Top five of the top ten

Well gang, here are the top five tools of my top ten list. You should have at least these five essentials in your home improvement/maintenance survival kit. As my best friend Jim says… you have to have the right dang tool for the right dang job!

1. The hammer-there are a bazillion types that come in different shapes, sizes and uses… for basic household use you only need one… the household (claw) hammer.

2. Screwdrivers – come in a variety of lengths and head types. For basic household use there are two basic head types, the Phillips head and the flat head.
Screwdrivers are used to tighten and loosen screws… hence the name screwdriver. You can purchase a set with a hundred screwdrivers, all with different lengths and several head types; but more than likely, you can get away with a set of six or seven.

3. Pliers – there are a bazillion types of pliers, focus on four; slip joint pliers are the most common and have a variety of house hold uses, the needle nose pliers for cutting and crimping wires, the channel locks for light plumbing jobs and for that the job that requires extreme gripping action, the locking pliers a.k.a. the vice grips.

4. Socket wrench (ratchet) set - is used to tighten or loosen bolts or nuts. A typical set will contain a wrench, sockets in a variety of sizes both standard and metric, and other accessories.

5. The tape measure - for normal household use, there is the 25’ to the 33’. For the outdoors there is the 100’.