10 Best Basic Tool Sets for DIY Jobs Around the House

If you’re looking for good quality at a decent price, I recommend this Stanley set. I’ve found the tools in the kit are tougher than the “bargain” options, and though the assortment isn’t quite as large in this 65-piece kit, you can trust the tools you do get will last a lot longer.

The bubble level, pliers, hammer, measuring tape, box cutter, screwdrivers, magnetic bits, Allen keys, and ratchet set are all the sort of tools I use regularly around my house.

Even when I was just getting started on home DIY as a total newbie, this was an amazing set to enable me to be far more active in the care and maintenance of my home.

I’ve looked and looked and still haven’t found a bigger set than this! This DEKOPRO set comes with a whopping 218 pieces, including claw hammer, pliers, sockets, a ratchet, screwdrivers, insulating tape, a tape measure, screwdriver sets, a combination wrench, a bit holder, a 9-inch torpedo level, long-nose pliers, long screwdriver bits, and even a 6-inch saw.

It’s definitely a more “advanced” set that will serve you well as you get into more complicated and involved DIY projects around your house. Sure, the price tag is a bit higher, but it’s well worth it to ensure you’ve got all the tools you need right at your fingertips.

Growing up, my son was the sort of guy who liked to tinker with vehicles in his spare time, always starting some car project or another. I got him this as a good starter set. Turns out he loved the work so much he’s gone into the trades and become an actual mechanic. But even after upgrading to fancy professional tools, he still keeps this set in his car just in case.

The 67-piece set includes the basics necessary for car maintenance—including a socket set sized specifically for your vehicle’s spark plugs, nuts, and bolts, a ratcheting wrench (with extenders) so you can get at any hard-to-reach bolts, and an adjustable crescent wrench for any fittings too large for the socket set.

You also get a selection of Allen keys, two pairs of pliers, a screwdriver with magnetic bits, and a case sized just right to fit in any trunk or beneath your vehicle’s seats.

If you need something a bit more advanced but don’t want to break the bank, this Amazon Basics tool set is a great purchase.

The tools are definitely on the “budget” side in terms of quality (don’t expect too many years of heavy-duty performance), but the set is complete and sturdy enough that it’ll handle your average DIY activities.

In the set, you get quite the suite of tools, including a hammer, 1-foot bubble level, hacksaw, pliers, screwdrivers, tape measure, wrenches, box cutter, clamps, ratchet, sockets, and wire strippers.

It’s a great collection for DIYers who are getting into more advanced jobs around the house but aren’t yet ready to splurge on the top-end, contractor-grade tools.

Let’s start off this list with a simple, practical tool kit that has just enough tools for most of the jobs you’ll do around the house.

This WorkPro tool kit comes with 100 pieces, including a hammer, auto-locking tape measure, bubble level, magnetic screwdrivers with a vast assortment of bits, utility knife, a crescent wrench, allen keys, and more.

It comes all wrapped up neatly in a 600-denier polyester case that’s tough and makes organizing your tools easy. Thanks to their bright blue and red color, it’s easy to keep track of them and prevent them from getting lost as you go about your fix-it jobs.

For guys like me who take their home improvements seriously, this is the tool kit I recommend.

It comes with 180 pieces—including wire cutters, pliers, a crescent wrench, two ratchets, a wide selection of sockets, multiple screwdrivers, two sets of Allen wrenches, dozens of magnetic screwdriver bits, and a selection of wrenches. Whether I’m working on the plumbing or changing my tires, this set just makes it easy to complete those DIY tasks.

What I particularly like is the hard-shell case that the tools come packed in.  I’m not accusing anyone in particular, but someone in my family (not me) has a tendency to forget to put things back where they belong. That water, weather, and dust-resistant case has saved my tools on more than one occasion when they were left out on the porch or in the backyard.

For guys who only occasionally need a tool, you’ll love this budget-friendly set. It’s the cheapest on our list, so the perfect purchase to give as a gift for someone in need of a “starter set” or a great backup to have in your home, office, or place of business.

It’s only got 39 pieces—including a hammer, measuring tape, pliers, screwdriver, magnetic screwdriver bits, scissors, and a box cutter—but you’ll find it’s suitable to the basic everyday tasks you do around your house.

You’ll need something a bit more advanced if you want to get into bigger jobs (plumbing, electrical, etc.), but for the price, it’s an amazing first tool set.

Craftsman is a brand well-known in the country thanks to its affordable prices and reliable tools. While not a truly high-end, ultra-versatile tool kit, this 57-piece set has everything you need for the basic jobs around your home.

The ratchet comes with enough sockets for most tasks (like tightening the bolts on your TV, bed frame, or tire rack), and the other tools—hammer, screwdrivers, measuring tape, cutter blade, pliers, and Allen keys—are well-suited to all the other daily DIY projects and home improvements you’ll do around your home.

It’s an affordable set that will last you for many years of regular use.

Anvil is the Home Depot equivalent of Amazon’s Amazon Basics, that is to say an affordable and moderately reliable brand of tools. You can definitely find better quality, but for the price, I’ll just say this tool kit is sturdy and complete enough to handle everything the average guy will do around the house.

Included in the kit is a hammer, bubble level, 12-foot tape measure, pliers, clamps, scissors, box cutter with replacement blades, magnetic screwdriver with 30 bits, and two Allen key sets. It even includes a paint bucket opener tool that will come in handy next time you’re painting your house.

I’ve tested this set and I’ll say it makes a great gift for first-time DIYers. Even if you’ll only get a year or two of frequent use from some of these tools, they’ll get your first few jobs done and get you as addicted to DIY home improvements as I am.

This set includes something none of the others on our list do: a cordless power drill. The cordless brushless is a precision tool, allowing you to regulate the amount of torque you apply to any job, be it driving in wood screws or removing tiny electronics screws. The high power efficiency of the motor means you get plenty of run time from the 2000 mAh battery, which is easily recharged via USB-C connection. 

In addition to the drill, you get a claw hammer, crescent wrench, pliers, screwdriver with multiple magnets bits for tightening by hand, and a selection of alloy steel bits suitable for both metal and woodworking applications.

It’s a great starter kit for anyone who intends to be doing a lot of drilling around their house but doesn’t want to pay significantly higher prices for a drill alone.