Essential 12v and 18/20v tools for the homeowner

I'm tossing this out here, since there seems to be pretty frequent queries about "which tool or brand do I need to do this?" on this and the outdoor board. Someone is asking about an impact wrench on the other board right now.

From my experience (and I have several brands ), these are what I am using a lot:

12v- Milwaukee. The 3/8" ratchet, get it alone or in a starter kit. This singular tool is a godsend, unmatched by any other option I can find. This ratchet is barely larger than a regular, handheld 3/8" ratchet, so you can stuff it into cramped spaces. Has enough torque to break almost everything I've used it on, and is tough enough that you can pull on it to break loose the few it won't. You don't realize how much you will use it, until you get it; working on and under cars.
The regular one is a bit smaller than the Fuel one, maybe it's not as powerful, but it's plenty good for what it's used on. I think the size tradeoff is worth the loss of power. This is a tool you want as handy and compact as possible.

18/20v- I've got several brands, Ryobi is now my preferred choice because of price/function/shared battery usage.
The essential tools here-

1/2" Impact Wrench: this generally runs about $100 on sale, and goes on sale seemingly every other week. Dewalt and Milwaukee are better, but also run about $300. My Ryobi zips the lug nuts off my autos, including my Silverado. Easily. Also no problem taking a blade off a mower. If you're not running a repair shop, I don't know what more you'd need a true torque wrench for. You do want AT LEAST a 4amp battery, I think 6amp is ideal. But batteries seem to be equally priced across the brands, or at least the Ryobi's are among the cheapest.

Small fan. I found Ryobi had some small, clip on fans, I got them on a sale at $15 apiece. I got 3, they're now $25, and still worth it. This is something you will not expect to need, but once you put one under the car with you while changing oil or brakes, in the summer- just a nice thing to have. And being so small, yes, they do fit under the car. Put it anywhere.

Also, these are nice when the power goes out. Low setting lasts a long, LONG time, and you can clip them to the headboard on your bed. Because not everyone has a generator that will run the central AC... and a small fan 1 ft away from you works nicely.

A blower and string-trimmer combo. Some are better than others, but even the cheapo blower will knock the leaves and trimmings off your driveway and patio.

A hedge trimmer. If you got bushes, it's a no-brainer to have one of these in a cordless format.

A sawzall/reciprocating saw. Great for tearing up junk, but I find it cuts pretty large branches too. Also works nicely on PVC, when the need arises.

A lamp (not just the flashlight, something that can light up a room). I prefer the small one, not one on a stand. I can bring it under a vehicle, and again when the power goes out I can stick it in a room on low settings and get a lot of hours out of it. I imagine the shop lights are nice, but if I need that level of brightness I will plug it in.

The little hand-held vacuum- I use it every time I clean my car. I wasn't sure before I got it, but now I rarely pull out the shop-vac.

A radio- this is dependent on personal preference, but if I'm going to be in the garage awhile, I have one on. Also nice to have when the power goes out. You want to find a fairly decent one, but fairly cheap too. I do find the 12v Milwaukee sounds nicer than the 20v Ryobi, and lasts plenty long. Both last a long time.

These are things I think you either use weekly, or will absolutely want/need a few times a year. There are a million toys, but you do want to get your money's worth out of them.

Feel free to add things, just try to justify it