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Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets. Automotive Tools
After more research, we’ve added tool sets from Kobalt, Crescent, and Amazon Basics to the competition section. We remain confident in our picks.
You don’t have to own a home to need a basic home toolkit.
Anyone who intends to hang a picture, tighten cabinet hardware, put up a shelf, or change a light-switch cover needs a selection of entry-level hand tools.
After spending 80 hours researching almost 85 home toolkits, testing 11 for a range of household tasks, and talking to experts about the essentials of any toolbox, we found that Home Depot’s Anvil Homeowner’s Tool Set is the best basic toolkit for most homes, apartments, or dorm rooms.
This kit has all of the essentials in a small package, making it the best choice for common home repairs and upgrades.
The quality of these tools is the same as for tools in our main pick, but the selection of tools isn’t as good.
This kit has all of the essentials in a small package, making it the best choice for common home repairs and upgrades.
The Anvil set provides the necessary items without useless filler inflating the tool count, which was a common flaw we saw in competitors’ kits. Beyond a hammer, tape measure, utility knife, screwdriver, and hex wrenches, as well as adequate versions of other tools we considered essential, the Anvil kit has one of the best adjustable wrenches we found in any kit. It also has one of the most compact cases we found. If you need something small and basic to keep in a closet and use for occasional home repairs, this kit is a satisfying value, and it should last for years.
The quality of these tools is the same as for tools in our main pick, but the selection of tools isn’t as good.
If the Anvil is sold out or unavailable, the WorkPro W009021A 100-Piece Kitchen Drawer Tool Kit contains nearly all of the same tools at the same level of quality. It also comes with a nice zippered case that’s equipped with straps to secure the tools. The drawbacks are that the kit offers only metric hex wrenches (and not the common SAE sizes), and it lacks any kind of wide-jaw pliers. So in situations where you need to hold a nut and a bolt simultaneously, the WorkPro is much more limited than the Anvil kit.
It’s important to keep in mind that both of these kits are entry-level. They’re the best of their kind, and they’re certainly better than nothing, but they aren’t designed for consistent, long-term use. We genuinely wish there were stronger pre-assembled kits to fill the vacant middle ground between the tools contractors use and these comparatively unimpressive options. If you want a better toolkit, we recommend purchasing higher-quality individual tools—starting with our picks for hammer, screwdriver, and tape measure; these will get you started in building a permanent collection of capable tools with better features, performance, and durability.
I have been handling tools on a daily basis for nearly 25 years. I spent a decade in high-end residential construction, first as a carpenter, then as a foreman, and finally as a site supervisor. I’ve also been writing about and reviewing tools and outdoor power equipment since 2007. I’m also a serial renovator, having completely gutted and rebuilt my previous house—a four-year process. I now live in a 250-year-old saltbox, which I’m currently remodeling. I use tools an awful lot.
If you already have a basic entry-level toolkit, and you think your current tools aren’t cutting it, we recommend skipping this guide and slowly upgrading to higher-quality tools, starting with a screwdriver, tape measure, and hammer. Then turn your attention to wrenches, pliers, and, of course, wire cutters.
But if you’re looking for a basic set of tools to use around the home for small builds and minor repairs, this guide is for you. These are minimalist tool kits and not meant for the active DIYer. They’re a better fit for someone who, honestly, won’t be using them all that much. They’ll work and help get things done, but with little flair and not much in the way of added features or comfort, which is fine as long as you know what you’re getting into.
The most important element of any tool kit is the selection of tools. In looking at almost 85 available models, we found that each typically had certain fundamental items—usually a hammer, a tape measure, a wrench, a level, some combination of screwdrivers and bits. But beyond those essentials, the variety is stunning and often straight-up confusing. In many instances advanced tools are mixed in with the basics, seemingly at random. One kit we saw had a bare selection of tools yet managed to offer designated wire strippers. Another one lacked a standard utility knife yet provided a metal-cutting hacksaw.
From speaking with other tool users and relying on our own experience, we think an ideal toolkit for home use should include the following pieces (which we have full guides on; follow the links in the tool titles for more on each topic):
It’s important that a kit have at least two of these final three tools. This is so it can handle a nut-and-bolt situation—with one tool to turn while the other secures. This comes up when tightening two hoses together, assembling a backyard playset, and fixing an under-sink drip. We do not recommend a socket set as one of the two, because a socket can’t grab around something the way a pair of pliers can, so if you’re working on a hose or a pipe, you’re out of luck.
Don’t be fooled by inflated tool numbers. Our experts warned against the marketing tactics of manufacturers, specifically how they can make their kits look better by padding the number of tools included in each set. This is often done by stuffing the kits with an abundance of screwdriver bits, multi-piece socket sets, and additional drill bit kits. “Put another way, if there are lots of bits in there that look like they’d be more use ripping down a men’s-room stall at the airport, they’ll be of little use in your home,” said Mark Clement, licensed contractor and co-founder of MyFixItUpLife.
Don’t spend too much on a kit. The bottom line is that all of these kits, even the more expensive ones, offer a lot of gear at a relatively low price. For the most part, the tools in these pre-assembled kits are usually durable enough for light-duty household tasks. But since nothing we considered or tested could be called “high-quality,” we don’t think you should invest any more than you need to in order to get the basics covered. Once you get much beyond that, it’s a better plan to get an inexpensive set and use the additional funds to start upgrading individual tools.
We evaluated everything for overall quality, handling, and durability. We looked at both the individual tools and the kits as a whole.
We looked for quality. My years of construction experience told me a lot about the tools just by holding and examining them. Each type of tool has certain tells that indicate how well they’re built, like the wobble in the lower jaw of an adjustable wrench, the amount of flex in the pliers handles, and the difficulty of using the locking lever on a tape measure.
We simply used them. For general performance, we used the hammers to drive 3½-inch framing nails into a pressure-treated 6-by-6. And we hand-turned 3-inch drywall screws into pre-drilled holes with the screwdrivers. We tightened down sill bolts with the wrenches and used the cutting edge of the pliers to clip 14/2 Romex electrical wire until our hands were sore.
We tightened down sill bolts with the wrenches and used the cutting edge of the pliers to clip 14/2 Romex electrical wire until our hands were sore.
We conducted long-term testing with our original picks. For this, we simply kept them on the basement shelf and used them around the house as needed; hanging pictures, assembling furniture, and all of the other odds and ends that basic home tool kits are asked to do. Using the tools in this kind of setting further familiarized us with their benefits and limitations.
This kit has all of the essentials in a small package, making it the best choice for common home repairs and upgrades.
After all of our research, testing, and evaluation, we believe the best home tool kit is the Anvil Homeowner’s Tool Set. It’s a relatively small kit—the case is among the most compact we tested—but it has all of the right tools and hardly any filler. The components look and feel nice, work well enough, and can stand up to light-duty usage (with one exception).
The adjustable wrench is a standout, and that alone sets this kit apart. The wrench has a large padded handle for leverage, and the jaw can open to just over an inch, so it can tighten most plumbing hardware in an emergency—most other toolkits’ wrenches are either much smaller or missing the padded handle. You also get a padded handle on the kit’s slip-joint pliers, and the two tools make a great team when you’re using the two to tighten a nut.
The Anvil has a lot of screwdriving ability. The kit comes with a driver handle and 30 driver bits. That’s a lot, but it’s a well-rounded selection of bits that covers every screw you’re likely to find at home, and it also provides a few extras of the most common sizes. And there’s a wide selection of traditional L-shaped Allen wrenches: 11 metric and 11 SAE, which is more than most sets offer.
No other kit has such a complete selection of tools at such a low price.
The rest is pretty typical. The hammer is small but durable, with its fiberglass handle. The 12-foot tape measure locks easily and has a rubberized sheath to help absorb the impact from any falls. The utility knife works fine and comes with a small case that holds five additional utility knife blades (which count for five of the 76 pieces in the kit).
The case is compact and ideal for closet storage. With the plastic latches fastened, it measures 13 by 10¾ by 3 inches. It’s among the smallest sets we tested, about the size of a chubby laptop. Some kits were almost twice the size yet didn’t offer any additional functionality.
The case can be annoying. It opens like a book, with the tools pressure-fitted into both sides. So it’s well organized, but you can’t add tools later, replace tools with those of different brands, or store a few picture hangers with the rest of your tools. The tool-gripping slots inside the Anvil case have a strong enough grab to mostly keep the items in place. But from time to time, one fell out while we were closing the case, which got a little frustrating. Most of the kits with this kind of pressure-fitted case were far worse in this regard, and some cases held the tools so tightly that we needed to pry them out with a screwdriver .
The torpedo level is just bottom of the barrel. It’s a little plastic thing that you can easily twist with your hands. Levels are all about the stability of the bubble vial, and something this flimsy is going to have accuracy issues. We checked it against a pro-grade level, and the Anvil level was 1/16 of an inch off over 9 inches. That translates to just over 5/16 of an inch across 4 feet—a lot for any kind of precision work. Given the quality of the other tools, we’re willing to overlook this dud, especially considering that most other kits don’t do any better.
Don’t expect much out of the clamps or the scissors. The clamps are useful here and there, but all four broke during our second year of testing. Larger, better-built spring clamps can be incredibly useful, and they can be found for a dollar or two each at Home Depot. The Anvil’s scissors are just really uncomfortable to use. We’re not even sure why they’re included in the kit.
The quality of these tools is the same as for tools in our main pick, but the selection of tools isn’t as good.
If the Anvil kit is unavailable, we also like the WorkPro W009021A 100-Piece Kitchen Drawer Tool Kit. The overall quality of the tools is on a par with that of the Anvil kit, but the tool selection isn’t as good. We like that this WorkPro set comes with a nice, soft case, with straps that hold the tools securely in place.
The WorkPro’s case is compact and easy to deal with. Unlike the Anvil case, this one is a zippered soft case, so it’s easier to wedge into a tight closet. Inside the case there are elastics and Velcro straps to secure each tool. There is also a little bit of room for a few fastener, picture hangers, or even an additional tool or two.
This kit contains all of the essential tools but has a limited setup for nuts and bolts. It has a nice adjustable wrench (identical to the one in the Anvil kit), but other than that, it has only a small socket set, compatible with the included screwdriver. So basically, the WorkPro kit will work in a lot of situations, but not as many as the Anvil kit, which has three wrenches as well as slip-joint pliers.
The tape measure is only 10 feet long. We expected it to be at least 12 feet, like the one in the Anvil kit. It still works fine, but in some situations, such as dealing with a 12-foot board or measuring the square footage of a room for a painting project, getting an accurate measurement might require an extra step.
We spent a long time looking for a premade toolkit that we could recommend to anyone who wants a higher-quality option than our other picks. But we decided we’d sooner recommend beginning a collection of higher-quality individual tools instead. For roughly the same cost, the first three we’d suggest are the items we recommend in our guides to the best hammer, screwdriver, and tape measure. They will last longer than the tools in a pre-assembled kit, and they’ll also make it easier to do better work (this is an argument we’d make to any DIY buyer taking on serious enough home projects to be seeking the smartest long-term investment in good tools).
To pry nails, pull nails, put stuff together, or bash it apart, you’re gonna need a hammer.
The Megapro 13-in-1 (or the identical Channellock 131CB ) is the best screwdriver.
After 45 hours of research and durability tests on 17 tape measures, we think that the Stanley 25-foot PowerLock Tape Measure is the best option for most people.
After more than 350 hours of research and tests of more than 250 tools, we’ve assembled the the best toolkit for your home.
The four drawer Kobalt 100-piece Household Tool Set looks impressive, but it’s lacking a hammer and tape measure. Same story for the Crescent 180 Piece Professional Tool Set.
The AmazonBasics 65-Piece Set only has a set of slip-joint pliers and lacks an adjustable wrench or a set of adjustable pleirs. The larger Amazon Basics 175-Piece General Household Home Repair Tool Kit covers the basics and adds a socket set and a set of combination wrenches. The price is closing in on $70, which is typically about $25 more than our pick. We don’t think the extra tools are worth the added cost.
The Stanley 65-piece Homeowner’s Tool Kit is lacking some key pieces. It has just a small and incomplete socket set (with no metric sizes) and slip-joint pliers for the nut-and-bolt situation. There is no adjustable wrench. The tools are built a little better than the Anvil tools, but not enough to make much of a difference for minor around-the-house work.
The Anvil 137-Piece Homeowner’s Tool Set is typically sold for almost $75. There are some high points, such as the 25-foot tape measure and the big adjustable wrench, but the rest of the tools are similar in quality to those of the less-expensive kits. This kit also has no utility knife, which is a big omission, and the folding plastic case is large and awkward to deal with.
The Apollo Precision Tools DT9408 53-Piece Household Tool Kit offers no utility knife, and you can do the nut-and-bolt combo with only a small adjustable wrench and a set of four combination wrenches that just barely go over half an inch in size. So it’s very limited. It does have a voltage tester, which is nice, but that one tool isn’t enough to lift the Apollo kit above the more-comprehensive Anvil kit.
We looked at but didn’t test a number of sets from the ever-shifting group of Amazon brands such as the VonHaus 100 Piece Tool Set, the Vastar 102 Piece Home Repair Tool Kit, the Dekopro 128 Piece Tool Set, and the Yaetek 100-Piece Home Tool Kit. But all were missing an element of the nut-and-bolt combination that our experts recommended. There are also other red flags, such as low-quality ratcheting screwdrivers and short, 10-foot tape measures. Even if these sets were top notch, it would be impossible to recommend one, seeing as the brands are constantly shifting what they offer and often disappearing without a trace.
Other kits that we looked at but didn’t test were missing basic tools that we considered must-haves. Apollo’s 39-piece General Tool Set has no level. The Olympia 80-787 67-Piece Tool Set doesn’t have a utility knife or a good nut/bolt combo.
We searched, but unfortunately no basic toolkit is offered by other prominent hand-tool manufacturers like Irwin, Channellock, DeWalt, or Milwaukee. So as it stands, there is simply no middle ground between these generally unimpressive kits and the tools that contractors use.
Mark Clement, MyFixitUpLife, email interview
Timothy Dahl, Built by Kids, email interview
Arielle Kass, RETAIL: Private brands an edge for stores: Home Depot's HDX label gives consumers a choice to save money (PDF), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 10, 2012
Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.
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