The 9 Essential Gadgets For Any Handyman

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Whether you’re a professional handyman or the person your family and friends call when they need a hole in the wall patched up, you need a complete set of tools to handle any kind of project that falls into your lap. Even if you feel like you’ve got a full arsenal of equipment on deck, sometimes a small upgrade can make a big difference in your workflow. We’ve rounded up a handful of such gadgets that we feel are essential in any toolkit.

We’ve chosen devices that will help you complete manual tasks in seconds instead of minutes and that won’t strain your hands or body, paying special attention to products that can improve your precision, keep your project space clean, and better protect you from hazards. Ultimately, the goal of these gadgets and tools is to support you in completing your projects swiftly and safely, whether they’re simple DIY undertakings or larger, more complex tasks.

The products we’ve chosen are all available on Amazon with an average rating of at least 4.0 stars based on 1,000 reviews or more. To support these favorable scores, we highlighted feedback from Amazon customers, as well as insights from professional reviews.

A manual screwdriver is fine if you just need to tighten a couple of screws, but for more involved projects like furniture assembly, your hands are likely to tire from repeated twisting and turning. A cordless screwdriver is a welcome solution to that problem, with one effective option being the DeWalt FlexDrive Cordless Screwdriver ($91.98 on Amazon), which can easily do most of your assembly work for you.

DeWalt gadgets are known to be reliable, and that holds true for this device, given its average score of 4.4 stars following nearly 9,900 reviews from Amazon customers. Considering its compact size, buyers were surprised by this tool’s power. With a no-load speed of up to 360 rpm, the screwdriver has six individual torque settings capping at 44 inch-pounds of torque. DeWalt recommends using the first two modes for delicate jobs, and Pro Tool Reviews specifically mentions switch plates and cabinet hardware as suitable use cases for lower-torque applications. For fasteners requiring greater force, you can apply up to 124 inch-pounds of torque when you use the tool manually. 

This motorized cordless screwdriver comes with a dozen two-inch bits that are easily inserted into the gadget. With that many bits, you’re likely to be set for any screw head you encounter. The device is also conveniently chargeable via USB-C, and it even features built-in LEDs to illuminate whatever you’re working on.

Cordless drills offer unmatched freedom of movement compared to their wired counterparts, but portability is just one of many benefits in the case of the Bosch PS31-2A Cordless Drill/Driver. This tool is available on Amazon for $148.00 as part of a kit that includes a charger with two batteries. According to many Amazon customers, over 2,900 of whom have cumulatively given this drill a notably high average rating of 4.7 stars, the device’s modest size makes it easy to use in tight spaces.

GearLab also described the gadget as the “best value 12-volt drill around.” It’s not quite as powerful as high-end cordless drills are, but it delivers excellent drilling and driving performance for the price. If you’re likely to do most of your drilling for DIY projects or simple home improvement jobs, this tool should be more than enough to suit your needs.

Since this Bosch cordless drill only weighs 1.8 pounds, your hands aren’t likely to get tired even during projects that take a while to finish. With maximum torque of 265 inch-pounds and two speed settings of zero to 350 rpm and zero to 1,300 rpm, you’ll probably get things done quickly using this gadget.

Like other cordless power tools, cordless ratchets make handyman projects easier and more convenient. They’re ideal for dealing with several nuts and bolts at a time, since installing or removing many of them in succession can be tough on the hands. The Makita XRW01Z 18V LXT Cordless Ratchet, which has an overall rating of 4.5 stars following more than 1,400 reviews, is available on Amazon for $169.99 — that’s just for the tool, though. You’d have to purchase the required 18V lithium-ion 2.0Ah batteries separately, but you can buy two of them on Amazon for $129.70.

According to Pro Tool Reviews, the gadget will help you save a lot of time; it operates faster than other ratchets at similar price points. This cordless ratchet offers variable speed up to 800 rpm, along with 35 foot-pounds of torque. That might not be enough to remove tightly screwed nuts, so some Amazon shoppers recommend starting by using the gadget as a manual ratchet to loosen nuts, then using its motorized driver to complete the job quickly.

With this slim cordless ratchet weighing only 2 pounds, you can comfortably squeeze it into cramped areas. With interchangeable 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch anvils, it can handle a wide range of nuts and bolts.

A reciprocating saw uses a motor to provide more force than the back-and-forth cutting motion of a manual hand saw does. And if you’ve ever heard anyone refer to a reciprocating saw as a “Sawzall,” they’re just talking about Milwaukee’s brand name for that same power tool. Milwaukee first released the Sawzall as a corded tool in the early 1950s, and even now — with an exceptionally high average rating of 4.8 stars on Amazon following nearly 1,300 reviews — the contemporary Milwaukee M18 Fuel Sawzall Cordless Reciprocating Saw is an excellent buy, especially if you’re replacing a hand saw.

The gadget is equipped with an 18V brushless motor, which delivers power using permanent magnets instead of carbon brushes to rotate the motor’s components; this makes for smoother, more reliable motor performance. The tool’s blade clamp also makes it quick and easy to change blades, according to Milwaukee. The Sawzall also features built-in LEDs if you need extra light on the material you’re cutting. The tool is strong enough to cut tree branches and plywood, according to Amazon shoppers, as well as six-inch deck boards and 4×4 posts, according to a review by YouCanMakeThisToo. 

This Milwaukee Sawzall is available from Amazon for $246.99 for the standalone tool, although you may find it on sale for far less than that. If you don’t already own batteries that are compatible with the Sawzall, you can buy a two-pack of Milwaukee M18 batteries on Amazon for $124.99.

Some jobs don’t require you to break out the power tools. For relatively small tasks, a multi-tool might be enough. The Gerber Suspension NXT Multi-Tool may have been designed with campers and survivalists in mind, but it’s easily a useful gadget in a handyman’s arsenal. With an average Amazon rating of 4.6 stars after nearly 23,600 reviews, Amazon customers are generally very happy with this Gerber multi-tool.

The Gerber Suspension NXT, available for $39.74 on Amazon, is a 15-in-1 multi-tool that includes needle nose pliers, standard pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, scissors, three sizes of flathead drivers, a ruler, a nail file, an awl, a bottle opener, a can opener, a partially serrated blade, and a cross driver. That all fits in a slim gadget that measures 6.25 inches long when opened and a mere 4.25 inches long when closed.

Several Amazon customers, as well as Clever Hiker, have commented on this multi-tool’s usefulness in daily repairs. With this gadget on hand, there’s no need to grab your toolbox from storage if you just need to do a simple wiring job or tighten a loose screw. Hundreds of Amazon shoppers also appreciated the locking mechanism that secures the multi-tool’s parts in place. Additionally, Clever Hiker noted that accessing individual tools is easy using the multi-tool’s one-handed deployment system. 

Wearing a headlamp is incredibly useful for illuminating exactly what you’re looking at, especially in dimly lit spaces. With a maximum output of up to 400 lumens, the Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp — another gadget designed for the outdoors — can fulfill this duty well. Sure, it’s great for nighttime hiking and camping, but several Amazon customers report using this tool for work or home-related tasks, such as checking a breaker box during a power outage.

The device is waterproof with an IPX8 rating, which means you can wear it to fix something outside even while it’s raining. You could even wear it a few feet underwater for up to 30 minutes at a time. This headlamp weighs a slight 86 grams, so it should stay comfortable on your head for extended periods of use. You can adjust its brightness and activate its red night vision setting using a single button. You’ll easily be able to cycle through those modes even if you have thick work gloves on, according to The New York Times’ Wirecutter.

This Black Diamond headlamp costs $59.95 on Amazon, where it has an average score of 4.5 stars after almost 1,100 reviews. It even comes with three AAA batteries — so, if you order one, you won’t have to rummage through a messy battery drawer at home to power it on once it arrives. Dozens of Amazon shoppers specifically mention the headlamp’s long battery life, so replacing the original batteries shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence.

There are several reasons to use a laser measure over a regular tape measure. With laser measures, you can get measurements right away with the press of a button, and you can also work with ranges that exceed the limitations of a regular tape measure, among many other benefits. For those who need more utility than a tape measure can provide, the $199 Leica DISTO D2 Laser Distance Measure is a highly rated option from Amazon that holds an average score of 4.3 stars following just under 1,700 reviews.

It’s easy and fast to take measurements with this laser measure, according to The Funny Carpenter’s review. It has a range of 330 feet with measurement outputs that are accurate plus or minus one-sixteenth of an inch, and it can even calculate area and volume for you after you’ve taken your base measurements. You can also store measurement data in the Leica DISTO Plan app for documentation or visualization purposes.

Per Amazon shoppers, the Leica laser measure works well for measuring base and crown moldings, distances at construction sites, and more. Additional documented use cases include measuring paraglider line lengths and the heights and lengths of jumps for track and field events.

While you’re working on your projects, cleaning up shouldn’t happen only once you’re done. Messes in your workspace can be distracting or even pose health and safety hazards. With a handheld vacuum, you can clear dust and other debris as you work. The Black+Decker Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum, which goes for $59.99 on Amazon, is a reliable option that boasts more than 109,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.3 stars.

This 3.5-pound device is lightweight and portable, but per Reader’s Digest, it’s also impressively powerful. The outlet’s review also flags the vacuum as convenient to use on account of its built-in crevice tool for reaching tight spaces, flip-up brush for dislodging dust, and rotating nozzle to help you clean at various angles.

This Black+Decker handheld vacuum has a transparent dust bin, so you can easily tell once it’s time to empty its contents. It has a run time of 11 minutes on a single charge, which should be enough time to clean up your work area. Many Amazon shoppers have used it to pick up sawdust after wood crafting, and handymen can easily use it to clean up drywall dust, tiny bits of wiring material, and all manner of small debris. It could even be used to clear discarded cable ties after fixing cable clutter.

Working with power tools can get loud, so you have to take care of your ears while using them. While noise-cancelling headphones can reduce your exposure to external sound, they won’t help against high-intensity noise. For that purpose, you’re going to need professional protection. The Decibel Defense Safety Ear Muffs, which cost $29.37 on Amazon and have a 4.5-star average rating after more than 12,000 reviews, are a well-vetted option.

These protective ear muffs have a noise reduction rating of 37 dB. According to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, you should take precautions when noise levels are at 85 dB or higher. Power tools can get as loud as 115 dB, but wearing hearing protection that can reduce those noise levels to safe numbers will prevent you from suffering hearing damage as you work.

Amazon shoppers describe these Decibel Defense muffs as very comfortable, even while wearing safety glasses. They also claim the headphones work well for reducing noise from leaf blowers, chain saws, and other similarly loud power tools. Canadian Operator, which reviewed the muffs from the angle of firearm hearing protection, noted the product’s solid build quality and echoed how comfortable they are to wear.

To choose the gadgets for this roundup, we considered some of the most common tasks that handymen would do, including working with small fasteners and wires, drilling holes, cutting materials, taking measurements, and cleaning. We then determined the kinds of products that would make such jobs both easier and safer.

For our recommendations, we chose products that are available on Amazon and hold an average score of at least 4 stars. We also chose gadgets with no fewer than 1,000 customer reviews to ensure their Amazon ratings accurately reflected their quality. To support our selections, we’ve showcased comments from Amazon shoppers, as well as from reviews by reputable websites and YouTube channels.