5 Tractor Supply Tools Under $10 Worth Adding To Your Collection

There is always room in a toolbox for expensive gear designed to handle niche jobs well, or serve as multipurpose coverage options for a wide range of critical tasks. These include everything from pumping equipment to reciprocating saws. However, numerous hand tools and other notably less expensive gear can play an equally large role in your successes while working under the hood or handling an emergency repair in the house. Lots of inexpensive gear and gadgets frequently stand between you and your goals. If you have this kind of equipment on hand, getting the job done is a breeze; lacking it can be the differentiator you're missing. One obvious area where this comes into play is with something like a tape measure or even an old school folding ruler. It's impossible to make accurate measurements and calculate material needs without one (and they can do a lot more for pro-level users who know a few key tricks).

These five tools are all pieces of equipment I've used personally, and all of them can be found at Tractor Supply Co. for less than $10. From experience, each one can quickly become a central player in your home improvement or repair tasks. They all add critical functionality to your toolbox, and some can offer a great addition to an on-the-go toolkit designed to handle issues on the road or remain close at hand to tackle problems that friends or family may run into at home.

The Swanson speed square is a foundational part of any toolkit. My Swanson square has been going strong for years, and it's likely to continue offering exceptional marking and measurement capabilities for many more years into the future. The Swanson 8-Inch Speedlite Siding Square is finished in a high-visibility orange coloration and is listed at Tractor Supply for $5. It's built from a composite material that offers solid durability similar to the forged aluminum frame of its standard speed squares, yet this build provides the ability to leave no markings or divots in softer materials. It's light and durable, however, making the tool a potential upgrade over the brand's classic design.

Speed squares are similar in capability to one of the cheapest woodworking tools every renovator should know about, and they're crucially important for marking boards for rip cuts in particular. The 90-degree angle they produce is great for extending lines ahead of mitered chops, but the integrated notches in the tool allow it to be slid across a board's entire length to strike a solid, perfectly straight line to produce precision rip cuts with either a table or circular saw. This model is also 8 inches in length, extending its measurement capabilities ever so slightly beyond the standard 7-inch model.

A small wrench feels like a tool that can and maybe should be skipped. However, there are a surprising number of key use cases for a scaled-down gripping and turning tool. For one thing, a smaller adjustable wrench naturally offers up a shorter handle length as its central selling point. While you'll lose lever power by shortening the tool, you gain unparalleled access to difficult areas and confined spaces. The Crescent 4-Inch Mini Adjustable Wrench is a great example of this specialized turning tool. Tractor Supply carries it for $9.99, making it a piece of gear that comes in just under the two-figure pricing threshold. It's a small tool, but it offers great value to a user in need of increased gripping power in a quirky recess or around tightly packed parts you'd rather not remove.

The tool offers a maximum jaw opening rated at just half an inch. This means it's not going to serve as a primary fastener turner in any sort of multipurpose area of operation. The stubby length also limits its ability to serve here, but the tool's three-inch width and four-inch length provide incredible reach when handling difficult jobs that just won't allow for a more traditional size, no matter how you contort the tool or your body. It's forged from alloy steel and finished with a black oxide for rust resistance and durability, as well as a laser-etched scale for quick fastener identification.

Ask any renovator about the Stanley Classic 99 Retractable Utility Knife, and you'll likely get more than a few stories. There are plenty of multipurpose utility knives out there that can handle a wide range of additional tasks, but it's hard to beat the 99 model that acts as a sort of foundation for all others that came after. My dad and grandpa used these utility knives for many years, and so have I. I will say, though, I have broken the thumb lever that operates the blade's movement on one of these tools before. It does come with a limited lifetime warranty, so even if you manage to shear off the part, you're probably covered long into the tool's life in your garage or shed (although I just tossed it and bought a new 99).

The tool's price tag helps grease the skids on all fronts. It's $9 at Tractor Supply and similarly priced virtually anywhere else you might do your home improvement shopping. Both the Stanley brand and its core utility knife are ubiquitous sights on the shelves at these institutions. The knife measures 5.75 inches in length, features onboard blade storage within the handle, and features a slim but naturally bulged overall body shape that makes holding the knife and cutting with it easy and comfortable. Other knives may do certain tasks better, but there's a reason this classic tool remains a favorite for plenty of renovators and pros alike.

There are so many different kinds of woodworking clamps that it can be hard to narrow in on the specific type that's best for your jobs and needs. A basic multipurpose gripping tool that won't really turn heads but certainly deserves a spot in any renovator's clamp collection is the Irwin 2-Inch 100 Series C-Clamp. It's an $8 purchase at Tractor Supply for a single clamp and can be a major upgrade when performing cuts with a range of saws, specifically. Clamping a sacrificial fence in place before sending a board through your table saw, for example, frequently allows for less tear out and a more precise cut throughout the workpiece. Similar results can be achieved by clamping a board to your miter saw or securing a temporary straight edge to your workpiece while using a jigsaw or circular saw to complete a cut.

The small-scale C-clamp offers a cheap solution to hold things in place while providing a mobile option that's easy to both secure and release. This Irwin model features large swivel pads that diffuse the pressure over a larger area for a secure but not crushing hold. It also uses a double-threaded screw for a more secure hold and faster application time. It offers a 600-pound clamping force with a 1-5/16-inch throat depth, and it's covered by a lifetime warranty.

Mole grip pliers are a staple of any toolbox. A basic set of locking jaw grippers can handle a wide range of tasks and they come in a huge range of sizes and jaw styles. A small but powerful option that's priced at just $9 is the Crecent 5-Inch Curve Jaw Locking Pliers, featuring the classic mole grip head style. The tool is built from forged steel and features a nickel-plated finish that resists rust and corrosion. The tool's knurled adjustment screw can be easily hand-turned or levered via a hex key inserted into the screw head for greater torque when locking the jaws down on a fastener or workpiece.

The pliers' compound locking action links up with an angled tooth pattern that combines to provide a firm, non-slip grip on whatever you're looking to grab or turn. The tool also features a dipped release lever with a plastisol coating for better comfort while operating it. It also comes with a limited lifetime warranty to add some important extra coverage to protect the tool long into the future.

The Swanson square is not the exact model I own and frequently use, but aside from its orange color and the composite construction instead of a forged aluminum body, the tool is virtually indistinguishable from mine. Outside of that slight exception, the remaining tools are all gear I've used numerous times in the past or currently own and use today. All of them have provided a quality user experience and do their respective jobs exceedingly well.