Posted by rweaver on November 7, 2006, 10:14 am
Fill your tool kit for less than $200
By Jay MacDonald ˇ Bankrate.com
If you don't have a handyman in your family and don't have a clue where
to begin when it comes to assembling a proper home-repair tool kit,
there's good news: For $200, you can buy 90 percent of all the tools
you'll ever need to repair and maintain your home.
Good tools purchased early in life can be a smart investment, says
David Tenenbaum, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Repair
and Maintenance."
"You can spend a little money on a tool or two with each job," he says.
"That way, you gather the tools you'll need slowly and less painfully."
Of course, the sooner you purchase the basics, the longer you'll use
them, hence the more cost-effective they become. The key is to buy only
good tools from reputable name-brand manufacturers.
"Quality matters," says Tenenbaum. "Good tools work and bad tools
don't. It's basically as simple as that."
Not just for men
And ladies, listen up: Having the right tool at the right time is
equally important for women. Deb Zarek, co-owner of Mr. Handyman home
services, in Austin, Texas, assembled her own tool kit while living as
a single adult.
"I think most women are really intimidated by power tools," she says.
"They just don't know what to do with them or how they're supposed to
work. That whole power thing is kind of scary."
That said, Zarek insists sometimes a "handywoman" beats any available
handyman when it comes to home repair.
"I think women are more aware of their surroundings and take a little
bit more care to not damage things," she says.
The secret to a great tool kit? Selection. Of the thousands of tools
available at your local hardware store, it only takes about a dozen to
tackle most home repair jobs, and only one of them plugs in.
Here are the tools our experts suggest as absolute musts for a lifetime
of home improvements and repair. The first 15 items make up the
absolute basics for a serviceable tool kit to last a lifetime -- all
for just under $200. That said, your handyman life can be made much
easier with a few additions. Buy the last half-dozen items as needed.
All prices reflect the-least expensive good-quality products available
at Lowe's home improvement stores in fall 2006.
Essential tools for every household
1. Toolbox: $30
Let's start with something to fill, shall we? A good, usable toolbox
can save as much time on a job as having the right tools inside. "A lot
of people don't get one and their stuff is all over the place and it
takes them a half-hour of frustration to get what they need for even
the simplest job," says Tenenbaum. He prefers a soft canvas bag with
lots of pockets that drapes over a five-gallon bucket. Rubber-bottom
soft bags are a slightly heavier alternative.
*** for an interactive slideshow with pictures and tool details visit:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/home-improvement/20061107_tool_kit_a1.asp
***
Jay MacDonald is a contributing editor based in Austin, Texas.
Bankrate.com's corrections policy -- Posted: Nov. 7, 2006
Posted by Seerialmom on November 7, 2006, 10:34 am
rweaver@bankrate.com wrote:
> Fill your tool kit for less than $200
> By Jay MacDonald ˇ Bankrate.com
> If you don't have a handyman in your family and don't have a clue where
> to begin when it comes to assembling a proper home-repair tool kit,
> there's good news: For $200, you can buy 90 percent of all the tools
> you'll ever need to repair and maintain your home.
> Good tools purchased early in life can be a smart investment, says
> David Tenenbaum, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Repair
> and Maintenance."
> "You can spend a little money on a tool or two with each job," he says.
> "That way, you gather the tools you'll need slowly and less painfully."
> Of course, the sooner you purchase the basics, the longer you'll use
> them, hence the more cost-effective they become. The key is to buy only
> good tools from reputable name-brand manufacturers.
> "Quality matters," says Tenenbaum. "Good tools work and bad tools
> don't. It's basically as simple as that."
> Not just for men
> And ladies, listen up: Having the right tool at the right time is
> equally important for women. Deb Zarek, co-owner of Mr. Handyman home
> services, in Austin, Texas, assembled her own tool kit while living as
> a single adult.
> "I think most women are really intimidated by power tools," she says.
> "They just don't know what to do with them or how they're supposed to
> work. That whole power thing is kind of scary."
> That said, Zarek insists sometimes a "handywoman" beats any available
> handyman when it comes to home repair.
> "I think women are more aware of their surroundings and take a little
> bit more care to not damage things," she says.
> The secret to a great tool kit? Selection. Of the thousands of tools
> available at your local hardware store, it only takes about a dozen to
> tackle most home repair jobs, and only one of them plugs in.
> Here are the tools our experts suggest as absolute musts for a lifetime
> of home improvements and repair. The first 15 items make up the
> absolute basics for a serviceable tool kit to last a lifetime -- all
> for just under $200. That said, your handyman life can be made much
> easier with a few additions. Buy the last half-dozen items as needed.
> All prices reflect the-least expensive good-quality products available
> at Lowe's home improvement stores in fall 2006.
> Essential tools for every household
> 1. Toolbox: $30
> Let's start with something to fill, shall we? A good, usable toolbox
> can save as much time on a job as having the right tools inside. "A lot
> of people don't get one and their stuff is all over the place and it
> takes them a half-hour of frustration to get what they need for even
> the simplest job," says Tenenbaum. He prefers a soft canvas bag with
> lots of pockets that drapes over a five-gallon bucket. Rubber-bottom
> soft bags are a slightly heavier alternative.
> *** for an interactive slideshow with pictures and tool details visit:
> http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/home-improvement/20061107_tool_kit_a1.asp
> ***
> Jay MacDonald is a contributing editor based in Austin, Texas.
> Bankrate.com's corrections policy -- Posted: Nov. 7, 2006
$30 for a toolbox?? WTH?? I got my "Homer Box" when the first Home
Depot opened in my area for something like $5. Later I got a Stanley
(and it's HUGE) that also came with a dang big level in the lid for
about $12. I still use both. I have 4 "extra" hammers because someone
at Big Lots goofed and marked a bundle as $3 (they were probably
supposed to be $3 each).
But I'm a chick so I need one of those "pink" Do It Herself" kits that
have the essential tools ;)
Posted by gamer on November 7, 2006, 1:45 pm
Seerialmom wrote:
>$30 for a toolbox?? WTH?? I got my "Homer Box" when the first Home
>Depot opened in my area for something like $5. Later I got a Stanley
>(and it's HUGE) that also came with a dang big level in the lid for
>about $12. I still use both. I have 4 "extra" hammers because someone
>at Big Lots goofed and marked a bundle as $3 (they were probably
>supposed to be $3 each).
>But I'm a chick so I need one of those "pink" Do It Herself" kits that
>have the essential tools ;)
>
With the reference to bankrate - I quickly assumed one would need a loan
to buy tools off the site.
Posted by Michael Black on November 7, 2006, 7:01 pm
gamer (edc4h@cox.net) writes:
> Seerialmom wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>$30 for a toolbox?? WTH?? I got my "Homer Box" when the first Home
>>Depot opened in my area for something like $5. Later I got a Stanley
>>(and it's HUGE) that also came with a dang big level in the lid for
>>about $12. I still use both. I have 4 "extra" hammers because someone
>>at Big Lots goofed and marked a bundle as $3 (they were probably
>>supposed to be $3 each).
>>
>>But I'm a chick so I need one of those "pink" Do It Herself" kits that
>>have the essential tools ;)
>>
>>
>>
>
> With the reference to bankrate - I quickly assumed one would need a loan
> to buy tools off the site.
That's for the diamond studded toolbox.
The male equivalent is the teak toolbox. Which likely isn't that much
of a stretch, given there was a time when toolboxes were likely the first
thing someone made with their tools, out of scrap wood.
But she's right, it seems silly to spend 1/6 of the budget on a toolbox,
when it does nothing much in itself. Stick the tools in a drawer, or a
cardboard box. Then wait till the toolbox goes on sale, or you find one
at a garage sale (which likely could offer up some tools at used prices,
I bought a spare drill last year for $2). In the flyers here, I'm now
seeing nylon "toolboxes", which opens up the concept quite a bit. Get
a small duffel bag at a garage sale, and there you go. Or a big purse,
which always seem cheap and plentiful at garage and rummage sales, and use
that to keep the tools handy.
Michael
Posted by C. Massey on November 7, 2006, 8:40 pm
Fill your tool kit for less than $200
By Jay MacDonald ˇ Bankrate.com
<snip>
Essential tools for every household
1. Toolbox: $30
Let's start with something to fill, shall we? A good, usable toolbox
can save as much time on a job as having the right tools inside. "A lot
of people don't get one and their stuff is all over the place and it
takes them a half-hour of frustration to get what they need for even
the simplest job," says Tenenbaum. He prefers a soft canvas bag with
lots of pockets that drapes over a five-gallon bucket. Rubber-bottom
soft bags are a slightly heavier alternative.
*** for an interactive slideshow with pictures and tool details visit:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/home-improvement/20061107_tool_kit_a1.asp
***
I could get most of those tools much cheaper than the prices given in the
article. Go ahead and delete the safety glasses, circular saw, clamps and
the sander.
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> By Jay MacDonald ˇ Bankrate.com
> If you don't have a handyman in your family and don't have a clue where
> to begin when it comes to assembling a proper home-repair tool kit,
> there's good news: For $200, you can buy 90 percent of all the tools
> you'll ever need to repair and maintain your home.
> Good tools purchased early in life can be a smart investment, says
> David Tenenbaum, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Repair
> and Maintenance."
> "You can spend a little money on a tool or two with each job," he says.
> "That way, you gather the tools you'll need slowly and less painfully."
> Of course, the sooner you purchase the basics, the longer you'll use
> them, hence the more cost-effective they become. The key is to buy only
> good tools from reputable name-brand manufacturers.
> "Quality matters," says Tenenbaum. "Good tools work and bad tools
> don't. It's basically as simple as that."
> Not just for men
> And ladies, listen up: Having the right tool at the right time is
> equally important for women. Deb Zarek, co-owner of Mr. Handyman home
> services, in Austin, Texas, assembled her own tool kit while living as
> a single adult.
> "I think most women are really intimidated by power tools," she says.
> "They just don't know what to do with them or how they're supposed to
> work. That whole power thing is kind of scary."
> That said, Zarek insists sometimes a "handywoman" beats any available
> handyman when it comes to home repair.
> "I think women are more aware of their surroundings and take a little
> bit more care to not damage things," she says.
> The secret to a great tool kit? Selection. Of the thousands of tools
> available at your local hardware store, it only takes about a dozen to
> tackle most home repair jobs, and only one of them plugs in.
> Here are the tools our experts suggest as absolute musts for a lifetime
> of home improvements and repair. The first 15 items make up the
> absolute basics for a serviceable tool kit to last a lifetime -- all
> for just under $200. That said, your handyman life can be made much
> easier with a few additions. Buy the last half-dozen items as needed.
> All prices reflect the-least expensive good-quality products available
> at Lowe's home improvement stores in fall 2006.
> Essential tools for every household
> 1. Toolbox: $30
> Let's start with something to fill, shall we? A good, usable toolbox
> can save as much time on a job as having the right tools inside. "A lot
> of people don't get one and their stuff is all over the place and it
> takes them a half-hour of frustration to get what they need for even
> the simplest job," says Tenenbaum. He prefers a soft canvas bag with
> lots of pockets that drapes over a five-gallon bucket. Rubber-bottom
> soft bags are a slightly heavier alternative.
> *** for an interactive slideshow with pictures and tool details visit:
> http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/home-improvement/20061107_tool_kit_a1.asp
> ***
> Jay MacDonald is a contributing editor based in Austin, Texas.
> Bankrate.com's corrections policy -- Posted: Nov. 7, 2006