Building a starter tool kit without wasting money

A first tool kit does not need to be big. It needs to cover the jobs that actually come up: hanging things, flat-packing, tightening things and fixing small failures before they turn into big ones.

Buy these first

• Claw hammer, 16oz — the all-rounder. 8oz is for tacks and panel pins, 20oz for framing.
• A screwdriver set with PH1/PH2, PZ1/PZ2 and a couple of flats.
• Tape measure, 5m with a lock.
• Adjustable spanner and a set of Allen keys (flat-pack furniture).
• Spirit level, 600mm — long enough for shelves, short enough to store.
• Utility knife with spare blades.
• A cordless combi drill with two batteries.

These can wait

Circular saws, routers, multi-tools and torque wrenches are all excellent — once you have a job that needs them. Buying them speculatively is how sheds fill up with unused boxes.

Where quality actually matters

• Measuring and marking: a cheap tape or square that is out will ruin the work, not just the tool.
• Cutting edges: saw blades, drill bits and knife blades are consumables — buy decent ones and replace them.
• Anything you hold for hours: handles and grips are worth paying for.
• Storage: a case or bag that keeps a set together saves more money than any single tool.

Clearance and end-of-line stock is a good way to get better-made tools for the price of budget ones — the tool does not know it came from an overstock pallet.

Mega Outlet Chester is an independent retailer and reseller of clearance, overstock and end-of-line stock. We are not the manufacturer of the products we sell and we are not an official storefront for, or affiliated with, any of the brands listed. All brand names, logos and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners and are used only to describe the goods offered for sale.