Hand Tools
Best Measuring Tapes – 16 ft, 25 ft, and 35 ft Options Compared
Measuring tapes are the most-used tool in any DIYer’s kit, and a bad one costs you time and accuracy on…
Tool Category: Hand Tools
Hand Tools
Best Hand Saws for DIY – Panel Saws, Backsaws, and Japanese Pull Saws
Hand saws remain essential even in shops full of power tools. For cutting a single board to length, trimming a…
Hand Tools
Best Files and Rasps for Metal and Woodworking
Files and rasps are irreplaceable for shaping wood, metal, and plastic by hand – tasks where power tools lack the…
Hand Tools
Best Utility Knives and Box Cutters for DIY and Construction
Utility knives and box cutters are among the most-used tools on any job site or in any shop. From breaking…
Hand Tools
Best Woodworking Mallets – Wood, Brass, Dead-Blow Compared
The woodworking mallet is the essential striking tool for hand-tool woodworking – driving chisels into mortise waste, seating tenons, tapping…
Hand Tools
Best Hand Planes for Beginning Woodworkers
The hand plane is the woodworking tool that changes beginners into woodworkers. Before power jointers, planers, and sanders, hand planes…
Hand Tools
Best Allen Wrench and Hex Key Sets
Allen wrenches – also called hex keys – are indispensable for any DIYer who assembles furniture, maintains bicycles, adjusts power…
Hand Tools
Best Torque Wrenches for DIY Automotive and Home Use
A torque wrench isn’t a luxury for precise mechanics – it’s a safety tool. Fasteners torqued to specification maintain their…
Hand Tools
Best Socket Wrench Sets – 3/8 vs 1/2-Inch Drive for DIY
A socket wrench set is the most efficient way to tighten and loosen hex fasteners – faster than a combination…
Hand Tools
Best Adjustable Wrenches – Every Option Reviewed
The adjustable wrench – sometimes called a Crescent wrench after the original brand – is the most versatile wrench in…
Hand Tools
Best Locking Pliers – Vise-Grip Style Tested and Ranked
Locking pliers – commonly known by the Vise-Grip brand name – are one of those tools that seem redundant until…
Hand Tools
Best Pliers Sets – Standard, Needle-Nose, Lineman, Slip-Joint
Pliers are among the most versatile tools in the hand tool category, and yet they’re also among the most frequently…