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Step 1
Choose a pair of long-nosed or needle-nosed pliers. These are handy for a lot of things, most notably for grabbing a wire to connect to a screw terminal. The plier part is very thin and can reach into all kinds of places to grasp or pick up even very small items. They are great for jewelry fixing or making, too. Buy one medium sized pair for general use.
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Step 2
Select a groove joint plier. It's an adjustable tool that works well for pipes and mechanical work. These have an adjustable piece in the handle that controls the size of the opening. Choose a mid-sized one for the greatest usefulness.
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Step 3
Get a crescent wrench. The 12" size will be the most universal. This wrench is used for turning square and hexagon shaped nuts or bolts. This has an open gear that you turn with your thumb to adjust the size of the opening. You'll use this around the house far more than you think when assembling or stabilizing furniture, for example.
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Step 4
Locking pliers are great to have on hand as well. Buy the 10" size. You can use these for pulling stubborn nails, as a makeshift handle or as a vise or clamp when needed. You can turn nuts but don't use this if you have to reuse the nuts for they can make a mess of the outside of the pliers.
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Step 5
Get a small pair of slip joint-pliers as well for grasping things like chisel or screwdriver handles. These are the simple pliers with the bowed handles that you think of when you hear the word pliers.
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Step 6
Get a few good combination wrenches in the mid-range size. These are u-shaped at one end and they have a closed circle on the other end (called the box end). There are places that these can fit in when nothing else will. When they're the right size, they can tighten or loosen nuts and bolts best. These are really handy in automotive work as well as home repair.
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Step 7
Get a set of Allen wrenches. These are usually cheap which is good because they're small and easy to lose. These are the only thing that work on recessed screws and are great on bicycles and mobile homes. They come all together on a ring generally.
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Step 8
This should give you a good working set of wrenches and pliers for your home toolkit. Remember to buy the best tools you can and try to get those with a lifetime guarantee as even the best tools snap at times. If you lose things easily, make sure to have one place where they all belong. A peg board with an outline of the tool is the best way to know immediately that something is missing. Be sure to keep your tools clean to keep them in good shape.
