Hand tools: the complete list, with names, pictures and uses

Why hand tools still matter

It is tempting to assume a cordless equivalent has replaced everything here. It has not. A hand tool has no battery to be flat, no cord to reach, and it works in a space no power tool fits into. Most of these also give you something a motor cannot: feel. You know when a chisel is about to break through, and you can stop.

The other argument is money. A good hand tool is cheap relative to a power tool and it outlives you. A decent set of chisels bought once will still be working when three cordless drills have come and gone, which is why the tools a tradesperson inherits are almost always these.

How to tell a good one from a bad one

Hand tools are honest. There is no motor hiding the quality, so the things that matter are visible before you buy.

One piece beats assembled

On anything you strike or lever, a tool forged from one piece of steel outlasts one bolted or welded together. On a hammer, look for the head and shaft running through as a single unit or a properly wedged wooden handle, not a head glued onto a tube.

Hardened steel where it counts

Screwdriver tips, spanner jaws and chisel edges are the parts that fail. Cheap versions round off, spread, or chip on the first stubborn fastener, and then damage everything they touch afterwards.

The handle decides whether you use it

You will hold these for hours. A handle that raises a blister in twenty minutes is a tool that stays in the box, however good the business end is.

Sets are usually padding

A forty piece screwdriver set contains six sizes you need and thirty four you do not. Buying the six good ones separately costs about the same and works far better.

Check it against the fastener, not the label

Phillips and Pozidriv look identical and are not. A Phillips driver in a Pozidriv screw slips and chews the head out, which is the single most common reason people think screws are badly made.

Weight is a specification

A heavier hammer drives a nail in fewer blows and tires you faster. Match it to the work rather than buying the biggest: 16oz for general carpentry, 20oz and up for framing.

What to buy first, in order

Starting from nothing, this order gets you useful fastest and wastes least.

Stage one: the household set

A claw hammer, a decent screwdriver set covering flat, Phillips and Pozidriv, combination pliers, an adjustable spanner, a utility knife, a tape measure, a spirit level and a set of allen keys. That handles furniture, fittings, minor repairs and most flat pack disasters.

Stage two: when you start making things

A hand saw and a tenon saw, a combination square, a set of wood chisels and a sharpening stone, a block plane, two or three clamps, and a nail punch. This is the point where the work starts looking deliberate rather than approximate.

Stage three: the specialists

Socket set and torque wrench for anything mechanical, hacksaw and files for metal, water pump pliers and pipe cutter for plumbing, bolster and brick chisel for masonry. Buy the group that matches the job in front of you.

Sharp tools are safer tools

Chisels, planes and knives all arrive blunter than they should be, and every one of them gets more dangerous as it dulls. A sharp edge bites where you put it. A blunt one skates across the work and into whatever is behind it, usually your other hand.

Sharpening is also what separates a hand tool from a frustrating ornament. A cheap chisel that is genuinely sharp will outperform an expensive one that is not, so if you buy chisels or planes, buy a stone at the same time and learn to use it.

A stone and a guide is enough

You do not need a workshop of equipment. One combination stone and a cheap honing guide will keep chisels and plane irons in better condition than most workshops manage.

Little and often

Thirty seconds of honing every few uses is easier than grinding a wrecked edge back into shape once a year.

Never sharpen on a bench grinder unless you know how

It is fast enough to overheat the steel, and once an edge turns blue it has lost its hardness permanently. Slow and wet is what you want.

Mistakes that cost money

Using pliers on a nut

Pliers round the corners off, and once rounded no spanner will grip it either. It turns a two minute job into drilling the fastener out.

The wrong screwdriver

Too small a tip, or Phillips in a Pozidriv head, destroys the screw and then the driver. Match both the type and the size.

Buying the giant set

Two hundred pieces in a moulded case is a marketing decision. You will use perhaps thirty, and the case takes up more room than a proper tool bag holding better tools.

Levering with a screwdriver

It bends the shaft, ruins the tip and occasionally snaps. A pry bar costs very little and is the tool for that job.

Leaving steel damp

An unheated garage over one winter is enough to pit a plane sole or seize an adjustable spanner. Oiled and dry, the same tools last decades.

Cheap tape measures

A tape with a loose hook or a bent blade reads differently every time, and every measurement after it is wrong. This is the last place to save money.

Making them last

Almost nothing here wears out from use. It gets damaged by neglect, and the prevention is trivial.

Wipe steel before storing

Fingerprints hold moisture and moisture makes rust. A wipe with an oily rag after a session is enough to prevent it entirely.

Protect the edges

Chisels and saws tossed loose in a drawer chip each other. A cheap blade guard or a slotted rack keeps them usable.

Check hammer heads for movement

A loose head is how hammers become projectiles. If it moves at all, re wedge it or replace it, and do not use it in the meantime.

Keep a file card handy

Files clog with material and then stop cutting and start scratching. A stiff brush across them restores most of their bite.

Do not store tools resting on their cutting edge

Planes go on their side, chisels in a rack. A sole or an edge deforms under its own weight surprisingly easily over years.

Frequently asked questions

What hand tools should every home have?

A claw hammer, a screwdriver set covering flat, Phillips and Pozidriv, combination pliers, an adjustable spanner, a utility knife, a tape measure, a spirit level and allen keys. That set handles furniture assembly, fittings and most small repairs without anything powered.

What is the difference between hand tools and power tools?

Hand tools are driven by you, power tools by a motor. Hand tools cost less, need no battery, fit into spaces a machine cannot, and give you the feel to stop before you go too far. Power tools win on speed and on repetitive work.

What are the main types of hand tools?

They group by what they do: striking, cutting and sawing, turning fasteners, gripping, measuring and marking, shaping and smoothing, clamping, and prying. This page is organised in that order, so related tools sit together.

Are expensive hand tools worth the money?

For anything you strike, lever or cut with, yes. Cheap steel rounds off, chips or bends and then damages the work. For a tool you will use twice, a budget version is fine. Never buy cheap on a tape measure, a chisel or a spanner.

What is the difference between Phillips and Pozidriv screwdrivers?

They look almost identical. Pozidriv has extra small lines between the arms of the cross and a blunter point. Using a Phillips driver in a Pozidriv screw makes it slip and destroy the head, which is why so many screws seem to strip for no reason.

Do I need both a hand saw and a tenon saw?

If you are cutting anything to fit, yes. A hand saw is for cutting boards roughly to length. A tenon saw has finer teeth and a stiffened back, so it cuts straight and clean for joints and trim. One is not a substitute for the other.

What size claw hammer should I buy?

A 16oz hammer is the general purpose choice and comfortable for most people. Go to 20oz or heavier only if you are framing regularly, since the extra weight drives nails faster but tires your arm and is clumsy on small work.

How often should I sharpen chisels and planes?

Hone them briefly every few uses rather than grinding them back once a year. A sharp edge is also a safer one: a blunt chisel skates off the work instead of biting, and that is how people cut themselves.

Should I buy a big tool set or individual tools?

Individual tools, almost always. Large sets are priced on piece count, so most of the contents are sizes you will never use, and the quality of the pieces you do use is lower than buying those few on their own.

How do I stop my tools rusting in a garage?

Keep them dry and wipe bare steel with an oily rag before storing. Damp air in an unheated garage over one winter is enough to pit a plane or seize a spanner, and the prevention takes ten seconds.

What is the difference between a spanner and a socket?

A spanner grips a nut from the side, so it works where there is no room above. A socket surrounds the nut and grips all six faces, so it is far less likely to slip or round the corners. Use a socket wherever you can get one on.

Why does my screwdriver keep slipping out of screws?

Usually the wrong size or the wrong type. A tip that is too small only touches the top of the slot and cams straight out. Match the tip to fill the head fully, and check whether the screw is Phillips or Pozidriv before you start.