10 Home Depot Tools Under $30 That Are Actually Worth Buying

Home Depot is a one-stop shop for anything related to home improvement, whether you're building furniture, tackling a long-overdue renovation, or simply hanging art on the wall. Home Depot even offers a few unexpected services, like installing holiday lights or setting up smart home equipment. This hardware store is a haven for DIY enthusiasts, with plenty of tools to choose from that will make your life easier without breaking the bank. While it's easy to spend thousands at Home Depot — after all, the store does sell large appliances and major equipment — there are also countless tools under $30 that are actually worth buying.

If you're living on your own for the first time and building up an assortment of tools, or you've got $30 to spend and you want to spend it at Home Depot, we've got you covered. After poring over Home Depot's website for hours, we found 10 tools worth adding to your collection, all under that budget-friendly $30 limit.

This Husky Stubby ratchet and socket set will come in handy in more ways than one. At just $28.97, it's one of the best mini socket sets you can buy right now. It comes with 11 Metric sockets, 11 SAE sockets, and a double-sided, 72-tooth ratchet that can accommodate ¼-inch and ⅜-inch pieces. While the most common use for a socket set at home is car maintenance, it's just as useful for tightening or loosening nuts and bolts on furniture or during plumbing-related repairs. Plus, there's more in this set than just the ratchet and sockets.

In this 46-piece set, Husky also includes an adjustable wrench, a ratcheting, magnetic bit driver with a hollow handle that can store up to six bits at once, and 20 screwdriver bits to get you started. Having a ratcheting screwdriver on hand when it's time to hang something or assemble furniture makes the task so much easier. The set also comes with a compact plastic case to store everything neatly. Its small dimensions of 8 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches make it a great option for anyone short on space in their home.

It may be difficult to find one of the best lightweight cordless drills for under $30, but sourcing an affordable cordless screwdriver is a much easier task. Wen's cordless screwdriver is only $22.62 at Home Depot, and it comes with over 40 accessories and a nifty case to carry everything in. Among the included accessories are 29 short specialty bits, six long standard screwdriver bits, eight sockets, an extension magnetic bit holder, the hard protective case, and a wall charger. With all these pieces, it'll be a breeze to assemble furniture, hang decor on the wall, or tackle odd jobs around the home.

If you're working in a dim area, this cordless screwdriver will helpfully light your way. There's a rear-mounted LED flashlight that operates independently of the screwdriver, along with a front-mounted LED light that operates in tandem with it. You can use this screwdriver in the shape of a drill, which is the form factor it's stored in the case with, or you can extend it fully horizontal to use it as a flashlight or a more standard screwdriver handle.

Having a simple tool kit on deck is essential for every home, whether you frequently take on DIY projects or not. If you need to urgently shut off a water supply, nonchalantly measure a room, or hang multiple pictures for a gallery wall, this 39-piece tool kit from Apollo for $20.49 can get the job done.

Inside this helpful starter kit, there's a 12-foot tape measure, a steel claw hammer with a comfortable rubber grip handle, a pair of 6-inch slip joint pliers, a set of eight SAE hex keys, a pair of 8-inch scissors, a utility knife, and four precision screwdrivers. The bulk of the kit is a bit driver with 20 total bits, including multiple Torx, Phillips, Pozidriv bits, and more. Everything stores neatly inside the included blow-molded case, which measures just 12.6 x 7.5 x 3.4 inches. All the tools are coated with a chrome-plated finish, which helps increase durability and makes them easier to keep clean.

Although many people living on their own for the first time can get away with owning only one set of pliers, the need for more specific types tends to grow as you age, especially when you transition from renting to owning your home. Stanley's 6-piece mini plier set is compact enough to store easily, yet durable and strong enough to tackle whatever tasks come your way. Each pair of pliers is made from drop-forged steel, which is first heated and then hammered into a mold, a process that delivers excellent structural integrity and long-lasting strength. For comfort, each tool is finished with an oil-resistant dipped handle.

This set is only $18.89 right now at Home Depot and comes with 4-inch diagonal pliers, 4-inch end-cutting pliers, 4-inch bent nose pliers, 5-inch long nose pliers, 5-inch flat nose pliers, and 5-inch groove joint pliers. With all these pliers, you'll be able to grasp, bend, twist, and cut pretty much anything you need to. While its best selling point is its versatility, this set is also just plain cute, packed with some of the most adorable mini tools you can get at Home Depot.

Applying wax regularly is one of the most popular car cleaning tips for a reason — and it's not just because it makes your car look shiny and new. Beyond that beautiful finish, consistently giving your vehicle a fresh wax coat helps it better withstand UV rays, oxidation, fading paint, and minor scratches. To make the process of applying wax easier, it's smart to invest in a tool designed specifically for waxing and polishing. Wen's 10-inch waxer/polisher is only $23.54, and it'll likely prove its worth after just one use.

This waxer features a high-performance, 120-volt magnet motor capable of 3,200 orbits per minute. Despite that power, it's comfortable to use for long periods of time, thanks to its ergonomic handle. Wen's waxer/polisher comes with two interchangeable bonnets: a 10-inch applicator bonnet and a 10-inch terry cloth bonnet. If you don't already have a good extension cord at home, you may want to invest in one if you're thinking about getting this waxer. Some customers note the included cable isn't very long and an extension cord is necessary to reach everything without moving your car around mid-wax.

Although having a cordless electric screwdriver can be immensely helpful, sometimes it's better to reach for plain old manual screwdrivers instead. For jobs that require precision or a gentler hand, using a traditional screwdriver gives you more control than a battery-powered alternative. Plus, for quick fixes, you don't have to worry about whether your screwdriver is charged.

This Milwaukee screwdriver set for $22.97 comes with six different screwdrivers, all featuring tri-lobe handles that are comfortable to hold and hardened, magnetic tips that help you hang onto screws while working. Each screwdriver also has a lanyard hole and a wrench-ready hex shank, which simply means you can use a wrench on the hexagonal shank if you need extra leverage. More specifically, this set comes with one 3-inch Phillips #1, one 4-inch Phillips #2, one 6-inch Phillips #2, one 4-inch slotted 1/4-inch, one 6-inch slotted 3/16-inch, and one 6-inch slotted 5/16-inch. These six screwdriver sizes are likely all you'll need for future picture hanging or furniture assembly.

Adding a sander to your tool collection may not be necessary for everyone, but it can be helpful to have one on deck for multiple reasons. Aside from a sander's most obvious use in woodworking, you can also use a sander to prep walls and furniture for painting or staining, or to smooth out sharp edges on furniture.

This 5-inch sander from Genesis doesn't take up much space, but it packs a powerful punch. Its 5-inch hook-and-loop sanding disc with a standard 8-hole pattern works by spinning and orbiting at the same time, which Genesis says increases the sanding rate by 50% compared to a standard palm sander. By creating a random sanding action while working, this $25.62 sander helps prevent unwanted swirl marks from popping up. There's also a dust bag included to capture dust as you sand, and a rubberized palm grip to help you keep the sander steady and prevent your hands from hurting after long periods of sanding.

A rotary tool kit is one of those unique buys that you may not realize the usefulness of until you experience it for yourself. Wen's 24-piece rotary tool kit for $27.15 comes with everything you could possibly need to engrave something, perform precision sanding or cutting, or even file your pet's nails. This particular rotary tool is powered by a 7.2-volt lithium-ion battery, so you won't have to worry about maneuvering around a cord while working. The battery allows the rotary tool to operate between 5,000 RPM and 25,000 RPM, increasing in 5,000 RPM increments.

Along with the rotary tool itself and a charger, you'll also get five cutting discs, four grinding stone bits, three diamond-coated bits, three sanding bands, two felt polishing wheels, a sanding drum mandrel, a disc mandrel, a screw mandrel, a nylon wire brush, an HSS cutter, an HSS drill, and a wrench — plenty of accessories to take on fun and simple tasks or more intense jobs like trimming drywall or removing rust. For extra convenience, there are built-in LED lights to ensure you get a precise cut and a carrying case to keep everything together.

The Milwaukee Fastback folding utility knife with blade storage is one of the best utility knives you can get your hands on, and this 2-pack of Milwaukee utility knives at Home Depot for only $19.97 includes it. In addition to that fan-favorite utility knife with blade storage, you'll also get a Fastback compact folding utility knife, an ideal on-the-go option. The Fastback knife with blade storage can hold up to five extra blades at once, and when you need to swap one out, there's a quick-change button to make the process easier. It also features a built-in wire stripper and a gut hook. The smaller folding knife includes the same quick-change button, though it lacks the gut hook and wire cutter features.

Both knives come equipped with a lanyard hole, a belt clip to prevent accidentally tearing your pocket, and a metal extension piece that stops the blade from being removed unintentionally. Each knife can cut through a wide range of materials, including cardboard, flooring, vinyl, drywall, carpet, and more.

If you plan to hang anything in the future, it's worth investing in a laser level. While traditional bubble levels (or spirit levels) are fine in a pinch, they're not as accurate as laser levels and require a lot more effort from the user. With a laser level, you can often just mount it on a wall, a tripod, or even a stack of books if that works, leaving your hands completely free to focus on whatever you're hanging.

Stanley's 10-foot laser level for $29.67 is a smart choice for those on a budget. There's a small pin on the bottom that lets you push it into a wall or another similar surface across from where you need the laser to point. The level will stay in place until you manually remove it. Whether you're hanging a mirror, multiple pictures, or curtain rods, or you need precise measurements for cutting drywall or installing lights, this laser level will make the job a whole lot easier.

To find 10 Home Depot tools under $30 that are actually worth buying, we first went to the hardware store's website. We looked through all of the unique categories at Home Depot to source a good mix of tools that could be helpful to new homeowners, DIYers on a budget, or those who simply frequent the store and have $30 burning a hole in their pocket. After looking through Home Depot's best-selling items across several categories, along with customer ratings and reviews, we selected 10 items that offer the best variety for different needs.