 Hey guys Dan Giles here with Let's Fix It. Hey, I've seen a few questions in some of the Facebook groups that a lot of people are wondering what's the most common tools that maintenance person would need. So I want to go through a few tools that I have in my bag that I use pretty much on a regular basis, probably every day, and then I'll go over a few tools that are maybe not everyday tools, but tools that you should have. A couple of the tools that are most important, and I mean the most important tools. Number one, you want to get a good pair of channel locks. Now this is a pair of Stanley Plummer's channel locks, so you can see that they're a little bit turned out a little bit more. The bite is a little bit better for plumbing, and I've gotten where I love these channel locks as opposed to a regular pair of channel locks. If you want, I'll put a link in the description below to these. Like I said, it's actually called a Plummer's set of channel locks. You can buy these in three. It's a small, a little six inch, the 10 inch, and the big monster one like that right there, which is really nice. It'll open up pretty wide, and that's the 12, but the 10 inch is the most common that you're going to use. So you definitely want to pick up a good pair of channel locks. Stanley makes a good one. I'm not really particular on name brand, on channel locks, and pliers, and things like that, so I kind of always buy the Stanley's. So go with that, and I'll set this to the side. The next thing you want to do is make sure that you have a good. Now some people will swear by a six in one. Now I used to use six in ones a lot until Klein came out with an 11 in one, and there are two versions of the 11 in one, and what I mean by that. Almost every one of them have two bits. You got a large and large Phillips and a large straight, and of course you take that out. This becomes a quarter inch nut driver, that piece right there, so that when you pull this out, this piece becomes a five sixteenth nut driver, but I'm going to turn it around. Now you have a small Phillips and straight head screwdriver. Those are pretty ingenious to have in a tool that's 11 tools in one. So then you're going to pull this out. The first thing you're going to see on mine is that I have two different size square. Now this is really good for working electrical. If you're changing out breakers, you're going to use the large square to tighten the screw on some of those breakers. Also the panel screws on breaker panels, that large square is going to help you. It's going to speed you up taking off breaker panels, and then you got a small one here. This one is good for doing outlets and switches that are in the wall. Of course then you turn this piece around. Alright, here's the surprise. This 11-in-1 gives me, is more for HVAC. That's a valve core remover on that one. I'm going to put a link in the description below for this one. And the other side is, it looks like some kind of a reamer. You're going to open a hole up with that. Probably not going to use that one all that often. But the valve core remover, you may if you're working on air conditioning and heating. That's an 11-in-1 for air conditioning and heating purposes with electrical capabilities. So that's one that I have. The one that I use the most popular is this other 11-in-1. This is a Klein number 32500. This is an 11-in-1. It gives you all the Phillips and straight-head screws or screwdrivers on one bit. Of course, that's your 516th nut driver. You turn this around. You have the squares, the two different sides. Like I said, one side is good for doing breakers and breaker panels. The other side is good for putting in switches and outlets. That's a good thing to have. And then when you pull out this, here's a good one if you're working on appliances. A lot of appliances have torque screws. GE is notorious for that. Here we have the two most common Torx heads that you're going to use on appliances. And not just appliances, isn't it? There's other items out there that use Torx head screws. That's going to help you out pretty good there. So that's two items for you that you really need to have in your bag. It's your good Klein 11-in-1. Now I'm not married to Klein. If you know of an 11-in-1 screwdriver out there that's better than a Klein, hey, I'll switch. I don't care. I'm not married to it. I like Klein tools because they're adorable, they got good grips, and I've never had an issue with them. So anyway, that's just me. Klein 11-in-1 and a good pair of channel locks. All right, now those two items right there you're going to probably use every day on every job that you've got in the maintenance field. So if you're going to go a little bit further, you want to get yourself a good pair of side cutters. These are Stanley side cutters, perfect for cutting wire, wire ties, anything that you need to cut that's not hard enough that it's going to damage the head on that. Get you a good set of side cutters. This is Stanley. I'll put that in the description as well. And you're going to want a good set of wire strippers. Now they make those wire strippers that are all-in-one strippers. Those are okay. If that's what you've got, then use it. But eventually you're going to want to step up to a good pair of strippers. I like these strippers. Everything that you need is right there for all the wire sizes that you're going to be stripping insulation back on. It's got a cutter built into it. And it's just it's good to have a separate dedicated set of wire strippers. Alright, so now we're up to basically four tools. Channel locks, four-in-one, side cutters, and wire strippers. Alright, so of course everybody needs to have a good flashlight. You need that. If you need a good get a good pair of needle nose pliers. I bought these. They're okay. They're not they're a little bit longer so that I can if I've got to reach something I can use these as opposed to a shorter pair of needle nose pliers that are kind of hard to deal with. This is a little bit easier for me to reach in a little bit further to grab something. So if you want to get the longer set of needle nose pliers that's fine. If you want to get a regular set of needle nose that's good. This is not crucial. You don't have to have this but I've got it in my bag and I use them quite often. Alright, the other thing that's a must for maintenance. You need to get yourself a good multimeter and you want to get something that has amp reading capability. Digital or analog that's fine. I like to use digital because it's more accurate but you know get you a good a good multimeter that will do ohms voltage AC DC if you need it DC if you don't get DC that's fine. AC is what you're going to be working on most but you want to be able to have that amperage reading capability so get you a good digital or analog multimeter. Okay, let's move on here. This is something you're going to need if you don't have that cheap set of wire strippers and it's a wire stripper crumper combo. I always like to use a separate crumper if you're fixing an air conditioner or any kind of any kind of electrical item where you need to put on one of those stake-ons or a coupler or eyelets anything that needs to be attached to the end of that wire you need a good crumper that's going to get you it's going to give you a good good crimp so make sure you got a good set of crimpers. I'm going to try to link all of this stuff in the description below that way you'll know exactly what you need if you don't have to buy them like I said if you've got tools that that you're happy with using then go ahead and use them there's no shame in your game as they say but that's just me. Alright the next thing you need to make sure that you have your 10-in-1 is fine that's a good screwdriver to have if you're going to do small jobs little quick jobs especially when it comes to the nut driver part of it because the quarter-inch part of this nut this screwdriver is not really that it's not that strong a metal let's put it that way so it is it it's going to be easy to strip that out so rather than do that if you've got a lot of screws to remove go ahead and get you a good set of a quarter-inch magnetic and a 5-sixteenth magnetic nut driver now again I'm my preference is Klein I've always bought Klein I've never been unhappy with Klein you know one of my mottoes is never be afraid to buy the best you'll never be sorry and when it comes to Klein for me I think they're probably one of the best hand tools out there and I don't think you're gonna go wrong so a good set quarter and 5-sixteenths and magnetic is important you don't know how important it is until you don't have one once you get a magnetic you'll never go back I promise you so get your quarter and 5-sixteenths nut drivers all right if you're in the maintenance field you're gonna need a 3-8 nut driver as well this is good for taking the nuts off of that that little plumbing fixture and that bracket on the side of a garbage disposal a 3-8 nut driver it doesn't have to be anything fancy you're not going to be using it that much however some of the bolts on refrigerator doors when you're if you ever have to re redo a door or reverse a door some of those bolts that are on refrigerator doors are 3-8 these would be good sometimes a socket and wrench is better I don't know if you can hear that I got some thunder going on we got some pretty good range stones going on right now so anyway 5-sixteenths quarter inch and 3-8 nut drivers that's pretty much the only three nut drivers you're gonna use and again I'll put all this and links in the description now you do have the 6 and 1 however you will probably run into cases where you're gonna need just a regular Phillips head screwdriver and Klein makes a pretty good one I would venture to say I've had this thing going on 21 years 20 20 plus years I know for this Klein Phillips screwdriver and I've had this Klein straight head screwdriver probably as long it's getting now where you don't have to use a straight head screwdriver that often but when you do you want something that's quality I've got a longer straight head screwdriver here a little bit thinner it's a thinner head this is good for when you need it you've got it and then the old twirling this is a Phillips head they make one of these in a flat head as well but I don't know how you would use a flat head on a twirling because it's pretty difficult to use them but this is really good for doing machine screws installing or removing dead bolts and doorknobs that right there will save you from dropping screwdrivers every time so that's a good tool to have now this is something that you don't have to go out and get right away but there's something you want to put on the back burner and say when I get a little extra money and I'm at the at the home improvement store loads of Home Depot that's where I'm going and the other thing I want to let you know if you don't want to buy them off with a link in my description when you go to Lowe's or Home Depot a lot of these tools that are Klein's are in the electrical department you won't find them over in the tools section because these are pretty much electrical tools Klein is geared themselves more to electrical and electricians so that's that's where you're going to find them now the things like the channel locks and the needle nose even this the wire stripper that's a Klein that's going to be in your electrical department and the tools that are in the electrical department and these are going to be the 11 and ones are going to be electrical also so anyway back to what I said before the best thing that you can do have a pair of channel locks get you an 11 and one now you can get the air-conditioned one but I would suggest going ahead and getting just the regular 11 and one the three two five zero zero is the part number that you want on that a good flashlight a good multimeter some side cutters wire strippers and wire crumpers those tools right there in that little pile will get you started and make you where you can do just about anything you need to do the rest of these tools will come in time and that's about all I got now we'll show you this this is something that I started doing a few years ago you know you got garbage disposals that people drop stuff down in on the garbage disposal stops working there's crap down inside of it you don't want to be sticking your hands down there this right here you can either use a good pair of forceps and I buy these on Amazon I think I bought these from a doctor supply or a hospital supply or something like that and some people think they're used for nefarious reasons but no I use them for doing garbage disposal cleanouts pulling stuff out of disposals sometimes it works pretty good if I drop a screw that can't get to it you know I'm missing that distance I can use this to grab something that's something you can get later down the line so you know I got a big pair and I got a little pair so anyway there you go guys if you're in a maintenance field you just starting out or if you just if you think you need to upgrade your tools and you're not quite sure what to get this is good for maintenance you guys this is the essentials this is what you pretty much need to start out with if you're a homeowner I would suggest having the same thing now some of the tools used for air conditioning you're not going to be so much messing with but the rest of the stuff yeah I think you're gonna you're gonna want to put that in your essential tool bag for working on stuff around your house so there you go guys that's what I got the essential tools of a maintenance man or a homeowner however you want to look at it that's my bag you guys take it easy be kind and be safe and I'll see you on the next video