Get Your Kit Together

Have you ever had a hard time finding the tools and other items needed for a home repair job? If you have teen age kids, I know the answer to that is yes. They start with “I promise I’ll put it back” when they are younger and graduate to just not telling you they used them – and of course they NEVER put them back. Well, this may help.

From the Chicago Tribune comes some suggestions for home repair kits that you can buy for less than $75.

Denali 115 Piece Home Repair Tool Kit. This kit is geared to household chores from hanging pictures to fixing a leaky faucet. The rugged nylon bag (the size of a small breadbox) has shoulder and hand straps, pockets for small items, and room for a few tools and supplies you already have. The kit includes a medium weight (16-ounce) claw hammer, short torpedo level, 16-foot tape measure, utility knife, small hacksaw, wire cutter and three types of pliers often used for electrical jobs, plus a 7-inch locking model for everything else. There are ratcheting handles for 64 different types of screwdrivers and nut drivers, including flat, Phillips, hex and star head, plus standard and metric sets of Allen wrenches. The kit assemblers assume that you have a drill, but may need a variety of bits: a 13-piece set of titanium covered high-speed steel for wood, and a 5-piece set for masonry. Overall: compact, practical range of tools, 12 pounds. Details: amazon.com/tools. Price: about $50.

Craftsman evolv 24 piece Homeowner Tool Set. This basic kit of full-sized household tools comes in a canvas bag with shoulder strap, carry handles and room for more of your own supplies. It includes a large divided parts tray to keep just a few of many different nails, screws, picture hangers and other fasteners on hand and neatly sorted. There’s a lightweight (13-ounce) claw hammer, 16-foot tape measure, utility knife, slip-joint pliers, needle-nose pliers, and an adjustable wrench, all with soft-grip handles. For fastening, the kit has a set of screwdrivers, plus a driver handle that takes a variety of included bits. Overall: The basics for general fix-ups, a carry case with many pockets and dividers, 8 pounds. Details: craftsman.com. Price: about $40.

Apollo 162 Piece Household Tool Kit. If your tool collection is scattered all over the house, this briefcase-size kit could be a good bet. A wide range of tools and supplies fits into molded inserts in the compact case. The face has two panels that unfold, revealing the full set. It has a 100-piece container of fasteners, including a few nails, screws, wall anchors, picture hangers, cups hooks and push pins. There’s a small rechargeable screwdriver (4.8-volt plus charger), with bit extensions and 40 bits. That volt rating can’t compare with a 24-volt tool designed to drive deck screws all day long. But the Apollo rechargeable is small, and has more than enough power to handle household repairs. Some tools are pint-sized, like the 8-ounce hammer and short plastic level. But many are full-size, like the full-featured wire stripper. There’s also electrician’s tape and a voltage tester (with it’s own instruction manual) for basic electrical work. With two pliers, two small ratcheting clamps, measuring tape, screwdrivers, and other items, the kit covers a lot of ground. Overall: very compact, wide-ranging collection, 8 pounds. Details: apolloltools.com. Price: about $70.

OK, so I know this won’t replace the wet/dry vacuum that your kid turned into a hover craft, or the belt sander she used to power the hamster wheel to train “Little Hammy” for the Hamster Olympics (I still have nightmares about that poor hamster), but these kits will provide you with the items needed for most basic home repair jobs. Just be sure to hide your new kit where the kids won’t find it. Good luck with that! We all know how well that works at Christmas time.