14 DIY Tools Under $20 Every Homeowner Should Have In Their Collection

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The DIY world is full of inspiration, jumping off points, and tools to help accomplish the goals you've set for yourself. There's always room in the toolbox for something big and impactful like an SDS drill, cut-off tool, or sledge hammer, and these implements are often at the forefront of a DIYer's thinking. But countless other pieces of gear often play an equally (if not more) important role, and many can be found for extremely favorable prices. No matter your preferred retailer or brand, there are lots of inexpensive options that really make a huge difference.

These are all tools no homeowner looking to handle their own repairs can realistically do without. I'm a homeowner, and all of them sit prominently in my toolshed. They're usually the first things I reach for when a new project springs up, but because none of them are heavy duty power tools or visually impressive workhorses, they're easy to overlook. All of them are available for less than $20, making this entire list cheaper when combined than some of the prominent power tools that might sit in your garage already!

The Vdiagtool OBD2 Code Reader is not a piece of equipment that home improvers will necessarily recognize as critically important, but it will bring a lot of value to any home mechanic. This tool connects to your vehicle and reads the diagnostic codes that the computerized system flags when something goes wrong under the hood. It can help you diagnose and solve issues yourself, while also protecting against some of the scams a shady mechanic might try to pull.

There are lots of code readers on the market, and this one is available from Amazon for $15. It features a database containing over 3,000 codes, allowing you to dig deep into a wide range of problems that your car may be experiencing. It can check for emissions system issues, engine trouble, and more. The scanner works with most vehicles in the U.S. market after model year 1996, making virtually any modern car you might be working on today compatible with the tool. Finally, the scanner also lets you clear codes that have been resolved, saving you the hassle and payment pain of bringing it into a mechanic or the dealership to get that check engine light switched off.

There's no substitute for a quality hammer. Even if you tend to gravitate toward screws over nails, it is a foundational piece of equipment. There are extremely expensive hammers out there, but in most instances a decent inexpensive model is all you'll need for a lifetime of work. The Pittsburgh Pro 22-ounce Solid Steel Framing Hammer is one of these kinds of tools, and over 500 Harbor Freight buyers have given it high praise in the aggregate. It features a sturdy one-piece construction with a slim neck profile that looks great and will make swinging the tool easy. It's available from Harbor Freight for $13, or $10 for Inside Track Club members until the end of May.

The hammer features a rubber overmold grip on the handle. It's rounded out with oil resistance to make the tool usable in a variety of settings. The solid shank construction helps absorb shocks from striking objects with the hammer and it features a waffle face rather than a smooth one, which is a feature that some users prefer. A rip claw rather than a curved alternative rounds out the hammer.

There are lots of speed and combination square options on the market, but one of the most cost effective ones is the GreenPro Combination Square and Speed Square Set. It comes with a small level as well as both a combination and speed square, all bundled up at Amazon for $16. The bundle is also offered with a carpentry pencil instead of the bubble level for an extra dollar.

Speed squares are critically important for measuring angular drop when working on roofs and lend themselves to producing quick marks when measuring workpieces, both when handling rip cuts and to extend measurements at 90-degree angles across boards. The combination square offers a similar capability, but features a mobile, perpendicular base for even more versatility when taking measurements and marking workpieces. These two tools are essential for some of the foundational work you'll do ahead of any project. The cost effective bundle makes them easy to bring into your collection.

Another hand tool found in great abundance across the marketplace, the utility knife belongs in every home improver's toolbox or pocket. The Milwaukee Fastback 6-in-1 Folding Utility Knife is available at Home Depot for $16, and it features a wealth of additional functions beyond the cutting capability that exists within its primary use case.

This tool features a press and flip opening to produce a one-handed operation. It introduces a wire stripper, a bit holder, its own folding screwdriver, and more. It also features a wire belt clip. The all-metal design makes for a long lasting utility cutting tool that's easy to use and will work whenever the need arises. It's an inexpensive option that goes above and beyond, and probably constitutes a major upgrade for anyone who has gotten used to operating with a basic (and classic) Stanley knife or another nondescript folding apparatus.

Mechanics tool sets and similar kits are yet another area where coverage is critical. Whether you tend to work under the hood of your car or focus on upgrades around the house, there will always be a need to call upon a socket set for routine fastening jobs. Home improvements don't necessarily need an option featuring an extensive variety of sockets, but they do need some basic coverage for general repairs. The EgoFine 46-Piece Ratchet and Socket Set is a great option because it bundles 13 sockets in a ¼-inch drive size with a range of extensions and a set bit attachments. It's a small toolkit, but one that features plenty of coverage across the spectrum of jobsite needs. The kit is available from Amazon for $15 in its red colorway.

Its low price tag and high level of functionality mark this as an interesting choice for buyers looking to begin building a toolkit, in particular. It's also worth noting that more than 8,000 units have been sold in the last month alone and the set features nearly 9,000 buyer reviews with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Lighting tends to get overlooked, until the sun sets on your outdoor project for the first time or you run into a visibility issue in a recessed area. Once you've encountered the trouble poor lighting can create within a project, you'll run out to the store to find a piece of equipment that can help improve things in a hurry. At Home Depot you can add the Husky 1,000 Lumen Portable LED Work Light to your toolkit for $20 ($19.98). It's an adjustable light featuring mobile feet that also turn over into a handle for easy carrying or the ability to hang the tool off something in your working area. It delivers 360-degree vertical rotation and operates via a 5-foot cord alongside a sealed switch and grounded plug.

The tool is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and it's compatible with a tripod. The adjustable leg segments make this tool useful for positioning the illumination wherever you might need it during a project, allowing renovators to extend their working hours well into the twilight or work in challenging conditions like crawl spaces or attics with greater ease.

Outdoor power tools tend to get all the attention, but a range of hand tools are equally valuable for yardwork, and the Fiskars Steel Garden Knife is a great example of a solution that can really improve your approach to landscape management. It's available at Amazon for $10, and features a multi-functional digging blade that can quickly come to support a wide range of tasks you might encounter while working outside in the garden.

The tool is supported by a soft grip handle with a fattened gripping area for better control and comfort. The blade itself features a rust resistant steel construction with a forked tip and one serrated edge along the side. It also features a gentle curvature in the blade, making it possible to use as a sort of hand shovel as well. The blades design makes it ideal for cutting into the roots of weeds you're trying to remove, and the serrated edge allows it to cut through even dense growth when necessary. It's great for digging, weeding, and breaking up dense soil. The tool is also backed by Fiskars' lifetime warranty coverage.

The hacksaw offers perhaps the best option for controlled cutting through metal. This sometimes means cutting a stuck fastener off of a workpiece or perhaps even cutting a fastener itself down to size for use in a custom installation. A hacksaw is an alternative to an angle grinder that doesn't create jagged burrs on the end of your workpiece. It will take longer to cut through any kind of material than a power tool, but when precision and controlled force are required, it's an ideal option.

Hacksaws also don't have to be particularly expensive. The Ace 12-Inch Carbon Steel Hacksaw is available from Ace Hardware for $14 and features adjustability with four cutting positions. The saw is made from carbon steel and features a pistol grip style handle with finger grips built into the unit. This is a no-nonsense cutting implement, and it gets the job done exceedingly well for a low price.

Repairs often involve gripping and turning components, which makes adjustable wrenches necessary to have at the ready. Whether you're working on pipes under the sink or handling bathroom repairs or radiator fixes, a set of wrenches rather than a single adjustable wrench come in exceedingly handy.

A great option in this arena is the Pittsburgh Adjustable Laser-Etched Wrench Set. This four-piece set features wrenches ranging from 6 inches to 12 inches in size (in 2-inch increments). Each wrench is made from high carbon steel and rounded out with a black chrome finish for durability and a fine, polished look. The set is available from Harbor Freight for $18, making each wrench roughly $4.50 apiece, a nice bundled savings offer to be sure. The wrenches also feature laser etched measurement markings along the jaws, and a nickel plated coating to complete their durability chops. Unlike some wrenches you'll find, these feature softened handles for a bit more comfort when gripping them. The handles utilize a double dip matte grip with added oil resistance for a solid hold.

Sanding tools come in a tremendous spectrum of options, but if you're looking for something basic and reasonably priced, the Wen 1.2 Amp ⅓ Sheet Sander could be a great choice. It features a hook and loop base pad to keep your sandpaper firmly in place, and the rectangular surface allows for edge access and the ability to tackle corners with a bit better ease than other alternatives like circular-shaped, orbital sanders. The tool is available from Home Depot for $19.74, making it an incredibly low cost option for those who may not be particularly picky about the type of sander they require or prefer. Sheet sanders are great for large scale material removal, and they can act as versatile options across a range of sanding needs, but it's worth noting that these are not an ideal solution for fine detail work.

Even with that in mind, the tool is a quality choice for many. It delivers 12,000 OPM and includes a dust collection bag that helps minimize dust production. The tool weighs just 3 pounds and comes with a yearlong warranty to help offer important longevity to your use.

Every renovator and homeowner should have a multi-bit screwdriver. This hand tool allows you to quickly swap bits, using a single screwdriver handle to cover virtually any hand fastening task you might encounter. The Milwaukee 13-in-1 Multibit Screwdriver is a solid choice, featuring a cushion grip screwdriver handle and 12 bits in total. It's available at Home Depot for $19.97. The set includes eight driver bits, including square and security bits, and it includes nut driver bits bit for increased versatility.

Some of the most impressive multi-bit screwdrivers include telescoping heads, ratcheting functionality, and more. This driver doesn't include those, but in many instances users will find that these upgrades can actually sometimes get in the way. Moreover, by foregoing these additional elements the tool retains a highly favorable price tag while still providing a solid experience that nearly 200 buyers have heaped significant praise upon.

Locking pliers offer a supreme hold on whatever workpiece you might be trying to clamp onto. They're great for turning valves or locking down fasteners, and in some instances, they can act as makeshift clamps to keep material from walking as you make a cut or drill a pilot hole. The Amazon Basics 5-Piece Locking Pliers Set is a comprehensive kit featuring two straight jaw pliers and three curved jaw mole grip-style tools. They range in size from a 5-inch model up to a 10-inch option.

The kit also comes with a storage case, allowing users to keep their tools safe and secure when not in use. The whole package is available from Amazon for $19, making this a serious bargain for a chrome vanadium steel set of hand tools that follow in the design language of the classic locking pliers that came before. Each tool is rounded out with strong teeth that offer a secure hold as well as the ability to cut steel wire with the included blade tucked down at the bottom of each tool's jaws.

A wrecking bar will serve you far better than the claw on the back of your hammer in almost all circumstances. Pry bars come in a range of sizes, and a small unit like the Stanley Wonder Bar is the perfect complement to routine home maintenance tasks or DIY renovation aspirations. The bar is available from Ace Hardware for $16 and is made from a high carbon steel for supreme durability and strength.

The Wonder Bar features a contoured shape with beveled cutting edges that allow you to get under even the trickiest fasteners and material, for a strong hold and potent removal force. The bar features both a long and short prying end as well as a nail puller for strong fulcrum action. This isn't a glamorous tool, and you're likely to toss it into the tool bag and think little of it between jobs. But when demolition tasks come around ahead of your next project, the pry bar is almost always one of the first tools that repairers and renovators seek.

In addition to cutting and fastening, measuring is one of the foundational tasks in virtually any project. As such, having a number of measurement tools is important for any renovator's toolkit. The Stanley 16-Foot PowerLock Tape Measure is an ideal place to start for someone just building their first tool kit, and it also provides a great option to add as a backup tape for those who have become frustrated by a penchant for misplacing their tape measure over and over again during projects. The tool is available at Home Depot for $12, Making it an inexpensive option that adds a classic Stanley design to your toolbox.

The tape features a mylar blade coating to give it a long life and offers 16-inch and 19.2-inch stud center markings for easy identification during layout tasks. The tool comes with the backing of a limited lifetime warranty, it also features a Tru-Zero sliding hook to make measurements as accurate as possible.

These are all highly rated examples of tools that I use on a regular basis to handle DIY projects, and tools that others have relayed to me that they rely on far more often than the typical piece of equipment in their collection. Drills and other high impact (and often far more expensive) tools are important, but the unsung heroes of the toolbox are often the inexpensive stalwarts that get called upon numerous times throughout a job. All of these have a place in virtually any renovator's collection, and the specific products listed here have all been reviewed by at least 100 buyers with a 4.3 star average rating or better out of 5.