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Home Tool Kit
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Having worked in construction trades for most of my life I have accumulated a very large number of tools. At one time I drove a big pickup truck with tool boxes and ladder racks and carried pretty much every tool that you would normally need (or even want) to build a house. However in the last few years, my job has changed, and while I am still a contractor I no longer need to personally carry such a wide array of tools at all times. However since I frequently do troubleshooting and repair work of all kinds, I have put together a more refined general purpose tool kit that allows me to take care of 90% of minor home repairs with the tools contained in one bag that I can easily carry. I call this my minimalist tool kit, and in my opinion it contains most of what a do it yourselfer needs to efficiently maintain their home.
I have described below the contents and their uses along with my opinion about brand names. However I would like to point out that while I stand by my recommendation for brands, I don't claim to have experience with every brand available, and my recommendations are based on my personal use. Lots of great brands of tools are outside of my experience.
I have tried to put these more or less in order of most frequent usage.
Screwdrivers - In my minimalist toolbox I have an Enders brand multi bit screwdriver that has two flat bits and two Phillips bits which takes care of 95% of my screwdriver needs. This tool can also be used as ¼" and 5/16" nut drivers by removing one or the other of the bits. I also have two other similar tools that sport Torx (star shaped) and Square drive bits. Alternatively you can procure an assortment of several flat, Phillips, Torx, and Square drive bit screwdrivers. Look for brands like Klein, Enders, Crescent, Mac, Snap On, and Craftsman. Cheap screwdrivers are less than useless, because they will actually damage the work that you are doing.
Hammer - A 16 ounce claw hammer is the Jack-of-all-trades of hammers. Believe it or not, but cheap hammers are almost impossible to use. They look just like a real hammer, but the shape of the face and the quality of the steel make it very difficult to even drive a nail, because the hammer tends to slide off of the nail. I like Estwing and Stanley brands, but do not get a hammer that has a knurled or "waffle" face. Unless you are a professional nail driver, you are sure to cut yourself badly the first time you miss a nail and barely hit a finger. Stay away from these monsters.
Tape Measure - A good one will last a long time. I recommend a 1" by 25' model. Price is a good indicator of quality. Stanley and Klein are good brands to look for. If you need to measure anything bigger than 25' consider getting a second tape measure of 100'. By the way, unless you plan to use metrics you probably don't want to get one that features both scales. Reading the wrong scale is just one more way to mess up unless you need the feature.
Utility knife with a retractable blade - Don't get a cheap one, because when they fail (which they will) you will probably be making a trip to the clinic for stitches. Stanley is my brand.
Channelocks - Arc-joint pliers commonly referred to as Channelocks which of course is a brand name. This is one of those multi purpose tools that you will use for everything from opening a jar of pickles to basic plumbing work. They will skin up whatever you use them on, but they are so handy you won't know how you got along without them. Channelock is the brand I have, and they are like new after many years of hard use. My favorite size is 10".
Adjustable (Crescent type) wrench - Crescent is the brand to look for. This is never the "Right Tool" to use, but it sure is a handy one. In my minimalist tool box I carry two sizes - 6" and 8".
Cordless Drill - Cordless drills are now preferred by professionals for almost all medium and light duty drilling and driving tasks, even in a shop where power is readily available. Not having to wag a cord around is really nice, and the new cordless drills are really powerful. The downside to cordless is the battery; you really need to have two, so that one can be in the charger while you are using the other one. When the battery wears out (which it will) the factory replacements are so expensive that it often makes more sense to just buy a new drill (which comes with new batteries of course). Cordless drills come in a variety of power / battery voltages from 9.8 to 18 volts (or even more). Higher voltage means more power and longer lasting charges, but also more bulk and weight and more expense. I use a Dewault 14.4-volt cordless drill.
Drill bits - A drill is useless without them. You tend to get what you pay for; good (expensive) drill bits are unbelievably tough, and cheap ones will literally break like glass. You need twist bits for drilling metal, and paddle bits for light duty drilling in wood. You can of course drill wood with a twist bit, but it will always make rough entrance and exit wounds unless you back up your workplace with a scrap before you drill. For drilling smooth holes in wood you need forstner style bits. Don't forget screwdriver, and nutdriver or socket adapter bits.
Flashlight - The new LED flashlights pack a lot of power into a small package, and are easy on batteries to boot.
Hand Saw - If you don't need (or want) a circular saw, then sooner or later you will need a hand saw. A good handsaw can quickly do a good job of cutting almost anything that a circular saw will cut (except sheet goods like plywood) and will do some things that a circular saw won't do (like flush cuts). Also a handsaw is much less likely to send you to the hospital for reattachment of an extremity. Unfortunately, most of the handsaws that you see in the home improvement stores today have teeth that are patterned after pruning saws which makes them cut really fast, but not very smooth. Anyway they are still handy to have. If you have room in your toolbox, a full length saw is most efficient, but you can get by with one of the "toolbox" saws. Don't bother with the tiny thin bladed toy looking saws, because they are what they look like. If you want a really good handsaw then you have to resort to the internet - google for "Reconditioned Diston" and you will find plenty of fine quality antique Diston brand (unfortunately discontinued prodution) handsaws available that are reconditioned to perform like new. In a few years though they will probably all be gone, but you can still find them in antique stores, and yard sales for practically nothing. For new saws Stanley makes some passable models that aren't very expensive, and will work for rough work, and are actually pretty good for pruning trees.
Hacksaw - A hacksaw is usually used mostly for cutting metal, but you can also get blades for tile, wood, and tree pruning that will fit on a hacksaw frame. You want a good quality frame that can really put a lot of tension on the blade.
Electric drill - A corded electric drill is an extremely versatile tool. Obviously, you can use it to drill holes, but you can also drive screws, mix paint or drywall mud, sand with either a disk or drum attachment, or even drive nuts and bolts with a socket adapter. A 3/8" chuck will do a lot of things, but a drill with a ½" chuck will take almost any common bit. More power is better, but ignore the Horsepower ratings and look at the Amp rating of the tool. More Amps = More power. A pistol grip configuration is really the most versatile, but if you are ever going to use self feed bits bigger than ¾" then you will need a right angle drill. Most non-professionals will be better off with a pistol grip style drill. Lots of drills today have keyless chucks, which isn't necessarily a good thing. If you don't have pretty strong hands it is hard to tighten a keyless chuck tight enough to drill metal with a round shank twist bit. I like Milwaukee and Dewault brands.
Vise-Grip Brand locking pliers - accept no substitutes. The imitations are pale in comparison with the original. These extremely useful tools can substitute for pipe wrenches, clamps, or wire cutters, and can apply remarkable pressure. I find the 8" size curved jaw variety to be most useful.
Files - A "Four in hand" file can be used for all kinds of wood and metal shaping, smoothing and sharpening task. Nicholson Brand is what I use.
Wire stripper/cutter - Klein and Gardener Bender make very similar tools that are about 6 inches long. Both brands feature plier tips and forming holes for shaping and manipulating wire. These little tools are what you usually see in use by professional electricians (especially the Klein brand).
No-contact voltage detector - Use this little tool to make sure that the power is really off before you start any electrical work.
caulking gun - This is one of the most important tools of the do it yourselfer. They aren't expensive so get a good one, then keep it clean so that it will continue to work. Look for one that automatically releases the pressure for you. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just ask for help with this feature.
Pry bar - Used for Demolition and disassembly mostly. I do not prefer the flat bodied "wonder bar" type tools because they flex too much for my taste, although lots of people use them. I keep a Craftsman brand hex shank pry bar in my tool box that is about 18 inches long. Enders makes a similar tool and both are of very high quality.
Nail puller - Used for removing framing nails. Also known as a "Cat's Paw" I use an Enders brand cats paw that is about 8 inches long and has a straight claw or "spoon" on one end and a right angle claw on the other. The spoon end can get nails out of places that you just can't reach with a right angle claw.
Pipe Wrench - Pipe wrenches are used to work with threaded pipe. The truth is, most do it yourselfers probably don't need pipe wrenches. However, they are sometimes useful for other things beside turning threaded pipes when you don't have the right tool. Until you need them, don't buy any, and if you do buy some, you need to buy them in pairs. If you don't already own pipe wrenches, and the need arises to work on threaded pipes you should seriously consider calling a professional instead.
Framing square - A 24 by 16 inch framing square is one of the most versatile tools that there is. If you can only have one square, then this is the one that you want.
Swanson Speed Square - After a 24 by 16 inch framing square this is the next best square to have, and if space is an issue (such as in a tool box) then this tool will cover almost every use that you commonly need a square for.
Drain/Toilet plunger (plumber's friend) - If you have a toilet, you need one of these.
Rafter Buttons / Stair buttons - These little brass widgets clamp onto a square to allow you to quickly and easily repeat an angle layout. If you are a carpenter then you need a pair, if you aren't, then you probably don't.
Torpedo level - Honestly, I rarely ever use a torpedo level except for extremely small jobs like hanging pictures. However, I always carry one in my minimalist tool kit. Because in a pinch you can use it for anything that you would use a full size level for by holding it together with a straight edge (just a straight piece of lumber for example) If it is a good accurate torpedo level. Level accuracy in my experience doesn't have much to do with the brand or price, and most of them will be wrong even when they are brand new. Fortunately, there is a very easy way to check the accuracy of a level before you buy it (or on the job site). Simply set the level down (or against a wall to check for plumb) as though you were checking something for level (or plumb). If the level doesn't read level then carefully note the position of the bubble. Now turn the level around end for end, and look at the bubble again. If you don't get the exact same reading both times, then the level is "out of whack". Usually if you try this on enough levels in the store you can find one that is useable.
Side Cutters -
Long Nose or Needle-Nose Pliers -
Putty knives 1" and 4" -
Wrenches -
C - Clamps -
Spring Clamps -
Wood Chisels -
Nailset -
Circular Saw -
Sabre Saw -
Framing Level -
Needle nosed vise-grip pliers -