The 5 Best Budget-Friendly Tools Worth Buying From Do It Best
It doesn't matter if you're a professional contractor or just looking to do a few repairs around the house; having the right tool for the job can make all the difference. Quality gear can be expensive, though. Even stocking your garage with basic hand tools can cost an arm and a leg. Luckily, there are a few retailers that can help save you a bit of money.
One of those retailers is Do It Best. This is a smaller hardware chain than Lowes or Home Depot. It can't always compete with the big box stores' prices, but it does offer a handful of highly affordable items that can help you get the tools you need without breaking the bank. In fact, Do It Best isn't just a retailer. It's also a manufacturer. It has its own store brand of the same name, offering even cheaper versions of the name-brand products you would find at other stores. The trick is to look at what the retailer has in stock and then compare the prices and specifications to similar products sold by other stores to find the best bargains on quality hardware. Picking your way through the company's entire catalog can be tedious, though. So here is a list of the five best budget-friendly tools worth buying from Do It Best.
Do It Best 16 Oz. Smooth-Face Curved Claw Hammer
No toolbox is complete without a good hammer. Everyone should have one in their kit. Otherwise, you won't be able to do so much as hang a picture frame. You don't need to spend a ton of money on a construction-grade hammer, though. There are plenty of simple options that can do the job just fine.
Do It Best manufacturers and sells a basic 16 oz. Smooth-Face Curved Claw Hammer that should be more than capable of driving and pulling nails in simple home projects. 16 oz. is standard for most home tool kits, which makes it a good option for general-purpose use. This hammer also has a solid hickory handle. Hickory doesn't have the shock absorption of a rubber grip, but this straight-grain wood is actually more shock-absorbent than other species of wood. This, along with its strength and durability, is why hickory has been a popular choice for tool handles for a long time.
This hammer retails for $13.49. You might be able to find a cheaper option at a store known for budget-friendly tools, such as Harbor Freight, but this hammer is certainly going to cost less than a name-brand tool from a company like Milwaukee or DeWalt.
Do It Plastic Miter Box
There are a lot of home projects where you might find yourself needing to get a nice clean cut across a board or a piece of trim. Of course, you could invest in a power saw to simplify the task, but those can be expensive. A cheaper option for those who only need to make a few quick cuts is to buy yourself a miter box. This guide is designed to be used in conjunction with a handsaw. You place a board into the track in the center and then line up the saw in the slots on the sides. These slots run across the track at perfect 90° and 45° angles, allowing you to get nice, clean miter cuts.
There is a Do It brand miter box sold at Do It Best, which is made of yellow plastic and allows for four different cutting angles. Its dimensions are 12" L x 4" W x 2-1/4" H, so you won't be able to cut anything bigger than a 2x4 with it, but it's the perfect size for cutting trim to fit the corners of a room.
This miter box goes for $8.19 at Do It Best, making it much cheaper than the options available from Home Depot and even managing to edge out the price of the Harbor Freight model.
SouthBend 8 In. Long Nosed Pliers
There are quite a few different types of pliers out there, and each has a certain kind of job best suited for them. Few can match the unique versatility of a pair of needle-nose pliers, though. The narrow tips on these make them great for more delicate jobs, like working with electrical wires, fishing hooks, and jewelry repair. The narrow pincers can also get into many small places where flat-nosed pliers simply won't fit.
The SouthBend 8 in. Long Nosed Pliers sold at Do It Best aren't exactly the highest quality needle noses on the market, but they're affordable and come highly rated. They retail for $6.99 and are made from high-carbon steel with chrome plating on the pincers. They also have an orange and gray sure-grip vinyl coating on the handles.
Justin Brouillard of Bassmaster reviewed these pliers and said, "SouthBend is known for manufacturing tools and gear for all anglers alike, and the long-nose pliers are perfect for any tackle box." This makes sense, given that you probably don't want to bring an expensive set of pliers into a boat where they might go overboard. He also said, "They are easy to grip and the perfect size for teaching a beginner angler how to properly remove the hook from a fish."
Black and Decker 20V MAX Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
If you're looking for a tool with a ton of utility at a low price, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Black and Decker 20V MAX Cordless Drill/Driver, which sells for just $49.99 at Do It Best. A good cordless power drill is an invaluable component in just about any home improvement project.
Black and Decker is a budget brand that isn't exactly known for manufacturing high-end products. Even so, this tool can drill holes, drive fasteners, and work with any other bits that can fit in its 3/8" chuck. Included in the kit are a 20V 1.5 Ah lithium battery and charger. This means it will have a high power output, though it probably won't last long between charges. On top of that, the drill itself has an 11-position clutch, a built-in drill bit holder, and an integrated LED work light to help you see what you're doing.
Tech Gear Lab gave the drill a 4 out of 5 in its review, stating it is "a great little drill if you don't expect too much and are trying to shop on the tightest budget possible." They explain that it's not the best drill on the market, but it's an excellent budget option that can easily handle most light-duty jobs. Pro Tool Reviews had a similar assessment, stating that it "has the performance to tackle furniture assembly, picture hanging, shelf installation, and a multitude of light drilling and fastening jobs around the house."
Greenworks 1700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer
Need something to help clean off your deck, walkway, or the side panels of your house? A quality pressure washer makes quick work of these tasks and more. Sure, it's a bit of a luxury compared to some of the other tools on this list, but it can also save a lot of the time, effort, and lower back pain that comes with scrubbing away the build-up of dirt and grime by hand.
The Greenworks 1700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer is far from the most powerful unit on the market, but you would be hard-pressed to find a unit that matches its efficiency and affordability. Greenworks is also considered one of the best pressure washer brands on the market.
As the name indicates, it can generate up to 1,700 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure and discharges 1.2 GPM (gallons per minute) of fluid. It has a 13 amp motor with an axial cam pump, a 20 ft. high-pressure hose, a 25-degree nozzle, a 40-degree nozzle, and a soap applicator nozzle to offer different pressure levels. It doesn't include a water tank, so it must be hooked up to a hose to function, but it does come with a small detergent tank which attaches to the spray gun. It's sold for $109.99 at Do It Best, which is competitive with the cheapest options available at Home Depot.
Eric Jopp of Tools In Action reviewed the Greenworks 1700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer. "The power is more than enough for any work around the house and even smaller job sites," he said. "You can clean your vehicle, grills, patio furniture, walkways, windows, deck, and more with this pressure washer."
Our methodology
We started compiling this list by looking at the inventory of tools available on the Do It Best website. We searched for the lowest-priced items in each category that would be good options for someone on a budget. We then compared them to similar products on offer from other retailers, checking to ensure they were competitive in quality, features, and price. Where possible, we also examined professional reviews in order to make sure that these tools performed to their listed specifications and didn't have any hidden faults.