Essential Tools For Every Man's Toolbox

Making Men Newsletter #16

You will invariably in life find yourself needing to work on something around the house. Whether you want to hang a picture, need to fix a bike, assemble furniture, or any of the thousands of other little projects that come along, you’re going to need tools to take care of the job.

I know there are a lot of young men out there who don’t have a toolbox equipped with the essential tools needed to do basic handyman work. Some probably have ever rarely used a tool at all. Maybe it’s because they think that that’s only something their dads do. But I’m here to tell you, that all men young and old, need a toolbox and need a little self-reliance when it comes to fixing things around the house(or apartment, or condo, etc.).

So if you’re a young man who has never gotten around to putting together a toolbox, I’m here to help you get started stocking your toolbox. I’ve put together a list for you with what I consider to be the ten essential tools for any handyman toolbox.

Before we get to the list of tools, there are a few things I’d like to mention. The first is that the word “toolbox” is a catch-all term that I’m using. If you’d rather keep everything in a tool belt that you can strap on and go to work, that’s fine. If you want to try to keep everything in an old shoe box, that’s cool too. I would suggest a small toolbox as they’re easy to carry and everything fits nicely in them, but use whatever you’d like.

The second thing is, you should buy quality tools if you can afford them. Over my lifetime, I’ve replaced so many tools because I bought cheap versions initially. The money you will spend on buying and then replacing cheap tools will add up to more than just buying quality the first time. If this will be your first time assembling the necessary tools and you are on a tight budget, then go ahead and get what you can afford. Just having the tools and using them is good for the spirit. But as you can afford to, replace the cheap ones with quality. You’ll be happy you did.

The third thing is you don’t have to get all of these tools at one time. If you can afford to, then great. Go ahead and put this whole toolbox together in one shot. But most people these days can’t afford to do that. Buy one piece when you can afford it. Then another tool. Then another. Before you know it, you’ll have what you need to be taking on all kinds of projects yourself. Good tools are also something that goes great on wish lists for birthdays or Christmas or any other occasion where gift-giving is a tradition.

And last, I want to stress to you to take care of your tools. If you’re going to invest in them, do the things necessary to make them last. Wipe them off before you put them away to remove any grease, oil, dirt, or anything else that may be on them. And put them away when you’re done with them. Get into a routine of keeping the tools in the same place after each use so you can find them when you need them again.

With all of that said, let’s look at the list of the 10 essential tools you need to start your toolbox with.

Hammer

You’ll find that a good hammer will end up being one of the most versatile tools in your toolbox. They’re not just good for driving nails into wood, but the claw head is great for small prying jobs like removing the trim from around doors and windows. They are also great for any kind of demolition job like busting up old furniture or tearing down drywall.

When purchasing your hammer, I suggest sticking with the classic 16oz as it’s balanced well, and it’s too heavy to carry around but has enough weight behind it to do the job. Also, stick with one with a handle like the one pictured or a composite handle. Stay away from a wood-handled hammer as they have been known to break at the worst times, and injury is usually the result.

Screwdrivers

Almost everything you’re going to need to work on will have screws. Whether it be flat-head screws or Phillips head screws, you’re going to run across a lot of screws in your lifetime. So you’re going to need at least one of each type of screwdriver. As time goes on, you’ll find that you may need to add a couple more of each screwdriver as you encounter larger and smaller screw heads. But for now, stick with the standard #2 size of each. You’ll find those to be the most versatile, and they’ll handle most of what you need to take care of.

Adjustable Wrench

Of all the tools that are on this list, the adjustable wrench may be the one you find yourself using the most. An adjustable wrench has a sliding jaw that changes the width of the wrench. This allows you to use the same wrench on a multitude of different sizes of nuts and bolts. Having an adjustable wrench is like having 20 or 30 different wrench sizes in your toolbox.

Vice Grip Pliers

Another very versatile tool to have in your arsenal is vise grip pliers. They can serve as your standard pliers for simple jobs. It can also be used as a pipe wrench, an adjustable wrench, a wire cutter, or even a type of clamp. That’s because they feature a locking mechanism that can give you a super firm grip on just about anything. If you work on projects by yourself a lot, vise grips become like another set of hands for you with its locking mechanism. It can hold things in place for you while you use your two hands to work on things.

Needle Nose Pliers

Needle nose pliers come in handy when you have to work on any small electrical job because they are good when you need to cut, bend, grip, or strip any kind of wire. And because of their shape, they are very useful for working in small or tight spaces too.

Tape Measure

A tape measure is an absolute must-have for any toolbox. If you build anything, you need measurements. If you looking to add anything to your living space, such as a new couch, or a flat-screen TV, you need to measure to make sure your new addition fits where you intend to put it. To handle almost any job you’ll come across, I suggest getting a 25-foot tape measure.

Level

Just as I mentioned above about needing a tape measure if you’re building anything, you also need a level to make sure everything is level and plumb. The same goes for hanging that flat-panel television. Anything worth building is worth making sure every side and angle is straight, and you need a level to do that.

Utility Knife

This is going to sound redundant, but you may find the utility knife to be the most-used tool in your toolbox. So many things in life need cutting, and you won’t find a better option than the super-sharp blade of a utility knife. Besides cutting, the blade itself is the perfect scraping instrument when needing to remove old paint, old stickers, or stuck on grime on almost any surface. The design of the utility knife is almost perfect, as it fits in your hand nicely, and the length of it allows you to get a good grip for cutting, minimizing the chance of injury.

Multi-Purpose Oil

A small bottle of multi-purpose oil is always good to have on hand. If you’ve got squeaky hinges, a few drops of this stuff will quieten them down. If you have bolts that are stuck in place with rust build-up, adding a little of this oil and letting it sit for a little while will eat the rust away and allow you to remove the bolt. Anything that is hard to operate can be made smoother with a few drops. Multi-purpose oil has saved me from having to work on a lot of things through the years. Why remove and replace hinges when this stuff can make them work like new again? You’ll find so many uses for this stuff, that you’ll want to buy stock in the company. And it helps keep your other tools in great working condition as well, as a few drops can keep your Vise Grips, adjustable wrench, and needle nose pliers in perfect working condition.

Duct Tape

Duct tape has been around for a very long time, and has been used to fix a variety of things in a variety of ways. Its uses are mostly of the temporary kind, but it’s invaluable in those temporary situations. If you have something that has cracked, you can put duct tape on it to keep it from cracking further. It’s great when used to patch holes in walls or other surfaces to keep water out until you can properly fix the hole. It’s also great for patching hoses of various kinds until you can replace the hose with a new one. And much like the vise grips pliers, you can use duct tape to hold things together while you work on them.

So there are what I consider to be the ten essential tools needed in any handyman toolbox. This basic collection of tools will get you started working on most projects around where you live. In the future, we’ll look at the next tools you’ll want to add to your toolbox for tackling even more projects. We’ll also look at what you need in your mechanics’ toolbox for working on automobiles in the future as well.