There are some tools that are just so darned useful everyone should buy one. Here are four such tools.
Each of these tools are available from Home Depot with free shipping.
If you haven’t already done so, check out Home Depot’s tool deals gift center, or our recent tool deal posts, such as this one – 6 Milwaukee Hand Tool Deals at Home Depot for $20 or Less.
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Dewalt 9′ Magnetic Tape Measure
This compact and pocketable Dewalt tape measure sees a lot of use around here.
It has a magnetic back – which means it only goes in an otherwise empty pocket – making it convenient to place around the home and workshop where needed.
Milwaukee 6′ Keychain Tape Measure
Milwaukee has an even smaller and more portable keychain tape measure, with imperial and metric markings.
This 6′ and 2m tape measure is convenient to take on the go, or do as I do and plop one down on your workbench and home workspaces.
It’s small, but practical.
Milwaukee Inkzall Permanent Marker
Milwaukee permanent markers are advertised as being able to write on dust, wet, and oil surfaces.
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Get a 4-pack (at least), as these markers tend to grow legs.
There are different colors and sizes, and I feel like the black fine point markers will serve most needs.
Stanley 4-in-1 Pocket Screwdriver
I’d say that there are 2 types of people – those who have misplaced their pocket and precision household screwdrivers, and those that haven’t but soon will.
This Stanley 4-in-1 mini driver delivers incredible bang for the buck.
Are there better ones out there? Sure, but not for this price.
- Slotted 5/32″, 1/8″
- Phillips #0, #1
I’ve never had a problem with any of these tools, and feel like they have a place in every tool box, junk drawer, or (empty) pocket.
They’re versatile, and a great value on top of that.
For the folks that made it through this post with their wallets unscathed and are unhappy about it, try these, although some aren’t very pocketable:
Engineer Multi-Functional Scissors – $18 at Amazon
Canary Made-in-Japan Carboard Cutter – $6.50 and up at Amazon
Parker Jotter Pen in Stainless Steel – $14 at Amazon
Streamlight Stylus Pro Penlight – $20.19 at Amazon
Milwaukee LED Penlight 2-Pack – $29.88 at Home Depot
USA-Made Stackable Tool Box – $4.98 at Amazon
Dewalt ToughCase Medium Parts Organizer – $6.98 at Amazon
MtnRanch
Just grabbed three of the DeWalt 9′ tapes on Amazon for $17, free delivery tomorrow and no need to drive to HD.
I’m a woodworkeer and short tapes are great no need for a 35′ FatMax (good tape) in a woodworking shop. The 9′ will cover just about anything I’d build. Sometimes a 6′ is too short (e.g. 4×8 plywood sheet).
Stuart
Thanks! It’s also back at $6 each.
The 3-packs are only from 3rd party sellers with description “Genuine, OEM Dewalt Replacement Part.” https://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-DWHT33028M-Magnetic-Pocket-Measure/dp/B07X31163G/?tag=toolguyd-20
I cringe anytime a 3rd party marketplace seller insists something is genuine like that.
Scotty.
That 6 dollar each at Amazon has a hefty shipping charge though.
Also see a Craftsman 9ft tape measure for 6 bucks with free shipping. Appears to have similar features to the Dewalt.
Stuart
It looks like Amazon only had a couple of the Dewalt tapes and sold out. I swapped in the Craftsman link – thanks! It’s a little different, but close enough.
MtnRanch
You’re correct about the shipping except for Prime members who pay nothing additional for shipping.
MtnRanch
If they are not genuine they are absolutely indistinguishable from the genuine article. They were bulk packaged and not on a card. Might have been purchased in bulk as a promotional item. They don’t seem like a product worth counterfeiting.d
Alexk
I wish the Milwaukee came in 9’.
It’s good to have the option of metric, for those people (me) that needs a center line and doesn’t know fractions off the top of my head.
Yeah, a heavy or light 1/8th is usually good enough, but I like metric for woodworking. Not for driving.
In Canada, they call Miles Davis Kilometer Davis.
Stuart
They have a 10’/3m keychain with LED light. It’s okay, but bulkier.
Joel Wollman
That is my favorite, but I wish they would ditch the light. It gets to bulky for no reason.
JR Ramos
Me, too. The metric combo scale is so useful – most especially these days with so many mounting plates and whatnot coming with metric hole spacing, etc. I love the size and few extra feet of the little DeWalt but I like the red color and scale on the Milwaukee much better. They could add a clip to it to make it even better – I added one from a Crescent/Lufkin 8′ tape (the small Stanley 12′ clip also works)…a little loctite on the screw and it’s been good for about 4 years now. As useful as the 9′ DeWalt is to me, it mostly remains stuck to the toolbox…but they have a great thing going with that model and design, imo. The 8′ Crescent/Lufkin but the black housing + black tape isn’t great and the quality isn’t as good.
Robert
When I was on a job that I had to verify metric and imperial distances, I bought a 5m Hazet tape measure that has both metric and imperial measurements. Was much handier than messing with two tapes measures. I realize this is longer than the 9 ft tapes in discussion here, but I needed that.
https://www.kctool.com/hazet-2154n-5-measuring-tape-5m/
Currently about $16 at KCtool.
fred
The 2m Hazet (made in China) is $6.77
https://www.kctool.com/hazet-2154n-2-measuring-tape-2m/
Jeremiah D
Most companies make combo tapes. Ice got a milwaukee one with both metric and sae thats 15′ or 16′. Thats my sweet spot for most of what I do, although a 6′ or so pocket tape will functionally do 75%.
fred
I’m kind of partial to a Komelon 12ft/3.5m tape – it was $6.29 when I bought it 2 years ago – but inflation seems to have added a buck:
https://www.amazon.com/Komelon-4912IM-Professional-12-Foot-Metric/dp/B000CFJB08
JR Ramos
I have a 25 year old Starret 16′ combo scale tape that I still love and has still amazingly not gotten gritty or sluggish (their “new” ones are junk). Picked up the Milwaukee 25′ combo scale a couple years ago but I had to hunt that down since it’s not very popular in the US…it’s been a good tape but I haven’t used it a ton. Had a couple of Komelon tapes at work – maybe it was just the models but the blades seemed pretty fragile and would dimple/kink so easily which made them twist and lose standout. One was a matte silver blade which I liked a lot but it just needed a better blade.
fred
The Komelon that I linked-to has a standout of about 4 feet – bu I don’t use it for its long reach – and don’t expect much from a lightweight 5/8-inch wide tape.
MoogleMan3
If I don’t need the reach of a larger tape, that komelon is my go-to as well. I grabbed a handful a few years back when they were $5.
Mark M.
That little DeWalt tape is ridiculously useful. I have at least 4 of them and reach for it more than my 25′-30′ tapes. Both the magnet and the clip are excellent. I’ve got a few of the little Milwaukee tapes, too, but don’t care for them as much as the DW ones. Crescent also makes a little 8′ Nite Eye which looks identical to the Milwaukee form factor but it’s longer and for my eyes the black/green tape color is the easiest of all of them to read. I found those 8′ Crescent ones in the discount bin at Tractor Supply for $2.97 and bought every one of them for no good reason other than they were $3 🙂
Jeremiah McKenna
I agree, the Inkzall will tend to grow legs. Although I have a few of those retractors from HD that comes in the tube of orange carpenter pencils that I clip on my tool belt suspenders. That does help them stick around a bit longer.
I didn’t realize they are available in any color other than black. Interesting.
Al
The clear stackable box is the right size for first-aid kits I made for each vehicle. Long enough to hold full-size EMT shears and Cyalume sticks. Seal to keep out dirt from under the seat or in the trunk.
Translucent, so I can see if the shears are missing, or if it’s been significantly depleted.
Munklepunk
There is a Stanley version of the 6′ Milwaukee keychain tape. It’s identical except yellow and says Stanley. It should be right next to the Milwaukee, unless they discontinued it in the last few months. Same price even.
Mike Kotlarz
I keep that Milwaukee tape, the marker, and I have the pen sized flash light on me in my pockets all the time at work. I work on industrial printers and processing equipment and having metric and imperial on a small handy tape is super convenient. The markers work on almost everything and the flashlights that are about the size of the markers are really bright with a rubber end you can hold with your teeth. The flashlights are usually $20.00 and hold up great. They are useful when you are working, camping, concerts, almost anywhere.
Colin Smith
it’s a shame they don’t make a wide tape in a short length .