Start Your Toolbox Essentials With These 11 Items From Rayneau

Do you need to fix some furniture? Your son’s bike breaks down and needs to be repaired? The wife wants to replace a shower head in the bath or you need to mount shelves to a wall, fix a leaky faucet, or just stop the kitchen table from wobbling? And do you always have to go to someone else to take care of your handyman needs? As the DIYer of the house, one must be self-reliant. He should have the tools and know-how to tackle basic projects around the house. There is so much satisfaction that comes with doing it yourself.

If you are the man-of-the-house who never got around to stocking a tool box, here are 11 items that we think every tool box should have. Our recommendations are basic and by no means comprehensive. And of course,you can get the tool box and all these quality tools and lots more at your favourite store -  Rayneau Construction & Industrial Products Ltd.  Our top brand tools make a great difference and will last a life time.

Hammer

Hammer

Hammers are a toolbox workhorse. Go for a classic 16-ounce hammer.  It’s heavy enough for most basic home repair needs. Skip wood-handled hammers – go for something that has a long-lasting synthetic handle or a solid steel handle. Our hammers have good balance and are not head heavy.
Our pick: Stanley 51-110 16 oz Curved Claw Jacketed Fiberglass Nail Hammer. You may also choose one from the brand, Mintcraft

Screwdrivers

Screwdrivers
Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers are needed for most jobs, especially if you have a few loose screws. In addition to driving screws flathead screw drivers can be improvised for light prying, scrapping and nudging. Phillips screws have pretty much replace flathead screw, so make sure you have a set of Phillips screw drivers in your box. You can also elevate  your screwdriver game with a  ratcheting screwdriver.
Our brands: Mintcraft, Stanley and toolbasix

Pliers

Pliers

To save you from all kinds of crises –over tightening of nuts etc or while doing it yourselfies, must haves are pairs of slip-join and long-nose pliers - an essential electrician’s tool, long-nose pliers are good for any household project which requires you to cut, bend, grip, or strip wire. 

Vise-grip pliers come in handy when you need an extra hand but only have your own two mitts to work with. Vise grip pliers are pliers that can lock in place.   They hold tight while you do that DIY thing. They are versatile tools that can be used as pliers, a pipe wrench, an adjustable wrench, wire cutters, a ratchet, or a clamp. 
Our top brands: Mintcraft and Stanley

Tape Measure

Tape measure

A 25 foot retractable metal measuring tape is also a must, as projects and households items - such as televisions - continue to grow in size. Whatever DIY you do, measurements are essential. Lengths have to be measured and cut, and areas have to be worked out when purchasing materials. Woodwork, flooring, fencing, decking, brickwork, fitting kitchens etc. the list really is endless.
Our pick: The Stanley Fat Max Blade Armour - 30'. Other brands include Trademaster and Mintcraft

General Purpose Saw

Handsaw

Even in this age of power tools, the traditional handsaw has many uses. It’s quiet, portable, easy to use, requires no electrical power, and can finish more than a few jobs the basic hand-held circular saw cannot. It’s also inexpensive and poses little risk to little hands. A 10- or 12-tooth crosscut saw of 22 inches is a good basic saw that can also rip a board if necessary.
Our pick: The Stanley General Purpose Saw - 22in. Other brands in stock are Toolbasix, Mintcraft, Nicholson and Erwin

Cordless Drill

Cordless Drill

A good cordless drill is an essential tool to have in your toolbox. It can be used for drilling holes into sheetrock or driving screws into a 2×4. When choosing a cordless drill, you want one with lots of power, which is measured by the amount of voltage in its battery. You can get drills that have batteries that go up to 18v.

Our pick: The Makita HP457DWE 18V Li-Ion Cordless Drill Driver+2 Batteries

Cresent and Ratchet and Socket wrench

Wrenches

An adjustable, crescent wrench is like having 50 wrenches in one. You'll need one to tighten nuts and bolts and loosen plumbing fixtures. When you have a large project that requires you to tighten and loosen a bunch of nuts and bolts, it’s time to put aside the crescent wrench and reach for its more efficient brother. The socket wrench’s ratcheting mechanism allows you to tighten a nut without having to remove and refit the wrench after each and every turn.

Our choice:The Stanley 10 in Chrome Adjustable Wrench and The Stanley16 pc Socket and Ratchet Set. Other brands in stock are Mintcraft and KC.

Level

Level

If you want to hang anything, or build a frame and check the posts are straight you'll need a level to check everything goes up straight. While a 9 inch level will do the trick, if you see yourself tackling larger projects in the future you should grab the 24 inch level. To get the job done right the first time, you need to use a level.

Our choice: Stanley STHT42496 24-Inch Box Level, Non-Magnetic. Other brands in stock are Johnson, Trademaster and Empire

Utility Knives

Utility knife

While it may not be the most exciting of the tools, your utility knife will never be found gathering dust at the bottom of your toolbox. Every project always provides plenty of things to cut and scrape, hundreds of tasks that cry out for the utility knife’s super sharp blade. There are plenty of brands and styles available. Tip: be sure to always keep a few replacement blades on-hand.

Our brand: Mintcraft

Torch

Torch

The fact is you won’t often need a torch. But when you do, there’s nothing more annoying than a torch that doesn’t work -  when the lights go out unexpectedly, when an object rolls under a heavy piece of furniture, or when you hear a ruckus in your yard in the middle of the night. The right torch is one that provides adequate light for the intended job, in a beam pattern that is also suitable.

Our brand: Proline

Toolbox

Toolbox 

You will need a tool box to help keep everything together. Otherwise, some of your tools will end up in a junk drawer, others will be in the basement, and the rest will be scattered elsewhere. A tool box, even an inexpensive plastic one, will help keep everything in one place. As your tool collection grows, so should the size of your tool box.

Our choice: The Stanley 2-lid Organizer Toolbox

Quid Pro Quo

Did we leave any tools off the list that you think should be in every DIYer’s toolbox. We don’t expect everyone to agree with our recommendations and welcome you to share your own opinions in the comment section.