basic home tool kit

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edgetrip

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Aug 10, 2004
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I need some recommendations on a basic home tool kit, what should one consist of and who makes decent stuff at good prices. This will be for general repairs, picture hanging, assemlty of furniture or other items requiring assembly. I have a basic knowledge of tools and there use but don't know anything about brands or what might be available that will fill multiple roles, electric drill/screwdrivers etc.

Thanks for your assistance.
 
Here's some info that you might find useful in picking out an electric drill. I have a Porter-Cable 14.4V cordless and it fits the bill perfectly for this weekend do-it-yourself warrior.
 
I'm fond of saying, "Four-wheel-drive is just a way to get stuck in a worse spot." The basic principle is that you have to be careful that the tools you have match your skill level. A Sawzall in the hands of the average home owner is just a ticket to a high repair bill.

But, I strongly suspect that the knife community is a bit more tool-oriented and a bit more skilled.

Get tools which are oriented to the tasks you'll face. Picture hanging, for example, requires a small hammer and a couple of levels (small and large). A 2' square, a 4' measuring stick, and a 10' tape measure are helpful. However, as you get into bigger, heavier pictures, you may have to anchor into studs or put in hollow wall fasteners. In those cases, a drill will be necessary.

For average home owners, I always advocate a corded drill. The problems with cordless are that if you don't keep 'em on the charger, the battery will be dead when you need it. And if you do keep 'em on the charger but don't use them very often, the battery will tend to go soft. A good corded drill will last you a lifetime. Yes, you'll want an extension cord. Get two heavy-duty (AWG 14 or even 12) three-wire, heavy-insulated cords each 50' long and get those cord reel things to keep 'em on. Being on the reels, the cords will stay neat and ready to use at a moment's notice. You'll use the cords for all sorts of things including with your drill. Buy even the best cordless drill and in a few years you'll be throwing it away because the batteries have gone bad. But buy a good corded drill and your grandkids will fight over it when you're gone.

Assembling furniture usually requires just a good set of screw drivers. Buy a good set and they'll also last you for your life. A set of hex allan wrenches is often also required with furniture assembly. The same square, level, and measuring tape that you got for picture hanging will be helpful for furniture assembly and placement. If you like doing the finish-it-yourself funiture, then a small power hand sander might be nice. Again, I suggest corded. But be aware that these things can do a lot of damage really fast. A rubber mallet is often good for funiture assembly.

Every home owner should have an adjustable wrench that's big enough to get the trap off a sink drain. Anything valuable dropped down the sink drain, wedding rings, that sort of thing, can be recovered (if they are to be recovered) in the trap. Most clogs occur in the trap. Taking the trap off is easy and fairly risk-free, so it's something you should be ready to do.

A medium-sized pair of needle-nose pliers and a medium-size pair of slip-jaw pliers are good.

Every tool box should have the largest pair of channel-lock pliers it can hold. These things are great.
 
A good general toolkit should include:

Hammer - don't get a big framing hammer, just a medium claw hammer will work
Screwdrivers - at least 2 each of flat and Phillips
Ratchet set - Handy for any car work you might want to do, and for assembling furniture, playsets, etc. I'd get a 1/4" handle with metric and SAE bits.
Wrenches - Handy as ratchets, but for tighter areas.
Torpedo level - You want your pictures to be straight, right? :D
Drill - You can go cordless if you'd like, but if it only sees occasional use I'd get an inexpensive corded drill. You'll have more power, and won't have to worry about keeping the battery charged. I bought a low-end Dewalt for about $60 and it does most of what I need. A drill is a good general-purpose tool that every house should have.
Tape measure - At least 12 feet... 25 is better. Wider ones cost more, but you can stretch them out unsupported for longer distances.
Pliers - at least one each of normal and needle-nose
Vise Grips - Not always needed, but when you need them, nothing else will quite work.
Soft-sided tool bag - You want to keep your tools more or less in one place, so that you can just grab the bag and go to where you're working. I like the soft bags, but that's me.
When you use up your current toothbrush, clean the paste remnants off of it and throw it in your tool kit. Little brushes can be awful handy.


For the hand tools, I have mostly Craftsman stuff. Great warranty, and a known name. You'll pay more than if you go to WalMart and buy cheapies, but you are getting better quality. What I did for a while to build up my "general purpose tool" collection after I moved out on my own was to go to Sears on every payday and spend about $20 on one of the above. I also bought tools as-needed if I ran into something that required one I didn't have. After doing this for a while, I now have a respectable "homeowner" level tool bag, and can do some car repairs.

Another handy thing (but at a higher "level" than hanging pictures) is a small inexpensive multimeter. Radio Shack has a little folding yellow one for about $20 that is well worth it. I used mine (along with a little "How to Use your Meter" book) to troubleshoot the phone plug in my bedroom when I moved into a new place and didn't have to get the phone company to come out and fix it. When my wife felt a shock while using the stove, I got my meter out and verified that if you touched a pot on one eye of our stove along with a pot on any of the other three eyes (assuming they were on), there was current flow.

That the kind of stuff you're looking for? :)
 
I'll go with the vote for a corded, not cordless drill as being indespensible, and an extension cord. A cordless screwdriver is cheap and okay. I never remember to keep them charged.

In addition to what has been said, I advise a small ratchet set. I bought one 20 years ago for 10 bucks and its the best money I spent. Mine is standard not metric; I don't know what you need more. Anytime that I have to take apart stuff like tables, bikes, etc., the ratchet gets more use than anything else.
 
I cycle the Ni-Cad batteries for my cordless drill by using the flashlight that is compatible with them. When the flashlight grows dim, that battery goes on the charger and the battery that is on the drill goes on the flashlight. When the battery is charged it goes on the drill. So the drill always has a fully charged battery and there is one in use on the flashlight. This works great for me because I use a flashlight every day when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go to work.
 
I've found a small cordless screwdriver to be one of the most used items in my toolbox. It sure speeds up assembling furniture and no more tired hands.

The one i've got is a black & decker. The batteries are superb, after months of not using it, it still keeps its charge. Even if the battery dies you can lock up the tool and use it manually. So you don't need another set.

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Other than that the advice given so far is about right. You really need to find out how much you can do and buy the tools to match that. Personally i don't do much drilling so my cordless drill has been stuck in the garage for ages. A good bit set is also important.
 
A decent set of pliers is good to have also.

Get a standard set of slip-joints and a pair of needle-nose.

Also get a decent pair of side cutters/dikes/wire cutters. Makes a big difference when working with wire(s).

Buy what you can afford, but try to get the best you can.

Craftsman is always a good bet, but honestly for most around the house stuff, the ones sold at Odd Lots/Big Lots or even WalMart will do fine.

You might also try looking at garage sales, since the lifetime warranty of Craftsman goes with the tools. I've found 3/4" Craftsman drive sockets for a couple bucks each at garage sales, saving tons of money.

Speaking of sockets, I would get 3/8" drive over the 1/4" ones recommended, only because the cost isn't that much more (if any) and the added performance/ability are well worth it.

An interchangable tip screwdriver is also something that adds versatility to the kit without much bulk. Extra bits can be found is sets for a couple bucks at discount stores, and will greatly broaden your uses.

Get a decent roll of duct tape. I like Nashua 398, stickier than heck, and strong. Also get a good roll of electrical tape. Scotch 33 is very good.

WalMart will have rolls of stainless wire. I like 19 ga for most uses.

Another little nicety to have is an awl. Great when starting holes, it keeps the drill bit from walking all over the place.

Pick up some cheap carpenters pencils, a cheap folder (Barlow or stockman style), and a plain wooden (w/metal edge) ruler to toss in the kit.

Be sure to stop into the tool aisles in different stores, and if something catches your eye that you don't have, and is reasonably priced, pick it up. In no time your kit(s) will be well stocked and cover a lot of your needs.
 
thatmguy said:
Craftsman is always a good bet... You might also try looking at garage sales, since the lifetime warranty of Craftsman goes with the tools.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the legendary Craftsman lifetime warranty applies ONLY to hand tools, NOT to power tools.

Craftsman handtools are great. They're better than the average home owner needs. BUT, Craftsman powertools are generally not the sharpest knife in the drawer... if you know what I mean.




An interchangable tip screwdriver is also something that adds versatility to the kit without much bulk. Extra bits can be found is sets for a couple bucks at discount stores, and will greatly broaden your uses.
Click to expand...

Those interchangable bit drivers are great... until you run into a screw that it's a tight spot or down in a well and the extra diameter of the driver shaft won't let you get to it. So, I'm afraid you do need both.
 
Don't forget to include a Peter Atwood PryBaby. I can't believe how much I use the little feller. Yesterday I was using it to pop staples out of some framed pictures my wife bought for our redecorating.
 
Thanks you guys, the info about cordless vs. corded drills alone made this thread worth starting. Most of what ya'll mentioned was stuff I was pretty sure of but glad to here it confirmed. The Atwood prybaby, gerber multilock and a becker bowie are the current toolkit and honestly have seerved me pretty well but I am looking at buying a house and thinking that some actual purpose built tools might make my life easier. Point well taken about not getting tools over my skill level. I am not unfamiliar with hand and power tools but I do have a tendency to break things and just the idea of a sawzall within easy reach is pretty scary.
 
The more I think about it the harder it is to figure out the basics, I just keep thinking of more, maybe I have too much stuff.

Anyway, it seems that you have gotten good advise, I would add a half round bastard file and a hacksaw, maybe a fine toothed wood saw too, depending on your needs.

Luis

What, no Dremmel ?
 
One tool that I always find use for is a Leatherman.Screwdrivers ? since there are so many types of screws, torx ,phillips etc the interchangable bit types are much more usefull.A level and studfinder for hanging pictures etc. Wrenches for plumbing .Wire cutters, multimeter for electric.And a tool box to put it all in.
 
My apologies if someone mentioned it already, but you'll need a set of saw horses at some point. If you don't feel like putting a lot of effort into them, you can get kits at any home center for just a few bucks. I added a little shelf to mine, they don't fold for storage anymore, but the shelves are great for laying tools down,holding nails,etc. :)
 
I've got a Dremel tool, and very rarely use it. I would consider it after any of the stuff I put on my first list, unless you have a hobby that would call for one.

Saw horses are an excellent idea if you own your own home and plan on doing any work on it. I got a pair of the black and orange folding ones from Home Despot. They're very light, fold up flat, and seem to do the job. They even have little folding shelves on them.

Edgetrip, if you're going to be doing any work on your (as yet hypothetical) house, you'll probably also want a circular saw for any framing type work. I've got a nice Porter Cable that I like quite a bit.

Unless you are planning on doing lots of drywall-hole-cutting, I would stay away from Rotozip tools. I bought one and couldn't really find anything to do with it.. until the first time I used it, when the cheap button thingie that keeps the bit from turning while you are changing bits broke. Took it back to HD, got the circular saw, have had no problems with it.
 
Gollnick, yup, forgot to put that caveat in there about the power tools vs hand tools.

And yes, the hard to reach (access diametre < tool diametre) will make you get another tool, but, just like knives, one more (or another set) isn't a bad thing... ;)
 
Norm abrams has a book out about basic tools, and why you need them, and what they are used for. I would say that "pliers" are the only thing that I feel need clarification here.

Channel-locks, both meduim and big, get a ton of use out in my house.
Slip-joint pliers, not so much.
Electrician's pliers (9" linesman's pliers) are incredibly useful to me, but I was an electrician, so I carried them every day.
Vise grips I use on occasion, and I feel that they are a great tool to have for certain projects.

Some other things that I would suggest:

Go to yard sales. Some old guy will have $1500 worth of tools, and they'll be $2 apiece. "contractor grade" is a bunch of BS. Hand tools are way cheaper, and will do the job, but you will have to know how to use them. Know your limits-I've seen so many folks watch some improvement show, and figure "hell, I can do that". Not so. Watch this old house sometime, and watch for the number of shirts that norm wears. This is important because the seasons are changing behind him. A simple repair can take 2-3 days if something goes wrong. Adn it can take 2-3 months if something goes really wrong.
That said, I enjoy working on my house, and can stand living in a construction zone. Oh, and buy the best book I've ever found for old home repair-"america's handyman book" by the staff of the family handyman magazine. Mine is the 1970 ed, and it's been amazing.
 
You can't have too many tools and that goes for hand tools as well as power tools. I would recommend getting as much of the above as you can afford and also pick up one of those chunky hard plastic tool boxes to put them in. Home Depot has them for about $20 or so. My tool boxes always end up under lots of other boxes so the hard type is likely to give you better protection and longer life especially if you move around a lot. And they make a handy seat for break time. :)

An invaluable piece not mentioned above is an electronic stud finder. You will find this to be very handy when moving into a new home especially if you plan on hanging heavy mirrors and hooks that will need to bear some weight such as coat racks.

Good wall anchors are also an essential item for spots with no studs. Get some of the white plastic spiral type if you have sheetrock walls. These anchors have a spike on the end that pops through the sheetrock, then you finish inserting into the wall by screwing it in until it is flush. Once in place you can put a screw into it and it will hold quite a bit of weight without pulling out.

Additional items that you will find essential:

4 ft Werner aluminum step ladder

1 1/2" flexible putty knife
lightweight spackle
4 or 5 inch flexible joint knife

2 inch wide Purdy XL Glide ANGLE cut paint brushes, clean thoroughly with hot water immediately after use and stick them back in their cases. Use a wire brush to remove dried paint in the bristles each time. Will last for years with proper care and make painting a joy. Worth the $15 each.

1.5" blue tape!!!!!!!!! Incredibly useful stuff.
heavy plastic roller pan
Wooster 9 inch roller
Purdy 3/8" nap roller covers
drop cloth
caulk gun
120 grit sandpaper
several small boxes of sheetrock screws in various lengths
Wire nuts

Almost forgot.....one of the handiest tools I use very day is the simple single edged razor blade. Buy a box of 100 and get the red and black box if possible. American Safety Razors are the best by far. Avoid the ones marked "Extra Keen".
 
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