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Become your own repair person and you won’t have to wait around between the hours of 9 and 18 **** BEST HOME REPAIR TOOLS YOU MUST HAVE ***
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items NOBODY EVER LOUNGED around while waiting for a home repair person. Nail-biting impatience is more comnmon. How long will they take? When will they get here? What will it end up costing?
A home repair tool kit can save you a lot of time, money, and s...
Stanley's Fatmax has a wider-than-typical tape that is less prone to bending and collapsing when extended across a room. As far as length goes, 16 feet is about as short a tape measure as I'd recommend, and 25 is a good size for most homes. This one ...
Stanley 25 ft. FATMAX Tape Measure 33-725Y
If you want to attach anything heavy to a wall, you should always mount it to the vertical structural pieces of wood (studs) behind the wall. This means you need to find them without being able to see them. A stud finder, held and rubbed against a wa...
Zircon StudSensor L50 Stud Finder with WireWarning 1.5-in Scan Depth Metal and Wood Stud Finder
Twelve volts will do for most home jobs, but if you ever end up having to drill 1/2-inch holes into wall studs to mount a heavy shelving unit or a beefy sound system, you're going to want the extra torque of an 18V or 20V drill. This 1/2-inch chuck w...
DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver, (2) 20V 1.3Ah Batteries, Charger and Bag DCD771C2
For all but the smallest of jobs, it'll go easier if you drill out a hole before driving screws and bolts into a wall. The black oxide coating on these drill bits reduces friction, which speeds up drilling and resists rust. These are good for general...
DEWALT 14-Piece Assorted Black and Gold Coated Hss Jobber Length Twist Drill Bit Set
Home tool kits can get unwieldy with too many gadgets in them, which is why I recommend an adjustable wrench as a stand-in for an entire wrench set. Six inches is a good size to give you enough torque for big jobs without being too unwieldy to handle...
Channellock Extra Slim Jaw 6 in. Chrome Adjustable Wrench 806SW
A lot of furniture needs a few whacks during assembly, but if you hit it too hard with a regular hammer, you can damage it. Some jobs require a rubber mallet to snug pieces together without chipping off bits of plastic or wood. While 16 ounces is pre...
Stanley 16 oz. Rubber Mallet STHT56144
This hammer has all the features needed for general, around-the-home use, including a smooth head. It's at the top end of that 16- to 20-ounce range, making it perfect for handling most jobs, and it's got a curved claw to pull out nails, which you wa...
Plumb 20 Ounce(s) Polished Face Steel Head Fiberglass Claw hammer
There are many types of clamps, but the bar clamp is arguably the most versatile. It can give you an extra hand when you need to keep two parts on a project together and free you up to secure it or consult the instructions. These plastic models won't...
IRWIN QUICK-GRIP 2 -Pack 6-in Mini One Handed Bar Clamp
Yeah, you can use the cheap ones that furniture makers include when you buy something that uses Allen bolts (excuse me, hex bolts). But as with screwdrivers, you'll feel the difference with a good set of hex keys. I've bent cheap hex keys while torqu...
Bondhus Balldriver L-wrench Double Pack
A good level is an absolute necessity for work around the home. This one is accurate to plus or minus 0.0005 inches. It's made of aluminum for toughness, and the ends are capped in plastic so you don't end up scraping the hell out of your walls when ...
Stanley FATMAX 48 in. Non-Magnetic Aluminum Box Level 43-548
It's easy to spot the difference in quality when using screwdrivers. I've started plenty of jobs with a junk one, only to have it pop out of the screw's head or start to strip a stubborn screw. A good screwdriver can save you aggravation, and Channel...
Channellock 61A 6N1 Screwdriver, Nut Driver
Every so often, to repair things such as eyeglasses and electronics, you're going to need a set of very small screwdrivers. For whatever reason, manufacturers tend to use soft, tiny screws that deform easily, so good precision screwdrivers are especi...
Wiha 7-Piece Screwdriver Set
Furniture is a high-wear item. The longer you live with it, the more knicks, scrapes, and dents it's going to accumulate. Sometimes you don't even have to hit it with anything for the stain or wood veneer to wear off and expose a lighter shade of woo...
Varathane 1.3 oz. Wood Stain Warm Tone Touch-Up Marker Kit 347840
You don’t need a big ladder for most indoor jobs. This step stool will do in almost any instance, and it’s slim enough to slide under or behind a couch. This Kobalt aluminum model holds up to 250 pounds, yet weighs a scant 7.5 pounds. It’s easy to st...
Kobalt 3-Step 250-lb Capacity Multiple Colors/Finishes Aluminum Foldable Step Stool
Protect your eyes from wood dust flying from the electric drill and any caustic chemicals splashing around. You don’t need to spend big on a pair of safety goggles. These HDX-brand ones will work just fine, and they’ll fit over a pair of regular glas...
HDX Chemical Splash Goggle SG-604
The old-school way to smooth caulk is with the tip of your finger, but why cheap out and risk making your work look sloppy? Caulking is typically highly visible, so make sure it's smooth and even with this caulk tool. It's the best I've ever used. Th...
Allway Caulk Applicator Tool
Sometimes a yardstick is too big and unwieldy and you'll need to break out the footlong ruler instead. There's no need to spend big on a ruler, but some of the cheap competitors have wavy edges that make them useless for drawing straight lines on wal...
Westcott Standard 18" Stainless Steel Ruler, Non-Slip, Silver, Metric, 0.13 lbs., 1 Each, High School Level.
This one's a luxury, not an absolute necessity. A multi-tool is a jack of all trades (and a master of none) but it's often supremely handy to have a small tool in your pocket or on a shelf that you can grab for quick jobs. The Wingman is one of my fa...
Wingman Multi-Tool
Dremel has become shorthand for any kind of ultra-portable, plug-in power tool. Of the 30 attachments, there's a wide array of tool heads for grinding, cutting, and carving, and engraving wood, plastic, and metal. Most of those types of jobs around t...
Dremel 4000 Series 1.6 Amp Variable Speed Corded Rotary Tool Kit with 30 Accessories, 2 Attachments and Carrying Case 4000-2/30
Caulking guns got fancy in the past decade or two. Who saw that coming? The predominant type had ratchet designs that would ooze caulk everywhere when you stopped squeezing, and you had to hurriedly unscrew the rod to make it stop. But this smooth-ac...
NEWBORN Dripless Caulk Gun: Cartridge, 10 oz For Container Size, 10:1, Half Barrel Frame, Smooth Rod
Certain jobs will jam up regular scissors—or break them. When I was cutting thick rug pads to place under area rugs, these Wiss shears were the only thing that could finish the job. They come in handy when you don't have enough room for wire cutters,...
Crescent Wiss 10 in. Heavy Duty Titanium Coated Tradesmen Scissors CW10TM
You'll get a variety of bits in this kit of 15 1-inch bits and 11 2-inch bits. Not just the usual Phillips and slotted, but hex and Torx bits too. The two nut drivers are 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch, popular sizes for when you need to drive bolts instead ...
DEWALT MAXFIT Screwdriving Set with Sleeve (30-Piece) DWAMF30