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Featured in this article
The Best Step Stool
Kobalt Aluminum Step Stool
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The Best Tape Measure
Stanley Fatmax 25-Foot Tape Measure
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A Utility Knife
Milwaukee Fastback Utility Knife
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A Stud Finder
Zircon 1.5-Inch Scan-Depth Metal and Wood Stud Finder
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Let’s get down to brass tacks: You can tackle most home repair and installation jobs. It doesn’t much matter if you’ve never done it before. That’s what first times are for. And it doesn’t matter that you don’t already know how to do them: That’s what YouTube tutorials are for. All it takes is a can-do attitude, a bit of patience, the humility to know when to consult the instructions, and the right tools.
You can save a ton of money and time if you’re willing to learn. Instructions on how to construct things can be found in manuals and YouTube videos, but there are certain tools you inevitably need, whether you live in an apartment or a single-family home. We promise that if you go in with the right attitude and the right gear, you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
Be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including our Favorite Cold-Weather Gear Under $100, the Best Climbing Gear for Beginners, Emergency Gear to Keep at Home, and our Buy It For Life Guide.
Updated July 2023: We’ve updated pricing and availability and also replaced a few old picks with new ones, such as the yardstick, adjustable wrench, and step stool.
Photograph: Lowe’s
The Best Step Stool
Kobalt Aluminum Step Stool
You don’t need a big ladder for most indoor jobs. A step stool will do in almost any instance, and it’s slim enough to slide under or behind a couch. This Kobalt aluminum model holds up to 250 pounds, yet weighs a scant 7.5 pounds. It’s easy to stash, and most people will have no problem maneuvering it around the home or yard. There’s a Kobalt Steel Step Stool for $60 that holds up to 300 pounds, if you can handle its 20-pound weight. Both models fold up for storage in a closet or under the couch.
Photograph: Home Depot
The Best Tape Measure
Stanley Fatmax 25-Foot Tape Measure
Stanley’s Fatmax has a wider-than-typical tape that is less prone to bending and collapsing when extended across a room. You can supposedly extend it straight through the air, without anyone or anything propping up the other end, for 14 feet before it falls down. As far as length goes, 16 feet is about as short a tape measure as I’d recommend, and 25 is a good size for most homes. This one is marked in standard units, but Stanley also makes metric ones.
Photograph: Milwaukee
A Utility Knife
Milwaukee Fastback Utility Knife
In my experience, utility knives don’t vary that much in effectiveness. It’s the replaceable blade that really matters. That said, the Fastback is the best I’ve used (I have used a bunch!), and you can replace the blade without having to find a screwdriver to take the knife apart. It also folds—you can flick it open and shut it with one hand—and it locks securely, plus the coating is tough enough to last for years. A nice plus is the built-in gut hook for cutting string and plastic ties without opening the knife. It has come in handy more often than I thought it would.
Photograph: Home Depot
A Stud Finder
Zircon 1.5-Inch Scan-Depth Metal and Wood Stud Finder
If you want to attach anything heavy to a wall, you should always mount it to the vertical structural pieces of wood (studs) behind the wall. This means you need to find them without being able to see them. A stud finder, held and rubbed against a wall, will light up when it passes over a stud so you know where to drill.
Builders sometimes run wires along with these studs, and to keep people from drilling into a wire and getting fried like Daffy Duck, they place metal guards over them. Any decent stud finder, like this Zircon, will warn you if it detects one. Plus, you can hold it up to yourself and go “Beep, beep, beep. Stud detected.” That’ll never get old.
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