Workshop
Buying guides for workshop, ranked by the noise figures makers publish.
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
Portable band saw noise figures span 71 to 90,2 dB(A) at the ear, but they were not all measured the same way, so we never mix them. Fifteen saws with maker figures, the quietest in each group, and the brands whose pages print nothing.
The quietest reciprocating saws
Reciprocating saw figures under the current standard start at 80 dB(A) at the ear, for a compact Makita, 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, sorted into SDS-plus, SDS-max and corded groups.
The quietest routers
Router noise runs from a 12 V Bosch edge router declared at 74 dB(A) at the ear to a Festool OF 1400 at 98. Sixteen trim, compact and plunge routers with maker declarations, the quietest in each size, and the brands that publish no number anywhere.
The quietest table saws
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.