degrees on high and continued dropping, compared to roughly 150 degrees on a corded bench heat gun. Warm, yes. Enough to move epoxy or melt anything on a job site, no. That said, it performed better than the reviews suggested, and later units appear improved over earlier versions. We rate it about 3.75 out of 5: a decent cordless option for light warming tasks, but not a real heat gun replacement.

If you regularly use a heat gun away from power outlets, it may still earn its place, just with tempered expectations for anything beyond gentle warming.

Ryobi 7-1/4 in. Corded Circular Saw

This classic corded circular saw carries one of the scarier reviews we found: a buyer reported the trigger broke after two minutes and the saw would not shut off until it was unplugged. Other reviews called the depth stop unreliable, the manual useless, and one said the saw started smoking partway through a single sheet of plywood.

For around $69, the saw feels better built than some comparably cheap saws, with a decent on-board blade storage. In testing, the trigger did not fail and the saw ran loudly but reliably. The real problems showed up in the details: the depth plate has noticeable play, the shoe shook itself out of square mid-cut even after being tightened, and the blade audibly bogged down and deflected at the end of cuts. Re-tightening helped, but the mechanisms feel loose overall. It is not a one-star tool, but the reviews are not wrong either. We land at 2.5 out of 5, fine for occasional rough cuts if you check your settings constantly.

Ridgid Cordless Orbital Sander

The reviews for this Ridgid cordless orbital sander repeat one phrase over and over: “destroys the battery.” One buyer reported about seven total minutes of runtime across three separate batteries. Others complained about vibration and sanding performance. One particularly funny review complained the tool was not discounted enough during a sale.

The tool is undeniably bulky and tall, which is common for Ridgid. The tap-to-start button is awkward to hold, and the sander moves aggressively enough that it throws the workpiece around rather than cutting smoothly. Sanding a single small board took an unreasonable amount of time and pressure, plus a significant battery bar, roughly three minutes of runtime for one small area. Dust collection was respectable, credit where due, but ergonomics and battery draw make it hard to recommend. At 1.75 out of 5, the one-star crowd has a real point here.

Ryobi 18V 3/8 in. Cordless Impact Wrench

Nearly every review of this Ryobi 18V 3/8 in. impact wrench says the same thing: not enough power. Reviewers reported it could not handle the jobs they bought it for, and at $119 without a battery, that stings.

Ours arrived looking suspiciously like a returned tool, but it worked. On an older vehicle with loose, forgiving fasteners, it removed every lug without complaint. The catch is that it is a 3/8 in. drive tool, so it physically cannot accept the socket sizes needed for full-size truck wheels, which is exactly the use case many disappointed buyers apparently had. Match the tool to the task and it works fine; expect it to spin off truck lugs and you will be writing a one-star review too. We give it 2.5 out of 5.

Porter-Cable Palm Nailer

The Porter-Cable palm nailer had universally brutal reviews: air blowing out the back, dying after two jobs, leaking out of the box. One buyer begged Porter-Cable to pull it from the market. The brand has since been phased out, so there is no return option for our unit.

In use, the tiny palm nailer worked flawlessly. It fits where a hammer cannot, buried nails fast on a 2x4, and showed no leaks. It is loud, startlingly so, very sensitive to trigger pressure, and blows air back into your palm, but it does exactly what a palm nailer should. For $59, this was the best performer of the six, earning a 4 out of 5. If you find one, the negative reviewers likely just got bad units.

Husky 2-Ton Floor Jack

At $40, this Husky 2-ton floor jack looks like a steal, but the reviews are genuinely alarming: hydraulic oil spilling from the box, jacks that will not hold pressure, and one report of the weld on the wheel bracket breaking mid-lift, dropping a car onto wood blocks. One reviewer noted returning it was easy, which is the closest thing to a compliment in the bunch.

The jack itself is tiny, with a 4,000 lb capacity and a 5 to 13 inch lift range, making it better suited to cars than trucks. It pumped smoothly, the release valve is convenient, and it lifted an older vehicle without drama. Then came the controversy: after a single lift, the body was found visibly bent. That alone downgrades this from an average score to well below one-star territory. It works in a pinch for a car, but the structural failure reported both in reviews and in our own testing is disqualifying.

Buying Advice

The lesson from this lineup is that one-star reviews are a signal, not a verdict. The Ridgid sander and the Husky jack earned their reputations. The Milwaukee heat gun and the Porter-Cable palm nailer are much better than their ratings imply. The Ryobi saw and impact wrench sit in between: usable tools that will frustrate you if you buy them for the wrong jobs. Read the specific complaints, match them to your intended use, and you will dodge most of the disappointment these buyers experienced.

Conclusion

Six tools, six very different outcomes. The palm nailer was a surprise winner, the heat gun outperformed its reputation, and the floor jack and sander proved the crowd right. When you shop budget tools, let the recurring complaints in reviews guide you rather than the star average alone, because sometimes the public is wrong, and sometimes it is dangerously right.