5 power tools I cannot live without

I've been told I'm maybe a little unusually attached to some of my power tools, but being about half-the size of your average construction worker I rely on them to make me taller, stronger, and faster at doing what I love to do… building stuff. So when I force myself to narrow it down to the five most useful power tools I own, it's like being asked to pick my favorite children (except I love all my tools equally, of course.)

However, you never know when there might be a tornado or Zombie Apocalypse, and one should always be prepared to grab the most essential tools in their shop before taking cover. Here are the five that rank at the top of my list in terms of flexibility and usefulness.

No. 1 -- Compact 18v Makita drill/driver combo

I've sung the praises of this drill from many a mountain top, and not only is it the most often and widely used tool in my collection, but I may or may not have slept with it under my pillow once.

No. 2 -- Sliding arm compound bevel miter saw

There's hardly a project that goes on in my house where I don't use this saw at least once. The sliding arm means I can make a straight cut at 90-degrees up to 16 inches, or cut on a 45 up to 12 inches.

No. 3 -- Portable jigsaw

A girl can't be limited to only cutting straight lines. I use my portable jigsaw for a multitude of projects, and couldn't live without it.

No. 4 -- Cordless finish nailer

I have an ongoing love affair with my Paslode 18 gauge cordless finish nailer. Not that I don't love the good old-fashioned work of banging on things with a hammer (I did hand-nail every single piece of cedar siding into place on my last house) but for finish work? A cordless nailer can't be beat. I use it for trim, tacking pieces of larger projects in place, and building a host of smaller things from picture frames to filing crates.

No. 5 -- Oscillating multi-tool

The Rockwell Sonicrafter is the jack-of-all-trades in my workshop. I use it mostly for undercutting and sanding, but it's always the tool I turn to right after I utter the words, "How the hell am I going to…"

So that's me. What are the top 5 must-have power tools on your list?