My niece and her hubby are moving out of my sister’s home and into their own place shortly. One of the things that they have requested as a housewarming gift is a decent set of common household type hand tools. This is my list of tools every homeowner should probably have on hand and what I’m going to gift to them. Please tell me any modifications you would suggest.
set of 1/4 and 3/8 drive sockets with ratchets, breaker bar, speed handle and extensions
set of combination wrenches
set of nut drivers
two of those flippy, four way screwdrivers with exchangeable bits like this
large and small crescent wrenches
large and small channel-lock pliers
large and small vice grips
needle nose pliers
medium sized claw hammer
large rubber mallet
12’ and 25’ tape measures
Two utility knives
wide and narrow putty knives/scrapers
18" pry bar
3/8" corded (not cordless) power drill with selections of regular and spade bits
I went with the corded drill because although the cord is annoying, it’s reliably annoying. No worries about dead or defunct rarely used batteries when you have a cord tying you to the wall. The drill and bits are contained in their own carry case and everything else fits into a medium sized tool box which I will include.
Some of the tools like the pry bar and the mallet I’m gifting to them are gently used and surplus to me (I possess multiple examples of each). I probably wouldn’t go out and buy them as part of a gift starter tool set but they are available and handy to have when you need them.
None of the wrenches and sockets are in metric sizes. Unless you’re doing automotive work, you really don’t need them in the US.
I specifically chose not to include automotive or lawn and garden specific tools. I want them to identify their needs first and then I’ll help them out if I can.
Do you have any suggested modifications to this list?
Looks like a good list to me. You wouldn’t want to get them everything because that would deprive them of the wonderful opportunity to start a project, realize they don’t have a tool they need, stop said project, go to the hardware store, buy said tool, come back home and realize the tool they just bought is not right, go back to the hardware store to exchange it only to find out the store does not carry exactly what they need, go to another hardware store which also does not carry that tool, go to yet another hardware store (one they passed on the way to and from their house twice but decided not to go there since it’s a small store and wouldn’t have what the bigger stores they went to would have) that does have the needed tool and then go back home to complete the project.
What fun is a project if you don’t get to do all that!
That’s called ‘a plumbing project’. I can do an electrical project in one trip to the hardware store, but plumbing projects always, always take at least two.
I would really suggest a cordless drill/driver instead of a corded drill - I have an old Makita LI 18v set and I have never had to deal with dead batteries, the chargers are smart enough to avoid overheating a battery if you leave it in for a long time and with a decent clutch and low range gearing you can use it to drive screws and other fasteners with an inexpensive 1/4" hex bit set; new homeowners may find that a real time saver when assembling their Ikea furniture for example.
I’d also add metric sockets and bits; I’m constantly finding appliances and furniture and stuff that uses them.
A couple of plumbing things for your kit:
Plumber’s snake (~$20 and can save them a $200 call to Rotorooter).
Toilet plunger (one per toilet) and a sink plunger. The former is inexpensive but when you discover that you need one you generally have about 3-5 seconds before it becomes an emergency
Perhaps a small wet/dry shopvac, good for cleaning up all those messes that the other tools will generate?
Safety glasses and a pack of foam earplugs, pack of workgloves?
Oh, perhaps most importantly - a good “Home Repair” book so that they know how to start fixing all those problems with the tools you give them!
That is a really nice set already. I would include a stud finder (not that she isn’t one already). With a new home they’be be hanging pictures, mirrors, etc and this will allow them to do it properly with the heavy stuff.
Instead of the flippy screwdriver get several philips and regulars, in different sizes. It is the one tool that gets the most use. Wire cutters like these are also very handy.
Second the cordless power drill suggestion, variable speed and with a box of drill bits and screwdriver bits. A power bar, and a saws-all, and a tool box.
Are they moving into a home with a yard, or an apartment/condo?
If the former, think exterior tools as well. Trash can, lawn mower (if you’re really generous), leaf rake, snow shovel, gardening tools.
Also a Maglite or other powerful flashlight. I use the heck out of mine (I have two.) Power outages, what’s that in the back yard, going into the basement or crawl space…
I’m not sure what weight you mean by “medium” hammer, but one eight ounce and one sixteen ounce will take care of almost anything from deck repairs to hanging pictures.
One of the handiest tools that I have since living in an apartment is a small, AA battery operated screwdriver for the thing drawer. It gets used for lots of things when I don’t want to get the toolbox out of the closet and there are always batteries around the house for it.
If anyone wants to stock consumables for them, a supply of cable ties, a picture hanging kit, latex gloves, WD-40 and molly bolts are nice too.
I like ‘flippy’ 4-way screwdrivers. I always say you should keep one of those in your in your kitchen. Or, rather, keep all your tools nicely put away in your basement, but keep that in your main living space so when you just need to open a battery compartment or tighten a screw or put something together you’re not running down to the basement to get a screwdriver, then running back down because it was too big or too small. It’s nice to have one of these nearby that’ll work 95% of the time you need a screw driver.
I do have a ‘good’ set of screwdrivers, but these are nice for small ‘around the house’ projects. Especially the ones that would probably get put off if I had to run downstairs to get my tools, if I didn’t keep it upstairs.
I have one corded drill and two cordless drills. The only time the corded drill comes out of the toolbox is when I’m working at a construction site. Around the house the cordless models rule - skip the corded one.
A good 2’ level is wonderful to have. Most folks don’t need a 4’ level, but for some jobs they are indispensable. I’ve ended up using Torx, square head, and a few other oddball driver heads recently but that’s probably not high on people’s needs. A Dremel tool can be quite handy, but again, not in a basic homeowners kit.
I was also going to suggest the angle wire cutters. I think after slip-joint pliers I use the angle cutters the most. Oh, and no slip-joints on your list? I’d also get them a set of wire strippers and some electrical tape. If you’re going with a corded drill, might as well get them one that can also be used as a hammer drill.
swampbear forgot the best part… going to the hardware store for that $6 part/tool and returning with $400 worth of weed eater, grill, and other “necessary” items.
OK, first of all, many thanks for the helpful and thoughtful replies.
I kind of agree with swampbear, there’s no point in trying to think of everything or paying for it now. Give them a good starting point and let them fill in the details as they see fit. I’d prefer not to include any consumables but I may make an exception for several rolls of duct tape and a big bag of zip ties in assorted sizes.
The hammer I have for them is a 16 ounce model. I have since added a 24 ounce ripping hammer and a 12 ounce ball-peen hammer.That should see them through.
It’s a house but a very cramped one. I have not seen it yet but they tell me it’s only about 800 square feet with no basement or garage. Consequently, I’m really trying to minimize the amount of space this took kit takes up at least until they’ve lived there for a bit and have a good handle on how much they can really store. Yard stuff can wait.
johnpost - The pry bar I included looks basically just like this one.
Based on comments here and my own ideas, I’ve made the following changes.
I’ve replaced the rather beefy corded drill with this combo kit. I like my corded drill when working at my bench but I accept that I may be the outlier.
I’ve added a set of micro drivers for the tiny screws on eyeglasses and such, a set of hex keys, one scratch awl in the main tool box and a spring loaded center punch in the drill kit, added this bit kit that can be used in either the drill or the flippy screwdrivers, ditched the needle nose pliers and added this set of pliers and cutters, a stud finder and 24" level.
This kit should see them through most household jobs.
A magnetic bowl to keep nuts, bolts, pieces and parts in while working.
Magnetic extender rod to get dropped parts N pieces from those annoying areas.
Duct tape.
Band aids, or more duct tape.
