It doesn’t matter who you are – if you’re a guy or a girl, if you have a family or live by yourself, if you own a home or rent an apartment – it is a fact of life that sometimes things break. Or even when something isn’t broken, sometimes you just want to make it better than it already is. And there may be times when a problem arises and you only need your own two hands to solve it. But most of the time, even just for the sake of ease and convenience, you need a little more than that. This is why tools exist. Tools are the product of thousands of years of humans using their inherent ingenuity to make life better for themselves. Modern tools have evolved into what they are today through countless iterations of trial and error, from the first sticks and rocks used by our ancestors, to today’s massive, complicated machines that can build skyscrapers and split atoms. Now, I doubt you plan on splitting any atoms in your garage anytime soon (I won’t judge you if you are – just don’t be surprised if you get a call from the FBI), but that’s doesn’t mean you should ignore the necessity of a basic tool kit. Just about everyone can benefit from having at least some essential tools in their possession, no matter what your age, gender, or lifestyle is. But if you’re someone who doesn’t exactly consider themselves “handy” in any way, the world of tools can seem quite overwhelming…
“What’s the difference between a miter saw and a table saw?”
“Should I use standard or metric?”
“Who the hell is Phillip, and why does he have a screwdriver named after him?”
Yes, the realm of tools is filled with a lot of technical jargon, and it’s easy to get confused, even if you do know a thing or two. Luckily, if you’re just an Average Joe (or Jill) who just wants to keep a few basic tools around to perform basic household jobs, you don’t need to dive too deep to get what you need. A majority of tasks around the house can be performed with just a handful of basic tools. And luckily for us, the modern world is at least somewhat standardized when it comes to what kinds of tools are needed for various tasks.
So Which Tools Should I Buy?
In this post, I’ll list what I think are the best tools to keep around your house (or apartment, RV, houseboat, yurt, whatever). These are the tools that I tend to use the most when performing common household tasks such as:
- Hanging pictures or shelves
- Assembling furniture (I don’t care what anyone else thinks, IKEA is the sh*t)
- Fixing minor issues (loose cabinet door, leaky shower head, etc)
- Small-scale home improvement projects (replacing door knobs, installing curtains, etc)
- Basic-level DIY projects (maybe you have a spouse that likes to look at Pintrest…)
If I had to guess, I’d say that 75-90% of the tasks I perform around the house can be successfully completed using some combination of the tools listed below. So without further ado, I present to you my list of must have tools! First up…
Personal Safety Equipment (glasses, gloves, hearing protection)
Seriously? Safety equipment? That’s not a tool! I demand a refund!
Now before you go grab your pitchfork (which you probably don’t own if you’re reading this post, let’s be honest), let me explain why this is at the top of the list. Safety equipment is item #1 because safety is priority #1 (cue the groans). I’m typically not a serious person, but I feel very obligated to emphasize this:
Always, always, always use proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) whenever using tools. You may not need all of it for every job, but it’s better to be over-protected than under-protected. This is especially true with power tools – never underestimate the danger associated with using power tools, and the amount of respect that they demand.
I’m not trying to sound like your dad here, though he may have given you a similar lecture when you were a kid. Probably while pounding his seventh Miller Lite of the afternoon (no? OK maybe that’s just my dad).
If nothing else, always wear a pair of safety glasses, even if it seems silly. My wife makes fun of me for constantly wearing mine, but personally I’d rather not risk an eye injury. If you lose your sight, it’s quite possible that you won’t get it back.
All of the safety glasses I own are ones I got at work (one of the perks of working at a plant), but these and these are very similar to the ones I have.
Hearing protection is not necessary if you’re just using hand tools or even small power tools like drills/drivers. But I would highly recommend it when using larger, louder power tools such as power saws. None of the items on this list are power tools, so you may not need any right away; but a pair of earplugs is dirt cheap so you might as well keep some around (they’re even cheaper if you buy in bulk). They also come in handy if you have any loud family members that you’d like to drown out…
Work gloves are good to keep around as well. Like earplugs, you won’t need them for everything, but sometimes they do come in handy (see what I did there??). I recommend a pair with a leather palm. They usually come in multiple sizes so make sure you get the ones that fit the best – if your gloves aren’t comfortable then you’re less likely to wear them. They’re great to have for any task that requires lifting or handling sharp/rough items. This is the pair that I own. Really anything from the Mechanix brand is a good bet; they’re a bit of a splurge, but they hold up very well. Shop around and pick ones based on what you need – if you’re not doing a whole lot of work with heavy, rough/sharp objects, you don’t need super-thick ones. For a cheaper option, these are similar to the ones I’m issued at work.
Lastly, while many indoor household jobs can be safely performed in shorts and sandals, I’d recommend long pants and sturdy closed-toe shoes for anything that’s more heavy-duty or outdoors. I just keep a set of clothes as my “work outfit” – some old jeans, a ratty t-shirt, and worn-out sneakers will do just fine. You don’t want to wear anything that you’d be upset about getting stained or ripped.
Flashlights
Again, definitely not a “sexy” item but an absolute necessity. You can’t fix problems that you can’t see! Chances are you probably already have a flashlight or two, but in my opinion you can never have too many. It’s also good to have multiple types/sizes: some small ones to keep in your junk drawer (you might not call yours a “junk drawer,” but you know exactly which drawer I’m talking about – everyone has one), a medium handheld-size one for everyday use, and even a big lantern-style light that can illuminate an entire room.
If you’re in the market for a cordless power drill and/or impact driver (more on those in a later post), look to see if the manufacturer also makes a flashlight that uses the same type of battery pack – I got one as part of a gift pack with my other cordless tools, and I can just use the same battery for both the light and the drill/driver which I’ve found to be more convenient than I would’ve thought.
But by far the one type of flashlight I use the most of all is the headlamp. It exemplifies convenience by allowing you to light up your work area and still have both of your hands free. That, in my opinion, easily qualifies it for the Tool Hall of Fame. It legitimately makes almost every task easier. The headlamp is another item that my wife makes fun of me for constantly using – she thinks it looks extremely nerdy (which she should be accustomed to by now). A good headlamp is one of those items where if it breaks I immediately buy a new one, because I don’t want to be in a situation where I need it but don’t have one.
Of course flashlights are used for way more than just DIY and home improvement. They’re great to have around for power outages, camping trips, or even just finding your way around the backyard at night.
Tape Measure
Starting to get a little more tool-ish now. Without a doubt a tape measure is an indispensable item to keep around, regardless of how handy you are. There’s an old saying: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,” and it is true in many ways. I would probably also add “nor can you fix it” to the end of that saying.
Technically a measuring tape can only really do one thing – accurately measure the straight line distance between two points. But you’d be surprised how many tasks require doing just that. These include:
- Ordering the correct size curtains
- Centering a TV on a wall
- Determining social distancing requirements (sure you could just eyeball 6 feet, but why risk it?)
Measuring tapes come in a variety of sizes. Typically they are sold by length, which determines how far you can measure before running out of tape. But you may also want to consider the thickness of the “blade” (the actual tape part) when you’re buying one – a thicker blade gives you a longer “reach”, which is how far you can extend the tape horizontally, without resting the end on anything, before it folds over (ever wonder why the tape is curved? That’s why!).
25 feet is a pretty standard length and will suffice for most tasks/projects. If you’re doing a lot of big outdoor projects, then you may want a longer one (I don’t think I’ve ever needed one longer than 25 feet, but I’m also not quite as ambitious with my projects as some people are). 25 feet might also be overkill for many people, especially those who live in a small apartment. A smaller size like 12 or 16 feet is more compact, which makes it better for keeping in your car (which I highly recommend), or in that infamous junk drawer.
No need to splurge on this (unless you want to, you high roller you); a basic one from your home center or hardware store will work just fine. Years ago I bought a 3-pack of various sizes (I think they were 12, 16, and 25 feet – I’ve lost one or two since then so I can’t quite remember), and I would recommend something like that so that you have a few around the house.
Fun Fact Alert! If you’ve ever used a tape measure, you may have noticed that the tip has a little bit of “play” to it – i.e. it wiggles back and forth parallel to the length. This may seem like a defect, but it is very much on purpose! The amount of this end play is actually equal to the thickness of the “hook” at the end, so that whether you’re pushing it against a surface or hooking it around an edge, your “zero” is always in the right spot. Pretty clever, huh?
If you do feel like spending more, some models have cool features like magnetic tips, smoother locking mechanisms, or glow-in-the-dark numbers. In my opinion these are more “nice to have” features, which might come in handy now and then but overall won’t make that much of a difference. If you really have an urge to splurge, though, check out laser distance measurers. With these, you hold one end on a wall or other object (this is your “point A”) and the other end shoots out a laser beam, which you point to your “point B” (typically another wall). It then displays the exact distance between those two points, usually accurate within ⅛ of and inch. If you find yourself often needing to measure room dimensions (maybe you have a real estate side business), these actually do come in handy, and the convenience may be worth the extra cost.
Utility Knife
Is this item only ranked this high because it’s a knife, and knives are cool? Perhaps. But regardless, I find my utility knife to be one of the more versatile tools in my bag. Obviously, the primary use of the utility knife is to cut, which doesn’t seem like much. But you’d be surprised just how many tasks require doing just that.
Think about it (and be honest with yourself) – how many packages do you get delivered to your house in an average week? I’ll admit that my household takes FULL advantage of our Amazon Prime membership, so if you’re anything like me, you get quite a lot of packages. And if you typically just use a pair of scissors when opening these packages, you’re just making it harder on yourself. I know it sounds snobby, but once you cut open a box with a razor-sharp utility knife, you’ll never go back. Not only is it easier, it is just way more satisfying. It becomes even more convenient if you also need to break down all of those boxes before disposing of them.
The beauty of the utility knife, and what sets it apart from a regular pocket knife or kitchen knife, is the swap-out disposable blade. The blades are cheap, too, so you can beat it up and not worry about keeping it sharp. When the blade gets too dull or breaks, you just swap it out with a new one (or flip it over if you haven’t already – you only use one side of the blade at a time). Some utility knives also have a built-in compartment that holds a few extra blades, so that you don’t have to go looking around for them if you break a blade in the middle of a job.
When purchasing a utility knife, the main feature I would recommend is either a folding or retractable blade, so that it is safer to handle when not in use (this is especially important if you have curious little hands poking around your house). Most utility knives sold nowadays are built this way, so it’s easy to check off that box. The built-in blade storage is also something I’d recommend, and I think it’s worth spending a few bucks more for it. Other than that it’s mainly just personal preference. Those who are used to using pocket knives may prefer a folding design, and those tend to be a bit cheaper too. I personally prefer those with retractable blades, because with many of those models you can adjust how much the blade sticks out (this allows you to control the depth of your cut, which can be nice in certain situations).
I also must remind you, when using a utility knife, that the blades are razor-sharp, so always remember to be extra careful – especially when changing out the blades. When cutting with a utility knife, I highly recommend wearing gloves if the task allows for it.
Screwdrivers/Allen Wrenches
Ok, we’re finally getting into “real tool” territory now. A screwdriver may even be one of the first things you think of when someone mentions tools. And indeed it is a must-have tool for anyone, regardless of how deep you want to dive into the world of DIY. Heck, even if you in no way, shape or form consider yourself a “DIYer” or anything to that degree, let me ask you – do you have any kids? If so, do they have any battery-powered toys/devices? I already know the answer to that. Now take one of those battery-powered items and take the batteries out for me. What’s that? You have to loosen a screw to get to the batteries? Yup, just about all of them are like that, no need to check. And for good reason, too – what do you think a toddler would do if he/she was easily able to take the battery out of his/her toy? If I was a betting man, I’d put all my money on “eat it.”
Besides the kids’ stuff, there are countless tasks that require a set of screwdrivers (I’m starting to sound like a broken record, aren’t I? It’s almost as if the tools I’ve been mentioning are on this list because of how versatile they are!). These include… well, I don’t feel like making another list, so just imagine everything in your house that has at least one screw in it. Unless you’re as oblivious as I typically am, then you can probably think of quite a few.
Now you may have noticed that I also mentioned Allen wrenches (also called Allen keys, hex-head wrenches, or hex keys) along with screwdrivers. I consider all of these in the same family of concept/function – tools with a particularly-shaped point that fit into a particularly-shaped hole/slot for the purpose of turning/loosening/tightening something. The Allen wrench is a bit of an oddball, because it’s not exactly a wrench, but it’s not exactly a screwdriver either. You can get Allen keys either as a set of individual-sized L-shaped wrenches (similar to the ones that come with the Ikea furniture), or as a swiss-army-knife-looking contraption that has multiple sizes in one piece, or even as a set of screwdriver tips for a multi-tip screwdriver (more on that in a minute).
I’m honestly not the biggest fan of hex-head wrenches (they’re not horrible, but using them can be a pain), but I still always find myself needing one. It’s worth having a set around.
Now back to screwdrivers. There are some “exotic” screw types out there, such as Torx and Robertson, but for the most part the only two types of screwdrivers you’ll need are slot head (also called flat head) and Phillips head.
The flat head screwdriver is the “OG” – it’s been around since about the 1400s – so it is tried and true. If you live in a very old home, most of the screws you encounter in your house (if they’re original) will be flat head screws. I’ve noticed that in the modern age, though, the flat head screw is being phased out in most applications. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely obsolete; I still find myself needing a flat head driver all of the time. And because of its shape, a flat head screwdriver can be used in other ways, like as a pry bar or a makeshift chisel (not recommended, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do).
The Phillips head screwdriver is a tad bit more modern – circa 1930s – and much more widespread in the world of construction/home improvement. Typically if you buy a box of screws from the hardware store, chances are they’ll have a Phillips head. The most important thing to remember when using a Phillips head screwdriver is to use the correct size. Using the wrong size driver on a screw can cause you to slip the screwdriver tip out of the screw head (known as “cam-out”), which will tear up the screw head. And then you will definitely have a bad day (trust me, trying to remove a screw with a stripped head SUCKS). Phillips screwdrivers come in sizes ranging from #000 to #4, with #1 and #2 being the most common (i.e. the first ones you’ll want to buy). Anything smaller than a #1 will be more applicable to delicate/precise equipment, such as electronics.
This site has great info and charts for all of the different screwdriver sizes, what their measurements are, and what size screws they fit. Previously I would’ve just used the trial and error method to figure that stuff out, but I’ve screwed up (see what I did there!) enough times by now that I prefer to check first.
Now here’s my $0.02 – with multiple screwdriver types/sizes to consider, your best bet is to get a multi-bit screwdriver. This has a handle with a magnetic tip, and comes with a set of different “bits” that can be changed out depending on what kind of screw you’re facing. While it may not have the same “feel” as a traditional screwdriver, it’s probably the best bang for your buck.
Pliers
Yes, this is another “stereotypical” tool, but there’s a reason it’s so widely known. If you haven’t figured out my word of the day yet, it’s “versatile.” By definition, pliers are designed to help you better grip an object to either move it or hold it in place. There are probably a million different ways they can be used; you are limited only by your creativity. However, while I list this as a single item, I don’t recommend having just one pair of pliers. Just like screwdrivers, you need at least a couple different types to fill your needs. And like many of the other items I’ve mentioned, if you’re starting from scratch then I’d recommend buying a set that includes multiple types. You can buy fairly cheap for your first ones, but if you find yourself using certain ones more than others (there’s no “one size fits all” – it really depends on what types of tasks you find yourself doing most), then it may be worth investing in a more quality pair. I’ll briefly go over the different types of pliers, what each is best used for, and which ones are worth owning.
To start off, I’ll mention a type that many purists wouldn’t consider “real “pliers – diagonal cutting pliers, or more commonly referred to as wire cutters.
When I took machine shop class for my engineering degree, my professor firmly corrected me when I referred to these as wire cutters. Supposedly they are actually designed for snipping material like sheet metal. That being said, most of the world uses them to cut wire, hence the name. I’m including these in the “pliers” category mainly because they tend to included when you buy a set of multiple pliers. The official name is also “diagonal cutting pliers” which does have the word “pliers” in it, so there’s that. My personal opinion, though, is that unless you do a lot of electrical work, you probably won’t get all that much use out of a pair of wire cutters. I think I only have mine because they came with the set, and while they haven’t gone completely unused, I do sometimes forget that I have them. Many other types of pliers have a built-in wire cutting tool, so even if you do need to actually cut some wires you can still get by without one.
When you think of the word “pliers,” though, you most likely picture these:
These are known as slip-joint pliers. They are called that because the bolt/pin that acts as the hinge can “slip” between two spots in a groove, making the mouth of the pliers wider or narrower. That gives you added flexibility by allowing you wrap the pliers around many different sized objects, compared to if the hinge was stationary. These are a good pair of “all-around” pliers, and will definitely give you some of the best holding strength. But in my opinion they are just okay. You can turn bolts and nuts with them, but they are definitely not the best tool for the job. But when it’s just gotta get done and it doesn’t have to be pretty, then the slip-joint pliers will fit the bill. If you can only buy one pair of pliers (which I wouldn’t do, but I’m not your mother so do what you want), then this basic tool will get it done most of the time.
The next type, which happens to be my favorite, is the needle-nose pliers. As the name suggests, these taper to a thin point, which makes them great for performing more detailed work or getting into hard-to-reach places.
I’m not sure if I do mostly detailed tasks or if I’m just constantly working in crowded spaces, but I find myself reaching for these more often than any of my other types of pliers. In fact I bought a smaller pair to use for even finer tasks (I’ve had to fix Kimberly’s jewelry on occasion). Most pairs of needle-nose pliers also have cutting jaws at the base, so you can cut wires with them as well (replacing those wire cutters as I mentioned above).
My second-most used pair of pliers is probably the tongue-and-groove pliers, AKA adjustable pliers. These are also widely referred to as Channellocks, since Channellock was the first company to make them (and they still do). You’ll often find certain tools that are commonly called by their most popular brand name – similar to Kleenex, Chapstik, or Band Aid. Channellocks are, on average, a larger set of pliers, and are most commonly used for plumbing work. But they can have many other uses as well.
As the name “adjustable pliers” suggests, the most noteworthy feature on these is the fact that the jaws can be adjusted to fit the bolt/nut/pipe/etc that you’re working on. That makes them handy for many different sized jobs. And that adjustability not only helps the jaws grip better, but it also ensures an ergonomic handle position so that you can better grip them. That combined with the longer handles gives you some very strong clenching ability, which is key if you have a difficult task like loosening a rusty bolt.
The next type of pliers is another tool that is often referred to by its original brand name – Vise-Grips. Officially these are known as locking pliers, but if you go to a hardware store and ask them where the Vise-Grips are, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about (same with Channellocks – in fact some people probably couldn’t tell you what either of their “official” names are!).
I like to think of locking pliers as a cross between a pair of pliers and a clamp. In many ways, they can serve as a clamp in certain situations. I find that these excel at tasks that require you to use more of your energy to turn/move something, so the locking feature allows you to use less energy on the gripping part of the task. For instance, if you have a screw you are trying to take out of something, but the head is completely stripped (perhaps you were using the wrong size screwdriver…). In that case your best bet for removing it is to clamp on a pair of Vise-Grips and unscrew it as if you were using a wrench. You could technically do this using a pair of regular pliers (slip-joint, adjustable, etc), but the amount of grip that the locking pliers will impart onto the screw is far greater than what you could do manually. Therefore, it makes the job way easier (and that’s what tools are for, aren’t they??).
Locking pliers can come in multiple sizes for different types of tasks, and in fact this is another item that I bought in a 3-pack of various ones. That’s a great place to start, and if you find yourself using a certain size more often then you can purchase other types in that same range if needed. There are even long-nose locking pliers, which are sort of like needle-nose pliers that can clamp down. Needless to say I’m a fan of those.
And finally, the last type of pliers I will mention are linesman pliers.
These are a favorite among electricians, and if you find yourself doing a lot of electrical work (i.e. installing light fixtures/ceiling fans, replacing wall outlets/light switches) then these will be very useful to have. You can use them to cut, bend, crimp, or splice wire. When I had to replace all of the electrical wall outlets when renovating our house, my linesman pliers made the job a lot easier and quicker. However, outside of electrical work they can still be very useful, as they are excellent at gripping smaller items, such as nails that need to be pulled out. But overall if you are not planning on delving into electrical stuff anytime soon, then these are more of a “nice to have” item instead of a necessity. Many times a good pair of needle-nose pliers can do most of the tasks that a pair of linesman pliers can do. I have mine because they came in a set, so if you’re already getting a variety pack of pliers then it doesn’t hurt to include them.
Man, that was a long section! Just goes to show just how many different types of pliers there are, and just how useful they can be. I didn’t even go into the specialty types like fencing pliers, bent-nose pliers, or round-nose pliers, but most of those are designed for specialized tasks, and aren’t needed for everyday around-the-house jobs.
Hammer
As the old saying goes, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Well, considering how far down the list we are now, hopefully a hammer is not the only tool you own! (At least from now on)
The hammer is one of the oldest tools in existence, and is the king of “unsophisticated” tools – you simply use it to provide a large amount of impact force onto something. In other words, you use it to go “BAM BAM BAM!”
That being said, a hammer is not just a hammer – there are actually many different shapes and sizes of hammers to perform a very wide variety of jobs. The most common type, and the first type you should buy, is the claw hammer. This is the type that most people associate with the word “hammer.”
The claw hammer is, at its heart, a carpentry tool. The blunt end is used to drive nails into wood, and the “claw” end is used to either pull nails out of wood, or pry apart two pieces of wood. If the majority of your hammer needs involve putting nails into pieces of wood, then this is the tool for you. And for the sake of this article, it is probably the only type you will need, unless you dive deeper into more specialized craft work.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of hammers that come in handy for a variety of work – sledge hammers for heavy outdoor work, ball peen hammers for metalworking, wooden or rubber mallets for woodworking, etc. But my advice is not to buy one of those until you actually need it.
And as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Level
Have you ever had to hang a picture (or some other decorative item) on the wall? If you’re a married guy or gal, then you most likely have. And if you don’t own a level, then that process probably consisted of putting the picture up, taking a step back, and asking “Does that look straight?” And then your spouse says “No tilt it a little to the right… No that’s too much!” And on and on and on.
As we all know, things like pictures, shelves, windows, countertops, etc look and work better when they are straight and level. When you have a level, you eliminate the guesswork when determining that. The way a level works, fundamentally, is by using gravity to determine whether or not something is parallel (or perpendicular) to the surface of the earth. A traditional “analog” level (known as a bubble level or spirit level) does this with a small horizontal tube or vial that contains some fluid (typically alcohol-based) with a bubble in it. The tube is slightly curved outward so that the bubble naturally rests at the center. For a carpenter’s level (the most common type), the tube is attached to a straight, flat plank, made of either wood, metal, or composite. The tube has two lines roughly the same width as the bubble, and these mark the center. So you just tilt your picture/shelf/whatever until the bubble is between the lines, and then you know that the surface is perfectly level. Easy-peasy.
Many levels will also have a second vial perpendicular to the first, to use for vertical surfaces. Fun fact: When a surface is perfectly straight side-to-side (horizontal), it’s known as being “level,” but when it’s perfectly straight up-and-down (vertical) it’s called “plumb”. If a surface is “off” in any direction, i.e leaning too far to one side, it is known as being “out of level” or “out of plumb.” Checking for plumb is more important in more complex construction-level projects (i.e. installing a support column or fence post), so you most likely won’t be doing it quite as often. But if you do, it follows the same principles as checking for level.
When doing basic tasks like hanging a picture or installing a shelf, you only have to check for level in one direction (left-to-right). But let’s say you want to check your kitchen table to see if it’s level (maybe your kids’ crayons keep rolling off the side). In that case, you’d not only want to check it on the left-right plane, but you’d also want to rotate the level 90 degrees and check the front-back plane – or as we call it in nerd world, x-axis and y-axis. In our kitchen table example, perhaps one leg is slightly shorter than the other three, which would cause the table to tilt diagonally. In that case, it would be out of level in both directions. If you only checked it one way, and fixed it as such, then at the end of the day your table would still be out of level.
Unless you’re planning on doing a construction-grade project like a full house renovation, a classic bubble level will get the job done just fine and won’t break the bank. On that note, nowadays you can buy some super fancy and really, really cool laser leveling devices that can make big jobs way easier. On the slightly-more-expensive side, there’s a dual-purpose device that combines a stud finder and a laser level, so that you can find a spot on a wall and then “paint” a perfectly level laser line out to the side – which is very helpful for hanging shelves.
And on the way-more-expensive end, you can get a device that you set up in the middle of the floor, and it will shoot out a 360-degree laser beam, so that you have a perfectly level line at the same height on all the walls in the room. This may seem excessive, but if you’re someone who, say, installs kitchen cabinets for a living, then that added convenience may be worth the expense. Did I also mention they’re really cool?
But assuming you don’t have a wad of Benjamins burning a hole in your pocket, one or two decent-quality bubble levels will get the job done. They come in many different sizes – if I were to choose just one, I’d go with a 12-inch or 24-inch model. If you have a few extra bucks to spend then I’d recommend getting a small (say 9-inch) “torpedo” level, which is a compact enough to keep in a tool bag or drawer (good ole junk drawer again!). These will get by for most entry-level household projects, and may even be all you need if you live in a small apartment/condo. Personally, my 48-inch level is my favorite; that extra length ensures accuracy and allows me to mark a long, level line for when I’m working over a larger area (like if I’m hanging multiple pictures at the same height). The only drawback is that the large size makes it a major pain to tote around.
This is Only the Beginning… But it’s the End of This List
There are many more tools I’d love to add to this list, but since this is supposed to be sort of a “start from scratch” guide, I’ll keep it simple for now. While these basic tools may not allow you to tackle every single project or problem that comes your way, they will certainly get you out of many binds. And as you become more familiar with them, you may find yourself getting creative with them when unique problems come your way (just remember to do so safely!).
With the right tools and the knowledge of how to use them, a new world of possibilities will open in front of you. You will find that you’re in fact able to do those “handyman” kinds of things that always seemed too intimidating. As your confidence grows, you’ll find yourself more willing and eager to take on newer and more complex challenges. Who knows, maybe you’ll find an interest in a more specialized craft, such woodworking, auto repair, or even antique restoration. The possibilities are endless!
In the future I’ll expand upon this list to give my recommendations for the “next level” tools you’ll need as you hone your DIY skills. Stay tuned!
If you have any recommendations for other tools you use all of the time, or any stories of how your tools have bailed you out of trouble, we’d love for you to drop a comment below and let us know!
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