The tools that pay for themselves the first time you avoid calling someone out. Ordered from the ones every home needs to the ones only worth buying once you have used the first ten. (Note: This list contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small c...
Sixteen ounces is the right weight for household work. Heavier is not better here.
STANLEY® FATMAX® Anti-Vibe® 16 oz Xtreme Claw Hammer
Eleven bits in one handle. The tool that stays in a kitchen drawer, not a shed.
Klein Tools 32500 11-in-1 Screwdriver Set
The tips grip screw heads instead of camming out. Once you use them you cannot go back.
Wera: Laser engineered blades
The one power tool worth owning. Two batteries matters more than the torque number.
DEWALT 20V Max Cordless Drill Driver Set
Lighter and smaller for flat-dwellers. Handles everything short of masonry.
12V Max Drill/Drivers - Bosch Power Tools
Drill plus the basic hand tools in one box. The sensible first-flat purchase.
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX 68-Piece Cordless Drill
Replaces an adjustable spanner and will not round off a nut. German and worth it.
Knipex Pliers Wrench
For plumbing nuts and anything seized. The classic American version.
Channellock: Tongue & Groove - Pliers
A third hand that never gets tired. Essential when working alone.
IRWIN VISE-GRIP Original 10-in Locking Pliers 102L3 at Lowes.com
Rigid enough to extend two metres unsupported. That is the spec that matters.
STANLEY FATMAX Tape Measure, 25-Foot (33-725)
For measuring rooms alone. Accurate to a couple of millimetres.
PRO GLM 20 Laser Measure
Twenty dollars, and it is the difference between a safe job and a hospital visit.
Klein Tools Non-Contact Voltage Testers
The one that actually works on thick or textured walls. Others guess.
Franklin Sensors ProSensor M210 Stud Finder
Magnetic, so it stays on a bracket while you mark. Small enough for a drawer.
Empire 9 in. True Blue Professional Torpedo Level EM81.9
Rated to 225 pounds with a handrail. Chairs are how people break wrists.
