The Best Hand Tools for Any DIYer’s Workshop, Tested and Reviewed

Hand tools are the mainstay of any well-equipped workshop, and choosing the right ones will go a long way toward helping you complete whatever projects you aim to tackle. To help you find the best products for your tool box or workshop, we put a number of popular products through their paces. 

Rather than buying the cheapest available tool for the task at hand, it’s worth taking a little time to study your options. Hand tools are an investment; as anyone who has inherited a parent’s or grandparent’s tools knows, good tools can last a lifetime, while chintzy ones can cause more problems than they solve. With that in mind, we highlighted a number of top performers, such as our favorite overall pick: the Stanley 65-Piece Homeowner’s Tool Kit. We like this set because it offers a versatile set of commonly used hand tools, including some heavier-duty ones not always found in competing kits, all at a great price.

All the tools reviewed in this guide met our standards for construction quality, effectiveness, user convenience, and working comfort. Continue reading to learn more about our shopping considerations and how each product performed in our tough tests in this roundup of the best hand tools.

1. BEST OVERALL: Stanley 65-Piece Homeowner’s Tool Kit 
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2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: WorkPro 322-Piece Home Tool Set With Carrying Bag
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3. BEST SCREWDRIVER SET: Craftsman 8-Piece Bi-Material Screwdriver Set
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4. BEST SOCKET SET: Milwaukee ⅜” Drive 56-Piece Ratchet & Socket Set
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5. BEST PLIERS SET: Irwin Vise-Grip 8-Piece GrooveLock Pliers Set
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6. BEST CHISEL SET: DeWalt 4-Piece Wood Chisel Set
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7. BEST HACKSAW: DeWalt 5-in-1 Multifunction Hacksaw
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8. BEST TAPE MEASURE: Stanley 25-Foot PowerLock Tape Measure
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9. BEST LEVEL: Stabila Pro Set 80 AS Spirit Levels With Case
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Our Top Picks

Whether you’re looking for a whole set of specialty hand tools for automotive work and home repairs or only need to fill in with a few screwdrivers, our lineup can point them in the right direction. We tested these tools with an eye toward quality, practicality, and convenience. Read on to learn how they performed in testing and why we include them among the best hand tools available.

Featuring a thoughtful mix of reasonably priced, well-made tools, this 65-piece set from Stanley sets itself apart from other tool kits by offering higher-quality tools, as well as some that can handle bigger jobs. Many portable tool sets come with smaller hand tools, which limit them to light duty. Stanley’s doesn’t. For example, we had no problem hammering an 8D framing nail into a 2×4 with the hammer, something we couldn’t do with the smaller hammers of other kits. And to make them comfortable for bigger jobs, the tools are equipped with ergonomic handles and rubberized grips.

That’s not to say that the kit didn’t have weak points. The tape measure felt cheap compared to the other tools in the kit, and we wished the kit included more than 8 socket sizes. Those gripes aside, Stanley offers one of the best-equipped home tool kits on the market. 

What our tester says: “Because the set is priced around $60, I was hard-pressed to find another tool kit that offers the same lineup of tools and quality build that this set from Stanley offers.”—Tony Carrick, Product Reviews tester and writer.

Read our full review: Stanley 94-248 65-Piece Homeowner’s Tool Kit

With an outstanding selection of tools and a starting supply of emergency fasteners, this is a great option for new homeowners or RVers. The kit includes all kinds of sockets with various ratchets, screwdrivers, pliers, cutters, hex keys, and more. It also comes with handy extras, like electrical tape, drywall anchors, and cable ties to save you some unexpected trips to the hardware store. 

During testing, this kit helped hang pictures in the living room, repair a porch light fixture, and assemble a new garage cabinet. We appreciated how comprehensive the set was, containing the ideal hand tools for a wide range of home repairs. 

The tool quality was strong overall, especially for the modest price, and the handles were well cushioned and comfortable to grip. But we noted a few exceptions: The tape measure housing arrived with a large crack, some joints on a few tools were stiff, and a few tools felt a little undersized for large hands—all of which were fairly minor complaints. In all, thanks to the kit’s clever color-coding system and its well-designed tool bag, this was a highly convenient set full of comfortable, good-quality tools. 

Every home needs a few common screwdrivers for routine maintenance, and this set of eight Craftsman screwdrivers provides exactly that. It includes all the most important Phillips and slotted screwdriver sizes in 1½-, 3-, 4-, and 6-inch shaft lengths. Each is made of alloy steel with black-oxide tips for toughness, secure fit, and reduced cam-out (which occurs when a screwdriver bit slips out of a screw head), as well as an ergonomic polypropylene plastic handle for a secure grip with added torque.

During testing, we appreciated the straightforward mix of options and comfortable feel. The screwdrivers handled wood screws and deck screws in both softwood and hardwood with ease, while the soft, textured handles provided excellent grip without slipping. The black-oxide tips fit nicely into the screw heads and held securely while we worked.

Although the kit only includes Phillips and slotted screwdrivers, the three tip sizes of each type will suffice for most household projects. The main downside of this pick is that the round handles roll across hard surfaces, but it still makes an overall excellent set of screwdrivers​.

One of the best reasons to invest in a socket tool is being able to perform basic automotive repairs at home. With both 8-inch and 12-inch-long socket wrenches included, this set offers excellent versatility. The long wrench provides the higher torque you’ll need for stubborn bolts, while the 8-inch wrench is easier to maneuver in tight spaces. The included accessories—multiple extension bars and a universal joint—make it even easier to access hard-to-reach fittings.

While this socket and wrench set isn’t as comprehensive as some we’ve tested, it includes the sizes you’ll use most often. The sockets are four-sided rather than round, which prevents them from rolling away and allows you to use them with a transitional monkey wrench or a crescent wrench to generate more torque. We also like that the handle is oblong, which makes the ratchets comfortable to grip even when applying a lot of force. The case even has a nice design, as it includes a removable tray that made it easier to keep the entire set right beside us during testing. 

Read our full review: Milwaukee ⅜” Drive 56-Piece Ratchet & Socket Set

Folks who plan on pulling, twisting, and grabbing pipes, fittings, and bolts would be wise to do so with the Irwin Vise-Grip GrooveLock Pliers Set. It boasts six of the most commonly used types of pliers—long-nose, linesman’s, slip-joint, and three pairs of GrooveLock pliers that adjust to various widths—as well as an adjustable wrench and diagonal wire cutter. 

While other selections on this last also feature some pliers, these are a more premium pick. As such, they make work more comfortable and less frustrating. In our tests, the overall tool quality felt and performed exceedingly well. The nonslip handles were sized for comfortable use by anyone, and the moving parts worked smoothly without a break-in period. Designed to last for years, this set of hand tools contains the pliers a DIYer or budding electrician needs.

We liked the push-button width selectors on the groove-lock pliers (they don’t slip), as well as the adjustable wrench’s fractional and millimeter markings that indicate precise bolt/nut measurements. While this kit was excellent in most respects, we would have gladly traded one of the groove-lock pliers for a pair of Vise-Grip locking pliers.

For notching, trimming, slicing, and scraping wood into a shape, nothing beats a good set of wood chisels. Built to endure years of demanding use, this set from DeWalt features four versatile woodworking tools​ with tempered and hardened chrome carbon steel blades. Lacquered for increased corrosion resistance, the blades are well made. They arrived sharp enough to work with, and during testing, they held their edge well with extended use. We found them easy to sharpen on a stone.

The bench chisel design was ideal for a wide range of wood chopping and paring. We used this kit to make half-lap joints in pressure-treated lumber and to create a notch for a gate latch. The chisels felt good in hand, offering a comfortable, reliable grip, cushioning, and consistently smooth cuts, even with infrequent sharpening. This set could even make a serviceable start-up kit for fine woodworking projects (perhaps alongside added paring and mortise chisels). At about half the price of comparable chisels from popular brands among fine woodworkers, this DeWalt four-piece chisel set presents great value for the quality. 

In our review of the best hacksaws, the DeWalt 5-in-1 topped the others due to its extreme versatility and its rugged build. Boasting a stout steel frame with comfortable, ergonomic grips at the rear and front of the frame, this saw was strong enough to make square cuts through 4-inch PVC pipe. In the 45-degree configuration, it was fairly easy to flush-cut nails protruding from a vertical 2×4 wall stud. The blade also held steady enough to cut through ½-inch rebar. We did experience some wobble and vibration, but the cuts were mostly smooth and clean throughout. 

Though the product listing states just one hacksaw blade, there are two blades included: a 12-inch 24-TPI bimetal blade and a 6-inch 6-TPI reciprocating saw blade. And as for the saw’s versatility, the front handle can be removed from the frame and loaded with the reciprocating saw blade for use as a jab saw. It can also be reconfigured easily for low-profile, long-reach, or 45-degree-angle sawing. Taken all together, the DeWalt hacksaw offered great cutting capability for different settings, with custom configurations for user comfort.

From a name well known in the building industry comes the Stanley 25-foot PowerLock tape measure—a dependable and accurate choice for anyone needing to make precision cuts. It features a stainless steel case with a strong blade lock that holds firmly without slipping. In our tests, the durable metal extended to nearly 10 feet before bending, which is quite an accomplishment compared to thinner blades that bend at 5 feet or less. 

The PowerLock has a 3-rivet-reinforced tang for accurate measuring and features imperial-only measurements in ⅙-inch increments. This labeled tape measure also has red premarked 16-inch notations for easy stud locating and black diamonds every 19.2 inches, which is another spacing interval often used in framing. After the first 12 inches, the Stanley tape shows both feet and inches as well as cumulative inch measurements (e.g., both 30 inches and 2 feet, 6 inches), which is useful when determining longer distances. 

A good set of level tools like this one can last a lifetime. The spirit levels in the Stabila Pro set feature powder-coated aluminum box-frame construction for lightweight durability and crystal-clear vials for outstanding visibility. This kit includes three of the most popular lengths (12-, 24, and 48-inch levels) in a padded carry case.

To help make accurate marks, the Stabila levels include slip-resistant rubber end caps. When we placed them against a surface during testing, they stayed put, making it much easier to scribe an accurate level line. And unlike cheaper levels, the vials were enclosed in clear protective blocks that minimize the chance of accidental breakage. 

 

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