Home tools and toolboxes

Few cleaning projects are more gratifying than blasting years of dust and dirt off anything and everything on your property.

To pry nails, pull nails, put stuff together, or bash it apart, you’re gonna need a hammer.

A small pry bar isn’t exactly a home-toolbox essential, but it is quite handy, whether you need it to open a stuck window, lift a corner of a bookcase for shimming, remove a piece of baseboard, or pry up a floor register. After three veteran carpenters pulled nails and separated boards with five leading pry bars, they chose the Stanley 55-116 8-inch Nail Puller.

From hiring movers to buying packing boxes to getting that new couch, here’s what you need to move and settle into your new home.

Toilet clogs happen, and keeping the best tool for the job close at hand will rid your problem fast and prevent costly plumber visits. Guests will thank you too, even if they never mention it.

Our favorite things for building your own toolkit for minor home repairs.

A step stool can help a shorter spouse reach the upper kitchen cabinets. But please don’t give it to them as a birthday gift.

After testing 10 soldering irons, we found that the X-Tronic 3020-XTS LED Soldering Station is the best for beginners and hobbyists.

Safety glasses offer protection against surprise objects flying into your beautiful eyes, and these picks fit a wide range of head sizes and facial structures.

After spending months filling nail holes, repairing cracked plaster, and talking to a painting contractor with 30 years of experience, we found the Craftsman 1½-inch Flex Stainless Putty Knife is the best putty knife for most people.

For hanging pictures, installing shelves, or adjusting the legs on the washer/dryer, we recommend a torpedo level called the Sola PH 22 Flooring Level.

Here’s what you need to get your walls looking new again—and to get your security deposit back.

Better tools can do better work. Here’s what to get when you’re ready to handle routine home problems.