Essential Home Toolkit

The components you will need for a basic handy home toolkit will depend on your comfort level and skill with tools and the types of tasks you will perform. You can find relatively inexpensive prepackaged toolkits at almost any hardware store. This can be a useful purchase if you are building a tool collection from scratch.

If you don't have a handyman in your family and don't have a clue where to begin when it comes to assembling a proper home-repair tool kit, there's good news: For roughly $200, you can buy 90% of all the tools you'll ever need to repair and maintain your home.

Good tools purchased early in life can be a smart investment. The sooner you purchase the basics, the longer you'll use them, hence the more cost-effective they become. The key is to buy only good tools from reputable, name-brand manufacturers.

The Essentials

Hammer

Dry Bar

Vice Grips

Needle-nose Pliers

Screwdrivers (mixed set)

Wire Cutter / Stripper

Tape Measure

Electrical Tester

Reversible Drill with Bit Set

1/2 Inch Steel Chisel

Utility Knife

Hand Saw

9 inch Torpedo Level

Safety Glasses