Workshop
Buying guides for workshop, ranked by the noise figures makers publish.
Are Makita air compressors quiet? Their pages say 58 to 80 dB
Makita prints a decibel figure for seven current US compressors. The Quiet Series MAC100Q lists 58 dB, the MAC210Q and MAC320Q 60, the cordless AC001GZ 68, the compact AC001 72, and the oil-lubricated Big Bore MAC2400 and MAC700 79 and 80. No page or manual gives a distance, and makitatools.com shows no prices.
Quietest electric screwdriver: BLACK+DECKER's BDCSFL20C declares 53 dB(A)
Four cordless screwdrivers sold in the US carry EN 62841-2-2 noise declarations from their makers. BLACK+DECKER's 4V BDCSFL20C declares 53 dB(A) of sound pressure, its AA-powered BCF601 60 to 63, DEWALT's 12V DCF601 67 and DEWALT's DCF622 screw gun 74.
Are California Air Tools compressors quiet? Their pages say 40 to 90 dB
California Air Tools prints a dB figure for 74 current compressors. The 8010SPC cabinet model lists 40 dB, the 1P1060S and 12-volt 12V1P10S 56, the 8010 and its 1.0 HP siblings 60, and the 2.0 HP range 70. No page gives a distance. All prices were taken from californiaairtools.com on November 7, 2026.
Quietest shop air filter: Powermatic's PM1250 lists 41.3 dBA at 1 m on Low
Powermatic's electrostatic PM1250 reads 41.3 to 50.8 dBA at 1 m, under JET's AFS-850 at 51 to 64 dB over the same distance. RIKON's 62-450 leads the 3 ft group at 57 to 68 dB, while WEN, Laguna and Grizzly print figures with no distance and are set only against their own lines.
Quietest air scrubber: Husqvarna's A 25 lists 63 dB(A) at 1 m, and the A 45 drops to 58 on Low
Husqvarna gives its A 25 63 dB(A) at 1 m and its A 45 and A 100 58 on low, the only air scrubber figures sharing one stated basis. Abatement's PRED750 reads 65 dBA at 5 ft, Omnitec's OA2500 Prime 70 dB at 6 ft and Dri-Eaz's HEPA 700 67 dB with no distance, so each stands apart.
Quietest air ratchet: Ingersoll Rand's 105-D3 lists 81.8 dB(A) on ISO 15744
Ingersoll Rand's 105-D3 mini ratchet lists 81.8 dB(A) sound pressure under ISO 15744, the lowest 3/8 in. figure among eleven Ingersoll Rand and Chicago Pneumatic air ratchets. Makita's cordless XRW01Z and RW01Z declare 77 under EN62841-2-2, and AIRCAT prints 76 for its 811 without saying how it was measured.
Quietest detail sander: Festool's cordless DTSC 400 declares 68 dB(A)
Festool's battery DTSC 400 delta sander and RTSC 400 orbital sander both list 68 dB(A) for the operator in EN 62841-2-4 tests, while the corded DEWALT DWE6411 and Makita BO4556 palm sanders declare 85. Ten palm, detail and finishing sanders carry maker figures; Milwaukee, Bosch and BLACK+DECKER print none.
Quietest band saw: Powermatic's PM1500 prints 72 dB, JET's floor saws 75
Powermatic's PM1500 prints 72 dB at 39 in. from the blade without load, the lowest woodworking figure we found, against 75 for JET's JWBS-15 under the same wording. JET's J-3130 metal saw prints 70 and its JWBS-9 benchtop 90, while Laguna, Rikon and Grizzly manuals print no figure.
Quietest chop saw: DEWALT's D28730 rates 97.5 dB(A), and Metabo's US manual prints 91
Among chop saws rated under EN 62841-3-10, DEWALT's D28730 has the lowest operator figure, 97.5 dB(A), and Makita's LW1401 the lowest sound power, 110. Metabo's US manual gives its CS 22-355 91 dB(A), and Evolution's cordless S14CPS-Li prints 94.2, each with no standard named.
Quietest die grinder: Makita's XDG02Z declares 73 dB(A), lowest of four on one test
Makita's EU manuals put the cordless XDG02Z at 73 dB(A) sound pressure, the lowest of four Makita die grinders declared under EN60745/EN62841. Milwaukee's M12 FUEL 2486-20 lists 68.1 with no standard named, Ingersoll Rand's air die grinders start at 82.1 under ISO 15744, and DEWALT's DCG426 declares 92.
Quietest jointer: Grizzly's G0959 combo rates 88-89 dB, and a spiral head can rate louder
Grizzly rates its 12 in. G0959 combo at 88-89 dB, the lowest of six Grizzly jointers, and its spiral G0946 2 dB above the straight knife G0945. Powermatic prints 92 dB at 20 in. for the 60HH, JET a bare 92 dB for the JJ-6HHBT, and South Bend 82 - 84 dB for the SB1113.
Quietest paint sprayer: Graco's FinishPro II 395 PC lists 79 dBA at 3 feet
Graco prints sound pressure 3 feet from the machine for its fine finish rigs: 79 dBA for the FinishPro II 395 PC, 82 for the FinishPro HVLP 7.0 and 83 for the FinishPro GX 19. Its TC Pro handhelds are rated at the operator instead, from 83.0 to 86.0, and Fuji rates its Q PLATINUM turbines at 60 dBA with no basis.
Quietest rotary tool: Dremel's 8250 declares 71 dB(A), its corded 4300 74.4
Dremel's UK manuals put the brushless 8250 at 71 dB(A) and the 8240 at 73 in one 12V table, and the corded 4300 at 74.4 against 78.0 for the 4000 in another. The Lite and Stylo+ are declared below 70, a ceiling. Milwaukee, RYOBI, WEN and Proxxon print no figure.
Quietest airbrush compressor figures from Paasche, Master Airbrush and Sparmax
Paasche prints 47 dB for four airbrush compressors, the D3000R among them with a 3/4 gallon tank. Master Airbrush prints 47 db for its TC-40 and TC-40T, and Sparmax gives the tiny Beetle 40 decibels. None says how it measured, so each brand is ranked against the rest of its lineup only.
Quietest hammer drill: nine cordless models with maker decibel figures, in three groups
DEWALT's DCD805 declares 90 dB(A) at the operator's ear under EN 62841-2-1, lowest of four DEWALT and Hilti hammer drills declared that way. Metabo's US pages put its four at 85 to 101, and Festool splits the TPC 18/4 into 76 drilling metal and 94 hammering concrete.
Quietest car polisher: maker noise figures for six dual action and rotary polishers
DEWALT's cordless DCM848 declares 77 dB(A) at the operator under EN62841-2-4, seven below Makita's corded PO5000C. Rotary polishers are grouped apart: DEWALT's DCM849 declares 78 against 84.0 for its DWP849X, and Metabo's US manual gives 80 and 90 with no test named.
Quietest heat gun: Leister prints 56 to 67 dB(A), other makers print a ceiling
Leister is the one heat gun maker we found that prints a noise value for its US models: 56 dB(A) for the compact HOT JET S and 67 for four larger guns, with no distance or standard, so they rank only against each other. Bosch, Metabo and Leister's SOLANO AT state ceilings instead.
Quietest tire inflator: cordless and 12V models ranked by maker decibels
Makita's 18V DMP180ZX and DMP181ZX declare 73 dB(A) at the user under EN62841-1, the lowest of five cordless tool inflators, all within 3 dB. Among 12V compressors, VIAIR lists 68 dB at 0 PSI for its TLC PLUS. Each figure comes from the maker, and the two kinds are ranked apart.
Quietest bench grinder: JET rates six at 75 dB, and Tormek's T-8 sharpener at 59 dB(A)
JET prints 75 dB at 3 ft. without load for six bench grinders from 6 to 10 in., and 80 for its 12 in. IBG-12. Among slow wet sharpeners, Tormek's safety table gives the T-8 LpA 59 dB(A) against 70.5 for the T-4. Each figure was copied from a maker page or manual.
Quietest drill press: JET's 75 dB JDP-15 pair and three louder maker figures
JET prints 75dB at 39 in. (1 m) without load for its JDP-15B benchtop and JDP-15F floor drill presses, 80 for the JDP-17 and the brushless JDP-20S, and Powermatic 90 for its PM2800B. All five figures come from US manuals, and none names a weighting or a test standard.
Quietest impact driver: what hydraulic and oil-pulse drivers declare
Milwaukee's M12 SURGE 2551-20 lists 84.07 dB(A) at the ear, the lowest driver figure on its pages. Under EN 62841-2-2, DEWALT's compact DCF850 declares 88 dB(A), five below DEWALT's own hydraulic DCF870. Makita's oil-impulse XST01 declares 80, in its soft grade only.
Quietest track saw: corded and cordless plunge saws by declared noise
Festool's corded TS 60 declares 90 dB(A) at the operator and its cordless TSC 55 KSEB 91, both under EN 62841. DEWALT, Bosch, Makita and Metabo HPT track saws follow at 91 to 98. Every figure comes from a European maker document tied to a US model.
Quietest scroll saw: what Hegner, JET and Dremel each declare
Hegner declares 64.1 dB(A) idling and 74.5 cutting at the operator for its Multimax 14-E, 18-V and 22-V, to the draft prEN 31202. JET's JWSS-22B declares 72,5 and 78,4 under EN ISO 11202, and Dremel's Moto-Saw 79.0 with no standard named. Each maker is read in its own group.
Quietest thickness planer: five benchtop models and how each maker rates the noise
Grizzly rates its G0939 and G0940 at 83 to 85 dB, Makita declares 86 dB(A) at the operator for the 2012NB, and Laguna gives 92dB at 1 m for the PX|12. Each number is taken a different way, so the planers are grouped by method, and a straight-knife and helical pair is compared.
Quietest tile saw: the five wet saws with a maker noise declaration
Husqvarna's TS 60 and DEWALT's D24000 and D36000 declare 91.5 to 91.8 dB(A) at the operator's ear under the same EN 12418 test, a tie. Among handheld wet cutters, Makita's 12V CC02 declares 87 dB(A) against 101 for its corded 4101RH. Every figure comes from a maker manual.
The quietest dust collectors for a home or small shop
Dust collector makers rate noise from 3 ft and 3 m out to 10 ft and 22 ft, or name no distance, some in dBA and some in plain dB. Sixteen bag, canister and cyclone collectors with maker figures, sorted into groups that can fairly be compared, and what each figure leaves out.
The quietest dust extractors
A dust extractor can be quieter than the tool it serves: a cordless Festool declares 67 dB(A) at the ear under EN 60335-2-69, a Hilti 82.9. Thirteen extractors with maker noise figures, which declarations cannot be compared, and how we traced US models to their EU manuals.
The quietest angle grinders
Makita's cordless XAG04Z declares 82 dB(A) at the ear, the lowest in the main group of twelve 4-1/2 and 5 inch angle grinders with published maker noise figures. The quietest cordless and corded grinders, the US models we traced to EU manuals, and the brands that publish no figure at all.
The quietest belt sanders
Belt sander noise starts high: the quietest 3 and 4 inch sanders with a maker declaration sit at 88 dB(A) at the ear, and a Makita 9924DB reaches 94. Ten declared belt sanders plus two narrow Makitas, every figure taken from the maker's own manual.
The quietest brad and finish nailers
Nailer noise figures come in five formats that cannot share one ranking. We sorted sixteen brad, finish and pin nailers into their proper groups, found a Makita brad nailer declared at 79 dB(A), and noted every brand whose pages stay silent.
The quietest circular saws and track saws
No circular saw is quiet, but the gap is real: a Festool TS 60 and a Metabo KS 18 LTX 66 BL declare 90 dB(A) at the ear where Hilti and Bosch saws reach 99. Fourteen declared saws and track saws, the figures their makers print only abroad, and the brands that print none.
The quietest cordless drills and impact drivers
Sixteen cordless drills and drivers carry maker noise declarations, from 64 dB(A) at the ear for a Festool drilling metal to 100 for impact drivers. See the quietest drills, the hydraulic drivers that tame impact noise, and the brands that print nothing in the US.
The quietest electric hand planers
The DEWALT DCP580B leads twelve 3-1/4 inch hand planers at 85 dB(A) at the ear under EN 62841; a Metabo HPT 18V planer tops the group at 92. The quietest corded and cordless planers, and the EU manuals behind the US models.
The quietest impact wrenches
An impact wrench is loud by design, and the makers' own numbers prove it: 91 dB(A) at the ear for a DEWALT mid-range 1/2 inch, 101 for a Hilti high torque. Sixteen declared wrenches, the quietest 3/8 and 1/2 inch picks, and the US models we traced to EU declarations.
The quietest jigsaws
Jigsaws cluster tighter than most power tools: fifteen declared top handle and barrel grip models span 85 dB(A) at the ear, for a compact Makita, to 91 for a Hilti. The quietest corded and cordless picks, and why the numbers sit in European manuals.
The quietest miter saws
A Bosch and two Festool Kapex saws share the lowest declared miter saw figure, 88 dB(A) at the ear; a Milwaukee tops the list at 96.2. Fourteen saws with maker declarations across 8-1/2, 10 and 12 inch sizes, matched model by model to the manuals that publish them.
The quietest random orbital sanders
Random orbital sanders span a huge range: a cordless Festool declares 68 dB(A) at the ear while a big battery Metabo declares 89. Fourteen 5 and 6 inch sanders with maker declarations, the figures Festool prints only outside the US, and the brands that publish nothing.
The quietest oscillating multi-tools
Fein declares 73.7 dB(A) at the ear for its 12 V AMM 300 Plus, and Makita's sanding figures go as low as 72. Fourteen oscillating multi-tools with maker noise figures, grouped by the job each figure describes, with the silent brands named.
The quietest portable band saws
No US page or manual prints a noise figure for these fifteen portable band saws, so every number comes from European documents: 71 to 90,2 dB(A) at the ear, declared under different tests. The quietest saw in each test group, how each US model was matched, and the saws with no figure.
The quietest reciprocating saws
Reciprocating saw figures under the current standard start with a compact Makita at 80 dB(A) for the operator and end at 91 with Makita's corded saws. Seventeen declared saws, the quietest one-handed, full size and corded picks, and the figures we could not rank.
The quietest rotary hammers
Under EN 62841, rotary hammers declare 90 dB(A) at the ear at the quiet end, shared by a Hilti, a Bosch and a DEWALT, and 96 at the loud end for a Makita SDS-max. Sixteen hammers with maker declarations, grouped as SDS-plus, SDS-max or corded.
The quietest routers
Bosch's 12 V edge router declares 74 dB(A) at the ear and Festool's corded OF 1400 declares 98. Sixteen trim, compact and plunge routers with maker noise declarations, the quietest in each size, and the brands that print no number anywhere.
Quietest table saw: 7 jobsite and compact saws by declared noise, Festool lowest at 85 dB(A)
Only seven jobsite and compact table saws have a maker noise declaration: the Festool CSC SYS 50 at 85 dB(A) at the ear, a Milwaukee at 92.37, and two SawStops declared in plain dB that get their own group. Every figure traced to the manual that prints it.
The quietest air compressors for a home garage
Quiet air compressors are sold at 56 to 70 dB, but almost no maker says how it measured. The lowest claims on the market, ranked with that caveat attached, and the air each one delivers.