How To Assemble The Perfect Toolbox

"You'll need different sizes and types so buy an assortment of Phillips, slotted, and square-drive. Look at Klein, which are also made in the USA. They're a heavy-duty, classic design. Be sure to get at least one extra-long shaft screwdriver in slotted and number two Phillips, because sooner or later you will need them to get at things standard shafts won't reach."

"Again, go old school; get a 16- or 25-foot Stanley PowerLock. A 16 will be too short for a framing carpenter or general contractor, but for around the house stuff, it's way handier than handling a big, fat 30- or 35-footer."

"Everybody makes these. If I were going to ask for a specific brand, however, I'd have to ask for SK. They're made in the USA and will last you a lifetime, so long as you don't lend them to someone who doesn't give them back."

"Traditional hex keys (sometimes called Allen keys) are all loose, which is horrible because you'll end up losing the ones you use most. You can get ones that are connected to each other but those are awkward to use. Best to get a multi-bit driver (think a screwdriver with an open top) with hex key bits. The bits have hex shanks so you can turn them by hand or chuck them into an impact driver or drill. It'd be a good idea to get a driver with Torx bits, too, because Torx head fasteners are common on cars and power tools. Milwaukee makes several nice and reasonably priced sets."

"Though there are a ton of traditional tool companies that started making these, I would get something from a Japanese company; look for Japanese characters on the thing. I would start out with what they call a ryoba saw, a double-sided ryoba. What's cool about them is they're really thin, and they have these crazy-sharp teeth with multi-facets on them."

"When working on any project, there will always be something that needs cutting, from shortening a bit of hose to cutting some drywall. And there's nothing better for the job than an utility knife, also commonly referred to as a box cutter. There are two styles for these now: the traditional push-out and now a foldout pocketknife-style design. Believe it or not, this tool causes a lot of injuries so be very careful using them."

"This is a must-have for woodworking and metalworking. Like so many tools on this list, everyone and their brother makes one. I'd go with one from Starrett, an American tool company that has been around since the 1800s. These are used for measuring 90- and 45-degree angles and also determining the flatness of your material. This is one of those tools that you wouldn't have realized you'd use so much — but you will."

"With a locking jaw and sharp teeth, these are not something you want to use on nice piece of machinery; I wouldn't use it on a bike or a car. These are best for tearing when you're working on something that's basically half destroyed, like when dismantling an old chain link fence for example, and you want to get it apart and you don't care if it gets any more destroyed."

"If you work on your house or car, it's a given you will drop vital nuts, bolts, and screws where they can't be reached by hand. A pick-up tool will allow you to retrieve a dropped item without having to tear your house or car apart to get at it. There are two types of pick-up tools: magnetic and claw. The claw opens and closes in response to your sliding a gizmo on the end of the shaft, which is long so it can reach into a duct, stud bay, or drain. The other type has a magnetic tip that will snag anything that will stick to a magnet."

"You'll be amazed how often you need to clamp something down. Nothing does it better than these. With handles almost like that of a caulk gun, you just squeeze and release and it will tighten and clamp. Everyone makes these and they're easy to find in a ton of different sizes."

"The Festool Syslite is my favorite. It has a rechargeable battery and LEDs under a polycarbonate lens. I've bounced mine off concrete without issue. The internal battery can be charged with an AC adapter or you can attach it to an optional external battery. These are pricey, but way better than a $14 halogen unit, which will burn your hands when you touch it."

"Some people wear full-finger gloves, but I prefer the kind that leaves the fingertips exposed. They make feeling what you're doing that much easier. If you use them a lot, expect to go through a couple of pairs a year. No worries; they're not expensive."

"I personally own an old Record, which I'm guessing is old enough to have been probably made in England. I don't know where they make them now. But if I were buying now, I would look at a Lie-Nielsen, made in Maine. Everything those guys make is gorgeous, very high-end. They make a bronze block plane, which is a beautiful tool and one I personally covet."

"Laser levels take the guesswork out of whatever leveling job you're doing. The best of them project a 360-degree beam vertical out the front, and out the side, which is at 90 degrees to the first, and then horizontal out the front. Basically, you'll have a perfect grid so you could lay out a square. Pacific Laser Systems makes a great one called the PLS480. It can do just about anything that you want to do except layout a highway or something outdoors over large distances."

"Tongue and groove pliers, frequently referred to as Channellocks (for the company that invented them), are good for rough tasks where you need to grasp larger nuts, bolts, and pipes. Slide out one arm, adjusting to the size of whatever you need to grip, and you're ready to go. These are a lot more forgiving than vise grips. Irwin's GrooveLock model is particularly nice and not at all expensive."

"I own a bin full of safety glasses, in part because they come free with things. The ones I most like to wear are Gateway Safety's Flight Eyewear. They're cheap and comfortable – the most comfortable I've ever worn. You might feel sort of silly in safety glasses but when a tooth comes flying off a saw blade and ricochets around your garage like a bullet, you'll be glad you have them on."

"Tweezers might seem a bit goofy, but they're an essential for a toolbox. I mean real tweezers, too, not the flat-end kind for eyebrows. Get the long, skinny ones with the sharp end. You'll need them to dig out a splinter – from wood to metal."

"Maglite is the go-to for law enforcement and the military, but I like one from Coast called the HP7. It's an LED flashlight. Batteries last a very long time and you can beat on the tool and it won't break the filament. Coast also makes one called an A25R rechargeable flashlight, which is stainless steel and focusing. You can set a high and low beam on it. Plus, you can charge it with USB, so you don't get stuck one day with a dead light and no batteries."

"If you're going to get one, you might as well get the classic Crescent brand. This is the wrench you'll need in a pinch, especially if you want one tool for grabbing a nut or bolt and don't have any box-end wrenches or sockets around."

"There are all kinds of fancy hammers around, but I'd go with something very old school. Get an Estwing 16-ounce with the leather handle. They've been making those things forever; you can't destroy them. Plus, it's a nice Made-in-America tool."