Skip the 200-piece kit and build this one instead

The one

A hard-sided toolbox you build yourself, around a cordless drill-driver. Not a boxed kit off the end cap.

The case: a hard-shell box with a latching lid and a lift-out tray, roughly the length of a carry-on bag. Metal or heavy plastic. Latches that stay shut when you pick it up by the handle.

What goes in:

• Cordless drill-driver, 18 to 20 volt class, with a clutch, two batteries and a charger
• Hammer, 16-ounce claw, with a steel or fiberglass handle you can hold all day
• Tape measure, 25 feet, with a wide blade that stands out straight
• Screwdrivers, a Phillips and a flathead in two sizes each, or one driver with a bit set
• Adjustable wrench, 10 inch
• Tongue-and-groove pliers, 10 inch, plus needle-nose pliers
• Utility knife, retractable, with spare blades
• Torpedo level and a stud finder
• Non-contact voltage tester
• Caulk gun, 6-inch putty knife, and a bit and hex key set
• Headlamp, safety glasses and work gloves

That's the box. Add a plunger and a closet auger and keep those under the bathroom sink where you'll reach for them in a hurry.

Why this one

Picture 10 p.m. on a Sunday. The supply line under the kitchen sink is dripping onto a stack of dish towels, and the hardware store closed at six.

A 200-piece kit won't help you. Count what's actually in one. Most of the number is drill bits, driver bits and sockets, each counted as a separate tool. The pliers and the wrench, the things you'll really grab, are usually the weakest items in the case, and the lids tend to crack first.

Building your own flips that. You spend where the work happens. The drill gets used every month. The tape measure gets used every week. The tongue-and-groove pliers are the ones that grip a slip nut. Buy those from a maker with a real reputation in hand tools. Channellock, Klein Tools and Estwing have been around long enough that their names mean something to tradespeople, and you'll find their products in any hardware store. A decent tool bought once beats a cheap one bought twice. You'll find more on that in The 20 Tools Every Homeowner Needs and What to Pay for Each.

The voltage tester is the piece people skip and shouldn't. It tells you whether a wire or outlet is live before you touch anything. It's a check, not a license. For anything beyond swapping a cover plate, call a licensed electrician.

Here's the worked example, labeled as one. Say you spend $200 on the whole box. An example, not a quote. The drill and batteries would be the biggest single slice. The hand tools would be the rest, and they're the ones that never need replacing.

Before the first leak, do one more thing. Walk the house and find the main water shutoff and the electrical panel. Put a strip of tape on each with the date. That costs nothing and saves the towels.

What to skip

The giant socket set. You'll use three sizes. Buy a small ratchet and socket set later, when a job calls for one, and buy it with that job in mind.

Cordless everything. One good drill is plenty. Don't buy a circular saw, a sander and a work light all at once because they come in a bundle. If you're going to build out a cordless set, pick the platform on purpose. How to Pick a Cordless Tool Platform You Won't Regret covers that decision.

Laser levels and "smart" gadgets. A torpedo level hangs a shelf. You can add a laser when you're tiling a whole room.

The built-in flashlight and multi-function gimmicks. Ones that claim to be a wrench, hammer and can opener are usually bad at all three. Buy a headlamp. It frees both hands, which is the whole point.

The cheapest drill. It's tempting. The budget tier gets some things right: it'll drive screws, drill holes and cost little. It tends to give ground on battery capacity, chuck grip and how long a charge lasts under real load. Read the owner reviews that were written a year after purchase and look for complaints about the chuck slipping and the battery dying early.

If your situation is different

You have an older house. Plaster and lath walls fight stud finders and eat ordinary bits. Check the drill-bit packaging for masonry or carbide ratings before the first hole. Hand-driving a screw is sometimes the better call.

You inherited a toolbox. Good. Use it. Go through it, toss anything rusted past saving, sharpen what's dull, and fill the gaps from the list above. Leave the inherited tools in better shape than you got them.

You live in a condo or a small place. Swap the hard case for a soft tool bag with a rigid base. It slides into a closet. Everything else on the list still applies. If you've got a garage and want a plan for where it all goes, see Where Every Tool Goes and Why You'll Actually Put It Back.

You're facing a big one-time job. Rent it. A tile saw, a post-hole digger or a floor sander can cost more to own than the job is worth. The Tools You Should Rent and the Ones You Should Just Buy draws that line.

Before you buy

• Hold the hammer and pliers in your hand if you can. Weight and grip matter more than the logo.
• Count the drill batteries. Two means you're never waiting on a charge mid-job.
• Read the actual warranty document for each major tool: length, whether it covers parts and labor, who pays shipping, and whether you have to register.
• Read the one-year-later owner reviews, not just the first-week ones.
• Buy safety glasses and gloves the same day as the drill. Not later.
• Borrow nothing you can't return cleaner and sharper than you got it. Better yet, buy your own.
• Check the current price.