Home tool set vs. Mechanics tool set - essential items

[diskreet]

Couldn't find a thread on this after searching, so here goes.

What are the essential tools (no 2000 item lists please) you have in your home tool sets, and your garage tool sets? I'm sure there's overlap.

Now that I'm close to move the garage tools into the new garage, I want help figuring out what I need duplicates of, and what I might want to pick up now. Note: I plan on doing wood working in the home garage, the detached garage is purely for vehicle-related items.

For example, here's what I'm thinking:
Both sets need:

• Ratchet and socket set
• Screwdrivers
• Hammers
• Pliers
• Tape measure
• Assorted tapes
• Cordless drill
• Drill bit set
• Snips and cutters
• Wire strippers
• Soldering gun

Garage (standard mechanics tool set items, including:

• Wrenches
• Nut drivers
• Hex, torx, etc. drivers
• Vices
• Grease gun
• Heat gun

Home tools:

• Caulking gun
• Saws
• Specialty tools: painting tools, plumbing tools, misc. supplies
• Levels
• Clamps

What are the other must haves?

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Whatever you need and don't have to walk back and forth for....

 

[Voi]

What are the other must haves?

Impact driver. I mean the cordless battery type but the manual impact drivers are recommended by many as well.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Home owner set probably needs combo wrenches, as well

 

[bczygan]

Hammer and 2 screwdrivers.

 

[crewchief888]

i keep a few tools in the house so i'm not running back and forth to the garage.

cordless drill/driver
wire cutters and strippers
couple pair of channelocks
pipe wrench
ratcheting screwdriver and some spare bits
GFI tester
voltmeter

all my woodworking type tools stay in the basement. table and mitre saws are portable, i can move them outside if i'm doing a bunch of cutting outside

if we're doing a bigger remodeling job in the house, i bring in corded drills, sawsall ect from the garage.

i try to keep tools stored where they are most frequently used...

 

[Jawn]

Add to the home tools list - Stud finder ("Hey honey, hang my new Ikea thingamajingly on the wall please?").

 

[Parrothead]

What I'd recommend? An empty carry tool box. Seriously, I speak from experience.

I have a small toolbox in the house we call "kitchen tools". It's got a small set of screwdrivers, wire cutters, adjustable wrench, adjustable plier, and needle nose plier. Utility knife, wire strippers, precision screwdrivers, non-contact voltage tester, Allen wrenches, cordless screwdriver, and a handful of other tools. I'll look and edit this later to make this a true list.

Think about things you'll really fix and do in the house without your own main tools. Things that aren't a true project. Things like swapping out a shower head, replace the flapper in the toilet, installing a light fixture or light switch, changing out a door knob or things of that sort. Anything bigger than that, go to the garage and load up the empty toolbox and bring it to the house.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

Think about things you'll really fix and do in the house without your own main tools. Things that aren't a true project. Things like swapping out a shower head, replace the flapper in the toilet, installing a light fixture or light switch, changing out a door knob or things of that sort. Anything bigger than that, go to the garage and load up the empty toolbox and bring it to the house.

You sound like someone who doesn't have a basement!


I planned on keeping just about everything in the garage, but broke down and moved a pretty full set of tools into the basement since it's so much nicer working down there than in the garage during the winter.

 

[ssdave]

Most once or twice a year tasks like change a shower head, fix a door knob, hang a picture I'd just leave the tools out in the garage. I can probably use the exercise the dozen times a year i'd have to go get those type of things.

What I have in the house for common use are:

Ratcheting screwdrive with a 100 piece bit set. Flat screwdriver to pry on things. Utility knife to cut things. Needle nose pliers. Tape measure. Hammer. Peanut butter jar with assortment of small screws and nails. Putty knife/scraper. Razor blade scraper.

Rest of the stuff, I'll walk out to the garage and get the correct tool. Like I said, I can use the little bit of exercise. Keep a milk crate or small empty toolbox to carry stuff if you have more than a couple of things to bring in.

 

[bsechris]

I tend to grab stuff out of my cutting/rejoining drawer the most. So scissors, utility knife, straight edge, duct tape, electrical tape, super glue, craft glue, and other tapes and glue. My garage is connected to my kitchen so it's reasonable to use my tool boxes to their fullest to keep organized. I tend to also grab my drills, (both because i use one to drill, one to screw) driver bit set and drill bit set, Allen keys to work on my bike, tape measure and level.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[diskreet]

Thanks guys, great advice all together.

I have most of what you're talking about, but a lot of it is loose. When I get moved into the new garage I'm sure I'll do a thorough cleaning and organizing then. This gives me a good list of the stuff to make most accessible.

 

[FigureItOut]

What I'd recommend? An empty carry tool box. Seriously, I speak from experience.

I agree. I have a few different types and sizes of portable tool storage that I deliberately keep empty. I can grab the appropriate one, fill it from the big box with what I need for the tasks at hand, and carry no more or no less than what's needed.

 

[kctyphoon]

The tools you need, will ALWAYS be dictated by what you're willing to do..

 

[crewchief888]

Most once or twice a year tasks like change a shower head, fix a door knob, hang a picture I'd just leave the tools out in the garage. I can probably use the exercise the dozen times a year i'd have to go get those type of things.

my luck is every time i really need something from the garage, it's 937 degrees below zero, it's snowing, and the wind is blowing @ mach 6.2

 

[jrockford]

I would skip the nut drivers. Huge waste of space.

 

[bdelmar2]

Somewhere in here is a whole list of house tools I typed out one day.

Forget what the title of the OP was, but it was fairly comprehensive without going overboard for your average home owner.

Few people added a couple of items here and there, but it would all fit in a 5 gallon bucket with one of those organizers, or even better a 7 gallon bucket.

(Edit: list was what I have in my bucket, more or less)

Used to call them bucket bosses, but that's just one of the options now. Kind of like everybody used to call cordless drills 'Makita'.

Ended up pretty close to the list here for home stuff.

Also, Zip ties and drywall screws of various common sizes, and some self tapping hex heads, extension cords, chisels, files, punches.

 

[PhantomEB]

My garage is 8' off the deck, fk that I am gonna give the gf any inclination of fixing anything, tools belong in the garage!