Best buys · 8 picks

The garage

The things that earn their space on the bench. Not the most expensive of each, and not the cheapest: the ones that people who use them every week keep buying again.

The multi-tool

Leatherman Wave+

The one the others are measured against. The blades open one-handed from the outside, the pliers are full-size, and Leatherman's 25-year warranty means it outlives the argument about whether you needed it.

Buy it for
Anyone who fixes something more than twice a year.
Skip it if
You only ever open parcels. A pocket knife is lighter and a third of the price.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The first drill

DeWalt 20V MAX drill/driver kit

Not the most powerful and not the lightest. It does everything a house asks of a drill, and it sits on a battery platform with more tools behind it than almost any other, so the second tool is cheaper than the first.

Buy it for
A first cordless drill, or replacing a corded one.
Skip it if
You drive long screws into hardwood all day. Buy an impact driver alongside it.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
NOCO Boost GB40
The jump starter

NOCO Boost GB40

Small enough for the glovebox, starts most gas cars on its own, and charges a phone while you wait for anyone else to turn up. Bought once, forgotten until the one morning it matters.

Buy it for
Anyone who has ever needed a stranger with jump leads.
Skip it if
You drive a large diesel or a truck. Look at the bigger GB-series packs.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The tape measure

Stanley FatMax 25 ft

Long standout before it buckles, a hook that survives being dropped off a ladder, and cheap enough that you buy two and keep one in the car.

Buy it for
Everyone. This is the one on most job sites.
Skip it if
You only hang pictures. Any tape will do.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The headlamp

Black Diamond Spot 400

Hands-free light is more use than a brighter flashlight: under a sink, under a car, on a trail. Waterproof, runs on AAAs you can buy anywhere, and the red mode keeps your night vision.

Buy it for
The garage, the campsite and the power cut.
Skip it if
You want a rechargeable only. Look at the R-version.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The impact driver

DeWalt 20V MAX impact driver

Drives a long screw into a joist without stripping the head or wrenching your wrist, which a drill struggles to do. Buy it as a bare tool and run it on the drill's batteries.

Buy it for
Decks, fences, sheds, anything held together with long screws.
Skip it if
You only hang shelves and pictures. The drill already does that.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The socket set

Craftsman mechanics tool set

Metric and SAE sockets, ratchets and wrenches in one case, and Craftsman's hand tools carry a lifetime warranty. Buy the set once and stop borrowing the one size you are missing.

Buy it for
Oil changes, bikes, lawn mowers, flat-pack furniture.
Skip it if
You already own a drawer of loose sockets. Buy the sizes you lose instead.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →
The shop vac

A wet/dry shop vac

Sawdust, a flooded basement, the inside of the car, the gutter. It picks up water as well as dirt, which no house vacuum survives. This pick is a specification: whichever reputable one is cheapest today.

Buy it for
Workshops, basements, cars, renovation mess.
Skip it if
You only vacuum the car. A cordless handheld is easier to live with.
What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →